Finishing the First Week

The first week of college is officially done! Woo!

There are a few things I suppose I've learned from being here:

1. It is a lot bigger (Duh)
2. It feels like everyone already knows everyone
3. Sorority is a big deal here.
4. Classes are pretty much all based on exams. Hurrah.

I suppose that list isn't that great, but it's really all I can say for now. As for Sorority... I've been thinking about it. Honestly, I'm not apposed to the idea. (Even though my sister quit, saying it was not great.) The only thing that makes me not want to do it is how much time it takes, and money. Especially the money. If I'm going to be paying big bucks for something, I want it to be studying abroad. Not friends.

Well, I'm off for the night. First weekend at school... Huh. Let's see how this goes.

Changing Expectations and Roommates

It looks like it's going to be just a tad bit later of a night for me. Yes, I'm very dependent on a sleep schedule, sue me.

The week is coming to a close, and I'm glad. As you might realize, I am so ready for the weekend. For now, I just need to finish up this assignment that's due tomorrow.

It's funny how things sometimes just don't turn out the way we think they will. I say this because I am surprisingly understanding Economics quite well. Then again, we'll see when it comes time to the first test. Hoo boy.
The one class that I thought would be fantastic for me, but isn't turning out so great is my Human Physiology class. The thing is, I work really well with textbooks. Now I'm not bashing on the fact that I was able to save money by not getting a textbook, but here's the thing. Our homework is pretty much "look up the information. I'm not really going to talk about anything useful in class, except how exercise=good." Well, that's how the first few classes have been. I am not amused. Plus, I'm very type A. I like to have structure, and this is not it. Welp, what can you do?

The rooming situation... it's weird. My original idea was that I could become friends with my room mates. Have connections. Um... yeah, probably not going to happen. I can barely get a word out of either of them, let alone a conversation. And that's not just because they hardly know English, it's because it's just awkward talking to them.
I'm also pretty much positive that they're in a relationship. Why? Well, for one thing, last night he went into her room and didn't come out again until the next day. Just sayin'. I'm just glad I haven't heard noises.
But tonight? Tonight was weird. I think they were having a fight. I had no idea what they were saying of course, but I heard Lu's tone of voice... Not sounding very happy. So it's just weird.

What's a weird rooming situation you've had? When have things changed from your original expectations? Was it for the better, or worse?

Getting Into the Swing of Things

So the roller coaster that has been my week is starting to chug on back to the station of sanity. Wait... what? Okay, let's just do a recap of what's been going on so far in my life during this week. Okay? Okay.

Indeed, I've had of list of things to do for the week that seems to be growing but at the same time, is finally starting to feel like things are getting marked off. For instance, I was able to get a chance tonight to put things up on the wall. They've been sitting on my desk in a pile mocking me for the past week, so it was nice to clear off some space. Funny thing is, I've been doing little things all week to get my area all organized. It just feels like it's pretty much there. Here's a peek, and please ignore the fact that I'm still decorating like a preteen. I just need things on the wall.

Yes that is a Harry Potter poster. And shut up, don't judge.

In other news, I have been keeping myself busy not just with organizing the room. Yesterday I wandered over to the rec center to try out a fitness class with my sister. Y'know, now that I'm here it's kind of nice to have a sibling at the same school. She knows how things work, and at least I have a bit of a connection.

Speaking of connections... My loserness is coming out like crazy it seems. It's just so hard getting to know people at a completely new school, especially since I don't have the dorm connection with anyone or anything. It's a bit troublesome. But I am trying. I'm trying to find out information about clubs, all of that jazz. That brings us to something I stopped by to check out today called the Alpha Phi Omegas. They're a co-ed fraternity thing that does a lot of volunteer work. It sounds interesting, but at the same time I don't think I'm that good of a person. I'm not the type who usually goes out to volunteer, but who knows? I'm also going to check out some other things, such as an information meeting tomorrow about running club.

So there's still a lot that I'm still trying to figure out. Starting out at a new school, along with a wave of hormonal emotions (you know what I mean), it's just been a little scary. Having my printer jam at 10pm last night didn't help the nerves either.

As for tomorrow, I have one class that starts at noon. Nice. However, I have to run and get a decently sized assignment done for Friday tomorrow as well. Perhaps I'll have time to finally organize the living room? We'll see.

What types of groups did you join in college?

Life Unsettled

Day two of school! Which included Economics. And it's already got me stressing. We've already started going through the information super fast, although at the same time, I'm pretty sure I understand the information. It's just when you have a class that's graded only on exams and quizzes, you start to worry.

Really, I can't think right now. Nothing in my life is settled. My room isn't settled. My apartment isn't settled. My classes aren't settled. Nothing is completed right now, and it's stressing me out. I just want one thing to be done, that's all. One little thing checked off of my list. But the list keeps growing, and I can't keep up. I'll be more interesting tomorrow.

Back to Classes

I'm ready to pass out, and it's only 10. Geez, I feel like an old person. Especially since I hear people whooping and all energized at this time of night.

Today was the first day of classes! And somehow, I feel like I'm a freshman again. It's not because of the new setting either, it's because I'm in all lower level classes. All of my classes are 101s except a 201, but 90% of the class includes freshmen. Ah well.

One of the things I kept on doing today was simply looking behind me at all of the people sitting in the big lecture halls. Compared to a small school like WOU, seeing something like that is incredible.

As for the home front, things still aren't finished being set up. I know, I know, but I've been running errands and all that jazz. Cooking dinner alone took out a huge chunk of time. Then again, I do have what appears to be enough chicken to last me for a week. Feeds four? Maybe with smaller chicken breasts. (I have issues with cooking, we already know this.)

For now, I must sign off. Economics at eight? I'm just scared about the Economics part.

Did any of your years in college feel a lot different than the others, or did they all feel similar?

A Recap of The List

Now that school is actually here, it just doesn't feel right. Alas, school starts tomorrow and a whole bunch of new is throwing itself at me. Once again, I'm just worried about waking up on time. The fear about classes has died down a little, but some of the big classes are making me freaked. Like Economics. Just a tad.

Since it is the first day of school tomorrow, I think it's time once again to bring out the list! The list that this blog originally started on, but now is pretty much a place for me to ramble on. See, there I go again. Back to the list, starting with:

1. Get a Degree.
Obviously I'm not there, but I feel like I'm moving closer and closer. I've been trying to apply for Pre-J status online, but it's not letting me. So there's that. However, I have classes that will work towards my hopeful major.

2. Not Gain the Dreaded Freshman Fifteen.
Yeah, I'm not a freshman anymore, but that doesn't mean I can't gain the freshman fifteen. Heck, I thought I might gain it this summer. My training has been kind of messing with my metabolism I think, but hopefully it will get back to normal.

3. Study Abroad.
Because I'm at a new school, my GPA won't get me studying abroad this year. Which is fine, since I was hoping to next year. I have to wonder how that will affect the classes I need to take. I asked the Journalism department advisor how likely it would be to graduate in 4 years, and she said very likely. How does studying abroad affect that though? I'm not quite sure.

4. Stay Out of Debt.
The average amount I've spent every month since October has been $179.20, and that's not including books. Oof! I have to pay for rent and groceries now, so it's time to start spending smarter. Then again, I don't know if that is as much as I think. Maybe I'm just frugal. (Or maybe I'm a crazy spender and just don't know it.)

5. Get Good Grades
I'm still a bit nervous about this, just because the teachers at WOU were so good. Another reason is because I've been hearing horror stories. I'll work as hard as I can, and just try to get the best grades I can possibly get.

6. Make Friends.
I've been talking about this one a lot. It's scary being a new kid in a town where people have already gotten to know their friends! However, I will not be a wallflower. I'll put myself out there, and I'm hoping to get involved! Yep indeedy! I sound like a camp counselor now...

7. Blog Every Day.
I've been pretty good at this one... for the most part. I officially missed one day, but other than that I've done a post for each day. I'm thinking about changing this one though, who knows? I mean, if I don't have anything to say, why post? My main goal will be to try to post about interesting things, and not complain. No one wants that!

I'm also going to throw a few mini goals in here for now, which might change up.

• Get Toned! I mentioned this before, and I'll admit I haven't been doing very well with it. (I have been doing pretty good with the less sweets though.) I'm hoping that after the race I'll kick my butt into gear and get some stuff toned up. They also offer non credit classes here at the rec center, so those might be fun to check out
• Get Involved! I tried to do this at Western, but I guess I could have tried harder. I know for a fact they have a running club here (running capital of the country), and I've heard you don't have to be the best to be a part of it. Sounds good!

That's it for now. Now let's get ready for tomorrow! (Self pep talk. Just what I do sometimes.)

Do you have any "new school year" goals? How are your current goals going?

Learning About the Political Game

It's Saturday Night Live!

Yeah, I'm back at the house, for one last night. Back to school, actually starting Monday. Guh. Now that it's here, I'm freaking out. I'm going off track though. What was I talking about? Yes, SNL.

It's the new season of SNL, and as you know (or not), I adore SNL. Or I just love comedic actors. Well the first sketch of SNL is usually a political sketch of some kind. Of course, it was about political debates about the potential presidential candidates. That got me to thinking about, well the 2012 elections.

Yes, they're more than a year away, but advertisements are already starting up. This is my first year for voting for the president. What a wild responsibility! Sure, I'm just one person but each vote (sorta) counts.

Being able to vote should mean being able to make an educated decision on who to vote for. However, a lot of people don't get the knowledge they should about voting. Is it because they don't have the access to the appropriate knowledge? Or maybe they don't want to make an effort to get informed. I just don't want that to be me.

So I've got to ask y'all: Where do you get informed about presidential candidates, and their views?

I know many news sources are biased, but what are some good ones that aren't as biased? There's got to be some out there, right?

Other than that, I'm starting to get addicted to Words With Friends on my phone. It's pretty much Scrabble with people you know. Yeah.