Start anew in 2012.

I'm sure that you all are very disappointed in me because of my lack of initiative for this blog. But for any of you that have been a college freshman before in the weeks leading up to your very first college final exams. Well, you'll understand why I haven't been posting lately.

And also of course, it's me. I have a rigorous study schedule lined up and I can't deviate from it. It's crucial that I do well on these exams. I've mapped out the exact percentage that I need to get an A in every class, and some of the numbers are really high. I don't know. I just want to do well.

However,  you will all be happy to know that I will start anew in 2012...new year, new semester, new things to blog about! You can follow me as I waltz down the pre-med track! :)

And even more exciting than the fact of a renewed 2012 Freshman Tale blog is the fact that SU is the #1 school for basketball in the nation right now! Yay! I've never cared so much about a ranking in my entire life, but it is actually pretty exciting. And after experiencing my first Syracuse Orange basketball game last weekend, I can see why everyone goes. It was by far one of the best experiences that I had. The student section = is crazy close to the actual court. The students = crazy in general. We bleed orange!

Alright well as the eleventh hour draws near, I must end this blog entry. Eleven o'clock starts my study schedule. I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. I'll be seeing some of you to wish you that in person!

Okay, mark down on your calendars...January 17th. That's when the new semester starts and it is also when you guys can start getting your daily dose of Katelyn again. :)

The Beginning of the End.

This blog entry has been written during a time of great transition, a time of unprecedented events. It has been written as I near the end of my first semester in college. It seems like just a few weeks ago I was nervous about Orientation, my first lecture with 100+ students, my first college exam. Now, all of that has been completed and checked off of my list. I have sat through three months of lectures, taken eight exams, and am now starting the process of becoming an Orientation leader myself for next year's incoming freshmen class.

I have three weeks left - two weeks of classes and one week of finals -  and then I'm home free! Next semester I'm going to really experiment with my pre-med dream. I'm not taking any Journalism classes and I instead will be focusing on volunteering at the hospital down the street, becoming involved with the pre-health clubs on campus, and taking a variety of science courses.

While I was at home for Thanksgiving break I went to church and received a message that really pertained to my Journalism/Pre-med dilemma. The medium asked me if I was in the process of making a decision, between careers and majors and stuff like that. I assured her that yes, I was. And then...she asked me if I was considering studying the brain! She pretty much nailed it right on the head. She said that I would be successful at either thing, but she especially saw me making strides in things like research (!) if I went into the medical profession.

It's just so hard to choose something that I really want to do - I'm in love with learning, and I just want to be able to learn as much as possible. I would be a student for the rest of my life. Honestly! I could just keep earning degrees. But obviously, that's not practical. I'll just have to keep experimenting for now!

Thanksgiving Break.

As the SU student body reaches the middle of the week, a mere two days before Thanksgiving break begins, it appears that all motivation has completely stopped. For most of us, we take out our books and our notes in an effort to trick our minds into thinking that we're actually being productive. It's just very difficult to want to get work done when we've made it this far, and we're so close to the solace of Thanksgiving Break.

And we all know what will happen when we return from the blissful week at home. As soon as we get back to campus on the 28th, it'll have to be study, study, study because finals are looming in the not-so-distant future. And then we all truly will be home free and I'll be a SECOND SEMESTER COLLEGE STUDENT. I can't even believe it.

Today though, I actually do have to study. I have my final grammar test this afternoon, and if I do well enough on it I can stop taking the class and I won't have to take the real final in December. Pretty much I could not even show up for the test and get a zero and still have a good grade in the class. But you all should know by now that that doesn't fly with me. I definitely need an A. Not just a good grade. And an A and a good grade are two different things in my book.

I'm happy to report though that I have finished all of my homework that I would have have to do over break last weekend, so next week I really will be homework-free! I don't think I'm going to pick up a book the whole time I'm at home. Well maybe Calculus. But that's just because that class is hard and it worries me.

Also, next semester I will be taking class not as a Journalism major, but as a pre-med student. I think that it is incredibly exciting and I will be using next semester as a test to see if becoming a doctor is something that I can really see myself doing.

So all in all, I can't believe it's already Thanksgiving Break and my first college finals week is fast approaching. It's almost too great to believe.

I am sincerely sorry.

I'm sure that all of you have been eagerly logging on to this website daily, only to leave once again feeling dejected and disappointed because I hadn't posted anything.

Over the past week, which is how long it has been since I posted, I came up with a few topics that I could discuss via the blogosphere with my faithful followers - you guys! But every time I sat down to write, it came out sounding boring and mundane. I was feeling very troubled by this, so I have it some thought.

...Then I realized. The reason things sound so boring is because I have finally acclimated to college life! No longer do new things about life at SU seem scary or surprising. I have completely settled/adjusted. I just go about my day now, one of 15,000 students on campus. I wake up, do homework, eat, go to class. It's basically a nice little schedule that I have going for myself.

That being said. I'm pretty much ready for a new semester. I'm ready for some new classes. Which is something that I actually have done that is exciting - I have picked my classes for next semester! They are as follows:

Linguistics 202 - Languages of the World
French II
MAT 286 - Calc II
HNR 250 - Neuroscience/Human Senses
MAX 123 - Critical Issues Facing the US
COM 117 - Multimedia Storytelling...but hopefully I don't have to take that class and I can take Intro to Psychology instead.

It's a very full schedule. 19 credit hours. But I'm confident that I can handle this course load and still obtain the level of success that I'm used to. I am happy to say that to date, I have a 4.0! A's on all of my midterms. It couldn't really be going any better than it is now.

I met with the Health Professions Advising team yesterday. Boy, was it exciting! They were so efficient. They gave me, like, ten hand-outs about the various medical professions and helped me to set up my official "Pre-Med Track Account" right away. They were very impressed with my organizational skills and my ambition. That's right. They could even detect my ambition while I was sitting in a chair across from the discussing my life plans. I love it when that happens.

Other than that though, I am just pretty much ready to go home for Thanksgiving Break. I miss my friends (Richelle, here is your shout out!) and my house and my mom and my brother. It will be nice to be home for a whole week. Well. I'll be in Georgia for some of the time but of course that's great too!

I'm Going Home!

Tomorrow - 25 hours and 26 minutes to be exact - I will be on my way home! I am so very excited, I can hardly contain myself. All I have to do is get through this COM 107 exam today and a math quiz tomorrow, and then I'm home free! Literally!

Yes, I love college still. But I haven't been home in two whole months, since my birthday. That's a really long time to be away from your own bed and your own shower and your mom and brother and of course your really cute cat Pumpkin!

So basically, I'm counting down the hours. And one of the best parts is that I get to go home for Junior Miss! That is just doubly exciting, the icing on the cake! I can't believe it has been a year since my own Junior Miss program. It doesn't really seem like that long ago. I can't wait to see the show and to see my very good Junior Miss friend, Chelsea Tuggle!

But I'm getting ahead of myself, because I also have something exciting to do today. I get to meet with my Academic Advisor and finalize my schedule for next semester with here. I have a feeling she will think it's very funny that I already planned out all four years! Luckily she already sort of knows about my obsession with planning things though, so hopefully she won't be too taken aback.

Okay, well. That's all for now. I just wanted to share my excitement with everyone...I'm sure that it's so strong, you can feel it radiating from your computer screens. Now, off to Linguistics!

LIN, NEU, BIO.

So whenever I'm feeling overwhelmed about something, my favorite thing to do is sit down and map it all out. The map could consist of a schedule for the rest of the day, for the week, or for what I just did right now - four years.

I know that college is about discovering something that you love. It's about trying new things and, ultimately, deciding what you might want to do for the rest of  your life. But the rest of my life seems like an awfully long time when I'm 18 years old and in my first semester of college.

But still. This is what I feel like sometimes - my mind is like an avalanche. I start thinking of one thing, and then before you know it, things just snowball into an impossible mess. How can I possibly accomplish everything that I want to do in this short time? How! How can anybody do it?

This is where the mapped out schedule comes in.

So right now my current dilemma is that I want to be a doctor. I'm 96% positive that it's what I want to do with my life. Unfortunately, I obviously didn't come in as a pre-med student and so I didn't take any science classes my first semester. And no Intro Bio/Chem/Organic Chem/Physics classes are offered in the Spring. So I have to wait until next year to start.

And then I get to thinking. How will I possibly be able to finish it all. The good news is that I planned out my remaining seven semesters here, and I have one whole semester left over! Which means I will still get to go abroad, be a doctor, and accomplish everything that I want to do.

So my life plan, as it stands right now, is this - major in Linguistics, with an Interdisciplinary Major in Neuroscience (because you can't major in neuroscience alone. There aren't even classes offered.) Take all of the pre-med requisites and work my to a degree, graduating summa cum laude. As it happens, I would else end up graduating with a minor in Bio, because of the way I scheduled and picked my classes. Personally, I think this makes me a very attractive candidate for medical school.

Anyways. After undergrad, you'll be able to find me at the Columbia University for Surgeons and Physicians, living in NYC. Well on the way to the rest of my life.

See? I feel better already.

I'm sure that by the time the semester is done, I will have multiple versions of these plans. One for being a journalist too, because I just don' know. But how does anybody know? People who have already graduated don't even know still.

I think I'll be okay. Don't worry about me (mom, Sara, Grandma, Aunt Sue, Aunt Sandi). I've got it all under control!

Sleet.

We all knew that the time would come eventually. Yes, the first few weeks of school were characterized by tank tops and shorts weather, but now, in the middle of October, the fabled Syracuse weather has finally arrived.

It has been getting progressively colder over the last few weeks. People have started to don their North Faces and their Uggs. There has been less activity on the Quad as everyone scurries to get indoors. I'm sure that Starbucks has doubled it's profits in the past month from the amount of hot beverages they have been selling.

But today. We all woke up to 34 degree weather and rain. Except for when you stepped outside, you noticed that it wasn't actually rain at all but nice, cold sleet. It is now only a matter of time before the snow comes. And stays. For practically forever.

Everyone walking around campus today has what I will now refer to as the trademark Syracuse weather expression. Everyone is bundled up with their arms tight to their sides, fists clenched, a look of sheer determination on their face as they battle through Mother Nature to get to Physics 101 on time.

Never has the student body looked so similar. You can't tell who is who when everyone has their scarves up to their eyes and their hoods pulled down low.

It is now time to break out the legit winter gear. There will be no more walking around in hoodies! That will no longer suffice.

My poor friend from California is just at a loss. When she saw the sleet she was like "Wow, snow!" Oh no my friend. That is not snow. That, that is yet to come.

I'm Published!

Everyone. Put down whatever it is you're doing right now and give your full attention to this blog. I have some very exciting news and I don't want you to miss it by just skimming over this blog entry.

On November 14th, I'm going to be a published journalist! Legitimately! I know that you all enjoy reading these blogs, but now you will have the opportunity to read something else that I've written.

On said date, go to the LiveU website through syr.com. If you type LiveU SU into Google, it should come up. Then under Work It Out, there will be an article written by yours truly called "Tanning Bed Truths."

I'm very excited about this. At least fifty submissions are put in for every article, and mine got chosen! This is a big moment in anyone's career. Yay!

On another note, yesterday I received ten separate letters in the mail! It was really great, because as you all know, I love getting mail. The letters were from the girls in the Junior Miss program. They were all asking me advice and telling me how excited they were to see my when I come home for the show. It made me feel good. Like a role model.

So basically. The past twenty four hours have been pretty awesome for me. I'm glad that I get to share these excitements with you, my faithful blogosphere followers!

Oops.

I honestly don't know where the time goes. I could of sworn that I posted more in the past five days. But here you have it...only one post from last week. I'm very sorry about that.

But I did have a good reason for not posting as promptly as I should have. My family was here this weekend! It was Family Weekend 2011 at SU this past Saturday and Sunday. As the weekend went on, I noticed some interesting things.

One. The dining hall serves way better food when the parents are in town! It also opens at an earlier, reasonable hour. Parents - did you know the dining hall normally doesn't open until eleven on weekends for breakfast?? Probably not, since it opened at eight while  you were here. But normally, all the kids in the dorm are sleeping in.

Which brings me to my next observation.

Two. There was significantly less, almost non-existent, partying this weekend. I mean, on my floor alone, usually 90% of the people go out on both Saturday AND Friday night. But the promise of parental units arriving early the next day was enough to keep everyone in doors and sober.

It was actually kind of weird to see so many parents here! I've gotten used to being on my own and just being surrounded by people my own age (since you know. Professors aren't really people. Just kidding!)

But I'm happy that my mom, my brother, and Sara and Brecht were able to come and witness first hand how much I love SU. I enjoyed showing them around the campus and taking them to Armory Square. When they left, I had a very empty feeling inside. While incredibly depressing, it passed eventually. I just miss everyone so much. But I know that I'll see you soon, and everything will be fine.

Whenever I think about missing someone, I just try and remember how much I love SU. And what would I really be missing if I was at home? Probably nothing except watching movies with mom and Matthew. Oh. And Pumpkin. I am missing Pumpkin. That's probably one of the saddest things!

A Linguistics Lesson For You.

This is really funny. I came across this image while I was on Facebook last night, and there was a whole list of comments underneath it about people freaking out because they couldn't find the mistake. 

Can you find it? Here is a hint: Read each individual word aloud. Go slowly. Do not skip through any part of the sentence. 

...For those of you who found it, good job! "The" is repeated twice in the phrase, "Can you find the mistake?" 

Now, for the interesting part! I bet you didn't know that the reason most people skip over the second "the" has to do with an applied theory of Linguistics! In linguistics, there are content words and function words that make up everyone's vocabulary. Content words are like verbs, adjectives, adverbs. All the words that have meaning. Function words are like pronouns, prepositions, and articles. They don't have an exact lexical meaning, but they sort of hold the sentence together. 

Function words and content words are represented differently in the brain, because the brain has submodules. While your brain recognizes when a content word is repeated in a sentence, it does not recognize it when function words are. Weird, right? More evidence of submodularity is that when you jumble up a sentence or make a speech error - like if you say, "My sore is throat" instead of the correct "My throat is sore," you are mixing up the content words, but never, ever, EVER the function words. 

I just find all of this really fascinating. I bet none of you thought that you would be receiving a crash course in Linguistics today, huh? :) 

Credit for Going to Australia??

Someone from a non-profit organization came to speak with my Political Theory class today. I'm not sure why he came to the Political Theory class, because the organization has nothing to do with it. But either we, the meeting was about becoming an International Student Volunteer.

What is an International Student Volunteer you ask? It's someone that takes four weeks out of their summer vacation and goes to a different country. While there, said student spends two weeks volunteering (teaching kids English, building things, elephant protection services, and baby turtle rehabilitation) and then spends the next weeks exploring the country (glacier climbing, SCUBA diving, wildlife safaris.)

And you get credit for it! I don't know, but I think that this sounds like a most excellent opportunity. I'm going to the meeting on Thursday...and I'm thinking Australia or New Zealand for my trip.

I always planned on studying abroad while I was in college, in either my second semester of my sophomore year or my first semester of my junior year. But unfortunately, I'm thinking if I switch to pre-med (which is honestly, likely. But that's a topic for another blog.) I don't know how I'll fit in study abroad because I'll have to be playing catch up for the year I was a declared Journalism major.

So, International Student Volunteers sounds perfect to me! And with my newfound Habitat for Humanity housebuilding skills, I should be all set. And the Great Barrier Reef and SCUBA diving?? Who wouldn't sign up for that???

A lesson.

So I had to take two days to write again because I had to get over the initial disappointment of not making the DanceWorks company. Yes, it's very sad. And I was very upset about it.

But now, less than twenty four hours later. I'm feeling relatively okay. To be perfectly honest. Rejection is not something that I'm well practiced in. I'm used to working hard and then reaping the benefits. But sometimes, that is just not enough.

Even writing this blog is making me feel better about not making it! It helps knowing that all of you out there are supporting me via the ethereal word of the blogosphere.

Part of me thinks that it's a freshmen/seniority thing, because I know that I was better than some of those girls in there that did make it. But alas. You'll have politics everywhere. I can now just focus the time that I would of been spent dancing on my schoolwork.

...For now anyways. I mean. It's not like I'm going to give up. I"m Katelyn Edel. And that is certainly saying something. :)

Nothing Better than the Smell of Auditions in the AM!

Tomorrow morning, all of you should send happy thoughts my way! At eight AM I will be dancing my heart out at the DanceWorks auditions. Yay, yay yay! There are few things that I love more than a nice long day of rehearsals.

Tonight it was the Choreographer's Showcase. Which basically means all of the choreographers show thirty seconds of their routine so we can decide which ones we'd like to be in. So many good dances! And as a freshman, I can only choose three. I was sitting there tonight saying to myself, "How does anyone only choose three???"

While some of the dances were better than others, from what I saw tonight it promises to be a great show.

At the Showcase tonight, I kid you not. There were probably two hundred potential dancers in the room. And every dance I want to try out for...they are taking nine dancers. Nine. I better be on my A game tomorrow.

So tonight, I'm spending my evening with hot chocolate and gossip girl, and then to bed! Straight to bed! Nobody likes a tired dancer.

Auditions though, will be good. I'm sure of it. I'm number thirty six, which 3 + 6 adds up to nine, my lucky number. It's practically in the stars that things will go well. But all the same. Wish me luck!

Free A's for Everyone!

Yesterday in my Political Theory class, where there must be at least 175 students, the Professor announced that we had all received one hundreds on our first two quizzes. Wait what? We didn't even have quizzes!

This teacher (the only one that doesn't follow the syllabus, I might add) announced on the very first day of class that we would have four quizzes throughout the semester and a final at the end. Pretty standard, I would say. He also told us that we would have the luxury of choosing what days we wanted our quizzes to be on, so he didn't schedule them when we had a million other midterms to worry about.

So we all decided on a day - October 7th - for our first quiz on the ideologies of John Stuart Mill. Well, October 7th came and went, with no quiz surfacing. I personally thought that maybe the professor had forgotten to make up the quiz, and that's why we didn't have it.

But then our date for the second quiz passed as well. I was beginning to freak out. How could he possibly grade us adequately at the end of the semester if he had no quiz scores to go by?? No essays? No tests! What?? It's just not how my brain works. I like it when teachers measure my progress through tests and quizzes. It reassures me that I'm doing a great job.

And at yesterday's class, the Professor said that since we all "posed intellectually stimulating questions" routinely during the class lecture, he decided to award us all with A's.

And while an A is great, and two A's are even better. I'm still a little bit concerned about this particular professor's grading policy. What happens when finals roll around and none of us are really sure what we are being tested on? It's a scary though, right? It's presenting a problem for me in my little homework driven bubble world.

I don't think I'll ever take a class from this professor again, even if he does hand out free A's. I need a teacher that will supply me with what I want - weekly quizzes and and some tests! Is that really so much to ask?

Homework on the Quad.

October tenth, and according to my Dashboard, it is 77 degrees outside! This practically unheard of, unseasonably warm weather can only be taken advantage of in one way.

Homework outside on the Quad!

My dorm room overlooks this very picturesque field of green. With trees and benches and volleyball nets and such. And today Jess and I walked outside, sat down with our homework, and proceeded to look very collegiate.

You can't see in the picture, because we (obviously) posed for the photo op. But we had our textbooks surrounding us and our laptops and our pens and pencils and notebooks. Just diligent, hard working college students hitting the books on the college green! I love it.

There were other students out there too, enjoying what might be the last day of nice weather that we will see in Syracuse for at least eight months (oh because it will be snowing soon, and these days will be a figment of my imagination.) There were people playing volleyball and then another group of dodgy looking students that I'm pretty sure were using the great outdoors not because of the nice weather, but because there are no smoke alarms outside...

Anyways, I've accompanied this blog with a picture, because I just realized that I could do that! Look at how happily collegiate Jess and I look!

Homecoming.

So I've just looked through all of the Homecoming pictures of my little brother and my younger cousin Stef and their respective dates! They just look so handsome/pretty and all grown up.

Looking at all of the pretty dresses, and the hair do's, and the high heels. It makes me miss high school! Well no. Actually it doesn't make me miss high school really. Just the one night of Homecoming. I had a sad feeling of nostalgia all day today!

This morning I missed playing in the Powderpuff game. In the afternoon I was sad to not be at the football game. I missed not going to Katie's house to take a million pictures, and I missed arriving at the dance with all of my friends.

I will have to be contented to just live vicariously through my brother's Homecoming experience. It actually even makes me feel a little bit old! My little brother! A freshman in high school! He's so grown up and such a wonderful young man.

I am being filled with overwhelming sentimental feelings for my little brother right now. I have no idea what has come over me!

"I don't understand...that."

I have a lot of pet peeves, some rational and some completely nonsensical, but I have recently discovered another one of mine.

Months ago, after my very first Calculus class, I posted a blog about how sad it was that my TA was so nervous - since he was actually a good teacher and had no reason to be. Anyways, in the month and a half since then, I'm happy to report that the aforementioned TA has chilled out and now at least seems comfortable in front of the room.

I think he does a really great job of explaining the many facets of Calculus to a bunch of kids who obviously don't understand math as well as he does. He shows every problem at least three different ways just in case you don't understand the traditional method. He always goes over the homework. He tells you what's going to be on the exam.

So ladies and gentlemen, perhaps you have concluded that my pet peeve isn't with the TA, but with my fellow peers. I swear, at least five times every class some student (who usually sits in the back...enough said) raises their hand and points ambiguously to the board and says, very vaguely, "I don't understand...that. Like how did you go from there to there. What are you doing?"

Anyone who has ever taken a higher level math class knows - there are problems all over the chalkboard! Every problem has multiple steps and conversions, and other complicated things so it certainly doesn't help if you simply are describing something as "that."

And then, said student gets very frustrated and annoyed with the poor TA when he doesn't explain the problem asked by the student. The point is. Everyone would learn and understand a lot better if you asked a specific question like, "I don't see how you took the derivative of the cotangent of x to arrive at this function of y." That is so much clearer than "I don't get that part."

If people could just put in that small amount of effort. I, and I'm sure the TA, would appreciate it.

Junior Miss!

I can't believe that at this time last year, I was one month away from my own Junior Miss Program. I'm extremely jealous of the current contestants who will get to experience all of that excitement in the coming weeks.

Thankfully though, all is not lost as I still do get to take part in some small piece of Junior Miss.

I remember last year looking at Brynne (the winner before me) and thinking "Wow. That is so cool! She gets to come back from college and see all of the new contestants and have fun with the chaperones and give a speech. I want to do that!" And now, here I am! Getting ready to come back from college and see all of the new contestants and have fun with the chaperones and give a speech.

I'm sure none of you are surprised that I have had my speech done with for an absurd amount of time. I would say probably since the beginning of August. But what's great about getting it done so early is that when I went back and reread it, I had a fresh outlook and could then make adjustments accordingly. I can't wait to give my speech. I think I'm becoming addicted to public speaking. It's just the greatest feeling.

I also am in the process of choreographing/learning another dance to perform the night of the show. While learning dances is nothing new to me, it is extremely difficult to choreograph in the small box that is my dorm room. While for all other intents and purposes it's a good size, for making up a dance. It's a problem. I've run into my desk a number of times. But it's all worth it because I'd do anything for Junior Miss!

I just want to note that I'm typing this particular blog entry from the comfort of the Honors Lounge. And you know what happened here today? They gave us free lunch! And not dining hall lunch, but real, yummy spinach wraps! With fruit salad and drinks and what not. Hanna Richardson, the advisor, just poked her head in and said, "There's sandwiches and wraps for you kids on the counter. Help yourself!"

It is instances like these that remind me every day of how happy I am to being attending Syracuse University. It's truly the best. I don't know much about the student life at other colleges, but I can practically guarantee it's not as fabulous as it  is here. I've definitely caught the orange fever. I don't think I'll ever want to leave.

You Should All Be Proud of Me!

So this morning, after I had gone to Spin Class and had my customary three hour lapse before my first class, I was even more focused and ready to do homework than usual. Seriously, I got so much done I surprised even myself.

And I think the secret to this super duper laser-like focus was that...get ready...brace yourself...

I took the weekend off!

Instead of doing my usual homework packed Fridays and Saturdays, I mostly just had fun this weekend. And let me tell you. It was actually a nice change of pace.

Friday night all of the girls on my floor went out to real dinner (i.e. non-dorm food.) We went out to Pastabilities and then walked around downtown. Took a trip to Urban Outfitters. Then we went back to the dorm and watched an absurd amount of chick flick movies.

Saturday morning, I built a house. That was a lot of work, so by the time I got back to the dorm at four, I was in no mood to sit down and tackle a bunch of homework problems. So instead I watched Gossip Girl, 90210, and Glee. That's about three hours of time I usually would of spent doing homework! Then I had a Bananagrams tournament with people on my floor.

Sunday was probably the day I did the most work, but even then it was limited. I went to the store, got some bubble tea. For once, homework was not my top priority.

But all that being said...I don't want you to think that I'm slacking off or anything. I'm still the Katelyn you all know and love! Part of the reason I could take the weekend off was because I've worked so hard. Lots of wise people have told me that it's important to give yourself a break, and that is definitely the truth. It's nice to be able to see that all of your hard work paid off and its actually okay to not be doing anything for a consecutive 48 hours.

I think this morning I was suffering from withdrawal. There is something very comforting in the sight of a cracked open Linguistics textbook and pages of carefully laid out notes. And withdrawal, it makes you work harder! I'm sure that there is some psychological term for this, but I'll have to tell you all next semester after I take the class. :)

What? 2nd Semester Already?

So today is...October 2nd. I've been in college for a little bit over a month (!), I've taken three exams, written long papers. And now, even though we haven't even had midterms yet, I have to start thinking about next semesters classes!

This is actually an exciting prospect, because who doesn't like to plan for their next set of intellectually stimulating classes, but it's also crazy. I mean, already!? It's only October 2nd!

I guess since it's such a big school SU does have to get the ball rolling fairly quickly, but when my advisor told me I had to start thinking about my enrollment for next semester, I think I had a small heart palpitation.

For one thing, I don't really know where to begin. So today one of my tasks is to get out the 500+ page manual they gave to every freshman so I can start reading about all the classes I can take.

I'm definitely signing up for neuroscience. I need to see if I love it as much as I think I will. Who knows. This class could make the difference in my careers! For the rest of my life!

On a less dramatic note, it's pretty cool because Honors kids get to pick their classes first. Highest GPA's = first in line! Oh, the perks. They truly seem to be endless.

Another added stress about picking classes is that I want to go abroad, so I kind of have to map my schedule around that, even though it's over a year away. I want to get all of the not-so-fun math classes out of the way so I can enjoy my time in Europe rather than stressing over Calc II.

Also. Foreign language? Anyone have an opinion on that (that statement was meant to be a joke...you guys have an opinion about everything!)  I'm thinking French. Even though I haven't taken it since (yikes) sophomore year, it might all come back to me. And everyone wants an employee who can speak a 2nd language. It's a competitive world out there! I need to be equipped!

College is so cool.

This post mostly concerns the number of really cool, great things that I get to do this weekend, all for simply attending SU.

For one, last night. You are all going to think this is so funny. I went on a library tour! And learned all about the many great things that the library has to offer. Unbeknownst to me, there is a top secret sixth floor study room that you need a key to get into it! I can't wait to check that out. It is true that while most people were embracing the meaning of "Thirsty Thursdays," I was immersing myself in the wonderful structure of the Bird Library.

This afternoon, I'm meeting with the EDITOR of Marie-Claire magazine. I can hardly believe it myself. Me and a few other students are a part of Ed2010, the magazine networking group on campus, are having brunch with her. Actual brunch with an actual editor.

And tomorrow I will be waking up bright and early to go build my very first house! Well actually tomorrow I think I'm building shacks for the Shack-a-Thon here on campus (where everyone sleeps in shacks on the Quad...yeah. I don 't get it either) but then I will be building houses. Real houses for people in need. I am just so excited.

And on Sunday I am going to go have my bubble tea (because I found this cute little restaurant that sells it) and go on a walk for Breast Cancer. I've never volunteered so much in my life - but I think it's actually fun to do community service.

I read a very interesting article the other day about "Top Ten Jobs of the Future." As you all know, since being at college I have begun to question my very carefully laid out plan that I had designed for myself. Not surprisingly, there was nothing about print journalism in the top ten jobs of the future. Gee, I wonder why. But then, I read further done and a Brain Analyst IS one of the top ten! Someone who can interpret language patterns in the brain! And they make $200,000!

I don't know. Med school, public communications. Med school, public communications. So many opportunities! So little time. Would it be crazy to triple major?

Ha - don't answer that. Even I realize that I triple major would be pushing the envelope.

DanceWorks!

So when I finished my senior year of dance, I told everyone that was it for me. When I went to college, I was sure that I wanted to try new things (things I had never gotten to do because I was always at the dance studio) and I also just wanted to focus on schoolwork.

Right well. That philosophy worked out for the first three months or so. It was nice not having to do parades or go to summer dance classes. But as soon as I got to SU, it pretty much hit me.

I can't live without dance class! My body was absolutely begging me to go do some splits and some pirouettes. I could feel it.

So, I signed up for DanceWorks, which is a performance team here. They offer every style of dance you can imagine, AND  you have to try-out. Which is good. Try-outs are good.

But I haven't danced since the beginning of June, and holy cow! I went to the workshops on Monday and Tuesday (and going again tonight!) and my legs are screaming in agony! The only time I don't feel sore is when I'm sleeping. And I had spin class this morning and that was killer on the legs too.

However, going four months without dance class made me realize. I do actually miss it. I was definitely having doubts about dance as the end of my senior year came closer. And now I see. Dance is just as much a part of me as homework is!

A Thing About College.

What they say is true: College changes your life. But it doesn't immediately change your life by way of more friends, more parties, and more freedoms, but rather, it changes the way you think about things.

Now, I'm never one to think small, so of course when I'm thinking about "things," I'm really considering my future.

I thought I knew for sure what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a journalist, and eventually an editor. Three weeks in though, I was like, "Wow. Doing PR work would be a really fun job too." And now I'm thinking, I love my linguistics class and one of the "Top Ten Jobs of the Future" is a neurolinguist. I could do neurology. I could analyze brains all day long. I could do that, I could go to med school.

Obviously, being a doctor and being an editor in public communications are two things that are totally different, as different as night and day. One is creative, fun, the other all science and hard fact. What's a girl to do? I love researching things, but I'm not big on science or math. But then I think to myself, maybe it's because I haven't been exposed to the kinds of sciences that I'm actually interested in.

I just don't know what to do. The good news is is that I've only been in college for one month and I have ages to actually decide what I want to do with my life. Who knows. I may even find a love for...I don't know. Veterinary Science or Astrophysics before I graduate. Both are pretty unlikely, but the possibilities are endless.

The moral to this blog post is, keep your mind open. You'll never find something  you love if you just stick to the planned course all the time. I can't believe I actually just typed that, but there you go - I told you at the top. College changes your life, and I can definitely see it having an effect on me.

Come to SU!

So I look outside my window today, and I see a huge group of parents and teenagers being led/herded by an Orientation Leader, and I think to myself, "Self, that can only mean one thing..."

Today is a SU Open House!

Open Houses are really weird to experience when you're on the other side of things. I can't believe that just last year, I was in all of these kid's position - going on multiple college tours and trying to find the right one for me.

I like to look at their faces. I am absolutely sure that that is how my face looked when I went on the tour here: awe-struck. I was definitely intimidated the first time I came to SU. I didn't even think that I wanted to go here. (obviously that changed after my second visit.)

But they just throw so much information at you! And you look around at all of the college kids and you're like, "How could I ever fit in here? With all of these older kids??"

Every college tour  you go on though, gets a little bit better. You start to learn what questions to ask. You know that the college kids walking around campus won't eat you. You realize that yes, you can actually survive in a college environment.

I didn't even go on multiple college tours. I went to one here in October, one at Hofstra in February, and then I returned to SU in April. It was that April visit that I just knew.

It sounds cliche, but you really do know it when it hits you. All of a sudden, you have this epiphany. You can see yourself walking around. Going to classes. Sitting out on the Quad. It all comes together in that one magical moment and then you sign the paper and pay the alarmingly expensive deposit and your new life is just months away from beginning.

They should tell you that kind of thing on these college tours. Then maybe these poor kids wouldn't look so nervous!

Big week coming up.

I am personally of the opinion that I'm much more at ease at college than I ever was in high school. Like last night, I was okay with not doing my homework and leaving it instead, for today (okay...it wasn't really homework...it was the assignment for next weeks class. But that's besides the point!)

And now, withe three EXAMS. Not just tests, exams, coming up next week. I regret to tell you all that I have quickly reverted into my old self and am now in super-study Katelyn mode.

It's just really important to me that I do well on these exams. They are worth an astounding percentage of my final grade, and I don't think it paints me in a very positive light if I don't get a one hundred.

So I have devised a very clever study schedule that looks a lot like my tenth grade Regents study schedule. All color coded and what not.

Linguistics is the exam on Monday. It shouldn't be too bad because I really like the subject, so I read the book all the time. But still. You never know. That's the exam I'm studying for for today. And I have a review session to go to tomorrow. And I also made flash cards.

Calculus is Tuesday. Blah. Bound to be hard and challenging, and math and I have never exactly gotten along too well. The only positive side to this exam is that this Calculus class is basically the course I took last year. So it's almost like review, except with a challenging college twist.

And they have absolutely saved the best for last, because on Wednesday it's my Communications and Society exam. Taught by the Dean, this class is always hard. It's my least favorite one, mostly because I find the material to be kind of dull and the chapters in the textbook to be really long. Anyways, I could probably study for the rest of my life for this test and still think it's hard. And something tells me that Dean Branham does not make easy test questions.

So will all of these big exams coming up, don't be alarmed if a) I post  to this blog sparingly or b) the posts for this blog are so frantic that you're concerned for my mental health.

(Mom, if option "b" is the case, please pick up the phone and call your daughter.)

Be good, build houses.

"Be good, build houses." The slogan for the Habitat for Humanity chapter here at SU.

For those of you who don't know, Habitat for Humanity is the organization that builds houses for families that are underprivileged or don't have the means to make ends meet.

Every Saturday there is a build in the city of Syracuse on the West Side...a scary neighborhood, to say the least. We go and actually build a house. I asked if there was any experience necessary and they assured me that there was not. That's good, because I have had zero interaction with any sort of power tool. Ever.

I'm really excited about Habitat for Humanity, because it is something that I have always wanted to do. I didn't actually realize that it was something I was interested in until I got here and read the flyer for it. But I guess that's what college is for! Broadening horizons and such.

I think it'll be a great way to do something for someone besides myself. Not that I'm selfish or anything. I just tend to get caught up in "me" stuff (i.e. homework, trying to be the best, more homework). Anyways, the first build is the second week in October! Yay for Habitat.

Oh Sweet Sunday.

By far my favorite day at college is Sunday.

There is just something about it. Everything is...quiet. The only negative to Sunday's is. That nobody wakes up until like eleven, so I'm alone for a good three hours before I'm joined by the rest of civilization. But that is a small price to pay.

On Sunday's, the dining hall serves breakfast all day long, to accommodate for the late night partiers and the late risers. Everyone walks around in their pajamas. Most people watch movies all day and just hang out in the lounge, with the doors to all of the dorm rooms propped open.

It all creates a very nice sense of togetherness, to put it in a totally cheesy cliche kind of way.

I like it because there is nothing scheduled for Sundays. No events, or games, or parties, or classes. Nobody has to worry about anything (which is a nice break for me). Then Monday comes, and its' back to a whole week of school, school, school.

...Which obviously isn't a bad thing.

...But I'm just saying. I savor my Sundays.

Scandal in Sadler!

Last night, I witnessed my first ever college scandal! So Jess and I (my roommate, for those of you who don't know) where literally probably the only people on the floor not going out last night.

That happens to me all the time, but this was an entirely new experience for Jess who was only staying in because of crew practice at the unfortunate time of 7 AM the next morning.

But the scandal doesn't have to do with me and Jess. It has to do with the people across the hall from us. So apparently, there is a popular college ritual called "pre-gaming," in which vast amounts of alcohol and illegal paraphernalia are consumed prior to actually going out.

Obviously, you're not supposed to drink in the dorms. A rule that I naively assumed everyone would follow. So anyways. Clearly there is pre-gaming going on the room across from me and Jess. Then all of a sudden, we hear the RA knocking on their day. Jess and I then preceded to leave our room "to brush our teeth" so we could hear what was going on.

The RA made them put all of the alcohol in the middle of the room, then dump each can out one by one. They searched the closet (where someone was actually hiding!), took their ID Cards and names, and now they all have to go to Judicial Review.

Kind of puts a damper on the night, huh?

What? It's not all about the"A?"

Right so. As all of you reading this blog know, I'm all about perfection. From a very young age, and my mom can back me up on this, it's always been about getting the one hundred, getting the "A" in school.

When I was in the fourth grade, I used to cry every day over my homework because I had problems with long division. To me, those problems represented pretty much a set up for a life time of failure. My fourth grade self was very dramatic.

But, today in my Newhouse Seminar (a class for freshmen that is designed to make our first year experience easier) upperclassmen came and talked about their experiences in the Newhouse school and in the Communications field.

And this, out out of the entire eighty minute lecture, what what stuck with me the most : grades are not the most important thing.

People have pretty much been telling me this for my entire life. I just never believed them. Clearly, your GPA was what made you who you are. But the upperclassmen today stressed that at the end of the day, it's not the 4.0 that's going to get you the job. It's the experiences you had and the paths you forged that'll make the most difference.

Oh, the Choices!

Today when I walked out of my Linguistics class and out on to the Quad, it appeared that the colors of blue and orange had somehow instituted a world wide takeover, staring first on the SU Quad.

What was the reason for this steadfast showing of school pride? It was the Student Activities fair today! I of  course knew that the fair was today, it's been in my planner for months, but I didn't realize that it would be quite so epic.

I mean there were hundreds. Hundreds! Of tables set up. With signs, and glitter, and balloons, and really enthusiastic upperclassmen that kind of resemble the kiosk stand guys at the mall. You know the ones. That   you have to avoid eye contact with unless you want to be roped in for a free nail buff or something?

Yeah. That's what the fair was like. I had to try to keep my eyes averted unless I knew that I was really interested in something. Chemistry Sorority? No thanks. Women's Ice Hockey? Probably not for me. Interpretive dance? Close, but not quite.

But I did find some really interesting clubs and organizations to get involved with. By the time I left the fair, I was loaded down with flyers and I'm sure I had a very starry eyed, confused look on my face. It was kind of overwhelming.

So I put my name on the lists for...DanceWorks (Student run dance company), OrangeSeeds (Freshmen leadership), Habitat for Humanity, comm.UNITY (PR work for non-profits), Ed2010 (nationally recognized magazine networking club), and Women in Communications.

I'm pretty sure you would have to be super human to involved with all of these things, but no harm in getting my name out there. Who knows when Habitat for Humanity will become the difference in getting a job or losing it to a competitor?? Gotta think ahead!

Oh and. I forgot to mention. The Geology Club had by far the most enticing display. LOTS of glitter. Pretty rocks. Heather, you would of just eaten it up, you rock lover you.

Reporting On Location!

So this blog comes to you not from the usual place of my dorm room desk, but a place that holds much more excitement and entertainment value.

Drumroll please...

It's the library!

I have now been in here for hours. I've lost track of the exact amount of time. I came here to the library today because I have a lot of work to do, and the dorm just has too many distractions. I'm pretty good with distractions, but even I find myself wandering down to the dining hall when I'm not even hungry when I do homework in my dorm. So I relocated.

I'm on the "silent floor" of the library. It's exquisite. There must be one hundred nice, big wooden tables to use. Perfect for spreading out all of your books and really engaging in the material haha. But even better than the tables is, of course, the quiet.

It's so much easier to get your work done when everyone around you is doing work as well. I actually feel like my typing might be too loud for the floor I'm on - that's how quiet it is!

Also, upstairs there is a cute little coffee shop called Pages where you can get food. It seems as if the people who designed the library thought of everything, so that people like me (who enjoy spending large stretches of time in the library) can stay here forever. :)

Right so. Since I'm in the library I'm sure most of you are wondering why I'm writing this blog and not doing my work. But I just needed a quick little break between Calculus and reading the some dull historic piece about German political theory!

Back to work now, for the next two and a half hours until my next class. Just call me Hermione!

Katelyn's Top 10.

So as I was walking across campus today and mentally taking note of all the things that I love about SU (because apparently, I have nothing better to think about), and I thought I would share with you my list of things that make up the reasons of why I'm so happy here.

Uncharacteristically, the list is in no particular order.

1. Walking by VPA : for those of you who don't know, VPA stands for Visual and Performing Arts, and it's a building here on campus. All of the crazily talented artists attend there. First of all, the building looks like Hogwarts. Hello! What could be better than that?? Secondly, you can walk by and hear opera singing, piano playing, and a million other beautiful sounds coming from the window. I myself, who possesses no musical ability whatsoever, think that the sound issuing from the Hogwarts building is truly magical.

...get it. Magical...Hogwarts. Haha. Harry Potter joke.

2. The All Powerful ID Card : So everyone here has an ID, and this ID grants access to all of the wondrous things that college has to offer. Want a smoothie? Swipe the ID! Need to get into the building? Swipe the ID! Want access to the super high tech work out center? Swipe the ID! Never in my 18 years has it been so easy to achieve these simple pleasures in life.

3. Getting mail : I know this is pretty general, but I'm putting it on my blog in the hopes that  you all will take note of it and send me mail in the near future. Seriously, it makes my day. Right now I hold the record on my floor for "most received mail", so lets keep that going, everyone!

4. Insomnia Cookies : They deliver at all hours of the night. Straight to the dorm. The cookies are still warm from the oven. Enough said.

5. The Ivy Covered Buildings : It's just so collegiate! To walk across the lawn and see all of the old brick buildings with the ivy growing up the side. It basically just screams college campus from a movie set. But guess what! It's real life! Real ivy!

6. Floor Meetings : I actually look forward to them. Every Sunday night, our floor gathers in the lounge to discuss whatever there is that needs to be discussed. Last night Jacob rode around on a scooter the whole time. It's a fun atmosphere and it's a nice break from the cramming sessions that everyone does on Sunday.

7. My Roommate : We just have a grand old time! It's the best! We synchronize our alarms so that neither of us will ever have to eat breakfast alone. We share everything. I get to teach her about cool American things like Twizzlers. Yesterday she asked me if deep friend Twinkies were yummy. I assured her that although I had never tried one, they are an American delicacy.

8. Taking Notes on the Laptop : Is so much easier than hand writing everything! For all of you who knew about my note taking style in high school, I am a slow, slow, slow writer. I just can't stand it if the ink is smudged or if the cross on the "t" is crooked. That's why a laptop is so great! I can just tip tap type away and save it all on word. It makes my life so much easier.

9. Having 100 advisors for any possible thing that can go wrong : Seriously, I don't think I have ever been without assistance in anything here. Any question that I have is easily answered either through email, the telephone, or face to face. I have been rest assured that I will never roam off of the track here at SU, because I have lots and lots of advisors keeping me on the straight and narrow. Not that I need help with that, because I set some pretty rigid rules for myself. But it's nice to know help is there. Just in case.

10. Everything else I haven't mentioned. I mean come on. It's SU! What's not to love???

Home to Home.

So I went home for the weekend, and it was very nice. It's nice to be able to shower without having to walk down the hallway in your robe, to not have to carry a room key and and ID card with you at all times, and to eat something other than dining hall food.

But at the same time, it's all very bizarre to be at home. Driving again-weird. Sleeping in my room-weird. You forget the stuff that just two weeks ago, you were so used to doing. I guess what they say is true. College really does become your home, whether that's a good or a bad thing, I don't know.

But either way. I loved being home and having my mom and my brother there.

And then...you come back to college, and it's also weird! Suddenly you're back in the dorm with the communal showers and the elevators and the floor meetings and it's like you were jolted out of reality for a bit. I didn't think I would ever be so happy to see my little tiny slice of heaven, my door room!

And college life is so different from home.

Because let me to tell you, only at college will there be a two hour long party in an elevator. I kid you not. Kids set up chairs and iPod speakers and just rode up and down. It was a good time (i.e. fire hazard).

A Whole New World.

Right, so! All of you lucky readers out there are now reading the blog of the recently appointed writer for the fashion magazine on campus, Zipped!

That's right, me! I get to write for a magazine here and work closely with the layouts, articles, and technicalities of magazine journalism. And, since I'm starting as a freshman, by the time I'm an upperclassman, hopefully I'll be the editor in chief!

Apart from that, I'm also blogging for a site called LiveU, which is a university run website and magazine that depicts healthy living choices like exercise, eating right, and all of that mumbo jumbo.

I think it's really exciting that there are so many opportunities to get involved at SU, even as a freshman. I get emails everyday about some new club or organization that is desperately seeking freshmen help!

By the end of my four years here, it sounds like I will have an excellent resume and be well prepared to go out into the world!

I also really want to get involved with DanceWorks, OrangeSeeds ( a freshmen leadership organization), and Habitat for Humanity. I was going to write for the Daily Orange newspaper, but that seems absolutely mind numbing compared to the fabulous world of fashion magazines.

But don't worry. It's a very serious fashion magazine. No fluff. This is hard hitting journalism people!

Be Brilliant.

Today, instead of documenting one of my college adventures,  I thought I would focus more on one particular class discussion that I found particularly interesting.

In my Political Theory class, I swear that the teacher is off his rocker. He is unconventional to the umpteenth degree...completely idiosyncratic, as he calls it. He even refers to himself in the third person...Laurence Thomas this, Laurence Thomas that.

But his unconventional teaching style (no notes allowed!) also prompts riveting class discussions. Today we focused, for a full eighty minutes, on the definitions between being a conformist and being autonomous.

What I found most interesting is that the difference between these two things is based on a basic survival instinct. Which one are humans more attracted to? Humans have a basic desire to feel no pain, no fear, and no discomfort. It is conformity that provides us a "safety net" from these things, because we are protected by a majority. When you conform, you are not so much following in your own footsteps but retracing others, which sets you comfortably in a position to judge rather than be judged.

Being autonomous should not be confused with being selfish. Being autonomous means taking higher risks, but often reaping a higher reward. We are all conformists until we discover the true act of being autonomous. It goes hand in hand with not knowing what you are missing until you experience it.

When I sat in this lecture an hour ago, it made my head spin. Very strange concepts that I'm not accustomed to thinking about, but valuable concepts all the same. So, as you reflect upon this blog (because I know you all will!) please consider the title, "be brilliant". It's what Laurence Thomas, the professor, encourages the class the be every time we sit down for the lecture.

I think that that simple statement, "be brilliant", is beautiful.

The best time for doing homework is...

...Friday night!

Seriously, I have always been a firm believer in that policy. You come home from class, hang out for awhile, and then hit the books. Because here is the thing. People don't go out until like, ten o'clock. So, you bond with your friends and then when they leave to do illegal things, you just buckle down and do your homework. Usually I leave some for Saturday morning too (when everyone else is to hungover to get out of bed...)

I do my homework on Friday nights because, quite frankly, I like to NOT have to do my homework on Sunday afternoon/evening when everyone else is scrambling to get it done. So today, while my floor mates have hours and hours of work ahead of them, I will get to enjoy this rainy Monday Labor Day by doing whatever I please. No stress, no rush, no homework!

It's really about prioritizing. I know that I enjoy having the last day of my weekend completely free. I can watch a movie or read a book without having a homework assignment hanging over my head. So it's a common misconception that Friday is for all play and no work. Definitely. Friday's the time to do it.

I heart linguistics!

All my life, I have taken the exact same classes. One period a day of history, both global and American, mathematics, an english class, and some sort of science. Add in mandatory PE classes and lunch, and you have practically have your whole day filled.

I would say one of the things that excited me most about college was when I got to pick my classes way back in June. There were just so many choices, I was kind of overwhelmed (but in a good way). How does one decide between "The Political Turmoil Leading Up to the French Revolution" and "King Henry VIII: A Dynasty"??? Suddenly all of these classes are right at your fingertips, classes that I have never before had the opportunity to take (hello, astronomy!)

It's only the second week of school, and I have already found a love for my LIN 201 class, the Nature and Study of Language. Honestly, I can't get over how fascinating it is! It is by far my favorite class and I love it so much, that I read the textbook for fun. I've done all the assignments up through October already because I just do linguistics when I have nothing better to occupy my time.

Part of one of our linguistics assignment was to go a half an hour without speaking, reading, writing, and, to the best of our ability, talking. The experiment was to prove how language is essential to human life. So innovative! So new! So great! Nobody would ever take that kind of assignment seriously in high school.

Yeah...you should still go to class.

So in high school, every class started the same way. With a roll call. It seemed that before teachers could even think about starting the day's lesson, they had to get their attendance under way. It is a system that all of us got used to: teacher calls your name, you respond with "here" in varying degrees of enthusiasm.

But in college, it's a whole new world. For one, a teacher is not going to take attendance when they are facing a lecture hall of about two hundred kids. And a second reason, they figure you're paying fifty five thousand dollars a year to attend SU...what do they care if you go to class or not?

So since there is no attendance in college, one of the kids on my floor today asked me, in all seriousness, "so do you think I still need to go to class?" This idea of not attending (which they call truancy in high school. Which is against the law.) seemed preposterous to me. I stared at him for a brief second of disbelief and then said. Of course you should go to class! You could be missing a very important lesson! What if there is a pop quiz?? Then you'll certainly be sorry!

Just because there is no roll call, doesn't mean you should skip out!

I was curious about other blogs out there, so I looked up one that was similar to mine. You know, a freshman girl documenting her life through college (don't worry. Mine's better!) And I couldn't believe that on the third day of college! She just didn't go! Felt like "having a lie down" and "sleeping in". I felt the need to tell her, honey. No way will you succeed in life like that.

Walking: Embrace It.

What they don't tell you about college: You walk everywhere. Through the rain, through the one hundred degree weather, and (in my case) through the blizzards.

In an earlier post, I expressed concern over the fabled "Freshmen 15" because quite frankly, the thought of fifteen extra pounds on anyone is truly disturbing.

I am now here to tell you that I no longer think that will be a problem. I actually think that I'm losing weight here, due to the sheer number of steps I clock in everyday.

Let me tell you something about Syracuse University. It's known around the city as "the Hill". Yupp. That's right. The Hill! You should not take that very lightly. Everything it seems, is uphill. Even when it seems logical that you should be going downhill (like on the walk home for example) I swear, you are still on a steady incline. Maybe its all in my head, but I'm standing by that observation.

Now, I don't mind walking. I find it a wonderful time to organize my already organized thoughts. But I imagine that part of the reason I don't mind walking is because I am a certified lover of ballet flats. I reckon that the multiple girls I have seen that embrace high heeled shoes do not feel the same way about the walking distance.

You would think that they would eventually realize, after nights of blistered feet and sore calves, that flats are the way to go. And yet, they persist.

I have heard rumors that in the winter, they unveil this magical bus that transports students around the campus. Probably because the University doesn't want to be sued by students who get frost bite on their walks to class.

But for right now, walking is the only way to go. Love it. Become good at it (nothing is sadder than seeing a freshmen huffing and puffing up those stairs). Get a pedometer. Embrace it.

Never Underestimate the Power of Sleep.

As I said in my very first post, it appears to me that college kids don't sleep. Whether you're hitting the books or hitting frat row, sleep seems to come secondary to all things college-related.

Prior to my adoption of this new collegiate lifestyle, I went to sleep around eleven, woke up around eight or nine. I was definitely clocking in at least nine or ten hours of sleep each night. Definitely not anymore. I go to sleep around one, and wake up...well now. Early. Seven thirty.

Every time my mom talks to me on the phone, she says I sound tired!

Why do I do this to myself, you ask? Well the answer is simple. There simply aren't enough hours in the day anymore to get everything done. You come home, do homework, hopefully eat something, go to a meeting about the school circulated paper, do more homework, shower and bam. You look at the clock and it's almost one!

Now, when this happens, it's quite depressing. You think to yourself, "Oh my god, it's one o'clock. I still have an entire chapter to read and class all day tomorrow. When can I possibly do that??"

Which brings me to why I'm awake at seven thirty when I don't have class until nine thirty. I've come to realize that the morning is an excellent time for homework - no distractions - just you and your Calc homework.

The sad thing is, is that I'm pretty sure I'm one of the college students here who get's the most sleep. Last night, my roommate definitely didn't come in until I was long gone. She has to wake up no later than eight this morning. I honestly don't know how she will function for the rest of the day.

I read once about this triangle that documented all of the aspects of collegiate life : sleep, good grades, and an active social life. You were supposed to pick two, because that was all you supposedly had time for (no secret which two I'm picking).

"T.A." should stand for "terribly anxious"

So today I had my Calc I course, and predictably, it is not taught by the professor. The plus size to this is that the class isn't in a large lecture hall, but a normal classroom consisting of about thirty kids.

Anyways, I took my place in the front desk and right at the time class is scheduled to start, in rushes a boy who looks like he's only pushing 21.

Let me tell you the multitude of ways this boy differed from a professor.
1. No facial hair.
2. No "nerdy-chic" glasses on his person.
3. He was wearing cargo shorts (I mean really? Cargo shorts? If you're going to stand up in front of people and teach them about derivatives, at least look the part.)
4. He constantly. Constantly! Had to refer back to the syllabus while he was explaining the course. I think I had it memorized in the first ten minutes. Professors make it very clear that everyone should know and understand the syllabus. I think this should apply to not only the students, but the TA's as well.
5. He was so anxious and nervous he worked up an awful sweat in the wonderfully air conditioned classroom.
6. He dropped his piece of chalk no less than seven times in the hour class period.

The worst part is, apart from these six small things that probably nobody else but me noticed, the TA actually did a good job!

Clearly gifted in the art of mathematics, he really didn't have anything to worry about. He was just teaching a bunch of undergraduates (by the way, as a side note. I was the ONLY freshman in that class.)

All in all, I thought I would be bothered by the TA's teaching me a lesson, but I actually find that I don't mind. They are less intimidating then the professors, and all of them have responded to the ten + emails I have sent regarding class questions over the past two days.

So seriously. TA's, relax! And if I'm telling you to relax. Something is definitely wrong.

I love the smell of classes in the morning!

Right, so. I have to make this particular post quick because gone are the days of fun Orientation events and free food.

That's right people - today REAL college started!

And I honestly didn't think it was possible to love Syracuse more than I already did. But after attending my first day of college class ever, I don't foresee myself ever leaving! I think I might try and make a career out of being a student here at SU.

So my first class (which started at the lovely time of 11:40) was the Nature and Study of Language, and it was in the biggest lecture hall I've ever seen. I wouldn't even really classify it as a lecture hall, but more of a mammoth auditorium. So anyways, I got there significantly early because you know. I get awful anxiety about being late. But being there early allowed me to get the best seat in the house! Which, knowing me, I'm sure all of you have guessed is right in the middle in the front row. Accurately classified as the Overachiever Seat of America, that is where I feel most at home. Then, true to college form, the professor walked in without saying much, and skipping attendance, put a PowerPoint up and class began.

I loved every second of it. No more immature classmates who aren't prepared, no more people who don't actually want to be in class, and no more agonizingly slow pace. The professor asked if everyone had done the assigned reading (I had read it twice) and then quickly moved on to the lecture.

A whole page of notes and an hour later, class ended. I made sure to introduce myself to the Professor with a very firm handshake and a question about the material, because how else would he remember me in a class of one hundred??

I then moved on to a very scary Communications 101 class with the Dean of Newhouse School. While relatively intimidating, she clearly knows her stuff and I look forward to her weekly quizzes.

One absolute great thing about college is that every teacher hands out a syllabus that maps out the entire course. Homework and everything. This is truly a gift...it's so easy to get ahead!

Which brings me to the end of my post, since I'm looking at about six hours worth of reading for my next set of classes.

I just absolutely love it here.

Solitary Dining.

So they say that college is nothing like high school. And for the most part, that is totally legit. But there is one thing that appears to plague both college and high school kids alike, and that is the terrifying fact of knowing where to sit in the lunch room.

While the social hierarchies are not as defined here as they were in my previous academic experiences, there is certainly a social order that definitely isn't talked about, but expected. Cool kids sit by the windows. Big groups sit at the long tables down the middle. Solitary diners seem to unwisely choose the tables wayyyy in the back.

Here are some rules to hopefully avoid the awkwardness of residence hall dining.

Rule #1 - NEVER go to down to the dining hall alone! You're just asking for it then. Later in the semester, it'll be okay to fly solo for your blueberry pancakes and grilled cheeses, but right now!? When every freshmen is trying to make new friends and are all feeling a little bit lonely ourselves? Definitely take someone. Take your roommate, take the girl down the hall, take whoever. But do not take your imaginary friend.

Rule #2 - If you completely disregard Rule #1 and do happen to go down to the dining hall alone, don't wander around aimlessly after you get your food. Unfortunately, the dining halls here are designed for maximum embarrassment. There is absolutely no way to fly under the radar to get to a seat. After you get your food, you're on full view to everyone! If you wander around aimlessly, you may think you're being discreet. But you're actually just drawing attention to yourself.

Rule #3 - Seriously, don't sit at a table by yourself! It truly breaks my heart. We're all interested in meeting new people, so come up and introduce yourself. Me and Jess (my roommate) don't bite. We WANT you to come sit with us!

Which brings me to this; Jess and I have now taken in eight meals at the SU dining halls, and subsequently, have made eight new friends! We usually go sit with people who are eating alone, or make complete fools of ourselves by flagging them down and pulling up chairs. Honestly, it's just a great way to meet people. I don't want you to sit alone, you don't want to sit alone (or maybe you do. In which case, sorry in advance) so lets all sit together!

But if for some reason you don't want to dine with an awesome Scottish girl and myself. Seriously. Remember the rules.

Frat Houses: Just Like the Movies!

Fraternity - (Noun) : a group of people sharing a common profession or interests.

...and in the case here, those common interests include a desire to live in a big house off campus, an unnatural liking for the consumption of alcoholic beverages, and the fight to host the largest, most obnoxious campus parties.

And as I witnessed last night, these frat parties are exactly like what you see in the movies.

Now, before all of you become alarmed (mom, grandma, ect.) I obviously didn't attend one of these parties. I had Linguistics homework to take care of last night. But on my walk home from the Quad after the freshmen ice cream social, I could see that these parties were rapidly growing in size, attendance, and general rambunctiousness.

People were legitimately swinging from the balconies. There appeared to be a variety of homemade slip and slides and lots of shirtless people. Red cups littered the lawn. And an appalling number of girls were flocking to Frat Row (a term I have affectionately coined for Comstock Avenue).

As I observed people coming in and out of my residence hall, I noticed that there appeared to be a certain ratio upheld by the attendees of these gatherings. For every one male, at least three females were in the group. I later learned that although women get in to frat parties for free, males have to have female companions or, god forbid! They don't get their beer.

All of this makes up for a very confusing dynamic that I am glad I'm not apart of.

Luckily, after the completion of my Linguistics homework, I discovered a group of like minded people who were more than happy to play Bananagrams with me. :)

All Dining Halls Are Not Created Equal

I don't care what they tell you at Orientation.

Because more often than not, your dining hall is absolutely not the best on campus. The problem is, there is no handy list that tells you what hall offers the best meals. It's like a secret, underground society. You hear snippets of conversation around campus about the "awesome grilled cheese" at BBB and the "totally rad meat lovers pizza" at Ernie Davis, and you suddenly realize that you have been deprived at your own dining hall!

Don't get me wrong, Sadler is great. Lots of options and the macaroni and cheese is always discernible from the scrambled eggs. But when I went to Ernie Davis yesterday (which is a mile and a half walk across campus but totally worth it), it was like stepping into a whole new world. The kids that live in that residence hall are blessed. The atmosphere, the selection, the quality. Ernie is where it's at. But nobody at Syracuse told me that! I had to go hunting all by myself. It's like they are trying to keep the delectable goodies away from you.

Just know that when you are staring unhappily at  your plate of egg rolls, the kids at Ernie Davis are practically dining gourmet. And definitely take advantage of the nice weather now, before the blizzards make the trek across campus there impossible.

...even though I'm considering buying heavy duty boots (Denny!) to make it possible.

Honors or bust.

Seriously, I just took the tour of the Honors suite.

I don't know why you wouldn't do it if you had the opportunity!

For one thing, there appears to be an abundance of free food provided to the students in the Renee Crown University Honors Program. Today there was free breakfast. Sunday night a free dinner, and on Monday a huge BBQ out on the Quad. Sadly, that makes the Freshmen Fifteen a reality...but who can resist free muffins??

There is also this top secret room that the Honors kids get a key for. Open 24/7, this top secret room (which I'm sharing to all of  you for the sole reason that none of you go here) is home to Mac computers, a popcorn maker, couches, and way more Scrabble boards then anyone would ever need.

I was also reading the bio of the Director for the program...and he is quite distinguished. Not your average professor! He's been on Oprah, a noted author by the New York Times, and has published an absurd number of personal poems.

I guess I'm in good company!

My First Day!

      So here I am! At Syracuse University, all moved in and geared up for Orientation tomorrow.

      It's bizarre, this feeling of complete and total independence. Like tonight, I met a huge group of other curious, adventure seeking freshmen, and we set out on an adventure towards Marshall Street! This adventure was irregular from my previous endeavors in high school mainly because....I didn't have to tell anyone where I was going! My mom didn't even know I was there until AFTER I had returned to my dorm and called her on the phone (because old habits never die!)

     Another weird thing, is that apparently, college kids don't sleep. I mean I just glanced at the clock - 12:34! I'm never up this late! Yet my new college friends were just go, go, go! I like it. It's a change. And what's more, is that there are still people marching up and down the hallway! They clearly aren't going to sleep anytime soon. But this being college, and with the aforementioned independence, nobody cares! These night roamers probably don't even have to go to sleep if they don't like.

     I guess that these things are just part of the new experiences that everyone is always talking about with college. I'm loving every minute of it. I can't wait for class to start on Monday, and I'm ready to go! My books are alphabetized by subject, my calendar is color coded, and my planner is sufficiently sticky noted...you can take the girl out of high school, but you can't take high school out of the girl!