Thursday, October 30, 2003
Academic life is wonderful. For all of you that just caught my unbelievably overt attempt at sarcasm, you know that it is most always a drag. It is really important to come to the realization that you are in college for one overall goal-your studies. When there are so many interesting, fun activities and events around you, it is most always hard to stay focused. Maintaining discipline is the only way that one can be successful in college.
Once again, my two writing-intensive professors have coincided their evil plot against me, assigning two 6 and 8 pg. assignments both due early next week. (once again, excuse the sarcasm cuz it's not really that bad) This means that I have less than a week to turn in two great papers. Unlike high school, I don't have a good month for a big assignment.
A good tip for those of you preparing for college, is to tackle an assignment right when you get it. Practice turning out good work in a little amount of time. Then, when you're finished, use the rest of the time until you have to turn it in, slowly revising and improving your work. Don't let anything go til the last minute-something will almost always go wrong.
I hope everyone is having a great week. Keep the Faith!
Once again, my two writing-intensive professors have coincided their evil plot against me, assigning two 6 and 8 pg. assignments both due early next week. (once again, excuse the sarcasm cuz it's not really that bad) This means that I have less than a week to turn in two great papers. Unlike high school, I don't have a good month for a big assignment.
A good tip for those of you preparing for college, is to tackle an assignment right when you get it. Practice turning out good work in a little amount of time. Then, when you're finished, use the rest of the time until you have to turn it in, slowly revising and improving your work. Don't let anything go til the last minute-something will almost always go wrong.
I hope everyone is having a great week. Keep the Faith!
Monday, October 27, 2003
Last blog entry I talked about religious tolerance and all that goes with it here in Madison. Now let me talk about tolerance within the setting of your own room. If you have never shared a room with a brother or sister (like myself), you are in for a shocker when you get to college. I am not going to tell you any horror stories in an attempt to try not to scare you away from dorm-life. But if for some odd reason you are still curious, email me and your curiousity surely will be satisfied. (I have a warehouse full of interesting tidbits).
Tip!-- Don't let your roommate walk all over you. That doesn't mean that you need to be mean all the time or the one in charge. Just make sure that you stand up for yourself in the nicest possible way. If something bothers/upsets you, say something. I sometimes have trouble with that, but I'm working on it.
Little update... My team and I went to Iowa this weekend. My 4 and 8 boats placed 2nd in both of our races. It was a good day for Wisconsin racing!
Have a great rest of the week. Talk to you all soon. Keep the Faith!!
Tip!-- Don't let your roommate walk all over you. That doesn't mean that you need to be mean all the time or the one in charge. Just make sure that you stand up for yourself in the nicest possible way. If something bothers/upsets you, say something. I sometimes have trouble with that, but I'm working on it.
Little update... My team and I went to Iowa this weekend. My 4 and 8 boats placed 2nd in both of our races. It was a good day for Wisconsin racing!
Have a great rest of the week. Talk to you all soon. Keep the Faith!!
Thursday, October 16, 2003
Crew is awesome! I am having a great time. We just had our first regatta (race) on Sunday in Rockford IL. We raced Iowa, Notre Dame, and a whole bunch of other schools. My boats finished 4th and 5th. It stinks not winning but we took some big steps on Sunday. My parents drove down to see the race so that was cool.
School is alright. I ended up doing pretty well on my exams! I have another chem exam in 13 days though. The cycle continues. Tonight I'm going to attend a discussion forum on Christianity. It's totally non-school related. It's entitled Chritianity: Fact or Fantasy? I already know what's going to happen. The guy running the show will attack Christianity, saying that there are so many other ways to achieve peace with yourself. ON such a liberal campus like UW, there are so many different groups of people(religion, race, etc.) A message that UW tries to project is acceptance of everyone's beliefs and walks of life. THe only problem is, most of the time Christianity is not included in that "accepted" category. For example, many people here can accept a person's belief on pro-homosexuality, but they cannot accept another person's belief against homosexuality. Thus, the intent of tolerance is left unrealized.
I will still go to the presentation tonight even though I know what will happen. It's important that I understand the viewpoints of those people who are opposed to Christianity. That way I can defend my own faith and be better prepared to share it openly with others. Sometimes it's hard being at a public university, but there are so many benefits including innumerable witness opportunities.
Stay strong in the faith. Have a great weekend.
School is alright. I ended up doing pretty well on my exams! I have another chem exam in 13 days though. The cycle continues. Tonight I'm going to attend a discussion forum on Christianity. It's totally non-school related. It's entitled Chritianity: Fact or Fantasy? I already know what's going to happen. The guy running the show will attack Christianity, saying that there are so many other ways to achieve peace with yourself. ON such a liberal campus like UW, there are so many different groups of people(religion, race, etc.) A message that UW tries to project is acceptance of everyone's beliefs and walks of life. THe only problem is, most of the time Christianity is not included in that "accepted" category. For example, many people here can accept a person's belief on pro-homosexuality, but they cannot accept another person's belief against homosexuality. Thus, the intent of tolerance is left unrealized.
I will still go to the presentation tonight even though I know what will happen. It's important that I understand the viewpoints of those people who are opposed to Christianity. That way I can defend my own faith and be better prepared to share it openly with others. Sometimes it's hard being at a public university, but there are so many benefits including innumerable witness opportunities.
Stay strong in the faith. Have a great weekend.
Friday, October 10, 2003
Hey everybody. I hope everyone is doing well and is having a great Friday. Some new developments here in Wisconsin. This week was exam week!! EEECK. Joking totally....it was not that bad. I have been super stressed lately because of exams and papers + everything else. THe key thing for me was to focus and plan when and where and how long I needed to study for each test or write each paper. Sometimes it seems like the professors think that their class is all you have going on. In reality, I have 5 professors who think along those same lines. Planning ahead and actually sticking to your plan (plan to work and work your plan) was the only way that I made it through. Here is what my schedule was like this week.
Sunday- 7-9 Chemistry Review Session
Monday- Full day classes- Math Review 7-9
Tues.- Math Exam 5:30-7 ; Chemistry Review Session 7:30-9:30
Wed.- Full day classes; Chemistry Exam 7-9
Thurs/Fri- Classes and Exam evaluations
Mon (10/13)- 8pg. paper due (exam); 6pg. essay due (exam); speech due
Craziness!!!!! At least the week will be over soon. I just have to remind myself to say my prayers, take deep breaths, and take one task at a time. (i'm only a frosh, I don't know how to multi-task yet). College is a marathon, not a sprint. It only matters who will be left running to the end. (only 44 school days til end 1st semester + another 7) hahaha I'll be here forever!!!
Sunday- 7-9 Chemistry Review Session
Monday- Full day classes- Math Review 7-9
Tues.- Math Exam 5:30-7 ; Chemistry Review Session 7:30-9:30
Wed.- Full day classes; Chemistry Exam 7-9
Thurs/Fri- Classes and Exam evaluations
Mon (10/13)- 8pg. paper due (exam); 6pg. essay due (exam); speech due
Craziness!!!!! At least the week will be over soon. I just have to remind myself to say my prayers, take deep breaths, and take one task at a time. (i'm only a frosh, I don't know how to multi-task yet). College is a marathon, not a sprint. It only matters who will be left running to the end. (only 44 school days til end 1st semester + another 7) hahaha I'll be here forever!!!
Friday, October 03, 2003
Ha! So I can't believe I left out any of the good stuff about college, so I'm back on. OH yeah...one more thing... I am such a grandma who likes to go to bed early. Yeah..not gonna happen in college. Anyways...
In addition to working super hard all the time with boring academics, the best part of my day is purely physical- Women's Crew here at UW. Go WISCO! I tried out for the WOmen's novice team 5 weeks ago and I made the team. It is such a blast. I have always loved sports, but this is completely different for me. First of all, I don't have a ball to throw around! And no....crew does not consist of all of the girls singing Row Row Row your Boat!! It's hard to say the least. Coach T. takes great pleasure in announcing our sets for the day. For example, on Wed. we did a 3x30 work out. That is we erged (simulated rowing), ran, and did a body circuit for thirty minutes each.
I am having such a great time as you can tell, but the time committment is rough. I give about 20+ hrs. a week in crew. Time management is key. Even after I get home from practice and am wiped out, I am truly thankful that I have been given the opportunity to be a D1 athlete! I highly recommend trying out for crew if you have the chance. I have my first regatta in 9 days. I'll keep you all posted.
Keep the Faith.
In addition to working super hard all the time with boring academics, the best part of my day is purely physical- Women's Crew here at UW. Go WISCO! I tried out for the WOmen's novice team 5 weeks ago and I made the team. It is such a blast. I have always loved sports, but this is completely different for me. First of all, I don't have a ball to throw around! And no....crew does not consist of all of the girls singing Row Row Row your Boat!! It's hard to say the least. Coach T. takes great pleasure in announcing our sets for the day. For example, on Wed. we did a 3x30 work out. That is we erged (simulated rowing), ran, and did a body circuit for thirty minutes each.
I am having such a great time as you can tell, but the time committment is rough. I give about 20+ hrs. a week in crew. Time management is key. Even after I get home from practice and am wiped out, I am truly thankful that I have been given the opportunity to be a D1 athlete! I highly recommend trying out for crew if you have the chance. I have my first regatta in 9 days. I'll keep you all posted.
Keep the Faith.
College life is such an adventure! Wow! is all I can say. I am such a newbie at everything that it can sometimes be overwhelming. I keep reminding myself that a good kick-in-the-but can be a good thing. Whether it be getting lost walking to class, getting a less-than-awesome grade on a quiz, or staying up late to finish that one last math problem, I am forever reminded that I am now a college frosh. WHen I feel like I can't stand not being "good" at anything anymore, I have to remember that everyone would go to college if it was easy. The challenge is what makes it great.
I imagine that every student will experience their own version of college. The type of college, your major, and your extracurricular activities can adjust a person's attitude towards their college years. For my own sake, I wanted to pick a place where there could be ample opportunity for me to explore myself academically and socially. I really think that I have found a home at UW-Madison. I'm a true Bucky-Badger now!
At UW, I am actively pursuing a Biochemistry major while participating in the Pre-Med program. This past week, all frosh were required to fill out a four year plan, indicating their intended course plans for their identified majors. I new that Biochem combined with pre-med was a hard major, but I almost passed out when I looked at my projected schedule. It seemed that my class numbers were astronomical- i.e. biochem 982 and physics 674. (the class #'s really don't go that high). AS a frosh, all my classes are in the 100 and 200's-a far cry from the junior/senior credits. Sometimes it feels like I will be here forever!
I just have to keep with it and keep working hard.
Tip of the Blog: Manage time well in high school and develop good study habits. If you are not already a seasoned vet in study skills, learning becomes difficult in college when there are even more distractions.
Keep the Faith!
I imagine that every student will experience their own version of college. The type of college, your major, and your extracurricular activities can adjust a person's attitude towards their college years. For my own sake, I wanted to pick a place where there could be ample opportunity for me to explore myself academically and socially. I really think that I have found a home at UW-Madison. I'm a true Bucky-Badger now!
At UW, I am actively pursuing a Biochemistry major while participating in the Pre-Med program. This past week, all frosh were required to fill out a four year plan, indicating their intended course plans for their identified majors. I new that Biochem combined with pre-med was a hard major, but I almost passed out when I looked at my projected schedule. It seemed that my class numbers were astronomical- i.e. biochem 982 and physics 674. (the class #'s really don't go that high). AS a frosh, all my classes are in the 100 and 200's-a far cry from the junior/senior credits. Sometimes it feels like I will be here forever!
I just have to keep with it and keep working hard.
Tip of the Blog: Manage time well in high school and develop good study habits. If you are not already a seasoned vet in study skills, learning becomes difficult in college when there are even more distractions.
Keep the Faith!
