The big move to college life can be intimidating. However, as a freshman (soon to be sophomore), I have a few tips that can help make the transition smoother.
1. Learn to sleep through anything. This is probably the most valuable talent you will ever develop. No matter how much you and your roommate get along, there will be times when they are up until the break of dawn studying for a test when you have an 8 o’clock the next morning. Also, there is a ton of construction going on around ISU. For those of you who aren’t used to a blue-collar work schedule, construction workers start at 6 in the morning. Being able to sleep through the various noises of life is essential for a good night’s sleep.
2. Go to all those freshmen meetings. No, you will probably not learn anything from them. Yes, they are annoying. All the information they tell you, you will quickly forget and just have to look up on iCampus anyway. Although they seem pointless, they are great opportunities to make friends. Go and socialize.
3. Memorize your UID. ISU asks for it on almost every form you have to fill out. Save yourself the hassle of taking out your ID everywhere and just memorize it.
4. Check your iCampus email at least twice a day. It seems needless, but ISU will send you all sorts of interesting emails. Besides, ISU sends school cancellation notifications through iCampus. And while you are checking iCampus twice a day, start checking Facebook at least four times a day and more on the weekends.
5. Go to class. This is probably the most over-used statement that people will tell you. They will tell you that there is a direct correlation between attendance and grades. (More attendance equals better grades). There is truth there, though. Go to class and take good notes. Often, professors will tell you what will be on the test throughout class, and by taking notes the tests are much easier. On the other hand, just telling yourself to go to class doesn’t necessarily make it easy to go. Try making a rule that you will only skip each class once or twice. This will help put skipping in perspective for you.
6. Carry a stapler in your backpack. Most classes require homework to be stapled prior to class starting. There are always kids who forget to staple (and you might forget a couple times, as well), and there are never staplers in the room. Bring a stapler, and you will be prepared and maybe even make a few friends in the process.
7. Lastly, take advantage of the weight room. Do you have any idea how much a gym membership costs? Are you afraid of gaining those “Freshmen 15”? Never fear. The workout centers are totally free. Don’t be afraid to use them.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
"The Office"
Before coming to college, I rarely watched television. I was more into reading books, hanging out with my friends, and walking through the conservation across the street. When assigned this blog, I originally panicked. What was I supposed to write on? I do not even like television. However, after thinking about it, I thought of the tv show, “The Office.” Over Christmas break, my Uncle Jeff had received a season of “The Office.” He was like a little kid in a candy store. Overjoyed, he insisted we all sit down and watch it after Christmas dinner. Encouraged by my cousins, I sat down and prepared to watch what I thought would be a boring show. My uncle is almost fifty. It only seemed to follow that he watched “old people” shows.
But as the show started, I found myself enjoying the crazy jokes on the show. “The Office” is a documentary like show about the typical work day. Cameras follow the workers around and record their funny and exasperating moments. They were moments that every working person encounters. The cast consists of a moronic boss, an annoying suck up, and several other comedic office workers. They work at a paper selling office. They encounter office romances, fights, affairs, and typical drama, but they make it funny. I think that it is especially funny because anyone who has had a job can relate to the show. We have all had a job with a suck-up or a crazy lady who is in love with her cat(s). The show takes ordinary life experiences and makes them funny.
Since seeing the show with my family at Christmas, I have tried to follow the show. My roommate and I do not have a television, but I can usually find the episodes online at Hulu.com. Another aspect that I enjoy about the show is the fact that you do not have to follow the show from episode one. Anyone can start watching the show and be able to appreciate it and understand it. I never liked to watch shows that built on the episode before because, once you miss one episode, you can be lost. “The Office” is not like that. It supplies entertainment. Tune in for “The Office,” and watch the hilarity ensue.
But as the show started, I found myself enjoying the crazy jokes on the show. “The Office” is a documentary like show about the typical work day. Cameras follow the workers around and record their funny and exasperating moments. They were moments that every working person encounters. The cast consists of a moronic boss, an annoying suck up, and several other comedic office workers. They work at a paper selling office. They encounter office romances, fights, affairs, and typical drama, but they make it funny. I think that it is especially funny because anyone who has had a job can relate to the show. We have all had a job with a suck-up or a crazy lady who is in love with her cat(s). The show takes ordinary life experiences and makes them funny.
Since seeing the show with my family at Christmas, I have tried to follow the show. My roommate and I do not have a television, but I can usually find the episodes online at Hulu.com. Another aspect that I enjoy about the show is the fact that you do not have to follow the show from episode one. Anyone can start watching the show and be able to appreciate it and understand it. I never liked to watch shows that built on the episode before because, once you miss one episode, you can be lost. “The Office” is not like that. It supplies entertainment. Tune in for “The Office,” and watch the hilarity ensue.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Cakey Goodness
When assigned to write a blog on an advertisement I could most easily recall, I immediately thought of a commercial I had seen on one of my favorite websites, CakeWrecks.com. While I do not encounter this ad daily, I do not really watch television. Neither my roommate nor I brought a tv to college. I am aware that I still encounter probably thousands of advertisements weekly through the internet, but this one is my favorite.
The commercial starts out in a room where a dozen people are running around baking cake and sweets. The well-known song, “My Favorite Things” from the musical, “The Sound of Music.” (“Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens…” As the commercial progresses, we realize that they are building a car. The body is made out of cake, and the car is perfectly detailed, right down to the caramel “oil.” The camera follows the bakers as they each add different parts to the car, the tail lights, the side mirrors, and, finally, the company’s emblem on the front of the car.
I could not really remember the brand of the car, but I looked it up. It is Fabia, and the commercial ends with, “The new Fabia. Full of lovely stuff.”
This particular commercial is memorable to me because who else makes life size car cakes? Anyone who has tried to make any sort of cake besides the basic finds that baking is not as easy as it seems. Fondant is a pain to deal with and loves to crack or slide.
Amazed by this display of cakey goodness, I looked up the background on the commercial. Half expecting to find that it was all just a computer animated show, I was surprised to find that it was genuine. If I remember right, it took around a week to plan it, and around another week just to set it all up.
As much as I enjoyed this ad, I did not feel compelled to purchase the product, and not just because I am a broke college student. I found the ad immensely enthralling, but my interest stops there. Personally, I would not want to buy a car because it was filled with “lovely stuff.” While this was entertaining, it was not informative, and I believe that is why it is not particularly persuasive.
If you want to view the commercial, it is available on YouTube.com here.
The commercial starts out in a room where a dozen people are running around baking cake and sweets. The well-known song, “My Favorite Things” from the musical, “The Sound of Music.” (“Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens…” As the commercial progresses, we realize that they are building a car. The body is made out of cake, and the car is perfectly detailed, right down to the caramel “oil.” The camera follows the bakers as they each add different parts to the car, the tail lights, the side mirrors, and, finally, the company’s emblem on the front of the car.
I could not really remember the brand of the car, but I looked it up. It is Fabia, and the commercial ends with, “The new Fabia. Full of lovely stuff.”
This particular commercial is memorable to me because who else makes life size car cakes? Anyone who has tried to make any sort of cake besides the basic finds that baking is not as easy as it seems. Fondant is a pain to deal with and loves to crack or slide.
Amazed by this display of cakey goodness, I looked up the background on the commercial. Half expecting to find that it was all just a computer animated show, I was surprised to find that it was genuine. If I remember right, it took around a week to plan it, and around another week just to set it all up.
As much as I enjoyed this ad, I did not feel compelled to purchase the product, and not just because I am a broke college student. I found the ad immensely enthralling, but my interest stops there. Personally, I would not want to buy a car because it was filled with “lovely stuff.” While this was entertaining, it was not informative, and I believe that is why it is not particularly persuasive.
If you want to view the commercial, it is available on YouTube.com here.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Adventure of the Week
I wasn’t sure what I was going to blog about this week until last night.
It all started when the fire alarm at Atkin-Colby went off around nine o’clock. Sighing, my roommate and I took the time to grab coats and gloves. Walking out the door, we were blasted by the cold wind. This was going to be a long wait. After enduring the freezing temperature for what seemed like forever, I suggested we invade Hamilton-Whitten. Several others had gotten the same idea. However, after watching a dance class, we realized that there wasn’t much to do there. Bored, we walked back in hopes of being let inside.
Sometime during this process of going back into normalcy, we realized that we didn’t want to just hang around campus. We wanted to take an adventure. We begged a ride from her boyfriend, who happens to be the only one of us that has a car. Plus, it is a Honda, so the gas mileage is reasonable.
Since his car isn’t parked anywhere near the school, we bundled up and started out on our hour-long walk. I realized that I had been spoiled with clean sidewalks because the further out from campus we walked, the icier the sidewalks became. We stumbled through places where the snow was covering the sidewalk until we finally made it to the parking lot. We fell into his car, grateful for the shelter from the wind.
Pulling out of the lot, we wondered where we should go. We started out driving around Bloomington, but we wanted more. I suggested a diner that I had been to the week before in Springfield: Star 66 Café. They have the best pies ever. The problem was that I couldn’t remember the name of the place. We powered up the GPS and told it to take us to Springfield. I texted a couple of my friends back home to see if they could remember the name. One said that it was Route 66 Café; the other swore it was Roadstop Café. We couldn’t find either in the GPS, but we did find one called Just Off Route 66. Turns out that isn’t the same. We ended up in the middle of dilapidated buildings and questionable motels.
Deflated, we drove around the capital building and wandered the streets of Springfield. Another call got us the cross streets, and we headed off in the right direction, still determined, if a little less enthused. We ended up finding it. We had apparently driven right by it on our way into town. By this point, it’s nearing midnight, and my roommate had a 9 a.m. class. We went in and looked around, picked up some coffee, and began the long trip back home.
Despite the fact that it didn’t go as planned, we all had fun. It was our adventure, and I hope that everyone has a time in their life when they can travel to a new place and roam the streets without any cares. Until the next morning, of course.
It all started when the fire alarm at Atkin-Colby went off around nine o’clock. Sighing, my roommate and I took the time to grab coats and gloves. Walking out the door, we were blasted by the cold wind. This was going to be a long wait. After enduring the freezing temperature for what seemed like forever, I suggested we invade Hamilton-Whitten. Several others had gotten the same idea. However, after watching a dance class, we realized that there wasn’t much to do there. Bored, we walked back in hopes of being let inside.
Sometime during this process of going back into normalcy, we realized that we didn’t want to just hang around campus. We wanted to take an adventure. We begged a ride from her boyfriend, who happens to be the only one of us that has a car. Plus, it is a Honda, so the gas mileage is reasonable.
Since his car isn’t parked anywhere near the school, we bundled up and started out on our hour-long walk. I realized that I had been spoiled with clean sidewalks because the further out from campus we walked, the icier the sidewalks became. We stumbled through places where the snow was covering the sidewalk until we finally made it to the parking lot. We fell into his car, grateful for the shelter from the wind.
Pulling out of the lot, we wondered where we should go. We started out driving around Bloomington, but we wanted more. I suggested a diner that I had been to the week before in Springfield: Star 66 Café. They have the best pies ever. The problem was that I couldn’t remember the name of the place. We powered up the GPS and told it to take us to Springfield. I texted a couple of my friends back home to see if they could remember the name. One said that it was Route 66 Café; the other swore it was Roadstop Café. We couldn’t find either in the GPS, but we did find one called Just Off Route 66. Turns out that isn’t the same. We ended up in the middle of dilapidated buildings and questionable motels.
Deflated, we drove around the capital building and wandered the streets of Springfield. Another call got us the cross streets, and we headed off in the right direction, still determined, if a little less enthused. We ended up finding it. We had apparently driven right by it on our way into town. By this point, it’s nearing midnight, and my roommate had a 9 a.m. class. We went in and looked around, picked up some coffee, and began the long trip back home.
Despite the fact that it didn’t go as planned, we all had fun. It was our adventure, and I hope that everyone has a time in their life when they can travel to a new place and roam the streets without any cares. Until the next morning, of course.
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