Consider myself oriented

“To be prepared is half the victory” - Miguel de Cervantes

In the end, being successful in college will come down to being involved, seeking out good opportunities, studying well, creating friendships, and a myriad of other factors. However, having a few preparations under your belt before you head to campus couldn’t hurt, right? For me, the past two weeks have been particularly busy in the preparation department. Perhaps this is because move-in day is now less than one month away, or because my orientation dates finally arrived, or because dorm catalogs are showing up in my mailbox on a weekly basis… but college feels more and more real every day.

Let me take a step back.

On July 9 and 10, I headed to campus for orientation. Events started early in the morning, with an opening speech. Parents and student separated, and we were off! Overall, I was most looking forward to registering for my classes, which occurs on the second day, but I had fun meeting fellow students. There seems to be a basic set of questions that have to be covered when you first meet someone new: “Where are you from? Where are you living? What are you majoring in?”

Memorable programming includes an informal Q&A about the Kittredge Honors Program, which I am participating in; a session about the technology and IT services available to students; information about campus discipline and the honor code; an outrageous interactive skit; and a great barbeque out on the engineering quad. By the end of the first day, I was exhausted and a little bit nervous about the next day. Choosing classes felt like a very a big deal: it is a decision that will define my semester. I had a lot of thoughts floating around in my head as I faced my second day: overarching plans, classes I wanted to take, hopes, and fears.

Over the past few months, I’ve continued to think through the goals I have for my time at CU. Currently, I am planning to just do one major: Film Studies, and I hope to move into the BFA narrative film production track. I am interested in study abroad and am thinking about doing this in the UK, so I may couple it with an English/Irish studies certificate. I am already participating in the Honors program through KHP and am honored to be a part of the Norlin Scholars, so I will be doing an honors thesis in my senior year. One of my main goals, however, that is not reflected in this list, is just to take a lot of really interesting classes. I know this sounds rather obvious, but what I’m very excited about is the opportunity to learn about Greek Mythology, photography, ancient Rome, guitar, etymology… anything and everything that I can get my hands on.

For me, the days of “world history in two semesters” are long gone. I am ready to take specific and intriguing classes with focuses that draw me in. Along these lines, I was very pleased to find out that I brought about 18 credit hours with me from AP and IB classes. As I was found out during my advising meeting, I only have a few dozen general distribution credits left to fulfill. Learning this was freeing.

The second day of orientation involves a group meeting with your academic advisor - for film, this group was rather small - and then a private meeting to discuss your courses. Finally, you head to the computer lab to learn the ropes of registering, and are done. In my meeting, we went through the courses I was already registered for - four, in all - and the options for my remaining space. I walked out of there with five options to fill that last space, all classes that interested me and that I was eager to take. Unfortunately, none of these classes were available to me. I suppose this is simply how it is when you are a freshman, but I was rather disappointed. I ended up choosing a class I am now pleased with, but hadn’t planned on. In case you’re curious, the courses I ended up with are:

- Intro to Film Studies,

- Advanced 1st Year Writing

- Constructions of Knowledge

- Women in Film (Honors)

- Light and Color for Nonscientists

In the end, I managed to group my classes almost entirely into Tuesday and Thursday. I know this is going to make these days exhausting - I have classes from roughly 8-9, 9-10, 11-12, 4-5, and 7-10. Yes, that does sound like quite a lot. But, I am pleased to say that I have Monday off completely, one two-hour class on Wednesday, and a 50-minute recitation on Friday. I figured that having days that were devoted to classes and days when I could study and relax would work well for me. I’ll see in a few weeks if this was a smart choice, but it’s comforting to know that this schedule is only for one semester.

So that was orientation. I must admit, I came away a bit nervous about school. That was still the beginning of July, and I started to panic when I realized summer was coming to a close. But I’m doing my best to enjoy the last few weeks of summer, and to be ready for school when the time comes.

I’d love to know what you think of all of this - leave me comments below! If you’re past freshman year or college altogether, what do you remember about preparing to start? If you’re an incoming CU freshman, are you preparing yourself for college, or are you just planning head out here when the time comes? Have you done orientation and registration? How do you like your selected classes? What do you think makes a “good” schedule?

I’ll be back soon with a few more thoughts on preparations, but that’s it for now. Cheers! :)

This blog sponsored by the CU Book Store. www.cubookstore.com

No place like home...

In the past few months, one phrase is becoming increasingly common in many of my conversations. As I explain to friends and family why I chose to stay so close to home and attend CU, I keep finding myself parroting, almost verbatim: “I just love Boulder so much; I can’t imagine leaving.” Upon reflection, this is actually a bit of an oversimplification. Living in Boulder is a part of who I am. In asking me to live somewhere else, you might as well be offering a prime bit of real estate on the moon. Boulder is the only home I’ve ever known.

I admit that I have a very limited frame of reference. After all, I have lived in the same house since I was around 1-year-old. I have traveled around the states and out of the country, but I haven’t actually made my home anywhere else. However, I feel safe in saying that anyone who has lived happily in Boulder for an extended period of time knows what I’m talking about: Boulder draws you in, pulls you close, and will rarely let you go. There is a name for it: Niwot’s Curse. As I understand it and have often heard it told, Chief Niwot supposedly once said, among other things, “If you visit this area, you will always come back.”

I realize that for many students coming to Boulder, the locale is a perk. Of course, world-class skiing is only a few hours away, and phenomenal hiking is even closer than that, so perhaps it was a factor in your college decision. Overall, though, this city will likely only be a temporary home for a few short years. However, since many of you are on the brink of moving here, I’d like to take a moment to point out a few of my favorite parts of this wonderful city, in the hopes that you will appreciate it to the fullest.

Of course I’m going to start with the setting. The nature that surrounds Boulder is omnipresent but glorious nonetheless. The mountains are a looming and reassuring presence, always there when you need to know which way is West or if you want to head out for a quick hike. The Flatirons are unusual and iconic. Then there are little things - the glimpse of the snow-covered high peaks as you head into the valley from Louisville; the stunning sight of the yellowing aspens, well worth an hour-long drive in the beginning of the fall; the exquisite tulips on Pearl Street in early spring.

In a perfect compromise to this beauty is the weather. Where else will you find at least 300 days of sunshine per year? Be sure to bring your hiking boots, skis, snowboards, bikes, and skateboards for plenty of fun in the sun. Of course, we have our fair share of storms, as this year’s snowy spring and rainy summer have proved, but far from the gloomy gray of the east, each storm is quickly followed by another bout of sunshine. Just remember the saying, “If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes” - it will serve you well here.

And then there’s the city itself. In my eyes, Boulder always seems smaller than it really is. It has a small-town community feel, with all the privileges of local businesses and limited traffic, and yet you’ll also find everything you need within a short distance. Between Pearl Street, the 29th Street area, and even the FlatIron Crossing mall, you’ll find many familiar stores and restaurants. However, you don’t get that sprawling-along-the-highway metropolis feel that I notice often enough on road trips.

The people in Boulder are in a league of their own. The town is a mix of wealth and hippie, college students and happily settled families. People are generally kind, fit, and quirky. You’ll see brand names and dreadlocks walk down the street together. A few things to know in a quick-fire round of generalizations: Subarus tend to be the car of choice, you’ll see them practically everywhere. Black North-face jackets and rainbow colored crocs go hand-in-hand in this city. Local businesses, artists, and companies are a point of extreme pride. Be yourself in this city, and you’ll find you blend right in.

Of course, the CU campus/student-life part of the city is a very different world. While mainstream-Boulder residents sometimes mix with the university, especially for special events or performances, the two groups are generally separate. For this reason, above all, it doesn’t seem like I’ll be living in the same town next year. I feel like I’m entering a new world, one that’s different enough to provide plenty of new experiences, yet close enough to home to be comfortable and reassuring.

If you’re new to Boulder, I hope you enjoy your time here. Feel free to leave any questions you have about the city in the comments, or share anything you’re looking forward to in coming here. If you already live here, or have in the past, what’s your favorite part of the city? How does Boulder compare to other places you’ve lived?

That’s all from me for now. I’m just finished my two days of orientation on campus, so I’ll be back with a full report on the experiences and my selection of courses next week.

Cheers. :)

This blog sponsored by the CU Book Store. www.cubookstore.com