Hello CU Buffs, friends, readers, and random individuals who happened to stumble across this blog... I hope you are having a lovely week thus far! If you're on Spring Break, like me, I especially hope you're enjoying the absence of classes and schedules.
Spring Break is kind of a magical time if you stick around Boulder. As students disappear for vacations and trips home, the town really changes. Traffic slows down, businesses are less busy -- everything feels slower, more relaxed somehow. Of course, since the local school district often has Spring Break the same week, this isn't just CU contributing to the change.
However, that brings me to what is on my mind a lot lately, summer. Spring Break will be wrapping up in a few days, and then it's onto that last big haul before we reach the bliss of summer vacation. Of course, the extra blizzards and snow storms this week are hardly even spring weather, and thus are making me particularly eager for some summer sunshine -- and some time to enjoy it.
In summer, in particular, Boulder really changes -- and I think it's safe to say that this is because of a number of CU students going home. I love that Boulder is a college town, and always have, so I wouldn't want it to be so quiet all the time... But then again, I've grown up here. Since many students leave every summer, I think people miss out on the peace and quiet this town experiences during the summer.
So, here's my recommendation: if you come to CU, try to stick around during a Spring Break or summer. Enjoy the weather (whether it's snowy or sunny), and enjoy the calm energy that is oh-so-different from any other time of year.
Cheers :)
Showing posts with label advice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label advice. Show all posts
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Monday, August 31, 2009
One week down, four weeks (minus one week) to go....
The first week of college. Where to start? Whirlwind is not even strong enough to describe this experience... it was more like a maelstrom. From the buzz of my alarm clock on move-in day until... basically right now (when I finally feel a bit of routine forming,) everything is a blur. Perhaps you know what I'm talking about, but if you haven't started college yet, I'm going to sum it up in three pieces of advice that I walked out of this experience with.
1. Accept some chaos. Accept that the move-in time, the first few days, and the first week will be hectic as heck. But don't let it stress you out. Just keep trucking through these first few days with the knowledge that everything will calm down soon.
2. Make yourself at home. One of the most important things I did was to wear myself out on move-in day taking care of all the little details. Being really settled in made the first week feel so much more comfortable.
3. Stay on top of things. Find your classes ahead of time. Get your books as soon as you know you need them. Leave plenty of time to get places. Don't fall off your bike trying to get back onto the sidewalk after riding through the grass (yes, I'm speaking from personal experience).
I've been considering how I'm going to work this blog into my everyday life at CU, and wanted to share these thoughts with you, my mysterious audience. I'm currently planning on writing every week, except in extreme occasions like mid-terms or holidays (or illness, which is looking increasingly likely and scary!) I hope to share some sort of anecdote from the week - a lesson I learned, a mistake I made, something you might find interesting. If you're a current CU student - I know some of you are out there - and you have anything similar that you think is interesting and are willing to share, please let me know! This is about the experience of being a freshman at CU, but I'm definitely not going to experience everything! Furthermore, if you have any college anecdotes, whether you've graduated or are just a few years in, send 'em my way!
On that note, I have one lesson to share from this past week. When classes started, I was enrolled in Physics 1230: the science of light and color for non-majors. This class was recommended to me as a way to cross one science requirement off the list, and as a class that many film students take and enjoy. I was originally not planning on taking a science course my first semester - it's a subject I find a bit more difficult - and was having fun looking through the expansive list of classes based on literature or history. However, my registration time rolled around and none of the classes I was interested in were available. Physics 1230 was, so voila.
After only two sessions of this class, it became abundantly clear that it wasn't right for me. This was due to a variety of reasons that I won't go into... but I was suddenly facing a choice. Do I stay or do I go? I was used to such a limited mindset from high school, where the possibilities for classes were few and the opportunity to switch into a desired course far between. Then it hit me, this is college! This is what add/drop days are for! So I started surfing the course catalog, with the box "only show open classes" firmly checked. I happened across a Masterpieces of British Literature class with 10 free spots, at a time that fit my schedule. Suffice it to say, I'm now happily getting settled into a class that suits me much better than physics would have.
So, I guess what I'm saying is that, CU Students, you still have time! The add deadline is September 2, so don't do what I almost did and get stuck in a class that isn't have been right for you. And if you're happily settled, then all I can say is to be sure to keep this in mind for the future!
1. Accept some chaos. Accept that the move-in time, the first few days, and the first week will be hectic as heck. But don't let it stress you out. Just keep trucking through these first few days with the knowledge that everything will calm down soon.
2. Make yourself at home. One of the most important things I did was to wear myself out on move-in day taking care of all the little details. Being really settled in made the first week feel so much more comfortable.
3. Stay on top of things. Find your classes ahead of time. Get your books as soon as you know you need them. Leave plenty of time to get places. Don't fall off your bike trying to get back onto the sidewalk after riding through the grass (yes, I'm speaking from personal experience).
I've been considering how I'm going to work this blog into my everyday life at CU, and wanted to share these thoughts with you, my mysterious audience. I'm currently planning on writing every week, except in extreme occasions like mid-terms or holidays (or illness, which is looking increasingly likely and scary!) I hope to share some sort of anecdote from the week - a lesson I learned, a mistake I made, something you might find interesting. If you're a current CU student - I know some of you are out there - and you have anything similar that you think is interesting and are willing to share, please let me know! This is about the experience of being a freshman at CU, but I'm definitely not going to experience everything! Furthermore, if you have any college anecdotes, whether you've graduated or are just a few years in, send 'em my way!
On that note, I have one lesson to share from this past week. When classes started, I was enrolled in Physics 1230: the science of light and color for non-majors. This class was recommended to me as a way to cross one science requirement off the list, and as a class that many film students take and enjoy. I was originally not planning on taking a science course my first semester - it's a subject I find a bit more difficult - and was having fun looking through the expansive list of classes based on literature or history. However, my registration time rolled around and none of the classes I was interested in were available. Physics 1230 was, so voila.
After only two sessions of this class, it became abundantly clear that it wasn't right for me. This was due to a variety of reasons that I won't go into... but I was suddenly facing a choice. Do I stay or do I go? I was used to such a limited mindset from high school, where the possibilities for classes were few and the opportunity to switch into a desired course far between. Then it hit me, this is college! This is what add/drop days are for! So I started surfing the course catalog, with the box "only show open classes" firmly checked. I happened across a Masterpieces of British Literature class with 10 free spots, at a time that fit my schedule. Suffice it to say, I'm now happily getting settled into a class that suits me much better than physics would have.
So, I guess what I'm saying is that, CU Students, you still have time! The add deadline is September 2, so don't do what I almost did and get stuck in a class that isn't have been right for you. And if you're happily settled, then all I can say is to be sure to keep this in mind for the future!
Feel free to leave me comments if you have anything to add, your own stories or advice, or just want to say hi!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
T minus 10 and counting...
Well, this is it, the time has come. I move into my dorm tomorrow and can hardly believe it. While it seems like the summer has flown by, that back-to-school feeling is finally in the air. BVSD, the local school district, has started, and some freshman have already moved in to CU dorms. I wanted to tell you all that my excitement for college has been growing lately. I was recently out of town on a family trip, and after being asked a great number of times "So, are you excited for college?" I realized that my answer is a resounding YES.
I had a great experience the other day regarding all of this. I'm a fan of the social networking site Twitter, and not only use it to communicate with friends, follow services (like the CU Book Store - check them out here), but to also follow authors, actors, directors, and other well-known individuals whom I admire. One of these individuals is an author by the name of Sarah MacLean. I discovered MacLean's twitter after greatly enjoying her book The Season, and have found her to be extremely accessible and friendly. I replied to one of her tweets about back to school, asking how she remembers feeling when she was college. I didn't fully expect an answer, but I was wonderfully surprised when I got some great advice. She replied to me that starting college was "terrifying," but that a week in, she loved it. She added that she met her best friend on the first day, and that I should tell her how I end up feeling after a week of school.
This was followed by another conversation that only seemed to reinforce the same message. I was talking with a younger friend who is starting high school, who was also regarding it as scary and even unwelcome. Quite naturally, not wanting him to hate it from the get-go, I gave the advice to remain open to enjoying the new opportunities. It got me thinking... I remember quite distinctly how exciting the beginning of freshman year was, at least in retrospect. Everything was new and big and different. Classes were more interesting. There were countless new people to meet. The school had new traditions to learn. In advising my friend to be optimistic about high school. I realized that I needed to follow my own advice. In many ways, the same message was being thrown at me again and again.
So now I have a philosophy when it comes to moving in to the dorms, going through orientation programs, starting classes. Sure, everything is new and a bit scary, but it's like that for a lot of freshmen. It's okay for it to be "terrifying," as MacLean reminded me; I just need to look for the parts to enjoy, as I reminded myself. Keeping this in mind, I see my whole nervous attitude change to something better: I can't wait to see my room, meet people, experience the line-up of opportunities we have in the first weekend, start classes... all that!
With that said, I hope to blog a lot about this coming weekend. I'll tell you how my move-in goes, what events I attend, and try to share stories of friends as well. I want to ask you how you feel about starting college (or how do you remember feeling)? Did you have an AHA moment like this one I experienced, or were you always looking forward to it? Any advice for move-in day?
Cheers :)
This blog is sponsored by the CU Book Store.
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