This past week has been what UP students call "Dead Week." Don't worry, I will assure you no one died. It's simply the week before finals where we study our butts off and devote time to projects and papers. Quiet hours in the dorms are extended, so people can study and sleep.
Although I am taking five classes, I only have three tests to study for. For those of you who are not yet in college, you might be wondering, "how come you're taking five classes, but only have three tests?" Unlike high school where teachers are required to give written finals, professors are can decide as to whether or not they want to give finals. This semester I have tests in stats, theology, and English. I have a paper for my human bio class, and my psych final is optional. I'm not taking my psych final because I'm happy with my grade (B) and wanted to focus on my other classes in which I have tests (especially Stats). Though my bio professor is giving a test for the final, he is letting me write a paper because I've struggled on his tests and it is his way of recognizing my effort (I think I mentioned that I regularly visited him in office hours).
I'm not too worried about my theo and English finals, but I'm concerned about Stats. As most of you know, I hate math and it does not come easily to me. Unfortunately, UP's core requirements require math. I have a borderline grade that I'm desperately trying to pull up: I have a C minus, but need a C to pass. I'm two points away from being able to pass, so I've been studying my butt off this week. On the plus side, Stats is my first final (Tues afternoon), so I'll feel good about getting it out of the way. :D
On a nonacademic note, I am currently applying for an on-campus job and leadership position. The first postion (volunteer) that I applied for is an Orientation Assistant. (OA) The OA's are help with activities during Orientation weekend. I love showing people how fabulous UP is, so I want to help incoming freshman transition smoothly. Another plus is that I'll get to move in early since I'll have to attend a three day training. Although the original deadline for leadership positions was in March, there were posters around campus advertising for the position. Since I did not get chosen to be a Freshman workshop leader (see previous entries), I was able to apply. I should know next week as to whether or not I'll get the position.
The job that I'm hoping to get next year is student blogger. I would write a weekly blog for the Admissions office about my awesome life here at UP. All I would have to do is write one blog and have them ready by Monday morning. Luckily, I found out that not a lot of people have asked to write the blog and I'm the only psych major. This would work in my favor, as the admissions counselor I met with told me that he likes balance out the writers by class year, gender, and major. I also found out that I would get paid $8/week, totalling $25/month. It's not a lot, but I always appreciate the extra dough, which will go to my Salzburg fund (my friend Amy will be studying abroad next year, and I want to visit her over Christmas). Again, I should know by the end of next week.
Wish me luck on finals! (especially Stats) I will continue the blog over the summer, just not every week. If I do end up writing the blog for Admissions, I will not write on blogger but instead, give you the links to the UP blog. Until next week (:
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Relay for Life and Antonia's visit
Today and yesterday I have been busy! Last night I participated in Relay for Life, a walk that raises cancer awareness. I have been interested in cancer awareness since my aunt was diagnosed with colon cancer three years ago. Last fall (Sept 2008), my mom lost one of her best friends from high school to breast cancer. In January, I emailed my friends and family asking them for donations. Some of my friends and I were on a team together, and had a goal of raising $1000. Although we did not raise this exact amount, we reached about 75% of our goal. I raised a total of $645, thanks to generous donations of family members and friends. I was especially touched on Friday that my favorite English professor made a donation to the cause.
The event itself lasted from 6PM yesterday to noon today. The ceremonies included prayers, introductions and guest speakers (a professor who is a cancer survivor and a parent of a UP alum who lost her youngest daughter to leukima) We also walked around the track, and teams had different booths with food and goodies to help raise money. Since my friend Antonia is going to Univeristy of Oregon (in Eugene), she and her mom drove there from Berkeley to attend a prospective student day. I invited her to spend the night with me, and we had a fabulous time together. We walked 11 laps, met my friends, ate a pint of Haagen-Daaz chocolate peanut butter ice cream, wrote a letter to our friend Megan (who is an au pair in the Netherlands), and explored campus. As luck would have it, we were walking from my dorm to the Cove (cafe in the student center), when we saw my English professor driving in his convertible. I introduced Antonia to him, and she was excited to finally meet him. I've told her so much about him, the first thing she said was "I've heard a lot about you."
My aunt Wendy (dad's sis) was diagnosed with colon cancer (fall 2005), so I took the picture on the right for her
Darling Daisies plus Antonia (L-R): Antonia,
Me, Dana (team captian), Traci, Kaelyn,
MacKenzie, and Ruth (team captian)
Antonia and I relaxing
We shared a pint of Haagen-Daaz chocolate
peanut butter ice cream. Delicious!
Roomies for life!
On an academic note, I'm getting to the home strech. Tomorrow night officially begins Dead Week, which means longer quiet hours in the dorms and intense studying. I have four more days left of classes. Since my psych prof is going to a conference Thursday, we don't have class. I'm ditching bio that day because we'll be reviewing for the test and I'm writing a paper instead. Plus it would be pointless for me to get up early when I don't have to go to class the next day. I'm coming home May 1st, so I will be in Portland for 12 more days. I'm really sad to leave my friends, but will be happy to have a break from school for four months.
The event itself lasted from 6PM yesterday to noon today. The ceremonies included prayers, introductions and guest speakers (a professor who is a cancer survivor and a parent of a UP alum who lost her youngest daughter to leukima) We also walked around the track, and teams had different booths with food and goodies to help raise money. Since my friend Antonia is going to Univeristy of Oregon (in Eugene), she and her mom drove there from Berkeley to attend a prospective student day. I invited her to spend the night with me, and we had a fabulous time together. We walked 11 laps, met my friends, ate a pint of Haagen-Daaz chocolate peanut butter ice cream, wrote a letter to our friend Megan (who is an au pair in the Netherlands), and explored campus. As luck would have it, we were walking from my dorm to the Cove (cafe in the student center), when we saw my English professor driving in his convertible. I introduced Antonia to him, and she was excited to finally meet him. I've told her so much about him, the first thing she said was "I've heard a lot about you."
My aunt Wendy (dad's sis) was diagnosed with colon cancer (fall 2005), so I took the picture on the right for her
Darling Daisies plus Antonia (L-R): Antonia,
Me, Dana (team captian), Traci, Kaelyn,
MacKenzie, and Ruth (team captian)
Antonia and I relaxing
We shared a pint of Haagen-Daaz chocolate
peanut butter ice cream. Delicious!
Roomies for life!
On an academic note, I'm getting to the home strech. Tomorrow night officially begins Dead Week, which means longer quiet hours in the dorms and intense studying. I have four more days left of classes. Since my psych prof is going to a conference Thursday, we don't have class. I'm ditching bio that day because we'll be reviewing for the test and I'm writing a paper instead. Plus it would be pointless for me to get up early when I don't have to go to class the next day. I'm coming home May 1st, so I will be in Portland for 12 more days. I'm really sad to leave my friends, but will be happy to have a break from school for four months.
Monday, April 13, 2009
A Fabulous Trip to my 19th State
I have officially been to 19 states. As some of you may know, my goal is to go to all 50 states before I turn 50. Thursday afternoon I flew from Portland to Arizona to spend time with Arielle and her family. I had a fabulous time and I wish was still there. Arielle has the week off for Easter, so she's staying until Saturday.
We got to her grandma's Thursday night, and stayed there every night except Friday. On Friday we stayed with Jordan, one of Ari's camp friends. She and her parents are super nice, and they have a cute Yorkshire terrier named Chester (who cuddled with me when I woke up Saturday morning). Jordan drove us around, and we made a pit stop at Dairy Queen. We don't have Dairy Queen in the Bay, so it's a treat for me when I'm on vacation. We rented Repo, a musical that despite being bloody, was lightened by the catchy songs. Jordan works at a cafe at a fancy health club, so we went with her and swam, worked out, and read. Luckily, Jordan got off work an a hour and a half early, so we went to Applebee's and met up with some of her friends.
After Jordan's parents dropped us of at Ari's grandma's place, we went to lunch at the Nieman Marcus cafe where that had delicious popovers. Popovers are these huge, light and airy rolls that come with delicious strawberry butter (I don't like butter, but this was yummy). Afterwards, we went shopping at Macy's and Nordstroms. At Macy's, Ari bought two prom/graduation dresses, while I bought a few tops for summer. I got a Nordstrom's gift card for graduation in June that I put to good use on two dresses and earrings. That night, Ari's cousin Maddy came over for dinner and hung out with us for a few hours.
Yesterday was Easter, so we spent the day with Ari's aunt and family. In the morning, we woke up to Easter baskets with chocolate bunnies, Peeps, chocolate eggs, and jelly beans.We had an Easter egg hunt, and I found eleven eggs with yummy chocolate. For lunch, Ari, Maddy, Mila (personal assistant), and I went to the Phoenician (fancy hotel) where we ate lunch outside. After an hour of swimming, we went back to her aunt's house where she made a delicious dinner, including a lemon cake with lemon curd for dessert.
On our way to the airport, we stopped at a pet store where we held the cutest puppies. Pet Landing is Ari's favorite pet store, and since you have to be 18 to hold the puppies, she got the pleasure of holding them for the first time. They were so cute, and I fell in love with the cutest golden retriever that I wanted to take home.
Anyways, I've been here for about two hours. Amy and I arrived at the same time, so we rode the Pilot Express (school shuttle) together, and got dinner. I had a fabulous time hanging out with Ari, Jordan, and her family that I wish I could still be there (not to mention the sun). However, I have two weeks of classes and one week of finals, so I'm confident that these last few weeks will go by quickly.
We got to her grandma's Thursday night, and stayed there every night except Friday. On Friday we stayed with Jordan, one of Ari's camp friends. She and her parents are super nice, and they have a cute Yorkshire terrier named Chester (who cuddled with me when I woke up Saturday morning). Jordan drove us around, and we made a pit stop at Dairy Queen. We don't have Dairy Queen in the Bay, so it's a treat for me when I'm on vacation. We rented Repo, a musical that despite being bloody, was lightened by the catchy songs. Jordan works at a cafe at a fancy health club, so we went with her and swam, worked out, and read. Luckily, Jordan got off work an a hour and a half early, so we went to Applebee's and met up with some of her friends.
After Jordan's parents dropped us of at Ari's grandma's place, we went to lunch at the Nieman Marcus cafe where that had delicious popovers. Popovers are these huge, light and airy rolls that come with delicious strawberry butter (I don't like butter, but this was yummy). Afterwards, we went shopping at Macy's and Nordstroms. At Macy's, Ari bought two prom/graduation dresses, while I bought a few tops for summer. I got a Nordstrom's gift card for graduation in June that I put to good use on two dresses and earrings. That night, Ari's cousin Maddy came over for dinner and hung out with us for a few hours.
Yesterday was Easter, so we spent the day with Ari's aunt and family. In the morning, we woke up to Easter baskets with chocolate bunnies, Peeps, chocolate eggs, and jelly beans.We had an Easter egg hunt, and I found eleven eggs with yummy chocolate. For lunch, Ari, Maddy, Mila (personal assistant), and I went to the Phoenician (fancy hotel) where we ate lunch outside. After an hour of swimming, we went back to her aunt's house where she made a delicious dinner, including a lemon cake with lemon curd for dessert.
On our way to the airport, we stopped at a pet store where we held the cutest puppies. Pet Landing is Ari's favorite pet store, and since you have to be 18 to hold the puppies, she got the pleasure of holding them for the first time. They were so cute, and I fell in love with the cutest golden retriever that I wanted to take home.
Anyways, I've been here for about two hours. Amy and I arrived at the same time, so we rode the Pilot Express (school shuttle) together, and got dinner. I had a fabulous time hanging out with Ari, Jordan, and her family that I wish I could still be there (not to mention the sun). However, I have two weeks of classes and one week of finals, so I'm confident that these last few weeks will go by quickly.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Good News, Registration, and Pre Frosh
I got my stats and bio tests back at the beginning of the week as well as good news: I got a C on my stats test and a C plus on my bio tests. My grades for both classes are C minuses, which means I am a few points shy of being able to pass the class (you have to get at least a C to pass). Both my math and bio professors are pleased with my improvement, and encouraged me to finish out the semester. I did not have to drop either class! Another bonus: My bio professor is letting me write a final paper instead of taking a test, so now I only have four finals instead of five.
This week, Catherine and I have also had the pleasure of hosting two prospective students. On Monday, we hosted Kristina, a senior from Fresno. She is interested in majoring in psych, and so I met her at the admissions office so I could take her to meet with one of the psych professors (who just happened to be my advisor). She came to choir, and enjoyed listening to us rehearse. Today is Weekend on the Bluff, so there were tons of prospective freshman and their parents walking around this afternoon. We volunteered to host a prospective student, and she is here right now. Her name is Lauren, and she's from Chico. Some of our friends also have prospective students staying with them, so we all walked around campus and took them to Pilotpalooza. Pilotpalooza is a big carnival with lots of free food, music, and activities such as fun houses and henna tattoo stations. Student groups, like Relay for Life and Campus Program Board (CPB, which plans campus activities), had posterboards and free goodies. Today was sunny, so Amy and I walked around and played catch outside. Quite rare for Portland weather. (:
On Wendnsday, I took MacKenzie to English with me. Her Bib Trad class is at the same time as my English class, but it got canceled that day. She was excited to go because I've told her so much about how I love that class and my professor. I introduced her to my professor, and she had the pleasure of seeing him act out scenes from Othello, engage my class in interesting discussions, tell stories about himself, and throw in a few swear words every now and then. She thought my professor was awesome, and the class was fun.
Another significant event in the week of most UP students was registration. For those of you not familiar with this process, let me tell you. You register based on your class year (number of credits you have earned) and the first letter of your last name. I'm a freshman and my last name starts with "E", so my group was able to register Wednesday morning. Since I registered on the second to last day of registration, you might be thinking that I was not able to get all of the classes I wanted. However, I was lucky and was able to get the classes, times, and professors I wanted. I'm really excited about my schedule, as I won't have any 8:10's (I've had two-both fall and spring semesters this year). Also, I won't have class until 12:55 Tuesdays and Thursdays. I will be getting three core classes out of the way, in addition to one class each for my major and minor. Next fall I'm taking Ethics, American Nonfiction Lit, Biblical Traditions and Culture (more commonly known as Bib Trad among UP students), Research Methods, and Powerful Ideas in Physical Science (my last science class!).
Despite having to write several papers, I am done with all major tests until finals. On the plus side, I only have 26 more days left of school. I'm sad that I won't be able to see my friends every day, but I'll be happy for a four month break from schoolwork. Next week I only have three days of classes, thanks to Founder's Day and Easter break. I'm excited to go to Arizona with Ari, and it will be nice to have break. Let's see if I can make it through these last 3 weeks of school!
This week, Catherine and I have also had the pleasure of hosting two prospective students. On Monday, we hosted Kristina, a senior from Fresno. She is interested in majoring in psych, and so I met her at the admissions office so I could take her to meet with one of the psych professors (who just happened to be my advisor). She came to choir, and enjoyed listening to us rehearse. Today is Weekend on the Bluff, so there were tons of prospective freshman and their parents walking around this afternoon. We volunteered to host a prospective student, and she is here right now. Her name is Lauren, and she's from Chico. Some of our friends also have prospective students staying with them, so we all walked around campus and took them to Pilotpalooza. Pilotpalooza is a big carnival with lots of free food, music, and activities such as fun houses and henna tattoo stations. Student groups, like Relay for Life and Campus Program Board (CPB, which plans campus activities), had posterboards and free goodies. Today was sunny, so Amy and I walked around and played catch outside. Quite rare for Portland weather. (:
On Wendnsday, I took MacKenzie to English with me. Her Bib Trad class is at the same time as my English class, but it got canceled that day. She was excited to go because I've told her so much about how I love that class and my professor. I introduced her to my professor, and she had the pleasure of seeing him act out scenes from Othello, engage my class in interesting discussions, tell stories about himself, and throw in a few swear words every now and then. She thought my professor was awesome, and the class was fun.
Another significant event in the week of most UP students was registration. For those of you not familiar with this process, let me tell you. You register based on your class year (number of credits you have earned) and the first letter of your last name. I'm a freshman and my last name starts with "E", so my group was able to register Wednesday morning. Since I registered on the second to last day of registration, you might be thinking that I was not able to get all of the classes I wanted. However, I was lucky and was able to get the classes, times, and professors I wanted. I'm really excited about my schedule, as I won't have any 8:10's (I've had two-both fall and spring semesters this year). Also, I won't have class until 12:55 Tuesdays and Thursdays. I will be getting three core classes out of the way, in addition to one class each for my major and minor. Next fall I'm taking Ethics, American Nonfiction Lit, Biblical Traditions and Culture (more commonly known as Bib Trad among UP students), Research Methods, and Powerful Ideas in Physical Science (my last science class!).
Despite having to write several papers, I am done with all major tests until finals. On the plus side, I only have 26 more days left of school. I'm sad that I won't be able to see my friends every day, but I'll be happy for a four month break from schoolwork. Next week I only have three days of classes, thanks to Founder's Day and Easter break. I'm excited to go to Arizona with Ari, and it will be nice to have break. Let's see if I can make it through these last 3 weeks of school!
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