Archives: Random Thoughts
One week of being sick
This week felt like the longest week of the school year. I woke up very sick on monday and it took all week to get better. Not what I had in mind for this week. Now I am far behind in my classes and not very happy about it. 
I really hate being forced to stay in my room and take cold medication to try and get better as fast as possible. Not knowing if it is a flu, swine flu, or just the common cold make me nervous to show up to class with a fever, cough, and a sore throat. I didn’t want to pass on what ever I had to half my class.
Being sick threw off my whole week. Frankly, it threw off a lot. Being president of Black Student Union was complicated by not being active and able to run around to sign papers, plan future events, and working on events already in the works.
BSU held an event this week called, “What YOU need to know about date rape” which went very well. It was hard to host an event with a fever and hardly any voice but I am glad that we did it and I am glad I didn’t skip it because I was sick. I was pleased with how students were honest with their questions, asking the serious questions that they really wanted to know the answers to but were too afraid to ask before. BSU brought in Lynn’s security chief, a school nurse, a school couselor, and an outside guest speaker from the Palm Beach Victims Services. Each spoke for about 10 to 15 minutes about their role to help prevent date rape and if it did happen, how it helped. Afterwards, students got a chance to write on note cards their questions that were read out loud. I was really pleased with the questions as well as the answers. All the guest speakers were very honest, they didn’t hold anything back. All the questions were answered and people learned a lot, I know I did!
Well, off to the large pile of homework that has been waiting for me all week!
Important numbers for all students and future students:
Lynn’s Women’s Center: 561-237-7955
Lynn’s Counseling Center: 561-237-7273
Lynn’s Security: 561-237-7227
Safe ride: 1800-675-6349
Palm Beach Victim Services: 1866-891-7273
College: Best Time to Meet Yourself
For my 300th post, I was stumped at what to write. 300 posts about college is a lot. From my first day to my junior year where I am about to take my VCATS and the GRE.
I’ve learned that college is a great time to learn about yourself. I know I have said it many times before, but I’ve honestly learned more about myself in the last three years than I could have ever thought possible. Each year I look back and see how much I’ve grown, how my actions effected my life.
I’ve learned that the end of the day, chances are you are going to get sick with what ever is going around campus. Swine Flu is really messing up my plans this year, trying to avoid sick students is hard, and the extra worry that they may have a flu that is killing people all over the world is not a comforting feeling. The fact that the school has spent money on hand sanitizers all over campus is a good sign that there is a large effort to stop the spread of germs.
I’ve learned that it is really annoying to have a car sometimes. Not the car itself, but people wanting rides. Sometimes, I find it hard to figure out if people want to be friends with me or just because I have a car. Some are very honest about why they are befriending me, they openly ask for rides to places, while others are more coy and it may take a few conversations to realize it. I know some people with cars don’t mind giving rides, but I can’t stand it. It find it so rude when people ask me because most of the time, they want me to bend to their schedule. I thought I was doing them a favor…. People without cars on campus seem to forget that cars run on gas and students aren’t taxi services. If you are going to ask someone for a ride, thank them. They didn’t have to take you to where you needed to go or take time out of their day when they weren’t heading in that direction.
I’ve learned that there are tons of unhealthy relationships going on in college. From the distractions, the cheaters, the liers, the stealers, the heartbreakers, and the flat out abusive. Like I said, college is the best time to learn about yourself and relationships are apart of who we are as individuals. I’ve learned friends and parents are usually the best bet to learn if someone is good for you. If your friends and family don’t like the new guy, he needs to hit the road.
I’ve learned that not everyone is designed to have a roommate and that not all types of people make good roommates. I have a single this year because I study better when I have my own space and can study when ever I can. I feel too stressed out when there are other people around when I am studying. I can have my room the way I like it so I am comfortable while trying to learn tough subjects like microbiology or organic chemistry. My grades inprove greatly when I am by myself in a room. Some students don’t do so well on their own, they need that contact or their grades drop. It really depends on the student. Some days I liked having a roommate but other days it was too distracting from why I am here at Lynn, to get an education.
And last but not least, I’ve learned to enjoy college! I really feel that this year is my year. We only have 4 years to be in this crazy artificial world that allows us to try new things and explore who we are in a safe mannor where we can learn from our mistakes where there are not lasting effects…. well, most of the time. Each year, I find myself tryin new things, exploring new options. I want to enjoy my 4 years of college to the max. I look back at high school as a waste of time, I don’t want to look back and see college the same way. So far, I am really enjoying college and I hope it keeps going the way it has been. I love being president of Black Student Union this year, planning events, seeing an idea on paper come to life. I love my sisters and all that we stand for as Tri Sigmas. I have awsome friends. College is what you make it, and I am working very hard to to make it the best 4 years possible!
A Full Email Account
Last night, I was sending emails to a bunch of people about different programs Black Student Union is planning for the next few weeks when I got an email stating that my email account is full. I then had to start deleting emails for about 45 minutes before it was just down to what I really needed. Going from average student to president of an organization, my email account has exploded with emails now. I used to get one or two a week, now I have about 3 waiting for me in the morning, and they just keep coming. Now I am constantly checking my personal email and my school email. Oh well, just a small price to pay to make my mark at Lynn!
Busy Little Bee
Lately, I have been so busy, my calendar on outlook looks more like a rainbow than anything else. Right now, I am just trying to do the best that I can do, while trying to make an impact at Lynn. I have a lot of programs that I am working on at the moment for Black Student Union. It is a lot of hard work being president for an organization. Expecially when the organization curently is under staffed.
I am really busy this year, but I am loving it. I have a lot of big ideas and I really want to see them come to life. I keep telling myself to just do what I love, work as hard as I can, and learn from my mistakes, even if others can’t seem to let them go. Its all new, exciting, and confusing at the same time. I just know that at the end of this school year, I am going to look back and see a wonderful year and be proud of all that I have done, learned, and worked so hard to create.
A personal note
Today, 8 years ago, a very horrible event happened. It was a hard time for not just Americans but people of all cultures all over the world. I’m sorry for the loss of those that were killed on 9/11. I hope those who never got to say good bye have made peace and know that their loved ones are now in a better place and will not be forgotten.
I still get very emotional talking about 9/11. One of the great things about going to a very international school is that I get the chance to see a mini version of the world mourning this… well there really is not a strong enough word for the hate that was brought into this world. Children who knew nothing of war are now being shaped by it, I know my critical years as a young teen were shaped by the event.
Let go of the little things and remember to love with all your heart. There is so much in life we cannot control, but what we can is how much love we show for the important people in our lives.
Also, please do not forget those at war now. Whatever your feelings about the wars, remember that those soldiers are young men and women, mostly the same age as us college students, risking their lives. A ton of Lynn students have family over there, please, show your support to the soldiers and their families. War does not just effect the solider but the whole family. I look forward to the end of the wars and our soldiers, contractors, and diplomats are home, safe with their families and friends.
I urge everyone to show more love in their lives. Smile more, let the little things go, say I love you at the end of your conversations with those that matter the most to you. We are all equal on this planet, some choose to do evil, I encourage you to show them that love, kindness, and understanding go a lot farther at the end of the day.
This weekend, take an hour out of your busy schedule and feed the homeless, call mom and dad or grandma and grandpa, donate money to a charity. Do something good. Be inspired by this tragedy to turn something bad into something good.
The First 24
I have been back in Florida for a little more than 24 hours now and I’m so excited but extremely tired! I could hardly sleep last night after I landed and arrived at the Marriott. My car was waiting for me in the parking lot with a loving note that she was taken cared of over the summer. I rushed to drop off my stuff in my room and came up with a lame excuse to drive my own car. lol. Yes, I’m weird. I drove to store and to my storage unit just for the fun of it. Man, when I opened my storage unit, I didn’t remember it that way! It some how had gotten a heck of a lot neater in my head over the months.
At about 8:45 am, I arrived at Lynn, already checked out of my hotel room, ready to check into school. I had checked in online the first day the school loaded it on mylynn, and so all I had to do was pick up my new parking decal. With the old ones removed from the previous two years, I happy slapped on the new one and was ready to check out my new room.
I opened the door to the new wing in Freiburger that has been changed to singles and noticed the new paint job. Signs and colors were splashed everywhere by my RA and classmate Wideline. (An awsome combo by the way, my RA and my classmate, we can study when she’s on duty and bored out of her mind…. or watch TV…) My room used to be a twin in an all guys wing. Now its a single on the girls floor, which in this case, happens to be the bottom floor. I’m not so sure how I feel about that at the moment, I’m just counting my blessings that I didn’t have to carry anything up the stairs!
I’m all moved in in one day! Thats never happened before! I’m in shock. haha. My boyfriends mom helped me move in since he couldn’t get time off of work. She laughed at our three day plan, slowly moving the stuff in. Within three hours, all my stuff was out of the storage unit, I had closed my account there and was heading back to school with the last half of my stuff, while his mom went home to relax, still laughing at our three day plan. Mothers have mad skills at packing and moving! After dinner at their house, the no longer working muscle came over and helped take the really heavy stuff into the room. I love this system. It took only a third of the time and half the energy. I have already put a lot away, my bed is set up, along with my laptop. Containers are in their places, and my sink looks like I’ve been here for days already. The only down side to the extreme move in, sun burn and a very sore body.
I love my room. I think I called my mom 5 times today to just tell her how much I love my room and how greatful I am to have it. I have so many ideas for my new room, my mind can’t keep up. So much to do to make it a place where I can really focus and relax when I need to during the rough weeks to come.
After two years under my belt, I feel like I’m finally getting the hang of this college life.
Now, I am going to force myself to go to sleep so that I don’t over to it today and try and unpack my room in one night. I just feel like I am on a roll and its hard to get off! There is always tomorrow between meetings… ah! Another meeting and it will only be day two!
The best software for all college students
Recently, I was playing with my cell phone and was trying to get the contacts off my of it. I have a sidekick and its easy to put the contacts in, but almost impossible to get it off. I had to download a software, from my service provider and then they were all on my laptop. Great, but I couldn’t open them without Microsoft Outlook.
I had never used the software Outlook before. It has been 4 days now, and I have no idea how I survived in school without it! Outlook is a software that pretty much creates a daily planner, holds all of your contacts, and has a space to write down all the tasks at hand.
I now have all my appointments, class schedule, and plans for the next 4 months on my laptop, ipod, and phone. Now, each time I plug in my ipod to update it, my calendar updates as well. Since I use my laptop in a few of my classes, it makes it easy to type in the assignment name under the date its due, add some notes about it and place a reminder that it is coming up. I have assigned colors for different things, purple for Sigma Sigma Sigma, Red for exam week, yellow for when I am in class, orange for when I am in Lab, etc. I feel so organized!
No longer will my day planner be written in multiple pen colors with tons of correction marks. It only took me about an hour to figure out a bunch of different functions. It is easy to make corrections and I can print out the whole month and put it on my wall, or carry it in my note books if I wanted to.
Microsoft Outlook has made my life so much easier in just a few short days. I’m looking forward to using it at school and seeing how it changes my life during the school year. The first month back is so busy and full of events, now I’m sure I won’t miss a single one because I’ll be so organized!
I used to think that Outlook was for business people. I just never felt young people friendly I guess. At least, thats the way it felt for me. I think that since I use my ipod so much and I now figured out how to make the most of it, connecting it to my laptop for new functions that suit me so well in my daily life. I started messing around with the program for a while, and now I love all the pretty colors and pop up reminders that tell me where I need to be and what needs to be done when.
My advice, just try it out for 60 days. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. I know I’ve tried many different forms of keeping track of my daily life plus my assignments and for me, this has been the best system by far.
Pressure
In college, there is a lot of pressure. Pressure to excel. Pressure to be the best. Pressure to balence everything in life and make it look easy. Sometimes, it can be hard to tell when the pressure is to much for a student one week to another.
There are student athletes, scholarship students, first in the family to go to college, the over achivers, its endless. For what ever reason, college students have a lot on their plates. It is always good to know that there is a support network out there, willing to be there for you 100% when you really need some one to talk to or to lean on, even if it is just for a day or through a tough week.
It is really important for parents to be there for their kids during college… BUT… that doesn’t mean keep treating them like little kids that they were when they were living at home. Finding the right balance to letting the little kid who used to try and stick their fingers in all the sockets in the house go to seeing the young adult that may need a little guidence from mom and dad every once in a while. College is a new chapter, not just for the student, but also for the family. Sometimes the pressure for mom and dad to let go can be harder than expected which can cause some tention between parents and students. My advice to parents, let go of the reigns and let your kid come to you. Its amazing how often your kid will start calling soon as they think you aren’t controling their life.
Pressure comes from everywhere in college. Its a new pressure, no one there to tell you when to go to bed, do your homework, clean your room, not to say stupid stuff, check your bank account. Grades become more important than ever for some, while others could hardly care what they get. Living with a person who is pretty much a stranger can be hard. Trying to always be the perfect roommate can the tiresome after… a week. Professors that forget that students have other classes can really be frustrating.
I feel for the athletes. Always traveling or on the field praticing. It’s endless for them. Trying to do homework on a bus. Studying in between class and pratice. Then the students on full scholarships. Most of the time, their parents are on them about the grades. Constantly checking up on their assignments, reminding them that they have scholarships to keep.
I’ve been saying for the last two years, college is easy, its everything else that makes it hard. Sometimes blowing off some steam is the best option. Skip a day of classes to sleep in and catch up on some much needed sleep. Go out for a night on the town and not worry about being a little extra sleepy in class. It may be hard to explain to parents and professors, sometimes even friends, but know yourself. Know what you need as student is so important. Taking a break can do a lot of good for the mind, body, and soul. Now, I’m not saying a break every other day, I’m just saying that knowing when to take a break can help in the long run. College doesn’t get any easier after freshmen year, its best to learn how to deal with the stress right away. For some, its simply asking the parents to chill on the lectures, for others its a day planner and a special treat at the end of the week/month. Sometimes just talking about it to friends can really be a relief… just as long as your friends are willing to listen and take you seriously… but thats another post.
The only advice I have is, find what works for you when you are stressed your freshmen year and you don’t have to be perfect. Just do your best and remember, you are supposed to ENJOY college. What do adults always tell me, something about it is supposed to be the best time of your life…
Alone Time
I’ve been really enjoying having the condo in DC to myself for the last two weeks. It feels good to be home and really have my own space, privacy, and well, bathroom! I have a kitchen! And a TV! Don’t worry, I’m getting a TV next year for my dorm room, but no fancy cable sadly with a cool remote control.
I’ve enjoyed sleeping in, and cooking all my meals. How I’ve missed cooking! Sadly at Lynn, we do not have community kitchens to allow students to cook. Although, that wouldn’t be a bad idea for the future… hint hint Lynn.
In the last few years, I’ve learned that I really enjoy my alone time. I would have never thought 5 years ago that I was happy being by myself. I always thought that I was a social person, but now, I’ve figured out that I am a very social person after I’ve had my space and my alone time to chill, watch TV, cook, read a few books, play with the cats, explore some new thing. Once I feel like I’m personally recharged, I’m ready to go out, chill with my friends, party, what ever.
I realized that I hardly ever get this alone time in college. Reason why I can’t have roommates, cause they get mad when I go into my own world and really just stop talking, cause I’m chillin, doing my own thing in my own time. All of this can last for about a week so I’m prety much off the grid and sometimes it drives my friends crazy, because if I don’t get my alone time, I get seriously… well, grouchy.
As I get older, it is fun learning about myself. Just like everyone else, I’m learning and growing as a young adult. I’m def learning about myself, who I am, who I want to be, what kind of people I want in my life, what kind of life style I want to live, and college really as been a great environment for me to figure it all out in.
Saying Good Bye
A lot of my friends and sisters are graduating this weekend. Its sad to say good bye to everyone.
A long list of my sisters will be handed their diploma, 4 years of hard work and 4 years of being great sisters. It’s sad to see them go, but its great to see them moving on with their lives.
It is also scary for me. How have two years flown by? That means I only have two years left!
At the moment, I am enjoying a mini vacation at the Marriott near Lynn, soon as I get back summer classes! It will be Zoology and Animal Science!
Gongrats class of 2009! *sniff sniff* Come back to visit us at Lynn for Alumni Weekend!
