So my…OUR first semester at Penn State University, University Park is coming to a rushing halt.  Classes end on Dec 8, finals are the following week, and then we head home for about a month before we take on our second semester.

Let’s face it…those four and half months went by way faster than we thought they would. (Almost faster than our four years of high school!) The reality is that we are actually growing up, with our future and adult lives looming around the corner.  Slowly (maybe) but surely we will get there.  Graduation day will come, and then what?  What will become of us?

That I do not know.  And I am getting way ahead of myself there.  But I do know that my first college semester at Penn State was one I wouldn’t have changed any other way.  I’ve explored a lot, but hardly everything (I have three more years for that).  I have been to almost if not every fair there was for incoming undergraduates, explored endless amounts of clubs and orgs, participated in several volunteering activities as well as seasonal ones around campus.  One of my favorites was the Pumpkin Festival at the Arboretum!  I have gone to the football games, and can’t wait until next fall to continue rooting for the Nittany Lions!  I’ve even attempted to donate blood for the competition against Michigan State University, but perhaps I will try that again next year.

I certainly haven’t experienced everything that this University has to offer, and I cannot wait to continue exploring.  For instance THON is one event I CANNOT WAIT to experience.  I just hope I get to continue this journey as well as exploring with the friends and relationships I’ve created this semester being apart of Discover House.  I hope you too have enjoyed your first semester here at Penn State, and I wish you luck throughout your upcoming ones!

Since the first day of the semester I have spotted “Blood Drive Today!” signs and posters all across campus.  Literally, I feel like everywhere I go and no matter where I look there is a sign there- no matter the day.  I had never donated blood before, and never had much interest in donating.  Honestly, the whole idea and process really scared me.  Then one day I was talking to a friend about the Blood Drives that were happening on campus and she told me that the one in November is actually a competition between Michigan State University and Penn State University, and the school that has the most donors is announced at the game. (Of course donating blood becomes a competition…it wouldn’t be a good rivalry without one, right?)

It took a couple of days, some discussion with my floormates, an actual shove, and some encouragement….but I finally made my way over to the Blood Drive one day last week.  I went with two other friends who had never donated blood, so we decided to try it together!  We were all terrified! A familiar face of my friend’s was working it, so of course we bombarded her with questions.  After an extremely long wait (which they shouldn’t give you because after thinking about it for a while many chicken out-which I desperately wanted to do, but didn’t) I went first behind the barrier to where the Red Cross had their whole set up.

The man who called me back could tell how nervous I was, but he was extremely kind and understanding of the whole thing.  He said that most people were, which made me feel a little more comfortable.  First we went to this make-shift desk contraption where there were some medical supplies and a computer.  He went through the process of registering me in their files, taking my temperature, and then checking my pulse and blood pressure.  But before I could actually donate my blood, he had to check my iron levels.  The do this with a little tool that pricks your finger a TINY bit so that they can get a little sample of your blood. They would like all donors iron level to be at least  12.4.  But unfortunately mine tested slightly below the limit at 12.1.  He tested me again, and it was even lower at 11.4!  Honestly, I was really disappointed.  This meant that I could no donate my blood like my other two friends were doing, and I wouldn’t be able to really contribute in the schools’ competition- the only reason I manned up to donate in the first place.

Although I couldn’t donate, many of you still should!  It’s an excellent way to save 3 lives AND beat MSU at something other than football…hopefully.

Last Thursday after my 9:45-11:00AM class I hurried over to the BJC (Bryce Jordan Center) Ticket Office for the first time, in order to purchase a guest ticket for the Temple football game on Saturday, November 15, 2014, and for the Michigan State football game on November 29 after our Thanksgiving break. Why did I hurry?  First, all semester long I’ve been hearing horror stories about the long lines at the BJC so people could get tickets for upcoming football games.  That is why my amazing roommate offered to go over at 10:30AM (thirty minutes before the ticket booth opened) to save me a spot in line, while I was making my way from class in Sackett.  Second, the cheapest tickets go fast!  And earlier Thursday morning the Ticket Exchange had the cheapest Michigan State ticket for sale for only $11.50.  How can you beat that price?!  But as it turned out, there was barely a line at all.  When my roommate got to the BJC there were six people in line, all in pairs (so really three).  Basically, she really didn’t have to save me a spot.  Although not THE cheapest tickets available for each game, I still got them at a decent price.  In total, a Temple guest ticket for my younger brother was $80 ($50+ a charge of $29.99) -not the best of deals, and a Michigan State guest ticket for my boyfriend was about $44 ($13.50 + $29.99).  I guess the early bird really does get the worm.  Being pre active, and going two weeks before game weekend paid off.  I won’t have to wait in a longer line later this week either.  Overall my trip to the BJC was a bit expensive, but money well spent.

Before my excursion across campus, I called the Athletics Customer Relations at 814-863-1000 with all of my questions, and they were extremely polite and helpful.  They had all the answers.  I also visited the Ticket Exchange website for directions on how to purchase guest tickets and to view the Student Ticket Exchange to make sure there were tickets available to be purchased.  I highly recommend taking advantage of both resources if your interested in purchasing a guest tickets- or a ticket in general!

Normal Business hours for the BJC Ticket Office are Wednesday through Thursday 11:00AM-4:30PM.  Guest tickets must be purchased with a credit card, NOT Lioncash!

= Disappointment

Last Friday, October 31, 2014, I along with a handful of other Discover House members braved the cold and went to check out the Halloween Lantern Tour at Old Main being advertised around campus.  Although it was not John and Cami’s fault for scheduling such a what would become, awful time to walk over, they did not plan for the forty-five minute line we had to wait in-just to get our hands stamped.  It was freezing!  Originally we had planned to walk over and go on the tour right away, with a maybe ten to fifteen minute wait. But that wasn’t the case.

Once we finally got all of our hands stamped, we were directed to wait on the steps/porch of Old Main.  From there, the Lion Ambassadors scheduled various groups to entertain those waiting for the tour.  There were dance groups, singers, and even some members of the Blue Band stopped by.  Plus there were free refreshments and warm drinks being offered to all of us who were patiently waiting.  However after waiting in line for forty-five minutes, then watching three performances and eating light snacks while we waited for our group to be called, it all took about another hour.  At this point, we were all questioning whether or not the tour was worth it.  It was unanimously agreed that we all just wanted to see the bell tower!  After all that’s the most exciting part, isn’t it?

After waiting for forever in the freezing air, and with successfully numbed hands, our group was finally called! We walked through the doors of Old Main, and BAM! We were actually inside of the infamous building.  The decorations were appropriately cool, and basically perfect for the scene they were setting; not to outrageous but not pathetic either.  A screen and short clip were displayed in front of us which we eagerly watched, anticipating the tour that would come next.  But to our surprise… just as soon as we had walked in, we walked back out again.  Apparently the “tour” was not of Old Main.  It was around Old Main.  And that was some serious false advertising on the Lion Ambassador’s fault.  Perhaps locals and upperclassmen knew what the Halloween tour entailed, but underclassmen did not.  It was a real disappointment.

Part way through the tour about three quarters of our group had wandered back to the dorms to get their Halloween costumes on, and get ready to go out later that night.  The tour was like a flash back of the history of Penn State.  Before I bailed at fraternities and sororities, I met Mr. and Mrs. Atherton, Old Coaly, Mr. Carnegie, Mr. Shields, and several other characters.  It was extremely corny and not really entertaining at all.  Even though I waited all that time, neither I or most of our group stuck around for the end.

I heard that those who did, got to go in the bell tower at the end of tour.  If only it was at the beginning!  Either way, I still do not regret my decision to head back early.  Overall it was a disappointing experience and did not meet up to the expectations I had for the tour.  But I guess Lion Ambassadors were doing the best that they could, and being as resourceful and creative as they could.

It was more of a tour for older alumni, locals, and younger children.  Especially with many of the jokes, that our group just flat out did not get.  It would have been more appealing if it was a lantern tour throughout the building, with spooks and characters along the way, as we learned more about the building’s history.

I’m sorry it was so disappointing.  But I am looking forward to eventually going on an actual tour of Old Main, itself!

This week I spent as much time as I could on the Division of Undergraduate Studies, MinorQuest website.  It has certainly proven itself, as extraordinarily helpful, informational, and simple when it came to narrowing down all my interests and possible minor options. I literally went through and clicked on each of my interests separately, and then read all of the minor descriptions for the minors that popped out at me.  I was nearing the last of my interest categories, when five possible minor descriptions got me thinking: Global Studies, International Studies, Medieval Studies, Transnational Perspectives, and World Literature.  All have very similar descriptions and similar lists of courses revolving around my curiosity in International Relations and Global Studies.

First I eliminated Global Studies just cause, and then Medieval Studies since I am debating on that one as a major.  In the end I was torn between Transnational Perspectives, as I think I would enjoy learning about the issues across different cultures and how they are molding nations; International Relations because I have begun some of the requirements for it, and already plan on continuing my foreign language education further, as well as  study abroad; and finally World Literature because I enjoy reading, analyzing stories, and comparing literature and its development across cultures and centuries.  I have taken a Comparative Literature class in high school, and LOVED it!  But I am entirely unsure if I will love it just as much now in college.  (I have also been internally arguing with myself about possibly Comparative Literature as a major)

In the end though, I guess it will have to take some time and experimenting with new classes to find what I truly want to major and minor in.  As well as many more discussions and meetings with my lovely advisor. 🙂

Click the link, to bring you to the DUS MinorQuest website so you can do your own exploring!

DUS Advising offices are located in the Grange building, depicted below.

Kevin Cass is president of one of the largest student orgs on campus, Atlas.  Atlas is the highest earning fundraising organization for Penn State’s annual THON, the past four years in a row.  Since formed in 2005, Atlas has raised over $2 million dollars For The Kids, and supported many Four Diamonds families whose children undergo or have undergone treatment at the Hershey Children’s Hospital for pediatric cancer.

At first, Kevin just wanted to become as involved as he could in all activities, clubs and orgs on campus.  He discovered Atlas at the activities fair his freshman year, talked to a variety of THON orgs, and decided to go to his first Atlas meeting since the floor he lived on was called Atlas Hall.  The passion and fun that everyone had for such a great cause brought him back, over and over again.  It was there, he discovered that through this club he’d achieve his goals. He took on some smaller leadership roles and gradually moved up the ladder.  As an under classmen Kevin would run and host canning trips, his sophomore year he was a Fundraising Captain, and his  junior year he became Canning Chair.  Many members and fellow Atlas leaders suggested he should run for president his senior year, and the next thing he knew he was President of Atlas.  Previously, he didn’t have much experience in such a high leadership role; in high school he was a team captain.  But this University inspired him to become a better leader, and the best that he could be.  It has motivated him and given him a boost of confidence (especially with public speaking), and even influenced one of his majors.

When we asked Kevin what is was like being President, a huge smile came across his face. He said, “It would suck if I didn’t love it so much”.  Kevin has a great time being President of Atlas, but it takes a lot of time management to really enjoy it.  Kevin estimated he spends 60-80 hours a week on Atlas related activities and duties.  As a student with two majors and two minors, that’s a lot!  But Kevin loves what he does and refers to it as a, “welcome distraction”.

The advantages of holding such a prestigious leadership position for Kevin, is the impact he and the org have, and the way it all changes peoples lives.  Plus it’s a great way to get people involved.  The only disadvantage he has experienced, is that as a result of being so involved in one org, it can take away from being involved in many other clubs, orgs, and activities.  He had to sacrifice some other clubs he had an interest in.  But he is still involved in one of the campuses Engineering clubs that are involved and help out at the middle school.

Kevin hasn’t faced many challenges as President.  A minor one is his difficulty remembering names.  But I think it’s safe to say that many of us face that challenge.  We recognize faces, but can’t recall names.  His other difficulty was a personal one, that I can relate to as well.  His role as President requires a lot of delegation and trust in other people- which can be difficult for him because he likes to have control over everything.

His favorite memory from being so involved with Atlas was his sophomore year within the last 10 hours of THON.  Kevin along with a few other Atlas members actually went to Hershey Medical Center for several hours to be with the kids who were too sick or incapable of being there at the Bryce Jordan Center, and cheer them up.  Then later when they returned to the BJC, and the amount of money was revealed, he loved being there celebrating and supporting all of the families who are and have been effected by pediatric cancer.  Kevin said that before Atlas he didn’t have a lot of knowledge about pediatric cancer. But now, he has the opportunity to learn about the cause, and help make a difference.

Maddie and I are both members of Atlas, so immediately we knew which President we each wanted to interview.  For convenience, we agreed to interview him together, and I am glad we did.  It can be nerve-racking to explore out of your comfort zone. So bringing a friend helps you (or at least me) to be more relaxed and myself.  Kevin was extremely friendly, flexible with availability, and willing to answer all of our questions.  I hope to be as involved as him on campus, and to make a difference one day.

Click the link to find out more about ATLAS

This past weekend I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather in State College and explore the Pumpkin Festival at the Arboretum! I went with my parents on Friday night since they were up for parents weekend, and it was one of the best ideas ever!  With the perfect fall temperature, my parents, pumpkins, lights, and playful children everywhere it was the perfect place to spend the evening.  Plus the pumpkin carving contest was a great way for Penn State University students and the community of State College to interact.  The pumpkins were funny, scary, pretty, and they all showed off spectacular carving skills.  I even got to see the pumpkin I carved of Jack Skeleton with the help of a friend, as well as all the other pumpkins that Discover House members worked hard on.

I went back on Sunday afternoon with my boyfriend, and it was just as amazing during the day as it was at night.  The gardens, views, open landscape, and overall atmosphere were full of beauty.  Overall the Arboretum is peaceful.  I’ve definitely found my new favorite place to get away from everything for a while, and maybe even get some homework done there when the weather allows.

Even though the Pumpkin Festival has passed, you should still take a walk to visit the Arboretum! You wont regret it!

(Thanks to my mom for snapping pictures on her phone!)

This afternoon I decided to check out the Education Abroad Fair happening in the Hub from 11:00- 4:00PM.  Studying abroad has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember, and London has been THE place where I want to study since I visited in the summer of 2010.  It was on my 5 day visit of my 2 week vacation that I fell in love with this city in England!  Naturally, this EAF was the place to find out more info.

Unfortunately, the way it was organized left any students who are undecided and apart of DUS wandering aimlessly.  The way the Alumni Hall had been set up was for students to find their enrolled college table, discuss your interests and then visit their corresponding schools in the part of the world where they wanted to travel, then talk to a representative.  So being in DUS, left me with no place to really start.  I may not know exactly what I want to major in, but I DO know that I want to study abroad.

I didn’t let that setback stop me from exploring.  Instead I walked around a bit to check out the Education Abroad Advisor table, where I picked up some informational pamphlets, and I made my way to several other tables that looked interesting.  I stopped and talked  to a girl at the College of Liberal Arts since the majors I am looking at all seem  to come from that College.  She was as helpful as she could be with a student who didn’t know what she was studying yet.

I cant complain about the overall event, as I did collect a lot of information about trips to London, England, the semesters, the requirements, duration, and financial costs.  I look forward to the day when I will speak with my advisor as well as an Education Abroad Advisor about my opportunity to study in London!

   

Looming on all of us is the Freshman 15. Striking fear into all who miss homemade meals, get dinner or a late night snack after 10pm, and who snack when they’re stressed.  Yes, walking or biking to class helps to combat the fat.  But by becoming a member of any of the 3 fitness facilities on campus can help even more.  Exercise is a way students can relieve some stress or anger, get away from homework and assignments, and a way to keep healthy.

This week, I finally accomplished a goal of exercising in all three fitness facilities on campus.  The White Building is the most convenient gym for me, as it is practically right across the street.  However the Rec gym as well as the I.M. gym require more of a trek- but we did it. (I dragged along some of my fellow floor mates).

The White Building fitness center, while convenient is also extrememlely crowded.  The easiest time for me to go is in the evening after classes, which also happens to be the most convenient time for the majority of other gym-goers All those sweaty bodies makes for a pretty uncomfortable work out…in a small space.  Plus the stairs required to walk up after a hard workout, makes it all more exhausting. The Rec gym is similar in size, and also very crowded. Closer to North along ‘Frat row’ , it’s a little far for a quick gym session for anyone living in Pollock, South or East Resident halls.  It was newer than the White Building and appeared cleanlier, yet with the few amount of machines I still felt like I was right next to the person working out beside me.

The newest and largest fitness facility on campus would without-a-doubt be in the I.M. building (my favorite).  Although all the way up by East and overlooking Beaver Stadium, there is no more comfortable place to get fit. There are easily accessible lockers to contain, your belongings and plenty of machines well spread out for an enjoyable experience. Plus the I.M. building is home to the most modern exercise machines.  You can listen to music, watch T.V., or surf the internet, all while working up a sweat on the treadmill.  There is even a longer allotted time; instead of 20 minutes that include a cool down, there you get 20 minutes of your workout and then an additional 5 minutes for a cool down. A great method to insure that you keep working hard and then gradually slow your heart rate!  Yes, the I.M. gym is the furthest but for the best workout, I would make the walk up there.   Also located in the I.M. building are flyers, information, and sign ups for different fitness classes, clubs, and intramural sports.

Ultimately you’d benefit from any of the gyms you decide to go to.  It’s just a matter of the one you prefer!

The Career Services Center is a great tool for any and every student to utilize!  Programs such as LinkedIn, resume workshops, career counselors, peace corps, and programs to help prep students for life after college in the employment field are all available.  As soon as you walk through the doors, the entire staff are extremely helpful.  Just tell them what you are there for and they will guide you in the right direction.

LinkedIn is a way for current students to connect with alumni in different career fields from all over the country.  It allows students to ask questions and gain an idea of what they may or may not want to do in the future.  The resume workshops and tutors are there to help students improve their resumes and give a great impression to possible employers right from the get go.  They will answer any and all questions for you, and sit  down and work on it with you.  An impressionable resume is essential to any job interview!

The career counselors appear to be absolutely wonderful (especially for DUS majors like me) ! Students can walk in at any time during hours to speak to a counselor.  Then you discuss what your interested in, what you are and were involved in, and what you see yourself possibly doing.  Afterwards the two of you examine a list of possible careers, based on that conversation.

Located within the Bank of America Career Services Center is also a Peace Corps advisor and representative. If you are interested in traveling the world and volunteering/ philanthropy, the Peace Corps can make it happen.  There are  many different options and ways to become involved and to take action.  If you have any questions or wish to explore deeper into a certain aspect, feel free to talk to the representative. Her door is always open.

The programs available for student prep include seminars and advice on how to dress for success, interviewing, taking advantage of career days, info on government employment, Nittany lion networking, using online resources, managing your presence, requesting references, and job search methods.

With a Penn State education, degree, and utilization of the Career Services Center, a job offer won’t be far from graduation!

For more info, check out their website at http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/career/

Around here there are three very popular ways to get the down-low on what is happening on and off campus: 1) Daily Collegian, 2) Onward State, and 3) Penn State News. All three provide students and the community of State College, PA all they should know about events, activities and what is up and coming here, on campus and downtown! Yet, each are different.  Neither of the three, all provide ALL of the same information.  You may be looking for information about THON on Penn State News and realize that you can only find updates within Onward State.  Or perhaps you like to hold a physical copy of your morning paper, then the Daily Collegiate would be the best bet for you (especially if you are a student- its FREE with a swipe of your handy-dandy student ID).  Plus all three websites provide an easily accessible search box, that allows anyone to look up specific articles…saving your time from sifting through the archives of ‘What’s Going On at Penn State’.

The Daily Collegian (accessible digital and print) provides information on every sport from football to club,  a section completely devoted to the Arts, and columns written by students for students in the Opinions section.  You can find featured photos from almost any and all events that occur on campus or off, and read top stories being talked about across University Park, and see advertisements for businesses around campus~

Onward State offers information and updates on a wide range of topics: THON, Athletics, Sandusky Scandal, Student Life, Downtown, and much more!  The homepage alone provides articles about the most popular and relevant information.  I can even find information about new clubs on campus- never heard of before.  Plus a list of hot spots downtown, deals on apartment and other living options through their advertisements, and order food from favorite late night food places!

Penn State News has a more structured design to it.  There, you can find helpful updates, tools and info on research happening or completed, news in academics, campus life, impact of the school, athletics, administrations, and arts and entertainment happening on campus or downtown.  Plus readers are given the option to narrow their searches by campus or college.  Here, you could even find articles about the world outside of our Penn State community.

Ultimately any of these three resources have the potential to open your eyes to something new, and then give you all the information you need to know.  But you will never know, unless you look!

The Information Cycle I attended on Monday was much more helpful than  I had ever expected.   Amanda’s tips and guidelines showed me ways to make writing research papers much simpler, and stress free.  I will definitely be taking advantage of the topic tool, to help me explore and narrow my writing ideas down.  The Library Open House was even more beneficial as I got to explore several of the floors, and other branches of the library on campus.  I gained knowledge about the different resources available to me as a Penn State student.  Such as the study rooms and how to make a reservation for a room, also about the Tech Tutors to show me how to use different programs.  I found where to make videos for a class, and a room where I can practice making a public speech.  The most interesting library I visited was the News and Microforms Library!  What was most surprising was how preserved and how far back the library keeps newspapers, films, and articles in history.  Plus how easily transferable those documents could be put onto a flash drive or moved into your email.

The Library Open House didn’t take too long and it was a great way to learn my way around the two parts of the Library, as well as venture off to other parts of the campus that I haven’t seen yet.  In the end, I got a new water bottle, and another t-shirt to remember the day!

The first two weeks as a Penn State University student have been a whirlwind of emotions.  Living in a new place, without your family and knowing absolutely no one is terrifying!  My first two days were the worst. I talked to no one- literally. It can be hard to meet new people, sometimes.  But after our floor dinner, and before convocation, I finally began to come out of my shell a little bit.  I found out that I wasn’t the only one feeling lonely and kinda depressed.

Finding my way around campus was not as scary as I had made it out to be, and neither were the classes- most of them at least.  Homework started to come in, and so did the stress.  But after the first weekend and making some great friends, I began to relax some more.

This second week has gone by even faster, and now I cannot wait to see what the rest of the year has in store!