Intramurals

I joined 2 intramural teams so that I could meet people... and boy was that a good idea!

We had both a soccer and a broomball game on Sunday. It was an ugly day. It was humid and rainy.

We walked to our broomball game which was at 5. Our team name is "Freshman Fifteen". I had to turn in the form for the broomball team when it was due because I was on that side of campus and I offered to take it for Julie, however, we did not fill in a team name so the lady made me think of one on the spot!!!

I was cracking under pressure. Plus I had a ton of homework to do and I didn't want to be wasting time sitting around Goggin Ice Arena trying to think up a good broomball team... I'm sorry, but it just wasn't on the top of my list of "things to do."

I counted the number of the kids on our team... 11... I decided was close enough to 15 so I put down "Freshman Fifteen" and bolted to the library.

Luckily, Julie got a couple new recruits which added up to 15, so my team name fit perfectly for us! I guess you can say I'm a genius!

Anyways, we won the broomball game!!! So we have a winning record. It was hilarious to watch our team play, and it was even more hilarious to be playing! One of my teammates, Kristen, nailed some kid in the face mask with her broomball stick, and I got whacked in the leg with the ball (it left a bruise!)

We won because some girl illegally tripped a kid on our team when he was trying to shoot and so she had to go in the penalty box!!!

Our soccer game was also lots of fun! Our team name is "The Dobacks," and I am proud to admit that I made that one up... it comes from one of the funniest movies of all times "Stepbrothers."

Our team dominated the other team. I played full time defense... let me remind you that I am TERRIBLE at soccer. I haven't played since I was in 2nd grade, and even when I was little I used to stand there and watch people. (I believe I used to color my entire arm with dandelions) On Sunday it started raining during our game, but it was surprisingly fun playing in it!

I played defense, but at one point I got the ball and had a sweet breakaway! I even dribbled it in between some big guys who were trying to steal it back!

Needless to say, I was very impressed with myself.

For all you incoming freshman out there... join as many intramurals as possible... they're a blast (even speaking from someone with zero athleticism like me!)

College Exams are Not as Bad as They are Chalked Up to Be

Today I had my first college exam!

And to say the least, I was nervous!!!! I had been so worried this whole week, so I spent hours upon hours reading the chapters, outlining, and making flashcards. My professor told me that EVERYTHING we would need to know would be on the study guide, but I didn't believe her.

I thought she was trying to trick us into studying just the study guide and then she would throw in other hard questions.....................................................

Everything that she asked came directly off the study guide. Luckily, I studied the study guide as well, so I knew the information.

Coming into college I was so worried that college exams were going to be insanely difficult, but as long as you keep up with the work that the professor assigned, and you review weekly the exams should not be something to lose sleep over (I wished I knew that before).

I think I was so ramped up because in college exams are worth a much bigger percentage than high school because most college professors do not give homework grades.

It wasn't until I got to Miami that I realized that the professors were just as accommodating as my high school teachers.

Exams?? Piece of cake!!

Activities

I have become so involved with all of the activities that Miami has to offer! I was honestly very impressed with everything that I could be apart of. There were dozens of meetings for different clubs, and so I chose a couple that I wanted to consider and I went to the informational sessions to learn more about them.

One of the meetings was for a business fraternity. We met in the basement of the new, beautiful Farmer School of Business and we were each paired up with a "brother." The chairman of each board talked and then we watched a humrous and informational video on what it means to be in Alpha Kappa Psi. We each recieved an application and were invited to an informal BBQ where we could meet everyone!

I also attended a meeting on the Campus Activities Council. They are a campus programming club which plans events like Homecoming, Family Weekend, Kidsfest, Springfest, concerts (last year they brought in Girl Talk!!) and lectures. It seemed like a great way to get involved with ca mpus activities and meet people along the way!

I also signed up for two intramural teams. I am playing co-ed intramural soccer (I haven't played soccer since I was 7, so I'm sure it's very amusing to watch), and I'm also on a co-ed broomball team, but more about those another time

This week was when I came to the realization that college is not a walk in the park. I was loaded down with papers, quizzes, and reading assignments. I was also told that I have exams starting next week (!!!!) I'm going to be a very busy girl!

However, I did discover something that is going to become my new best friend......... the library, and specifically Howe Writing Center. The library is located in the middle of campus, so I can drop by if I have an hour between classes and get some "serious" studying done. They also have a delicious cafe (their peanut butter cookies are UNBELIEVABLE!)

But back to Howe Writing Center... I went online and scheduled an appointment with Nick (one of Howe Writing Center's workers) so that he could help me edit and revise my paper that was due in English the next day. I figured it would be nice to have an extra set of eyes to read over my paper, and boy was I RIGHT!! The appointments only last 45 minutes, but I got EVERYTHING I wanted accomplished in that amount of time. I would say it was the most productive 45 minutes of my life.

I don't think Nick and the other workers at Howe Writing Center know this yet, but we are going to be BEST FRIENDS this year!

Rumble at the River

We had a wonderful Labor Day weekend... my last class Friday was cancelled on account of my Pre-Calculus teacher getting swine flu, so my weekend started off at 11 o'clock!

Saturday, Julie and I woke up early and went to Cincinnati for the Miami vs. UK football game at Paul Brown Stadium... aka the Rumble at the River (although, I would say it was more a smackdown by UK)

The unfortunate score did not phase the Miami fans, who came ready to rumble! The contrast of colors in the stands looked so neat, UK in blue, and Miami in red!

At half time they even honored sports teams from Miami who had gone to national championships including the hockey team.

We sat in the student section. It was so nice because we were in the sixth row, and our tickets were only $10!!! For a price of $20 a student got a ticket to the game and a "Rumble at the River" t-shirt and for $30 the student got a football ticket, a t-shirt, a bus ticket for the spirit bus and a free concession pass (which would have been one-hundred percent worth it considering how expensive the concession stand is!!)

Lots of Bengals players came to the game. Carson Palmer was on the field, and Ray Maualuga was working the stands (I took a picture with him!)

The weather was gorgeous outside! It was the perfect day to be cheering on the Redhawks... even if they didn't play as well as expected.

WATCH OUT UK... WE'LL WE BACK NEXT YEAR!!!!

Being Who You Want to Be

I guess it was when Julie and I went to the Mega Fair that I realized college is so much different than high school. In high school everyone was reforming to be that perfect student who everybody liked, but it is not until we get to college that we realize that it's okay to be quirky and passionate about something other than sports.

At Mega Fair I saw booths for clubs that I had never even thought could exist. Not only were there sororities and fraternities, but there were sports clubs (golf, soccer, basketball, rowing), there was earth club, little/big sibs, anime, international community service, food club, [insert your major here] co-ed fraternities, theater, there was even a quidditch club!

I decided I wanted to join the golf club since I played in high school. I also got more information on some sororities, a business fraternity, campus activities council, and a service club which raises money for an organization that installs clean water wells in African villages.

In high school I got a poem from my sophomore english teacher called "Think Different" I'm glad I've only been here 2 weeks and I'm already ready to be myself...

Think Different

"To the crazy ones.

The misfits.

The rebels.

The trouble makers.

The round pegs in the square holes.

The ones who see things differently.

They're not fond of rules.

And they have no respect for the status quo.

You can praise them, disagree with them,

quote them,

disbelieve them,

glorify them or vilify them.

About the only thing you can't do is ignore them.

Because they change things.

They invent. They imagine. They heal.

They explore. They create. They inspire.

They push the human race forward.

How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art? Or sit in silence and hear a song that's never been written? Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?

While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.

And it's the people who are crazy enough

to think they can change the world,

who actually do."

Mega Fair showed me that the kids at Miami are okay with being crazy

because they know that it is the only way for them to reach their full potential.

Welcome to Miami!