Top 10,,,make that 9

The other day when I ran into a girl and her parents looking around the University, I remembered how big and complicated it all seemed when I first arrived at campus. I can remember not being quite sure which building was where, and for what reason Foothill Blvd. turned into 500 South and then turned into 400 South. **That really through me through a loop at first**

I have seen many students wandering their way around to orientations, tours, or advising appointments lately. (You can always tell if a person is new by the campus map stuck to the end of his or her nose.) Really quickly the U became an easy campus to maneuver, and now the only big problem is the massive amounts of construction. I swear those fences keep spreading farther and farther out!

I can however remember my first few days on campus. I feel for those newbies: It was scary! Trust me though, now the only time it seems like a huge campus is when you have 15 minutes to be at your next class, and of course you didn't think about what buildings they were in when you signed up!

This is my advice for these new students:

1. Look not only at times, but locations. Don't schedule classes on President's Circle and the HYPR buildings back to back...rushing is no fun.
2. Don't take a 7:30 class. Just because you made it on time in high school, doesn't mean that you won't sleep through 50% of the semester. Try an 8:10 or 8:30 first...then you will know what you really can handle.
3. It is nice to have a couple of days of the week off, but do you really want to be taking mid-terms in four classes on the same two days? No! It is dreadful.
4. Listen to your advisor...They usually know what they are talking about! There are plenty of "fun" classes that will actually count for something.
5. Don't hesitate to take a fitness/outdoor class. Your first semester it can't hurt to be forced to exercise at least once a week.
6. Night classes are beneficial when you have a job, or other commitments--but they aren't so great when all of your friends are going to dinner or playing XBox in the dorms. I think it is near impossible to take more than one a semester and not miss out on important "college" stuff.
7. Say "hi" to people in class...it is tough, but having a friend to borrow notes from is essential in any class.
8. Join something! A club, an organization, a study group, a sports league...whatever. Just do something, because when you are older you won't have the same opportunities.
9. Most importantly...drumroll...Have fun! Studying is important and so is working hard, but these are the "best years of our lives". Once it is gone you will wish that you just kicked back sometimes. I am half-way through, and I already wish that I could be a freshman again sometimes :)

Summer School

So, I thought that things would get less hectic and crazy once my finals were over. It didn't happen. I attended a couple of friends' and relatives' graduations and then it has been back to school! One great thing about summer classes is that some of them are short. I had my first midterm last week in an economics class that I am taking.

It is funny how when we are kids we associate summer school with the kids failing classes, and now most of the adults that I talk to think that I am "smart" for taking summer school.

I don't know how smart it was, but I like to think about it this way: I would much rather be a little busy than super bored all summer. The best way to manage it is to get your homework finished during the week, so I have the weekends to enjoy summer.

Forgive me for the lack of flow of this last post, but I am trying to get used to writing them again. There is something about summer that makes doing anything more difficult for me!