A New Semester

Hello everyone!

After a very study-heavy spring semester and a summer full of working, it’s time for the Fall 2015 semester! The first week, otherwise known as syllabus week, has already passed and it was nothing but easy. Syllabus week is supposed to be easy and bring about the introduction to your new classes and some of your classmates but the joke was on me. By Friday morning, after my last class for the week, I had assignments in at least every class ranging from reading to full blown ICON discussions and short essays due for next week. Needless to say, it will be the last time I let my roommate choose a class that will satisfy GEN-EDs that we’re both missing. I’ll pick next time if given the chance.

Besides classes, this new semester has brought me a bundle of new opportunities. I started off sophomore year by volunteering to do Move In Crew on the East Side dorms (minus Mayflower) with my roommate and some other friends. With Move in Crew, we got to move into the dorms a few days earlier with the promise that we’d assist with moving in freshmen over a three-day span. We got to select our preferred five shifts throughout the three days and would spend the whole time attached to a bucket bin or bellhop cart and assisting new students find their rooms, get situated, and start their new chapters at Iowa. It was a fun experience as we experienced, rain, sunshine, and a bit of a numbing cold throughout our three day commitment. I met a lot of new students and having a volunteer help them gave students and their parents the chance to get answers from current students. It was a fun opportunity and if you ever get the chance to do move in crew, it won’t hurt to give it a try.

Another opportunity that has come my way is continuing to be President of No Labels, a new-ish student organization on campus. We started last spring and are hoping to continue to grow this semester and the rest of the school year. No Labels is a non-partisan political organization that seeks to have politicians want to be “problem-solvers”. Pretty much, we ask/lobby politicians to become problem-solvers, and once in office start going towards legislation to support a National Strategic agenda. The National Strategic Agenda is a set of goals that would better America as a whole. By becoming a problem-solver, politicians are agreeing to focus more on goals that will better and further America then just the goals of their political party. Additionally, we’re mostly about working together, despite your political beliefs. Catch us on campus with our super cool “Party Responsibly” stickers!

And lastly, the latest opportunity, is working at the Burge front desk. I applied over the summer and was given the chance to work at the front desk this school year. Feel free to visit me (:

Coincidence? …….I think not!

It is not a lie when your campus tour guide tells you that the University of Iowa is a big campus in a very small world. I have only been on campus for a few days and I’ve already started to notice the same few faces as I stroll around campus. It is a natural given in the dining halls as the same people usually show up around Burge or Hillcrest.

However, my very first day on campus-the ever exciting move in day-I bumped into Scott, the exact man in Admissions who had emailed me about becoming an Admissions blogger. We didn’t exactly bump into each other either. He helped my father and I on our second trip up to Burge.

So what I meant to say that while college–no matter where you go–may be scary and daunting, it it just a place with endless surprises and free tshirts.

 

Move In: The Tears, The Sweat, The Glory

I counted down the days from when I committed to the University of Iowa in Spring to move in day: August 20tth. On August 20th, I would be moving four hours away from my town in Northern Illinois to Iowa City to start a new chapter in my life. I worked my summer job, day in and day out, knowing that each day I was one step closer to saying goodbye to my friends and family for the school year. (I was bound to come back for Thanksgiving and Christmas).

It never really completely hit me how much my life was going to change in just a few short days. It would hit me in little doses: shopping in bulk for dorm-friendly foods at Sam’s Club with my mom, and driving away from the houses of my best friends for the last time for a couple weeks. Those are the moments where a tear would be let loose. I didn’t really cry until I hugged my mom the morning of move in. She was unable to accompany me due to work obligations so my dad would be taking me. Our first hug was fine. She wished me luck and to not get into trouble. The second hug before I jumped into the car was the worst. We hugged tightly and cried.

Fact: it’s completely okay to cry on move in day. In fact, I encourage it. It helps get out all those nerves and lets you know that you and your parents are on the same page: you’re growing up.

My nerves and feelings of anxiety stayed with me for the first hour of my drive to Iowa City. I had a fun playlist going; summer hits from Iggy Azalea and Beyoncé, and thought ahead to the future that awaited me.

Ninety degree weather was predicted for Welcome Weekend. And for what a relatively not hot summer this was, it seemed extremely welcomed. I was wrong. Iowa City was humid, a million times more humid than the current weather at home, and I had to make it to the fifth floor of Burge Hall. Thankfully, I wasn’t doing move in alone. On Iowa! Staff, Resident Assistants, and miscellaneous staff are on hand to help move in to all residence halls. They helped streamline the process and helped my dad and I unpack the car in two trips.

Fact: Over-packing will happen. Try to be aware of what you need and don’t need so your parents will be able to take some stuff back home. If you end up needing something you sent home, your parents can mail it to you or you can pick it up when you visit home again.

Sweat is everywhere. The humidity is beating down on everyone and their mothers alike and it doesn’t help the move in process. Burge luckily has a bigger elevator than say Mayflower so all the sweat isn’t quite as crammed in together. It’s nothing to complain about as everyone is glistening and still excited about Iowa.

The glory part of move in is after all your parents leave, your eyes are dry from all your tears, your room is unpacked, and all the hustle and bustle of move in has settled for the day: You have so much freedom. The end of that first day signals the beginning of your transition into official young adulthood. You are free to make all your own decisions: whether they be good or bad, and to learn from your mistakes. College, and especially at the University of Iowa, is an opportunity all in its own. Embrace everything that comes to you during your time here.

And don’t forget your toothbrush.