Category: Academics

academics

A Life Update as a Second Semester Freshman

Hello!

Oh how I’ve missed posting… I have been super busy these past few weeks trying to get all settled in back on campus. I have so much to update everyone on! I was satisfied with my performance during my first semester at Iowa, but thought I would just shoot for the stars second semester. I didn’t want to regret not taking any opportunities, so naturally, I applied for the jobs I wanted to apply for, joined the groups I wished I had joined first semester, and I even took an internship position!

Class Update

I absolutely love the classes I am taking this semester! I really like how every semester is a fresh start class-wise in college. I am a Marketing major, so I am taking Macroeconomics (I ABSOLUTELY LOVE PROFESSOR JENNIFER PARKER), Stats for Business, Interpretation of Literature (I ALSO ABSOLUTELY LOVE MY TEACHER THELMA TRUJILLO!! I highly recommend taking her section). I am also enrolled in Business computing essentials, and lastly, Hawkeye Service Breaks!

Hawkeye Service Breaks is a really cool program if you haven’t heard of it before! It is a 3 credit hour class that meets for about half a semester once a week, and pre-COVID, would go on a spring break trip to do community service! Because of COVID, I get to participate in three remote/local volunteer weekends! I am in the economic justice section which directly relates to my studies in Tippie!

Job Update

I am employed!!! I never thought I would want a job in college, but I had so much free time first semester that I was ready for a change. I applied and accepted a Facility Attendant position at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center! I had my first shift a few days ago and I can already tell I am going to love this job! Not to mention, the campus rec center is BEAUTIFUL!!!! I thrive in the gym setting so I am excited to spend some extra hours in the facility!

Internship Update

I was made aware of an internship position from Kyle Hughes, who is in charge of the Experience Iowa Program! He referred all ambassadors who were interested to reach out to Aly Shea, an Iowa Alumnus, who is currently a Social Media Coordinator for a nonprofit in Boulder, Colorado called Intercambio. This is a remote, unpaid internship position, but I was so excited and could not pass up the opportunity to gain knowledge from someone who had a lot of similar interests that I did. I am so excited to start working with Aly to research the nonprofit Instagram world, plan posts, and publish content for a few weeks. I am so grateful to be able to make connections with people like Aly. I have only been in the Tippie College of Business for a semester and a half, but opportunities like this will make my college experience so unforgettable!

Online school might not be so bad after all….

When I heard that classes were being moved online post-Thanksgiving until the start of the second semester, I’m not going to lie… I was bummed. The first semester was absolutely amazing and I was sad to see the “on-campus” part come to an end a little too soon, packing up most of my belongings as what seemed to be wayyyy too early to come home for break. I’m learning quickly that sometimes a change of pace and scenery is what has boosted my spirits and put some pep back into my step under the gloomy circumstances that were brought upon the world in 2020.

Being home has changed my mindset on school a lot!! When I wake up I feel like the day ahead of me is truly mine and I can shape it and fill it from start to end however I want. Of course, schoolwork has to come first, but I have been trying to add some very needed self-care into my daily routine. Take it or leave it, do what you will with the rest of this blog post, but I wanted to share some ways I am using my very open schedule to give myself a little extra love :)

….Tips on Self Care….

  • Journal when you wake up/ go to bed
  • Write a list of three things you are thankful for every night before you go to bed
  • Drink 8-10 whole cups of water a day
  • Schedule time away from your phone
  • Get outside and go for a walk
  • Create a fitness log (if you are into working out)
  • Bake something new
  • Clean your room/ rearrange it
  • Buy some cheap Christmas lights and hang them on your ceiling!! (Pictured)
  • Rearrange, deep clean, and decorate your room for Christmas
  • Call a friend from college

Rock climbing… As a class???

I have found the first hidden gem the U of Iowa has to offer… Lifetime Leisure Skills (LLS) classes!! Have you ever heard of them? I didn’t until I was searching through the course catalog and ran across them. Iowa offers loads of different outdoor rock climbing, orienteering, backpacking, and tons of other areas of outdoor leisure activities as classes! They are typically one credit hour than span over a selected week, where you devote some time to learn more about whatever topic your class is about!

I have a teeny tiny background in rock climbing so I thought I would put my skills to the test and enhance my skills!

The people I met in this class were so cool! It was really fun getting to meet like-minded people who had similar interests that I did. It was also refreshing to get outdoors and have some safe interaction with people I have never met before. I liked the class size because it was more of an intimate experience with only around 12 students and two instructors.

The class started out with a short zoom meeting where we got to meet each other and my instructor, Raud, went over key information and gave a short overview on climbing. We got to learn terminology too which was super cool! The majority of this class took place over a weekend.

On Saturday we all drove out to Centennial Park and learned how to boulder, which is basically climbing on a rock or wall without a rope, but there is a spotter and a crash pad on the floor. This is more of a brain exercise. Bouldering is used to practice the movements, grips, and foot placement you would normally use in climbing. Just not at the extreme heights. We then learned how to safely put on a harness, belay, and tie the correct knots.

Sunday was my favorite day! We all met at Pictured Rock Park in Monticello, Iowa. We strapped up, went over our safety checks, and began climbing! I felt extremely safe because my instructors Megan and Raud, did an amazing job at triple-checking everyone’s equipment. After about four hours of climbing different routes, we packed up and they took us on a hike to see the rest of the park as well as other climbing spots.

That was a shortened version but I hope that you get the idea! The LLS classes offer a safe environment for you to explore new potential passions. I definitely will be taking more LLS classes, and I know I will be continuing to rock climb in the future. I am extremely grateful for this opportunity and I truly will never forget it!

The First Day of the Rest of Your Life

Hey! Welcome to my page. Thanks for checking in :)
My name is Cori and I am a freshman at the U of Iowa. I feel extremely blessed to be able to attend this college and hope to pursue a career in social media marketing!

*A little disclaimer before I open up and let you in on my thoughts and feelings about my time here at Iowa, I wanted to address the obvious. Yes, we are in the middle of a global pandemic. Yes, it is affecting millions of students across the globe as they start college or some other form of education. Yes, it is extremely unfortunate. But it is out of my control, and I am most definitely not going to let it take my college experience from me. I am so happy to be on campus, learning what it is like to be on your own, so I am going to use every chance I get to enhance this opportunity I have been blessed to have. So from now on, this is a COVID free blog. I won’t mention it, and nothing I say will make you reflect on this unfortunate event happening around the world.*

I’ve been on campus for about a week now and I have been overwhelmed with the amount of support the Hawkeye community has provided for the incoming freshman. I have been long awaiting the day I could step foot on campus to officially call it home. Being able to experience the freedoms of college is such a freeing feeling after attending a small Catholic high school. I feel like I have been living every day looking forward to this moment. Every high school test, quiz, football game, and school dance that passed by brought me one day closer to being a Hawkeye! One cannot explain how amazing it feels to be able to wipe the slate clean and start fresh.

Cori's DogIf you are going to continue to follow my blog, I want you to know a little about me first! Like I said earlier my name is Cori and I am from the Quad Cities. I have grown up under the roof of my two parents, with my older brother Cole, 21, who is currently a junior at Iowa State studying mechanical engineering, and my little sister Camryn, 16, who is a sophomore at a local Catholic high school in my home town. I also have two dogs, Bentley who is 9, and Callie who is 4 months old!

Growing up I have discovered many passions, let go of a few, and found the activities that bring me pure happiness and bliss. I hold working out, beach volleyball, traveling, and exploring the outdoors close to my heart. I was introduced to lifting at a young age and it is still part of my everyday routine. Beach volleyball and travel go hand in hand. I played competitive volleyball for the majority of my life and recently transferred to travel beach volleyball two years ago. That transition brought me to places such as California to compete right off of the Santa Monica Pier. That sparked my love for travel and now I am yearning to study abroad and experience different cultures during my time at Iowa! My brother is a huge outdoorsman, so he has sparked my interest in hiking, kayaking, and even outdoor rock climbing. I am signed up for a rock climbing class at Iowa so I will keep you updated on that as well! :)

I am finding ways to continue to fuel these passions of mine while at Iowa, but I’m also searching to expand to find new avenues as well.  Iowa has limitless opportunities to stay involved and stay active. I am extremely excited to bring you along this journey with me as I grow as a person to learn more about myself while I study to achieve my academic goals. I hope that if nothing else, my words will bring a little light to your day.

I love and appreciate you. Thank you for coming on this journey with me.

Cori

“Life is not about expecting, hoping, and wishing. It’s about doing, dreaming, and becoming.” -Mike Dooley