Jaelyn

The temperature is cooling down and the leaves are beginning to change colors. Fall is in the air! This also means Midterms (yuck!) and Homecoming Week (yay!), which are both going on this week for me. Luckily, I only have one Midterm. I’ll definitely be busy studying for that and doing homework for other classes, but I’ll hopefully have time to take part in a few Homecoming events here and there throughout the week. I’m super excited to see how Homecoming is handled here in Iowa. I’ve noticed that people around here have a LOT of Hawkeye spirit, so I’m sure this week will be awesome. The atmosphere at Kinnick on Saturdays is always amazing, and I’m sure this Saturday will be no different. My dorm hosted a “Prep Rally” on Saturday to prepare for this week’s festivities, complete with ice cream and crafts – a great combination if you ask me! My floor designed and decorated our bulletin board for the campus-wide bulletin board competition. I think it looks pretty good, so hopefully we’ll win! To my surprise, the lobby of my dorm was also beautifully decorated and decked out in tons of black and gold. So here’s to a great week of Homecoming events and Midterms! Go Hawks!

In just a few hours, the lobby of Daum was transformed!

Happy Monday! I moved into my dorm four weeks from Sunday, which is pretty crazy to think about. I feel like my first month has gone by pretty quickly, and it’s weird to think about how much I’ve changed so far. The changes aren’t bad – I just never would have expected myself to be this way before I got here.

1. I’m becoming a neat freak! I think this is mainly because I spend a lot more time in my dorm room than I ever did in my bedroom at home. Here, I can’t really avoid the mess, and because my room is so small, it sort of magnifies the problem. I find myself cleaning all the time, which I NEVER did before! And I feel antsy whenever I see things not in their places. The weird thing is that I’m only sensitive to my space. My roommate doesn’t always have her side of the room super clean and I’m oddly not bothered by it. At this point, I’m convinced I may have a heart attack the next time I see my room at home. I can’t remember exactly how I left it, but knowing how I was before I left, it probably won’t live up to my new standards.
2. I like waking up early. This is another big shock to me. I have class at 8:30 everyday, and even on the weekends I wake up at a decent time. I feel like I’m able to be more productive when I get up earlier. I try to get a lot of my work done during the day so I have time to relax at night and not have to stress out about things. One thing I’ve noticed is that a lot of people like to sleep in on the weekends, so Saturday and Sunday mornings are the best times to do laundry.
3. I’m not afraid to ask for help. I was always a little hesitant to ask for help in high school. However, college classes definitely go at a much quicker pace and I’ve realized that it’s really easy to fall behind. I’m not taking any chances! If I have a question, I make sure I clear it up fast! There are so many academic resources on campus; it’s silly not to take advantage of them. I’ve used the Math Lab a couple of times already for questions I have about my Calculus homework. It works out really well because I’m able to go at times that fit my schedule and the tutors are really helpful! I also like to go to office hours for my chemistry class for extra help and so I can get to know my professor. Asking for help doesn’t mean you’re dumb. It’s the SMART thing to do! At the end of the day, it can make a huge difference, especially when it comes to how well you do on an exam.

I have a very busy week ahead of me! I have my first chemistry exam on Thursday night, and a major paper to write for my rhetoric class. Hopefully all goes well!

This year I have the privilege of being a resident of the exclusive Daum Penthouse…just kidding! I do live on the top floor of Daum, but my room is FAR from being considered anywhere near luxurious. Nevertheless, there are good things and bad things about Daum, just like any residence hall.

The Good

• The location- As they stress on nearly every HGTV show, location, location, location! The location of Daum is great! It’s the closest dorm to the Pentacrest (a 5 or 6 minute walk) and right next to Burge, which houses the dining hall for the east side of campus. There’s also an underground tunnel that connects Daum to Burge, which will be convenient during the winter and on rainy days. The dorm is also connected to the Blank Honors Center which offers a lot of resources for students in the Honors program, and if I’m in the BHC studying late at night, I can use the skywalk to safely get back into Daum instead of venturing outside.

The view from my room is great!

• It’s quiet- Daum is the Honors dorm and has continuous quiet hours. Don’t worry, being in Daum isn’t like living in a library; occasionally there’s someone loud in the hallway or someone playing loud music but it’s manageable and temporary. It gets pretty quiet around 11 each night, and I haven’t had any issues with being woken up by loud neighbors.
• The closet space- I’m very pleased with the amount of closet space I have. My closet is 4 to 5 feet deep and wide enough to fit a dresser in. There are three different bars to hang clothes on and a nice storage space at the top of the closet. I’d like to point out that none of the closets in Daum have doors. I bought an adjustable curtain rod and a long curtain to hang in front of the closet. If my closet is messy, I just have to close the curtain and not have to worry about cleaning it up!

I’m able to easily fit all of my summer clothes in my closet

• The bathrooms- A few of the residence halls have newly-renovated bathrooms, including Daum. The usual community-style layout has been replaced with a much more private, pod-like design. There are six rooms with showers and one with just a toilet and sink, and one sink not in a room. So far I’ve only had to wait for a shower room twice, and both times were for less than 5 minutes. I’ve started getting up a few minutes earlier and since then I haven’t had any problems.

A bathroom pod in Daum

• The friendly residents- I haven’t had any issues with rude people so far. People tend to leave their doors open a lot (on all the floors I’ve visited), and that really helps contribute to a welcoming environment.

The Bad:

• The room size- This is mainly an issue for the 7^th and 8^th floors. My room has a decent amount of space, but the dimensions of the room are a little strange. My room is around 9.5 feet wide and 21 feet long. The rooms on the lower floors and some of the rooms on the ends of my hall (coincidentally right next door to me) are a lot bigger, probably 5-6 feet wider.

My room isn’t very big but I’ve tried to make it feel as cozy as possible

• There aren’t many meeting areas- The lobby of Daum is pretty dead. It’s also really small compared to the lobby of Burge. I feel like it’s a little bit hard to meet people from other floors because there aren’t really any big spaces for everyone to gather in. Each floor has a nice-sized lounge, and I’m looking forward to using that in the future.

Overall, the positives definitely outweigh the negatives, and I’m really happy living in Daum. It’s the Honors dorm on campus, so if you are interested in living here you have to be invited to join the honors program and accept that invitation. I think this is going to be a great place to live and I love it so far!

It may be only the first week of classes but I’ve already discovered that college and high school are VERY different. Here are some of the main things I’ve noticed so far:

1. 

   Eating breakfast alone (notice the other students in the background eating alone too!). The hash browns and bacon were delicious!

   You eat alone…a lot! At least I do, anyway. And people don’t care! I’ve never been ashamed of eating by myself, and in fact, I ate lunch alone pretty much every day last year in high school, so for me this hasn’t been a big transition. You’re probably thinking that I’m a hermit, anti-social, blah blah blah, but in reality I just like to have my own space sometimes. (I guess you could call me “selectively social.”) I’ve noticed that a lot of people eat alone. Everyone has class at different times and in some ways it’s a lot easier to eat when YOU want to, not at the time that works best for your friends. Don’t be afraid that eating alone will “cramp your style.” Sometimes eating alone IS the style!

2. You probably won’t have classes with your friends. Shocking, I know! If you and your friends happen to go to the same university but are completely different majors, DO NOT expect to have classes with them! We’re all big boys and girls now; I think we can deal with being alone for a few hours a day. I was a little crushed my first day when I didn’t recognize anyone in three of my four classes, but I’ve been okay so far. Some of my classes are actually pretty small, between 15 and 20 students and mainly freshmen, so hopefully I’ll be able to make friends. On the bright side, if I come to absolutely despise someone in one of my classes, I’ll only have to see them a few times a week!

3. Your mom won’t be there to wake you up in the morning. My mom has woken me up for school pretty much every morning since Kindergarten, and one of the only times she didn’t wake me up I slept through my alarm. It just so happens that that was the day of my graduation practice. Luckily I was only about 15 minutes late, but this could have turned out badly. It’s important to know what time your first class starts at and estimate how much time you’ll need to get ready. I brought an alarm clock with me because I know I sleep through my phone alarm, and I put it far enough away from my bed that I have to get up to turn it off. My mom usually texts me in the morning, but I have actually been able to get up on my own.

4. 

   Relaxing in between classes

   You sometimes won’t know what to do with yourself. I have a lot of time between my classes on most days, and my biggest challenge has been figuring out what to do. No matter how much you think you love your dorm room at first, it gets old quickly. The plain walls and few signs of creativity don’t make for a place that screams “great hangout spot,” and at least on my floor, there aren’t a lot of people around at the times I don’t have class. In general, the kids on my floor are nice and like to socialize and leave their doors open a lot, so I don’t think anyone is trying to pretend they aren’t in their room when theyactually are (as I type this post with my door closed). I’ve tried to do my best to find places that are well lit (preferably with lots of natural light), quiet, and with comfortable seating.I’ve actually found a few places that I really like, and I’ve been able to get my homework done in a reasonable amount of time, or just sit on the computer and relax. I’ve also gone to the Center for Diversity and Enrichment everyday this week.They’re hosting events for Welcome Week in their office and they also have free printing (up to 5 pages a day) and a printer that is much more reliable than the one in my dorm.

5. You walk A LOT more. Before I came to campus, I made myself cute little notecards with bus schedules on them because I thought I would take the bus a lot. Well, I pretty much wasted my time because I’ve only used the bus to go the CRWC or the west side of campus. Plus there’s an app that tells you the bus routes, stops, and times. PLEASE bring comfortable shoes with you to college. I can’t stress this enough. I’ve already had to change my shoes a few times because I could literally feel the blisters developing on my feet. I’d also like to point out that the walk from any building at the bottom of the hill to the top of the hill is no joke! I’m pretty sure my legs will be super toned by the end of the semester. Right now, it’s been a lot easier for me to walk to class rather than taking the bus, and in some cases walking is faster. It’s been super hot this week, but so far I’ve made it to all my classes alive and not too sweaty.

My handy bus schedules for each day of the week. So far I haven’t used them at all.

There are definitely more differences between high school and college, but these are the main ones I’ve discovered as of today. Don’t be scared of college either! It’s a big transition but I’m really enjoying it so far!

Well, it has officially been a week since I moved into my dorm! Being the oldest child in the family, I get the fabulous job of being the guinea pig for almost everything, so going to college was of course no different. No one else in my graduating class chose to attend the University of Iowa, and with the exception of a cousin who is also a freshman here, I knew no one coming into this year. I wanted to have a great first year of college and start off right, and decided that it would be in my best interest to put my worries aside and talk to people. I already know that my college experience so far would have been very different if I had decided to be shy. I’ve met new people every day so far, and I’m actually pretty stinking proud of myself! I feel like I’m a totally different person now than I was three months ago. I’ve done things I don’t think I would have ever been able to do before. So far I’ve talked in front of over 100 people at the Iowa Edge banquet on Wednesday, and gave an interview at an open house for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences on Friday. I met people at Iowa Edge (which is a FABULOUS program), at On Iowa! and even at the bus stop, and I’ve played basketball, Bingo, and gone to the rec center with different people. It’s awesome! I feel like I see people I know nearly everywhere I go, and that’s really comforting to me. Everyday, I feel more and more comfortable on campus and even happier with my decision to be a Hawkeye.

Iowa Edge and On Iowa! are two programs that help first-year students transition into college. Iowa Edge is for students hailing from groups that are underrepresented at the university, and if you qualify, you should DEFINITELY do the program. We did a lot of team-building activities and by the end it felt like we were one big family!

Iowa Edge 2013

On Iowa! is the official welcome for first-year students. The coolest part of On Iowa! was making the block “I” on the field in Kinnick Stadium. Bingo night was great too. I’d guess that there were AT LEAST 100 people who showed up to play, and it got very intense! There were a ton of awesome prizes available and I was lucky enough to win twice! Other activities included movies, fitness classes, Convocation, the President’s Block Party, and a concert in Hubbard Park.

Taking the field at Kinnick

Class of 2017 forming the block “I” in Kinnick Stadium

As my first week of college draws to a close, I feel good. I’m getting acclimated to campus pretty well and I’m really enjoying my time here. My first day wasn’t that great, but since then I’ve gotten over the tears and sadness and had a great time. Classes start tomorrow, and I’m excited to be starting a new chapter in my life. I’ve heard that your college years can be some of the best years of your life, and so far, college is living up to those expectations!