Kelsey
type: channel
description: Experience Iowa Blogs
date: 2024-03-26T15:44:24Z
update period: hourly
update frequency: 1
update base: 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00
generator agent: https://wordpress.org/
items: Rainy Day Essentials
items: For Pre-Med Students at the University of Iowa
items: Spring Cleaning and Move Out Prep!
items: What it is like being sick in college: What do you do?
items: Preparing for Spring Break!
items: Coming Back From Winter Break: Get Back Into The Swing Of Things
items: College Student New Year’s Resolutions
items: Day in the Life of an RA (Residential Assistant)
items: Day in the Life of an Undergraduate Research Assistant
items: Applying To or Accepting the University of Iowa: What Can You Look Forward To?

Rainy Day Essentials
type: item
creator: Kelsey
date: 2024-03-26T15:44:24Z
subject: General
description: April (or late March) showers bring May flowers, which is the motto that has gotten me through this recent rainy (and snowy!) weather we have been having. Hopefully, you aren’t showing up to class soaking wet because you aren’t dressing for the weather… but if you are, check out some of these rainy-day essentials I use to stay dry: Umbrella A lot of college kids hate umbrellas, but I am here to tell you that ...
encoded: April (or late March) showers bring May flowers, which is the motto that has gotten me through this recent rainy (and snowy!) weather we have been having. Hopefully, you aren’t showing up to class soaking wet because you aren’t dressing for the weather… but if you are, check out some of these rainy-day essentials I use to stay dry: Umbrella A lot of college kids hate umbrellas, but I am here to tell you that no one is judging you for carrying one. If anything, people should be jealous that you are staying dry and they are not. I always keep a small umbrella during this time of year in the spare water bottle holder of my backpack or an unused pocket. I personally have never regretted this because not only do I stay dry, but my backpack does too, and the last thing I want is some torrential downpour to soak me, my backpack, and work its way to soaking contents in my backpack like my laptop. Raincoat I will say, bringing out the whole umbrella for some light sprinkling gets annoying. So, if the rain is light enough for me to not have to worry about my backpack getting soaked, I just throw on a raincoat. I have a super lightweight one from North Face that has never failed me. I even throw it on sometimes when I am using my umbrella if the rain starts to become more horizontal. Leather shoes (or rain boots) Hot take: I have never had rain boots, and I don’t think I ever will. I think wearing rain boots whenever there is a chance of rain would get annoying here because it can “possibly” rain a lot and I don’t want to get stuck wearing boots every day for just a possibility. I have found wearing leather shoes like Air Forces does a good enough job around the Iowa City area to keep my feet dry. Now, don’t go jumping in puddles on your way to class because they aren’t waterproof, but the leather makes them water-resistant compared to cloth tennis shoes. CAMBUS The cambus is the University of Iowa’s bus system. On a given day, I have classes across campus from where I live an…

For Pre-Med Students at the University of Iowa
type: item
creator: Kelsey
date: 2024-03-21T17:56:56Z
subject: General
description: Are you pre-med or thinking about being pre-med at the University of Iowa? Look no further! The University of Iowa is a great place for pre-medical students to foster their own growth. When looking at colleges to attend as a pre-medical student I was hoping to find a university that had a community of pre-medical students rather than the cut-throat competitive nature. For me, the University of Iowa answered this calling and now I am ...
encoded: Are you pre-med or thinking about being pre-med at the University of Iowa? Look no further! The University of Iowa is a great place for pre-medical students to foster their own growth. When looking at colleges to attend as a pre-medical student I was hoping to find a university that had a community of pre-medical students rather than the cut-throat competitive nature. For me, the University of Iowa answered this calling and now I am a fourth-year (senior) pre-med student who just got accepted into medical school! Keep reading for some of my favorite pre-medicine resources, student organizations, and experience-building tips and opportunities that I have used! This is a really long post, because as a pre-medical student, there are a lot of resources out there for you. I wish I got this information all from one place (it would have made college so much easier, and the pre-med curriculum is tough enough as it is), so take this as your one-stop shop for resources I so highly recommend to any pre-med I run into: Pre-med advisorEvery student at the University of Iowa gets an advisor for their major, but all pre-med students are also assigned a pre-med advisor. This is someone who specializes in the pre-med journey rather than one specific area of study. As a first-generation and out-of-state student, my pre-med advisor has been my go-to person for all of my academic questions since day one, actually before that! Before I even had my first day of college, she met with me to get to know me and help me pick out my classes. Since then, she has been the most influential person I have met in college, no joke. She not only helps me stay on track with required coursework and planning for pre-med things like preparing for the MCAT, networking, and shadowing, but she also has supported me when the pre-med journey got hard and guided me to opportunities I would have never known existed. Some of these opportunities have been super influential in my journey to medical school, and I wi…

Spring Cleaning and Move Out Prep!
type: item
creator: Kelsey
date: 2024-03-20T20:31:32Z
subject: General
description: Hi all! Spring break has just come to a close, and I don’t know about you, but I am already getting the summer jitters! I hope to be as prepared as possible for moving out so I can enjoy my last few moments in Iowa City with friends, spend time showing my family IC, and take in all the graduation moments I want to remember. I have been a Residential Assistant in the dorms for ...
encoded: Hi all! Spring break has just come to a close, and I don’t know about you, but I am already getting the summer jitters! I hope to be as prepared as possible for moving out so I can enjoy my last few moments in Iowa City with friends, spend time showing my family IC, and take in all the graduation moments I want to remember. I have been a Residential Assistant in the dorms for a few years now, so I feel pretty good about some of the tips and tricks I have picked up for the move-out season. Keep reading to hear some! Clean as MUCH as possible as SOON as possible I hope you are keeping a clean dorm or apartment anyway, but especially near the season of moving out, it is important to keep it tidy. You want to avoid getting charged a cleaning fee for things that could easily be avoided like picking up the dust bunnies in the corners or stains that you could have worked out of the carpet/furniture with a little bit of elbow grease. When I first got back from spring break, I deep cleaned my room by pulling all my furniture from the walls to mop and sweep the entirety of my floor, including the nooks and crannies I don’t normally reach. Pack your winter and unused stuff up now In my post-spring break deep clean, I also pulled out some storage bins to start storing some things I don’t anticipate using anymore. When preparing for move out, this helps to already have things packed because move out gets busy! You don’t want to be packing instead of enjoying your last moments with your friends.Also, if I end up going home before moving out, I can easily throw these bins in my car and take them home early so I have more car space during the actual move-out time. I am anticipating doing this over Easter weekend, and bringing back the bins to reuse them for my move-out needs again! Don’t use a bin for your clothes on hangers As you are getting boxes, bags, and bins for move-out, get one for everything you store in drawers, but for clothes on hangers use a trash bag. By using a tras…

What it is like being sick in college: What do you do?
type: item
creator: Kelsey
date: 2024-02-28T21:53:14Z
subject: General
description: Being sick in college doesn’t sound like a big deal superficially, but ultimately this could be your first health concern on your own. Keep reading to hear how to handle sickness in college and what you can do to be prepared! Stock Up on Sickness Supplies You do not want to be lying miserably in bed weak and sick with the need to walk downtown to get medicine and tissues. Here is a list of ...
encoded: Being sick in college doesn’t sound like a big deal superficially, but ultimately this could be your first health concern on your own. Keep reading to hear how to handle sickness in college and what you can do to be prepared! Stock Up on Sickness Supplies You do not want to be lying miserably in bed weak and sick with the need to walk downtown to get medicine and tissues. Here is a list of things you should always have on hand in your room to prepare for sickness. 2 Boxes of Tissues: One box untouched as backup, one being used Cough drops Medicine for your cold (DayQuil/NyQuil, Cold-eeze, Musinex, etc) Painkillers (Tylenol, Aleve, etc) Soup and Crackers!!! Lots of it (I go through about 5 cans or packets of soup when I’m sick) Decaffeinated Tea (I like lemon tea when I’m sick) Vitamins (vitamin C packets like Emergen-C, zinc, and multivitamins) A thermometer Cleaning supplies (disinfectant wipes/spray, paper towels, soap, hand sanitizer) Read the syllabus THEN email your professors If you just email your professors that you are sick and ask what you need to do, you may get a snarky reply to look at the illness protocol in the syllabus. Every professor handles illness differently, so be on the lookout if you need to fill out any university forms to get your absence excused, attend office hours to catch up on missed in-class assignments, or just look over the class slides on your own time. Whatever you need to do for your class, muster up the energy to send an email saying you will be absent BEFORE class time. Many professors cut off in-class assignments once class starts, regardless of the excuse unless they know of your absence ahead of time. Schedule an Appointment with Student Health ASAP Student health appointments are paid for by fees included in your tuition, so you might as well schedule one when you start to feel under the weather. Appointments fill up fast and are scheduled pretty far out, so get one as soon as you start to feel ill. You never know how bad y…

Preparing for Spring Break!
type: item
creator: Kelsey
date: 2024-02-28T21:51:05Z
subject: General
description: Hey Hawkeyes, we are almost halfway through the spring semester. How crazy! This means spring break is right around the corner. Whether you are traveling or not, continue reading to make sure you know how to prepare yourself for this time! For Classes: Before spring break, mid-terms and papers are common. Keep your hard work from the beginning of the semester up and prepare for these early (like now!) so you are not stressed. Make ...
encoded: Hey Hawkeyes, we are almost halfway through the spring semester. How crazy! This means spring break is right around the corner. Whether you are traveling or not, continue reading to make sure you know how to prepare yourself for this time! For Classes: Before spring break, mid-terms and papers are common. Keep your hard work from the beginning of the semester up and prepare for these early (like now!) so you are not stressed. Make sure you don’t have any assignments right when you return from break. You shouldn’t have anything due while the University is not in session, but sometimes professors assign due dates the first thing on the Monday classes are back in session. Don’t let this catch you by surprise! For Going Home Or Staying On Campus: It is important to note that all residence halls close at 5pm on the Friday spring break starts (3/8/24) and will not re-open until the last Sunday of spring break (3/17/24) at 8am. If you are planning to be in the residence hall in between this time at any point (it is free!), you must submit your spring break plans in the housing portal by 3/6/24. This will ensure your IowaOne card has access to your building. Plan your meals! Going home or staying on campus during spring break can be a wild time when it comes to adjusting to getting meals at your normal times. If you are on campus during spring break, note the following: Dining halls will close on Friday, March 8, at 2:00pm Limited retail dining locations will be open during the break: Power Café: March 9 – March 17, 10am – 8pm Union Station: March 11 – March 15, 8am – 4pm Filling Station: March 11 – March 15, 7am – 3pm EMRB: March 11 – March 15, 7:30am – 3pm For Traveling Somewhere Fun: Make sure you have all your necessary documents on hand (passport, birth certificate, driver’s license, etc.). Different break plans such as flying versus a cruise require different identification, know what you need! Pack early! The last thing you want to do is be packing for spring break a…

Coming Back From Winter Break: Get Back Into The Swing Of Things
type: item
creator: Kelsey
date: 2024-01-17T16:44:37Z
subject: General
description: As you can imagine, a break is a much-needed time investment for college students, and coming back from a long break such as winter break is hard. Here is what I am doing to get back into the swing of things: Fix that sleep schedule I don’t think I have even slept in as much as I have this past winter break. These past few weeks were the first I was free from class, my ...
encoded: As you can imagine, a break is a much-needed time investment for college students, and coming back from a long break such as winter break is hard. Here is what I am doing to get back into the swing of things: Fix that sleep schedule I don’t think I have even slept in as much as I have this past winter break. These past few weeks were the first I was free from class, my college and hometown job, studying for exams, applying to graduate schools, etc. I have always had something to get up for and work on, but recently I have been just going with the flow of getting up whenever to spend time with friends and family. However, coming back to school I have an 8 am class… on Monday. Normally this isn’t a problem for me since I am an early bird at heart, but since I have not been recently, the week before school as I go back to Iowa City, I am planning on getting up as early as I would for class and give myself a series of tasks to do so I don’t feel the urge to go back to sleep. From reading, working out, cleaning my room, doing laundry, and more, I will be using these things to fill in for the time of my early classes to get my day started in preparation for going back to school. Practice doing something that could be boring Let’s face it, classes, even the ones for your major, are not ALWAYS interesting. I have a stack of books on my to-be-read list and I will be working my way through them before class starts to just keep in the habit of reading. Start the year off with a clean room Chances are you are not showing back up to Iowa City on the first day of the spring semester. Take the extra day or two that you are back early to refresh your living space. Not only is this use of time productive, but you have to clean at some point so you might as well not push it off until you are supposed to be studying for an exam. Use and write in a planner I love giving myself time to go to the gym, schedule dinner with friends, and have purposeful study time. While I am getting used t…

College Student New Year’s Resolutions
type: item
creator: Kelsey
date: 2024-01-17T14:28:45Z
subject: General
description: New Year’s resolutions are always fun to plan so you can be the best version of yourself. I also like sharing my New Year’s resolutions with my friends so they can hold me accountable! Here are some college student-related New Year’s resolutions I thought of and some of my own: Go to the gym You’re paying for it in your student fees and you know it’s good for you. Even if it is just walking ...
encoded: New Year’s resolutions are always fun to plan so you can be the best version of yourself. I also like sharing my New Year’s resolutions with my friends so they can hold me accountable! Here are some college student-related New Year’s resolutions I thought of and some of my own: Go to the gym You’re paying for it in your student fees and you know it’s good for you. Even if it is just walking on the treadmill a bit between classes, practice keeping your body moving this year! Use a planner I actually use this notepad to keep track of my weekly tasks. It has changed my organization level so much! I just keep it on my desk and I can see all the assignments, student organization meetings, and work shifts I have for the week. Go to class I know in college it is much easier to skip class than in high school, but don’t take advantage of that unless you want to be more stressed during finals week teaching your own self the material you missed. Don’t be lazy, get out of bed! Eat healthier It is easy to just grab fast food on the go between classes or push off eating lunch until you get home. Your body needs good fuel, so think about all the greens you could have for lunch or pack a smoothie instead. I have been loving overnight oats, which still lets me be on the go if needed. I bought these containers and love them! Study more I know, not the most fun resolution but you do need to study at some point. Studying more weekly, maybe really hard an hour or two a day, will be more efficient than cramming for an exam. Do yourself a favor and start incorporating studying into your schedule to hold yourself accountable Make more time for friends College is not a time you want to shut yourself in, put yourself out there and don’t let your friends do all the planning for you. This can be as easy as doing something together that you already have to do like studying together or grabbing food.

Day in the Life of an RA (Residential Assistant)
type: item
creator: Kelsey
date: 2024-01-02T15:22:35Z
subject: General
description: Hey Hawkeyes and Future Hawkeyes! The odds are in your time here you will live in the resident halls, and thus you will have a Residential Assistant (RA). I have been an RA for about 2.5 years, so what is it that I do and what is it like to be one? Let’s start with how the job perked my interest and how I became an RA, to begin with: As a freshman, I lived ...
encoded: Hey Hawkeyes and Future Hawkeyes! The odds are in your time here you will live in the resident halls, and thus you will have a Residential Assistant (RA). I have been an RA for about 2.5 years, so what is it that I do and what is it like to be one? Let’s start with how the job perked my interest and how I became an RA, to begin with: As a freshman, I lived in Daum Honors Residence Hall, and I thought my RA was the most helpful person on campus. As a first-generation student, I used my RA to find resource centers all over campus, help with roommate conflicts, and help with plans for future housing and switching rooms. On top of that, I hated my off-campus job, so when RA applications rolled around, I was eager to apply. I wanted a new job, and I wanted to help people on campus in my own little community just like my current RA. I followed the housing website’s instructions, stating to apply to be an RA you have to go to an information session first, and I did. Although the cycle has closed for the 2024-25 academic year, keep an eye on this page in the fall of 2024 to be updated with new dates for the following 2025-26 academic year application cycle. Going through the entire process, I had my interview and even took the RA class (don’t worry if this sounds daunting, this doesn’t exist anymore). However, instead of being accepted for the position, I was placed on a waitlist. Because of this, I decided to live on campus again on the off-chance I would be called to pick up a position during the academic year. Luckily for me, as I was living in Stanley Residence Hall, I got a phone call during winter break asking if I would like to be an RA in Burge Residence Hall just across the street. Of course, I said yes, and completed a semester of work there before I was moved to Catlett Residence Hall where I am today and have been for almost two years. So for two and a half years, what do I do for work? Most people know their RA as someone to go to whenever they have a problem, …

Day in the Life of an Undergraduate Research Assistant
type: item
creator: Kelsey
date: 2024-01-02T15:20:19Z
subject: General
description: Did you know that 1/3rd of Hawkeyes participate in research? You don’t have to be a scientist in a lab to be involved, but instead, research at the University of Iowa is diverse. Beyond the lab, research could include teaching culture, religion, politics, or law. Research can be observing the environment, analyzing natural disasters, or photographing people. Research can help children adjust to behavior issues. Research can be programming devices to aid the life of ...
encoded: Did you know that 1/3rd of Hawkeyes participate in research? You don’t have to be a scientist in a lab to be involved, but instead, research at the University of Iowa is diverse. Beyond the lab, research could include teaching culture, religion, politics, or law. Research can be observing the environment, analyzing natural disasters, or photographing people. Research can help children adjust to behavior issues. Research can be programming devices to aid the life of another person. My involvement in research has ranged from completing the First-Gen Brain Research Workshop, working on the UI Pre-med Student Summer Research Internship, and getting started in the microbiology lab I work in now and picking up a fellowship. Keep reading to hear about my experience in all of these programs, about an average day in the lab, and how I got involved with the Office of Undergraduate Research! The First-Gen Brain Research Workshop On behalf of the Wessel Cognitive Neurology Lab, a select group of first-generation college students receive hands-on opportunities for insight into human brain research methods and the tasks of a research assistant in a human brain research Overse of 4 days, I got the opportunity to conduct and learn to read results from an electroencephalogram (EEG), functional magnetic resonance image (fMRI), and transcranial magnetic stimulation. This experience was one I never had before. In these packed 4 days, I heard from undergraduate research assistants about their tasks, got a neuro-anatomy lesson, an understanding of how hospital-related research is conducted, taught how different examination methods are used to understand the human brain, and built a mentor/mentee relationship with the PI and head of this program. This program for me was great to dabble a bit in neurology, something I have never done before. However, even those who know quite a bit about neurology still benefit from this program’s ability to build connections with peers and develop an unde…

Applying To or Accepting the University of Iowa: What Can You Look Forward To?
type: item
creator: Kelsey
date: 2023-11-28T14:06:27Z
subject: General
description: So you just submitted an application to the University of Iowa or are planning on it? First, congratulations! Applying to college or transferring is a big deal, so give yourself some credit especially if you just got accepted! Second, what’s next? Here is a list of things you can look forward to as an incoming freshman or transfer student: Orientation Orientation starts with you meeting your academic advisor and picking out your first semester’s schedule ...
encoded: So you just submitted an application to the University of Iowa or are planning on it? First, congratulations! Applying to college or transferring is a big deal, so give yourself some credit especially if you just got accepted! Second, what’s next? Here is a list of things you can look forward to as an incoming freshman or transfer student: Orientation Orientation starts with you meeting your academic advisor and picking out your first semester’s schedule of classes. This is a big deal for you! I still remember meeting my advisor for the first time, and I knew developing a connection with them would be one of the best things in my college career (and it has been)! At first, I wasn’t sure if the classes we picked were going to make me happy because we enrolled in classes I wasn’t expecting, but it worked out great in the end because I got to know my likes, dislikes, and try new things (like learning about public health) I wouldn’t have otherwise even paid attention to if I wasn’t given a little nudge in the right direction. The next step of orientation is optional. You can choose to participate in the Becoming a Hawkeye program. Here you can come to campus (before On Iowa and your move-in day) to hear from campus offices, learn of campus resources, and meet current and new students! On Iowa! On Iowa! is a series of welcome events so you can familiarize yourself with not only the campus, but also your classmates, resources, and the area. Throughout the week you can expect to attend small group welcome sessions to meet and build connections with other new students, take your class photo standing in the block I formation on the Pentacrest (pictured below), and attend the president’s block party and get some free food. One of my favorite On Iowa! events is Kickoff at Kinnick. All the students of your class walk to Kinnick, enjoy free food and snacks, learn the Iowa Fight Song, see so many performances, and more. Don’t forget to track down Herky for a picture! <img decodin…