Nik

I get to register for spring semester tomorrow at 2:30, now I do have a class at that time, but let’s just say I will have my laptop out… I am so excited, my adviser basically just told me to take whatever I wanted because I already have a lot of my gen eds out of the way and now I can just do electives, or just see what I am in to. I think I am going to take an acting class and a class about body movements, while still staying with my biochemistry major. I also will be taking Principles of Chemistry II and Int Spanish I. It sounds like a lot of fun.

Break is coming up and I am psyched. A whole week to spend with my family and gorge myself on food. What could be better? I get to go home and just chill for once, instead of going home and thinking about what I have planned for my next meeting or which assignment I need to do next. Not to say college isn’t great, but it can seriously be a little stressful. I guess that is why we get breaks, especially before finals. Those I am not so excited for, but I am sure I will survive! I hope everyone has a good break!

Now, don’t get me wrong, Iowa City is pretty awesome, but there is something about going home. I live in a little town called LeGrand, and by little I mean population 800, so tiny. Honestly, it is great. Everyone knows everyone else, and it is really friendly. AND Quiet, which is rare when living in Iowa City haha.

So this weekend was my first time to go back, it just so happens that it was also my high school’s musical. This year it was The Sound of Music, and it went quite well. I only got to spend a couple hours actually enjoying my hometown, but it was really refreshing. I can’t wait for Thanksgiving break!:D

So not everyone knows, but Halloween is by far my favorite holiday. The best part is, there are 5 nights of it here at Iowa! I get to dress up funny and do weird stuff all day, without getting too many awkward stares. Costumes are always an important part of Halloween and this year, I had two. First, I was (am) a nerd. That costume looked like this: 

Then later this weekend I attended the midnight showing of Rocky Horror Picture Show, as I do every year. I highly encourage this event, it isn’t for the faint of heart, but if you like weird humor it will keep you laughing the whole show. For this event I dressed as Brad Majors, one of the main characters. I don’t have any pictures of it yet though, but I’ll keep you posted! (He is sort of a nerd, so the outfits are similar.) I hope everyone’s Halloween was as eventful as mine!

Homecoming is such a fun time here at Iowa, and the weather has been awesome! I was able to check out the parade, which was really neat, and there is just a lot going on on campus. So many different events occur around homecoming like concerts, residence hall socials, and a bunch of other stuff. Right before homecoming Active Minds did “Stomping Out Stigma”. The event was a success. Here is a picture of my friend Gail holding all the stigma balloons.  Speaking of Stigma and other scary things…There is no shortage of fun with Halloween coming up. It is my favorite holiday and I can’t wait. This year I’m wearing a Tron costume that I will post pictures of later. 😀 Also, I’m going to a midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show,which, if you have not done, I highly recommend it. This year I will be dressing up as Brad, and accompanying me will be the always lovely Stephanie as Janet. It isn’t the most amazing movie when you watch it alone, but the midnight showings are great!

Guess what? There is a new season of Glee, which means my Tuesday night’s are booked. Actually they were already booked, so now, I’m forced to watch it semi-illegally on sketchy internet sites. However that doesn’t stop it from being awesome! I’m just a little bit in love with the girl named Rachel (Lea Michele).

Don’t lie, you now you are a little infatuated too.

Having new episodes coming out makes me really nostalgic about the old music, so for a good two hours tonight I was listening to all my favorites while doing my chemistry. Surprisingly, I think I got more done while jamming than I normally do. My guess is that I had a little more fun…Usually it is such an arduous task and all I do is sit and bang my head on the counter, but now I take a brake every couple minutes and belt out a high note before I get back to the grind. So let the record show that I recommend music….and even a little singing when doing homework!

Now that I am sort of settled into college, I have really noticed that I live day by day. I mean, I have scheduled meetings and events, but I try not to look too far into the future. Especially when it comes to classes. When you think of all the things that are due in the next couple weeks and all the tests coming up, it really seems daunting. That is why I have started just doing what needs to be done for tomorrow, every day. It seems to be working pretty well so far. I don’t mean that postponing major assignments is a good thing. In fact, I have a calendar devoted to them on my bulletin board, but just keep them in mind and continue on with your daily work. It is too easy to get caught up in the idea of how much work is to be done and it makes me want to do work less. I hope everyone else is finding ways to cope with this workload!:D

An active mind is a good mind! 😉 I just recently joined a student group called “Active Minds”, you may think we sound like the mathletes….(which I really would join) , but actually we are a student organization on campus dedicated to “eliminating the stigma surrounding mental illness.” Basically in English, that means that we try to make people realize that it isn’t a bad thing to get help if you are feeling stressed or depressed or anything else that involves your mental health. Mental health is just as important as physical health, but it is often not discussed or not taken into account. There is also a false notion that seeking help is “weird” or somehow not cool. I find this to be absolutely ridiculous. I consider myself to be in good mental health, but I still see a counselor here at the University on a regular basis. The service is free and they can really help you manage your stress and many other aspects of your life. The point is, seek help when you need it, don’t wait. Work towards a more active mind!

WARNING: This post will be my shameless plug for student organizations.

I would like to point out some of my favorite student groups on campus, and tell you a little about what they do.

SAS- Students Abolishing Slavery- A group on campus that works to create awareness of sex trafficking and other forms of human slavery.

Dance Marathon- A group on campus that works to raise money to provide financial and emotional support to pediatric oncology patients and families.

Active Minds- Last but certainly not least, this organization works to eliminate the stigma of mental illness on campus across the United States.

There are several other organizations that I love and am involved in, such as C.A.B., STAT, and GLBTAU.

Here is the deal, we have around 500 student orgs on campus, and they all work to do some pretty cool things. I encourage anyone who is considering going to Iowa, or any current students to at least try a couple. I can hardly contain myself, all of the groups seem so interesting and beneficial. I kind of want to join them all, but I have been trying to limit myself. Managing classes can be difficult with so much other stuff going on, but in most cases I think it is helpful. Having meetings everyday helps me prioritize and develop time management skills. I have to always remember that school does come first though, if things get to be too difficult then I will be forced to drop one of my extra-curricular activities. They are really fun and I enjoy them all, but at some point my education does win out over them.

While I have been at college only a short time, I have already discovered the importance of studying. Everyone complains about it because lets be honest, 100 pages of chemistry can be a little boring to read, but it can be fun if you try. For instance, I could study alone, or…I could study with superman and a gorilla in the room. (This photo was taken from the Daum lounge I was studying in) I try to make studying fun, and the best way I have found is studying in groups. Reading may seem hard to do in a group, but if you are around the right group of people, it makes the process bearable.  Reading the chapter puts you miles ahead of half the other people in your class who neglect to put in the extra time and effort. If reading isn’t your thing than do something else to go the extra mile, The University of Iowa offers many other options including supplemental instruction (SI), TA and Professor office hours, and even free tutoring in some subject areas! I strongly encourage everyone to try out these extra methods to really excel in their courses.

I have seen the light, and by the light I mean, the reason I need a calendar. There are such a plentiful variety of things to do on campus that I don’t see how anyone could survive without a calendar, or two…or three. Yes, I know, it may seem a little bit nerdy, okay really nerdy, but I do have three calendars. One goes on my desk and has all of the major assignments and test dates for each of my classes the other travels with me in my bag so I can write down various homework and day to day tasks, and the third is in my phone, which shows me which events I need to be at, as well as when and where they are.

Honestly, I’m loving the method so far. I am a bit of a forgetful person, but when I can check my phone and see where I have to be, it is really nice. Especially because I plan to be quite involved here at the University, I actively participate in Dance Marathon, The Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgendered and Allied Union (GLBTAU), and Medicus (A group for pre-med students). Also, I am applying to be a S.T.A.T. Ambassador, and a Freshman Senator in the UISG. Trying to do all these things, while keeping up with my homework will certainly be a task, however, with the help of my handy dandy tri-calendar system…I should be able to accomplish all that I have set out to.

It may seem like I am micromanaging my life, with all of the organization methods and what not, but I still pencil in plenty of time for friends. I don’t think I have come home before 1 a.m. so far this year, and I’ve been having the time of my life. Meeting so many new people and forming relationships with them has been so rewarding. I’m so psyched for the rest of the year.