Welcome Back Hawks!

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Greetings Hawkeyes, 

I am super excited to be back on campus! If you are a returning student or a new student, I’m glad that you are at the University of Iowa! To start off my blogging for this year, I am going to recap my summer a little bit, then tell you some of the things I am looking forward to for this year! 

If you read my final post before Summer Break, you already know that my best friend came down to visit me in Florida.  We spent a lot of time at the beach, pool, and of course on the boat! I was also lucky enough to go on a vacation to Europe, visiting the countries of Germany, Sweden, and Finland,

my brother and I standing in front of the ABBA sign at the museum
My brother and I at the ABBA museum in Stockholm, Sweden!

Ireland, and England!  I had so much fun on my travels, going to different museums, eating local food, and spending time with my family! I also took a class through a Community College to cover one of my Gen Ed’s.  I capped off my summer by spending time with my animals and going to the beach!

Even though I had a great summer, I was super excited to come back to Iowa!  My roommate from last year and I are still living together, so I was very excited to see her! I am also happy to share that we are living closer this year (no more riding the bus for me)!  Moving on to another subject, after changing my classes 50+ times on schedule builder over the summer, I am proud to say I am very happy with all of my classes!  I actually changed my major over the summer (blog post coming later), so I was looking forward to trying out some different types of classes this semester.  I was also very excited to see all of my friends and saw most of them over the first weekend!  It is good to be back on campus, and this year is going to be amazing!  

Until next time,
Savannah 

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Happy Summer Hawks!

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Greetings Readers,

As the semester comes to an end, I would like to say my sincerest thanks to you for reading my blog posts. Whether you read one or read them all, I hope you gained something out of it. I am also excited to announce that I am returning next year as a student blogger! I already have some ideas on what aspects of the University I want to cover on my blogs, which leads me to another announcement. Recently, I was offered the position of Vice President of Marketing on the Homecoming Council. The Homecoming Council is in charge of planning and putting on all of the events leading up to Homecoming. I am hoping to cover these events in my blogs because Homecoming is one of the best experiences that you will have as a Hawkeye! However, before the school year begins, we all get to enjoy a great summer vacation! Here are some of my summer plans:

  • Go home and see my pets
  • My best friend is coming to visit my home
  • Hopefully going on a vacation  
  • Taking 2 online summer classes  

Hopefully, this summer I will have enough things to do to keep me busy, but also have time to relax and enjoy my time off! I hope finals week goes well for everyone, and I look forward to blogging again in the fall of 2026! Enjoy your summer!

Until next time,

Savannah 

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Why Iowa?

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Greetings readers,

As May 1st rolls around, I imagine many people are picking the college that they will attend in the fall. Obviously, I am biased, but today I am going to talk about why I originally came to Iowa and why I chose to stay!

To give you a little background, I went to high school in Colorado.  I knew about this University from one of my relatives who teaches there. When I was applying to college, I figured my major would be Economics or Business Analytics. The University of Iowa has a nationally ranked Business Analytics program, so I applied and then waited to hear if I was accepted or not. Full transparency, this was not my dream school, and I did not plan on attending. However, Iowa has a way of going to the top of people’s lists very quickly. When I got my acceptance for this university, I was very excited, and the more I talked with friends and family, the more I realized it was the right choice. Here were my top reasons to come to the college:

  • Opportunities through the Henry B. Tippie College of Business
  • I LOVED the campus vibes
  • It’s a Big 10 school
  • The sports scene (Caitlin Clark, do I need to say more?)
  • Great college town

Here is why I am choosing to stay at this University for the next few years:

  • The community I have built
  • The faculty
  • Amazing opportunities through clubs and activities
  • Academic support
  • Interesting classes

I hope these insights help affirm your decision to come to Iowa and your decision to stay!

Until next time,
Savannah

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How to build a Schedule

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Greetings Readers,

I have thought about making a post about scheduling for a long time. I debated doing a post on just Gen Eds because I realized that my experience as a business major will be different from other majors. However, I did decide that sharing about my core classes was important since every major has these. I am also going to share some of my own advice overall and scheduling misconceptions.

  • Let’s get into it with some tips!
    • When building your schedule for next semester, consult your degree audit. You can find this on MyUI. This way, you can see what classes you still need to take before you graduate. It is important to pay attention to what classes are prerequisites for other classes so you can make sure you have time to take all your classes.
    • I am typing this in all caps: MEET WITH YOUR ADVISOR! You are given an expert to help you with planning your schedule. Talk to them, let them help you. I am sure you have already heard someone say go meet with your advisor 2-3 times during a semester. I met with my advisor four times in the first semester and have met with her twice this semester. This way, I feel like I have built a good relationship with her over the course of the semester.
    • Selecting your core classes is the next thing I am going to talk about. I usually take my advisors’ advice on which ones to select. My own personal recommendation is to not take more than 3- 4 core classes your freshman year if you can help it cause these classes come with lots of work.
  • Now I am going to transition to a Gen Ed. (or General Education) break down.
    • You are required to take these; however, different majors require more or fewer Gen Eds. My friend, who is a biology major, must take a sustainability Gen Ed. As a business major, I do not have to take this.
    • Also, if you have AP/ IB, CLEP test, or Community college credit, you may have credit that counts for these classes. For example, I took a college-level biology class that gave me credit for the Natural Science category.
    • Sometimes I feel like Gen Eds get a bad rep, but I have personally really enjoyed some of mine. My favorite was Ancient Medicine taught by Dr. Beydler. This class was extremely cool as it combined the basics of healthcare and the history of ancient areas known today as Italy and Greece.
  • Frequently asked schedule-building Q&A:
    • Q: Should I take an 8 or 8:30 am?
    • A: I personally took an 8:30 last semester and am at 8 am this semester. It works for me because I can always mentally convince myself to go to these classes. You need to ask yourself whether I can make myself get up and go to class every time. If the answer is yes, then sign up for it; if it is a no, look for a later class time.
    • Q: How many hours should I take?
    • A: I have maxed out on credits, taking eighteen credits both semesters of being here. The first semester was a lot; however, I did it again, and this semester my grades have been better.
    • Q: If I take 18 hours, when will I have time to do my work?
    • A: My biggest life hack is to leave my Friday afternoons empty. From 12:30 to 6, I spend time studying, getting my homework done before the weekend, or doing volunteer work for my clubs.
    • Q: What to do with time gaps?
    • A: If my time gaps are only 40 minutes or less, I use them to eat. If they are longer, I pull out my computer and start working. There is always something that I could be doing.

I take all these aspects into consideration when I go about building my schedule. I hope that these tips are helpful for you when you build your schedule. Best of luck, Hawkeyes, and Future Hawkeyes!

Until Next Time,
Savannah

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Spring Break Catch up

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Happy Spring Hawks,

I’m glad we’re getting some warm weather! I wanted to catch you up on my spring break, where I was in Tampa, FL. During my time here, I attended the Iowa vs. Clemson March Madness game! I absolutely love basketball and March Madness. I had made my bracket long before this, and I did, in fact, have Iowa beating Clemson. This was my first time going to a game in person, and the atmosphere was unmatched. My recommendation to anyone is that if your team is playing, definitely attend a game. It was great seeing the Hawks win and having the amazing memory! I watched the next games at my friend’s house, while cheering them on as they beat Florida and then Nebraska. Sadly, the Hawks lost to Illinois, but had an amazing run to the Elite 8. I can’t wait to watch them again next March Madness!

Until Next Time,
Savannah

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Welcome to New York- “Can we Talk”

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Hey Upper East Siders, Savannah here,

Before Spring Break, I went to a talk put on by none other than Penn Badgley and Dr. Nura Mowzoon.  I was super excited to go to this because I love the show Gossip Girl, and I wanted to get to see one of the cast members. Don’t get me wrong, I was also interested in hearing the conversation between Badgley and Mowzoon surrounding mental health. My friend and I got to the Iowa Memorial Union, where the event was taking place 2 hours early, and we ended up in the 4th row, which was great. Badgley and Mowzoon made many great points surrounding friendships and romantic relationships. What I took away from this was how important it is to have healthy relationships in every facet of life.

I got to experience this wonderful conversation because the University of Iowa Lecture Committee put this on. I am thankful that there are students who are passionate about bringing cool speakers to the University. If you, too, enjoy going to lectures, make sure to check who else is scheduled to speak at the University before the school year is over.

Xoxo,
Savannah

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Building Connections at College

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Greetings Readers,

Recently, I did a takeover on the University of Iowa Admissions Instagram. I used the Instagram extension, where anyone could ask me questions specifically surrounding the University of Iowa. I wasn’t surprised by the number of questions that I got on how to make friends in college. As an out-of-state student, I didn’t have any friends from high school attending this college. I was a little nervous that I wouldn’t make any connections with anyone. I was right that many people keep in touch with people from high school, and that is their main friend group. However, I have made many connections with various people at this college. I am going to give some examples of how I built connections in the first semester and how I continue building connections throughout the year.

  1. Welcome Week: Starting off with Welcome Week. I recommend doing every event that you can, even if it’s not your thing. You might meet someone you normally wouldn’t ever encounter. The story that I will share about this one is that I met a girl in a sorority recruitment meeting who ended up being in the same major as me. Neither one of us ended up joining a sorority, but I still walked away with a great friendship.
  2. Making Friends with people on my floor: During the first week, many people will knock on your door just to say hi. My roommate and I were talking to some girls who lived 2 doors down from us, and I ended up becoming best friends with them.
  3. In class friends: Making friends in your major is a great thing to do, because you will most likely have more classes with these people for the rest of your schooling, so it’s good to build connections early on. You can do this by striking up a conversation with someone in a lecture (this is usually what I do), but many of my friends have met people in their discussions. Memory: Place and Commemoration
  4. Going to Clubs and Activities: I understand that going to clubs and activities by yourself can be a little intimidating. However, every time I have gone to any club meeting, not knowing anyone, I’ve always walked away with a new friend.

To end this post, I am going to mention that you can always make new friends at any time of the year.  In fact, I just made a friend last weekend in one of my clubs. I hope this blog has helped ease some of your worries about making friends on campus.

Until next time,
Savannah

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Set it up- Tips and Tricks for buying dorm Essentials

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Greetings Readers,

Around this time of the year last year, I had committed to University of Iowa and started planning what stuff I would get for my dorm. I thought that I would share some tips for things for a future Hawk’s dorm and some of the most underrated things I bought.  Before I began a little disclaimer, I had to buy a lot of stuff because I am from out of state and couldn’t bring stuff even if I had it at home.

  1. For starters my biggest tip when buying anything off Amazon is to wait for Prime Day that happens over the summer so you can save money. For reference I saved over $100 so it’s worth it.
  2. My next tip is one that I have mentioned before on previous blogs, but communicate with your roommate so that you don’t have 2 of everything. You obviously don’t have to share everything, but bigger items like a microwave, mini fridge, and vacuum can share if you want.
  3. Next, I recommend sticking to a color theme. Almost everything I have is blue and white, I think it makes my dorm cuter for sure.
  4. For my first item I am going to talk about a mattress topper. See I told you some of these things are underrated. Since I had heard that Dorm mattresses were underrated, I actually bought 2 mattress toppers. My first one is from Pure Green; I liked this one because the material was natural. The next one I got is from the same brand of mattress that I have at home. I did this so that my bed would feel the same at school. It is from the Niagara Sleep Solution company.
  5. The next item that is on a lot of dorm lists is a shower caddy. I really like having a plastic one. Mine is aqua and I got it from Target.
  6. Next, I got plastic draw inserts for my desk. I got off of Amazon because I just like to stay organized.
  7. Finally, this one is on a lot of people’s lists, but string lights. I love to have mine on at night when I am winding down for the night.

I hope this list will help you when shopping for your dorm.  Good luck future Hawks!

Until next time,

Savannah

 

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Schoolin’ Life- My favorite study spots on Campus

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Greetings Readers,

For this blog I am going to be ranking some places that I like to go to study. For this post I figured I would have some fun and break it down into some categories. These categories are what are important for me when I am passing time, but really there is no right or wrong answer. We are going to be looking at noise levels, busyness, lock- in level, social atmosphere, and overall vibes. (I will also be rating out of 1 being the least to 10 being the most). Alright now that the descriptions are over let’s get into it.

  1. Tippie College of Business Quiet Floor
    1. Noise Level – 1 (absolutely silent)
    2. Busyness– 7 (usually there are around 15 people up, but you can usually find a seat)
    3. Lock- in level- 9 (I am easily distracted by friends so the fact that talking is not allowed allows me to truly focus)
    4. Overall Vibes- 7(Don’t get me wrong this is a great place to study, but it is not one of my favorites)
  2. Main Library
    1. Noise Level- 5 (really depends on the time or day, however it is a library so most people are respectful and use their inside voices)
    2. Busyness- 8 (lots of people will be studying here, however, you will be able to find a seat)
    3. Lock- in level- 8 (I usually get good work done here)
    4. Overall Vibes- 9 (I go there often, especially on Fridays)
  3. Seamans Center
    1. Noise Level- 6 (Honestly, I’ve noticed its quieter in the mornings, but more people are there in the afternoon for sure)
    2. Busyness- 7 (there are multiple floors where you can sit so it doesn’t feel terribly busy)
    3. Lock- in level- 8 (Definitely a very productive atmosphere)
    4. Overall vibes- 9 (Same with the Library I find myself going there often)
  4. Blank Honors College
    1. Noise Level- 3 (Its pretty quiet here, but people do talk quietly with each other from time to time)
    2. Busyness- 4 (More people come here during midterms and finals week)
    3. Lock- in level- 10 (I always get something done here)
    4. Overall Vibes- (I absolutely love to study here and come here often)
  5. Art Building West Library
    1. Noise Level- 1 (I’ve only come here a couple of times, but its been very quiet every time)
    2. Busyness- 3 (I’ve only seen 10 people here at a time)
    3. Lock- in level- 8 (I have got some work done here; it’s a fun building to explore so I have got off task)
    4. Overall Vibes- 9 (This building is super cool and I would recommend studying here)
  6. Honorable Mentions
    1. Psychology Building
    2. Dorm Building Study Areas (specifically Hillcrest)
    3. Pharmacy Building

I hope you try out some of these places to study!

Until next time,

Savannah

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A New Day Has Come- New Years Resolutions

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Hey Hawks,

It’s the first week back on campus! I hope you are having a good time seeing friends and enjoying all the new classes. I thought that I would pop on here to share some of my New Year’s Resolutions/ goals for the year and this school year. I personally love to set goals at the beginning of each school semester because I feel like it helps me stay on track. Here are some of my goals:

  1. Have a good workout schedule- This is a goal of mine because I tend to hit the gym wayyyy more at home than I do when I am at school, which is silly since the University has a very nice fitness center that is free for all students.  
  2. Eat less candy/sugar- I usually don’t reach for candy when I am at home.  However, at the University I tend to have some sugar cravings.  
  3. Spend less time on social media- This is a problem for many people out there, including myself.  To combat this habit that I have, I set a time limit for myself on Instagram so that I force myself to get off my phone.
  4. Learn New Skills- There’s a lot of stuff that I would love to learn, so to make this a realistic resolution, I’m going to just hope that I complete 2 out of all of these I have listed.  
    • Learn to code (possibly get certified in Python by this August)- this will be helpful for my degree 
    • Learn how to water ski- this is something I have always wanted to learn how to do
    • Start Scuba Certification process (To be honest, this has a better chance of happening Spring of 2027, but we shall see) – another activity that’s been on my list for a while
    • Learn how to film and edit videos- this would honestly just be for fun, but I think it would be a nice skill to have 

These are just a couple of the things that I will be working on in the coming year. Feel free to leave me a comment on what your goals are for the coming year. Remember, no goal is too big or small. 

Until next time,
Savannah 

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