Well, it’s that time again: that crazy time where class projects are coming up, where co-curricular groups are gearing up for end-of-the-year activities: the time when everything comes together and you run out of time. What do you do?
Personally, I’m going to pull my FIRST all-nighter tonight: not by choice, but by necessity. I’ve got a project due in the morning that I really wasn’t prepared for, and I’m paying for it now. Sure, I could slack off and just take the bad grade- but I can’t. Even now I realize the lesson I’m learning: PLAN AHEAD!
And that’s not all: I’ve got two tests on the horizon for next week, and a trip to St. Louis to coach with a professional singer and my barbershop quartet…but truthfully, I’m REALLY happy. This was the first Monday I woke up and said “yes, I WILL conquer this week,” which is the first time in several weeks that’s happened. Maybe it’s the smell of spring in the air, or just the excitement of knowing that this semester is coming to a close. That in and of itself is a scary thing: I’m almost HALFWAY DONE WITH COLLEGE! AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!! Where does the time go? I’ll tell you where: STUDYING…
It’s not that I always INTEND to blog about the weather, but it always has such an effect on the mood of campus.
So last Friday was RIDICULOUSLY gorgeous weather- it actually hit about 70 degrees that day. There were TONS of people out on the quad, playing frisbee, playing volleyball, reading, talking with friends, just enjoying the opportunity to be outside and be in the sun.
Saturday was not nearly as fun. It was cold, around 50 all day, and then it poured and poured and poured rain all night: we had a flash flood warning! It was just a weird weather weekend, I suppose.
This weekend was also our spring Out of State overnight program, and it rocked. There was SEVERAL people that were here from OHIO! I was so excited it wasn’t even funny. I was able to talk to all of them and they all seem really excited to be on campus, and that was true across the board for everyone that was there.
And BOOM! It’s March. What happened to February? I mean, I know it’s a short month and all, but seriously? Man. It’s just been a really interesting month. I wound up surviving my first round of tests, which I think is a good thing: seeing those grades on those tests is a nice gauge of how you’re doing in classes, you can figure out where you need to improve or pick up on some material.
Right now I’m in the office helping to get things organized from out last visit day and getting ready for NEXT one this Friday. It’s a lot of work, but it’s fun. I think that being able to talk to families and share my own personal experience at Bradley is my favorite part of actually being at Bradley. Don’t get me wrong: I love everything I do, but the best thing for me is being able to share parts of my personality and stories and experience with others.
I must be off, though. I’ve got a take-home essay to finish up and a cover letter to re-write…ah, college.
Just wanted to put in a quick word. I’m pretty busy tonight- I’ve got two tests to study for tomorrow and chapter for my fraternity tonight, too, so it could be a long night. Luckily I don’t have class until noon
The weather has been gorgeous, too, and I just felt really happy to be on campus and see all of the kids jam the quad to throw a frisbee around, or people eating outside of Center Court, people just enjoying the weather and wearing shorts. It was a really good day. Busy, yes, but a good day. And I wanted to share that with you all.
Time has absolutely flown since I’ve gotten back to BU. I’ve been so caught up in my different activities and classes starting up that it’s been hard to sit down and write a blog worth reading! But this one is worth reading, I assure you.
Let’s start with Chorale. Our normal director, Dr. Jost, is currently in Denmark on sabbatical and is teaching in schools over there. Because he knew about his absence ahead of time, he found a “replacement” director for the semester, Prof. Merle Mustert. And so far it’s working out really well. It’s a great experience for us to work under a different person who wants to work for a different sound and has slightly different opinions on the interpretation of the music and how it should be sung. Sure, it’s a little out of our comfort zone, but it’s a good thing to step outside of that. For many of my peers in chorale, this will be an awesome experience because they won’t work under Dr. Jost forever: they’ll branch out and work under other directors in their student and professional life.
Classes are going well so far. I’ve got a lot of reading for all of my classes, but that’s expected. I’m taking a physics class, too, and that’s been a bit of a wake-up call as far as remembering my algebra; it’s been a while since I’ve done any of that. I’m taking a course about interviewing, too, and it’s been all plusses so far: only 12 kids in the class, lots of interactive work, and a fair enough amount of reading. It’s been fun so far.
I’m off to eat some breakfast and head to class, I don’t want to be late!
I have sad, sad news. It was not a White Christmas in the Cleveland area.
I must say, it’s nice to be back home. I got to see a lot of my family, I ate waaaaay too much food, and the actual Christmas was RELAXED for once at my house.
My New Year’s Eve was fun, too. I got to be with my girlfriend who goes to school here in Berea, and she and I spent time watching movies and of course, Dick Clark’s countdown.
It’s a nice break, but truthfully I’m ready to get back to a real schedule. Not that I mind playing Wii until 12:30 AM and getting up around noon, but hey. Even THAT routine gets boring…
Good news is, I’m taking a J-term class online, AND it counts towards my major, so I’m excited to get that started. Bad news- that means going back to school and leaving my family again.
Well, “leaving” seems like a harsh term. It’s one of those things you have to evaluate when you look at a college: the distance. It’s something you need to really look into, because it affects a lot of factors- your social life, your family life, your finances, all of that stuff. Also, it affects YOU: your educations, your values, your beliefs, all of that stuff. It’s definitely a pro/con scenario, and one that I’m still evaluating and re-evaluating every day. Truthfully, I think it’s going pretty well so far
Seeing as I only see my friends for a limited time…I’m off to watch some movies and enjoy my time with them.
So it’s the start of finals week, which means the entire campus is basically losing its collective mind. Lucky for me (and don’t hate me) but I don’t have any finals until Monday, but I have two on that day and then one on Wednesday night…AKA the LAST possible time to have a final. No big deal, though.
It’s kind of nice to have all this time. I’m actually getting things organized and doing my study guides and really making sure I know the concepts and the material, which can sometimes be the hardest part. When you’re so used to a schedule and a structure, it’s hard to transition to a system where there really isn’t a whole lot of structure. So much of my troubles in college have come from time management. Truthfully, it’s an ongoing lesson. Even know I run into situations where I really really really really really WANT to do something, but there is no possible way to really fit it in and still have a “normal” sleep pattern, eating pattern, etc. There are some people I know that say there is NO way they could ever do my schedule because it’s so “scheduled,” but I turn right around and say there’s no way I could do THEIRS- it lacks any sort of sense of routine or pattern or structure! To each his (or her) own, I suppose.
*sigh* It’s late here, and I’m meeting a friend for lunch tomorrow. Off to bed!
If I had to eat college food for the rest of my life, I think I’d be totally fine with that. I love days when Geisert cafeteria puts out mashed potatoes for lunch…it just makes me really happy. AND they had Choco Taco’s for dessert! HOW AWESOME IS THAT!!!
On another awesome-ness related note, Chorale is actually singing some pieces about food. The entire work is called Fragments From His Dish, and it’s basically 6 little songs about food. There’s one called “The Pie,” another one called “Whines From The Wood” and is in a really weird time signature and is hilarious to sing. The opening piece is called “Grace- The Clean Platter” and the first page is this really reverent, pretty, flowing prayer, really, and then it immediately shifts into a jazz feel and has all these really juicy (and incredibly difficult to sing) jazz chords that are just really really cool.
Yes, I’m kind of a music nerd. Which is actually a really great thing- I’m not alone! Even though I’m a communications major, I feel really lucky to have the chance to express myself and be a music nerd and not be judged for being either. That’s the nice thing about this university: there are so many people who have so many passions, it’s not uncommon to find an intramural sports champion sitting next to you in your sociology class, or have a res-life staffer singing in the row in front of you. You never know what you’ll run into at BU, which makes it fun and exciting: every semester, every week, and every day.
Happy (early) Thanksgiving! Enjoy your time at home and make sure to tell your loved ones that you do indeed love them.
Chorale tour over Halloween went SPLENDIDLY. It was a very tight schedule but we maintained it quite well and things worked out really well. Here’s a photo of Unity Temple in Oak Park, Illinois- I’m sure some of you have heard of it. It was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and it’s made mainly of poured concrete! SO CRAZY! It also looks really small, but I found out in can hold like 500 people. REALLY cool place.
We also sang at Christ Church Cathedral in Louisville, Kentucky, which was fun. It’s actually a registered historic landmark!
Ok, so I’m trying to upload photos to show you guys, but it’s being lame and won’t let me. So, I’ll figure that out and get back to you to make sure you see how awesome theses places are.
Overall it was a really fun time. Our new members got to know all of our older members, and we’re really started to jell as a group, both socially and musically.
This week I’ve kind of been playing catch up, both on sleep and on some schoolwork. Now that midterms are over, it’s “back to the grind,” as it were. It’s hard to keep in mind that some tests are coming up (too soon, I think) when you’re busy doing things like chorale tour, or going to see a movie because you’ve got some free time. I thank my lucky stars that I’ve been taught and have learned efficient time management. If I could go back and teach a class to high schoolers, it’d be time management. So much of life depends on it, and it’s rarely covered in schools.
On the plus side, the admissions office is starting to get busier: a lot of you guys are mailing in your applications, which is awesome! Keep ‘em coming!
I’m really excited- On The Rocks (male a cappella group) got asked to perform on a concert with St. Louis University’s a cappella group, the Barenaked Statues (don’t ask, I don’t know WHY they picked that name). So next weekend we’re going down to sing on their concert and spread the musical word about why BU is so awesome! w00t!
Ok, I’m off to bed…11:30 PM is actually an early bedtime for me! Go figure!
Kevin is a Sports Communication major from Cleveland, OH. He is involved in a social fraternity, STARs and chorale. Some of his favorite movies include Star Wars, Tommy Boy and Indiana Jones.
