* You are viewing the archive for December, 2011

Judge the semester on effort, not grades

I HAVE DONE IT! EUREKA! I HAVE DONE IT! That’s right, I have just completed the hardest semester of my life.  This got me thinking, how much of the outcome is in our control?

Personally, I do not think that there is a lot in our control.  We can do homework, we can go to class and we can do our best to understand the material.  But in the end, it is often the professor’s discretion to determine if we have put enough effort into the class.  Personally, I find this very discouraging.  I could guarantee you (and so could my … Continue Reading

Going home for the holidays is strange after living at college

 

I was listening to holiday music on the drive home a few days ago when the classic Carpenters song “Home for the Holidays” came on the radio.

I had to laugh because A.) I was on my way home for the holidays and B.) It was 50-something and rainy outside.  Not typical weather for this time of year, but then when is Ohio weather ever predictable?

I had waited for this day for what had felt like forever.  I had tacked Post-it notes across my desk that read “7 days left,” “6 days left,” “5 days left” … finally, I had peeled … Continue Reading

Don’t sit in geology class and take notes; sit at the Grand Canyon and take pics

Some of you may have heard about BGSU’s GeoJourney program:  a nine-week camping trip across the United States where you visit 24 states and 30 national parks, while getting 18 credit hours.  

Well, I got back from the all trip around Halloween time, and it was one of the BEST EXPERIENCES OF MY ENTIRE LIFE!  Normally, you go on the trip as a freshman or sophomore (which I would suggest), but I wanted to experience the trip so I went on it as a junior.

The trip isn’t just like any vacation, though.  You do have to do class work, write essays … Continue Reading

Stressed from studying? Cuddle with puppies or eat some ice cream

It’s the Sunday before finals week: a bittersweet, slightly chaotic, crisp day.   You’re probably torn between relaxing and cramming, or maybe you’re taking a break from that 10-page paper that is due tomorrow.

If you’re anything like me, you’re a little overwhelmed by the end of the semester, but you’re ecstatic that it’s almost done.   Now, if we can just get through finals with our GPAs intact…hmm.

You’ve probably heard the same study tips and suggestions a thousand times already, so I decided to get creative and offer you a few new, unusual ones.  If you’re tired of the monotony of writing … Continue Reading

Part 2: ‘Becoming’ a BGSU football player

Part 1 of 2

Read Part 1 here, http://blogs.bgsu.edu/pieces/2011/11/16/my-interview-with-a-bgsu-football-player/

On the night of the interview, I got a text from Stephen (my interviewee), saying he was downstairs in the lobby. I brought him up to my room and began to get everything ready. Since I did not own a video camera, I used the camera on my Mac. Once everything was ready and in place, I asked him the first question on my list. He let the question sink in for a moment and opened his mouth to speak.

That’s when his phone went off.

It was his mother, so he took the call, … Continue Reading

Does ‘dead week’ really exist?

Well, another birthday has come and gone, which means the end of the semester is near.

I find great humor in students who are so excited about “dead week.”  Actually, I think I am slightly jealous since I have never had a dead week, which is the week professors are “supposed” to back down and let students study and ask questions.

As it turns out, I have three exams during dead week this semester.  In my experience, dead week is an opportunity for professors to teach everything they missed and then test us right before the final. I find it to be … Continue Reading

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