Gah, Finals!

Today is the first day of my final exams, and wow. I cannot believe the amount of work I'm doing, and worth it, too. This semester I've taken a majority of my classes within my major, and I get to do some more next semester. I think I'm going to alternate in between working on my major and working on my minor every other semester. Today was my first final here but certainly not my last; it was Western Civilization and went really, really well. The test wasn't cumulative, which made it easier and better. I have so many more projects to go, but only a few tests. Tomorrow is the final exams for Nineteenth Century Europe and American Revolution. I'm really exhausted from this semester and was well worth it, because I feel like I'm on the right track and I can possibly graduate early. And with the help of Albertus honestly, I'm achieving my goal to doing what I want to professionally and as a career.

Ice skating!

Last night, looking for something to do and taking a break from finals, my friends and I decided to go to Ralph Walker rink for public skate. It was so awesome; I haven't been skating in years, or to that rink. We thought it was going to be much colder ice skating than it was. We all were having a great time racing, moving around, playing games and such. We even used the milkboxes for create-hockey with some of the staff! Even though it only last for an hour and a half, it was one of the best times I've had here this semester. Afterwards when we were finished, we went and picked up Pepe's Pizza to have while we were studying for finals.

Oomf, finals are a different story!

School just doesn't seem to want to work out, haha. It's nice having a few days off from all the madness, though. And for that, I have winter storm Athena and hurricane Sandy to thank. I stayed here through both storms and it was nuts. Luckily, the power didn't go out either time, but it was awesome being in an older house (my dorm, Sansbury) during the storms. Because the houses are built for ventilation, the wind was howling but so cool to listen, to. Unfortunately  there wasn't as much rain as I was expecting. Nevertheless, I did what I had to in order to prepare for each storm. In the days before, I got food, water, blankets, anything really that would be necessary in case the power went out. With friends though, through each storm, we watched movies and braved it together (it beats sitting in your room, huh?). We watched lots of movies and everyone came and went as they pleased. Also, we would make breakfast in the community kitchen because we couldn't get to the dining hall. It sort of reminded me of home sitting with my siblings watching movies upon movies until the time came where we could go outside again. Reminding me of home, the storm made Sansbury feel like a second home to me, and even more so, Albertus did too.

This past Tuesday (November 6) was the election for the presidency. And it was a tight race. On that night, I planned on doing nothing else but watch the results to find out who would be the next president, Mitt Romney or Barack Obama. My friends and I all paid close attention to the race, considering that it was one of the most historic elections held in the United States.
We all, on Tuesday, sat in the common room of our dorm and watched. It wasn't boring by any means. We ordered food and made bets on who would win over certain states. It took forever for us to find out who won, but eventually the news came through: Obama won! We were all so happy! It was a lot of fun watching such historic things happening. I feel so lucky to be alive during all these events.

So, yesterday, I finally got to register for classes. I was somewhat confused because I'm new and I haven't fully been able to navigate myAlbertus. It was easy, though. I met with my adviser, Dr. Imholt. He had all of my requirements that I needed to meet already laid out for me and really was interested in what I wanted to do with my degree. It's wonderful having that type of attention when it comes to something I care about so deeply. This is such a nice change from last year with registration. Even the physical act of registering was easier this year. After my meeting, I logged onto myAlbertus and found my classes already lined up for me, all I had to do was hit submit. This is so nice(:

Since the last time I updated this, a lot has happened -- including Hurricane Sandy. Everyone knew about the storm a few days in advance, and as always, hard to find water bottles being sold; I found some, though. I prepared for the storm by getting non-perishables, charging my phone constantly, and made sure everything went smoothly. However, I wasn't at school for this. Since the state of emergency got declared, I spent the ominous days ahead at my friend's house (which is coincidentally right across the street). Thankfully, for this part of New Haven, the storm did not hit that badly. It was nice coming back to school. Because of the two days off, I finally got caught up on all of my work!

A couple of weeks ago, my first room mate moved out (she’s on the basketball team and they wanted to keep them all in one place). I was alone in my big room for a couple weeks and honestly, it started to get really lonely. Then, I got an email from Justin (Our ResLife Director); I was getting a new room mate. I was so, so excited. I went away the weekend that she was supposed to arrive, but when I got back, she was moving in! I’m glad to have her in the room, she’s such a sweet heart and has the nicest personality. So far, we have a lot in common. We both really love to cook and both work on the same sleep schedule (that’s really awesome). I missed having a room mate and I’m really excited to see where this goes.

Since the beginning of the year, I’ve been in training to become a tour guide. I know, it took a long time. However, on Friday, I finally finished my training and I can really begin to do this! I’m so excited, because the tour on Friday went really well and I’m proud of myself for knowing my stuff. My first real tour is on Saturday from 11am to 1pm. Then it’s Fall Fest, which I’m super excited for; I’ve never been. I’ve heard so many cool things about it, and I’m really excited to go (One of my favorite teachers may be in the dunk tank, haha). But for now, I’m glad I’m really getting into the swing of things here and they’re all going a lot smoother than I thought they would.

I’ve been doing a lot lately, like I said in the last post. Part of what I’m working on is my ePortfolio, which is something that a potential employer could see to assess the studies I’ve done, and possibly hire me in a job of field. It’s really cool, actually. It has my education and employer history and I can even promote AShaw Photography on there! Next, I have to record an audio for people to listen to (I’m scared, haha. I hate the sound of my voice). Not only with school am I getting new opportunities, but I am living on campus, too.

I got a new room mate! Originally, I had one room mate with me in a triple, but she was on the basketball team and they want them all together; she moved over to Dominican. I’ve had the room to myself for the past couple weeks. And then, a couple of days ago, I got a notification from the Res Life director, Justin, saying I got a new room mate and she’s moving in on Monday! I’m really excited to meet her and I hope everything goes well.

This week has been so busy and nuts. Not in a bad way, though!

When I was given the syllabi to all my classes, I knew that midterms were not a long ways away. As they came closer, I was having a hard time studying for them. But as the test dates came closer, luckily, I had the time and the help of my teachers to get ready for them. Anxiously, I took a few of my many up-coming tests, and thought that I had failed.

Getting them back, I was more than happy with the result, both A-’s. I knew more than I thought I did. For one of my classes, I have to visit the Writing Center (it’s a W-course) and I’m very excited about going. I’m pleased with my work, but I have the drive and motivation to keep improving and evolving as a student. I’m looking forward to continuing with my major here. (:

So, fortunately, this week has been quite busy. This past Monday was my birthday (yay!) and it has been the best that it’s been in a while. And I didn’t expect it to be. Transferring into a new environment is hard to say the least, but the friends that I’ve made here (and the people I knew beforehand) have been really awesome. The social experience has been getting better by the day and everyone is so welcoming; I thought it was going to be much harder. It’s like everyday, I’m meeting a new friend. As well, I’ve found myself knowing something familiar — again, it’s identifying with the small environment that Albertus Magnus has. Everyone knows your face and who you are, they say hi, and smile when you see them. There’s honestly so much to talk about from this past week. Tests, papers, and everything else have kept me from being idle.
On Monday, I got to train for my new position as a tour guide for the Admissions Office. It was my first training session and it was fun, I liked it a lot. As a history major, I find myself looking at everything and thinking, “Wow. Everything big and small has a history”. Albertus Magnus, like New Haven, is a mecca of history. The college was founded in 1925 by the Dominican Sisters and everything — the sisters, the classrooms, the teachers, and all living accommodations were located in what is now Rosary Hall (the library). All buildings (except for the theater, which housed Polo Ponies and Dominican), used to be homes. And that in itself is something to marvel at. The architecture and layout of the homes is extraordinary and to think that people had lived in them is mind-boggling. Walking around during the tour, the history of Albertus Magnus was clearly abundant, but also, it radiated the programs, clubs, and aspects of the College that make it so unique. It’s the first year that Lacrosse is premiering at Albertus, and will be a club sport. However, as of next year it will join the list of the recognized college sports. Everyday, it seems as though something new is happening and the college is constantly taking steps forward and becoming a bigger name. Personally, I think all of it’s just really cool. Well, then. Homework is to be done (that’s something always keeping me on my toes!)
Later!

This is all a new environment for me. Last year, I attended Southern Connecticut State University and loved it, however it wasn’t the appropriate school for my major — history.
History is something that I love truly and dearly and realized that to continue on with that passion, I needed to be elsewhere. So, like I did my senior year of high school, I looked into becoming a student here at Albertus Magnus College. Thankfully, I made it all the way here and now and living on campus with great classes and everything else that comes with it.
I’ve found for myself that the school has wonderful class sizes (smaller than those at SCSU) and teachers with unique and wonderful personalities; I honestly could not have asked for better. Each teacher recognizes the needs of each student and cares deeply for what they’re doing. The smaller class sizes have really made a difference in how I learn as a student and help me to be more involved and interested in every class. As well, I have wonderful classes that cater to my major and are helping me move forward into my field. Although General Education classes are required, I am still able to take the majority of my classes dealing with History and English (to be my minor hopefully). American Revolution, 19th Century Europe, and Western Civilization are all classes that keep me interested and engaged. I can honestly say whole-heartily that I am more than happy that I have transferred here and plan to stay here through graduation and have found somewhere that I can call a second home.