OUCH! December 14, 2007

That Calc exam hurt! I guess I wasn’t as prepared as I thought I was. I most DEFINITELY did not get an “A.” I was so nervous last night for my first college final that I didn’t sleep… at all. And I tried, seriously. My friends, Garret, Carl, and Lannie, and I planned to go to breakfast in the dining hall at 8:30 for some last minute review and relaxed breakfast. I went at 7:30 because I couldn’t sleep — nor could I focus. When 8:30 rolled around, Lannie, Carl, and Garret found me sprawled out on top of my calculus book, asleep in the dining hall. That was a first for me — falling asleep in the dining hall.

Best part of the exam: When the power went out and there was a glimmer of hope that the exam would be rescheduled. At that point I had figured out that I forgot to review the derivative of inverse sine. (For all you non-calculus people out there consider yourselves lucky!)

Worst part of the exam: When the power came back on and the clock flashed “12:00.” I could no longer nervously check the clock every 7 minutes.

Ok, so in all fairness, the exam wasn’t that bad; I just wasn’t as prepared as I had felt. I was really confident up to approximately 8 minutes into the exam. Now, I’m off to take a well-deserved nap.

Mama’s Boys and Cleftomaniacs December 11, 2007

I’m in such a good mood today! I slept in, caught up on some sleep, studied, and went to the Mama’s Boys’ Winter Ball. My friend Damilola is in the Cleftomaniacs, which is an a Capella group of guys and girls. They opened for the Mama’s Boys with four songs. They were so good! My favorite song was “Numb Clean.” It was a combination of Linkin Park’s “Numb” and Hillary Duff’s “Come Clean.” The juxtaposition was perfect. Then the Mama’s Boys came out with more spirit than the Clefto’s, which I honestly did not think was possible. The Mama’s Boys are an all boys a Capella group, obviously. The UMBC SGA (Student Government Association) president had a solo. I was impressed. I left the packed lecture hall pumped. The Winter Ball was an all around fun event.

Now, I’m super, SUPER excited for Midnight Breakfast in ten minutes! I’m not exactly sure what the event is, but the RSA (Resident Student Association) planned Midnight Breakfast in the Dining Hall tonight from 11 to 1am. The best part is that it’s free. The RSA plans events that are very low cost. As a college student, the word FREE is up there with getting an “A” on a hard exam.

I’m off to midnight breakfast. So, SO excited!

In for the Long Haul November 26, 2007

I looked behind me this morning to see that my clock ended in “:54.” I immediately catapulted myself out of bed thinking “Oh God, I’m going to be late for engineering, and I promised that I’d meet my group!” After I’d run around like a crazy person, thrown sweats on, and grabbed my bag I realized that the clock said 10:00 not 11:00. My engineering class is at 11. The good part: I had time to shower! (Yay, hygiene !)

So, I left my room at 10:40 to go to engineering, even though I wasn’t sure there was a lecture today. I’d heard rumors that the lecture had been canceled,  but it was from students… There wasn’t a lecture today. Thank god. I appreciate canceled classes as much as snow days.

There are 12 days left of classes before finals start. I’m in for the long haul. Between now and then I have 3 exams, homework as usual, and about 4 quizzes. Oh, and a huge project.  I’m hoping to get “A’s” on all of my remaining assignments to positively affect my grades. We can check our grades on a website called Blackboard. It’s a really convenient site. My professors post announcements and lecture slides. Using Blackboard I found out that I’m on the border between two letter grades in all of my classes. Hence, the studying and working for “A’s” on the final assignments.

Am I Going to Be a Freshman Forever? November 12, 2007

Bummer. I just found out that in order to be a Sophomore I need 30 credits under my belt. Too bad I’ll only have 12. 

I started the semester taking 16 credits. Then I decided that taking all four of my “gateway” courses for my major in one semester was probably not a great idea. I dropped English 100A thinking I’d do better in the 2 sciences and the math if my mind was always in the same track. Turns out that switch gears from science to art and humanities to English works better.

I was talking to my friend Lannie a couple of days ago when I found out that I need 30 credits in order to be a sophomore. I mean, I guess that makes sense because an average or recommended course load is 15 credits. Sadly, Lannie didn’t know that she needed 30 credits to be a sophomore and came into this semester as a freshman, again.

So, I am going to enroll in 18 credits… on the 30th. That’s bummer #2. Freshman register after most other students, but that’s typical for colleges. On order to avoid a repeat of this semester, I’m hoping to take CHEM102 (and the lab), MATH152 (Calc 2), ENGL100, MUSC101 (Music Theory), and GWST100 (Women’s Studies). Hopefully the coming semester will be more varied than this one.

Basketball, Pep Band, and Dance Team November 9, 2007

So tonight was maybe not the best outcome the women’s team hoped for in their first game of the season. We played George Washington who beat us 79-59.  Not an ideal outcome, right?  The game was still very impressive. I had a lot of fun trying to keep up with the game (I have absolutely no idea how sports work). I learned some tradtions, I guess you’d call them, that UMBC has. A girl in my calculus class is on the basketball team, and she said that GWU is ranked much higher than UMBC.  I was quite impressed with how well the women played and how determined they played throughout the game.

The best thing about college basketball, at least at UMBC, is that basketball isn’t the only attraction.  The dance team, varsity cheerleaders, and pep band performed tonight. The cheerleaders were very spirited and definitely added to the experience, but I do have to admit that I was more excited about the dance team. My good friend Debbie is on the dance team and I was so exciting to see her dance, knowing that she has been working hard at practice.  The biggest disappointment was that the dance team faced away from us when they took center court.  Luckily, they danced in front of the pep band (which is fabulous, by the way) during time-outs (and there were a lot of them). 

Now I’m in my room watching Chicago (yes, again) with a bunch a friends. At some point I should really clean up like I promised my roommate I would…

Ambassadors November 6, 2007

At orientation, a group of the Orientation Peer Advisors (OPAs) did skits about student involvement. The three skits skits depicted an overly involved student, an under-involved student, and one that was “just right.” So, in my attempt to be the last option, I have joined the Musical Theatre Club and more recently the UMBC Ambassadors.  Today, was the first meeting I went to as a new Ambassador.  I and about 12 others got our pretty binders filled with perfectly filed information for being an Ambassador.  The UMBC Ambassadors participate in events like next Monday’s Visit Day. I’ll be there for check-in and class escorts.  The Ambassadors program is pretty much a perfect fit for me.  I absolutely love UMBC.

When I was applying to schools, I applied to UMBC in the first place because my parents told me to. I knew nothing about UMBC. When I started my application, I did some research on collegeboard.com, but I still only had statistics. I didn’t really even want to go UMBC until I finally visited it. It was early April the first time I visited. I had all my acceptance letters; all I had to do was choose. That day I chose. It was simple. I hope that every student applying to colleges has that same feeling about a school. I would love it if I could positively influence the choice of an incoming freshman or transfer.

I’m so excited for Monday, my first day as an active Ambassador!

The WORST Thing About College So Far: November 3, 2007

I’ve found it. The one thing that really frustrates me about college. Living in close proximity to about three hundred people has gotten me sick. After I checked my symptoms on WebMd, I came to the conclusion that I had viral pharyngitis.  My friend’s roomate has viral pharyngitis — or at least he thought so until he went home nd the doctor told him that he has mono. It just so happens that mono was on the list of possible ailments. Oh no. For anyone who doesn’t know this, mono stays in your system for about 6 months. I also know (from my days in high school Anatomy class) the mono is contagious before you have any symptoms. I wonder how many people will be ill shortly. I’m crossing my fingers that I don’t have mono!

The mutivitimans and  immune system supplements that have been gathering dust in my medicine cabinet are no longer neglected. Mom was right about those vitimans. They would come in handy. Now here I am drinking my full eight glasses of water daily, taking my vitimans, and sleeping whenever possible. I absolutely refuse to get sick. In the mentality of my father, sickness is simply a state of mind. I hoping that will keep me from developing mono.

Now for something happy! I’m so excited for next weekend! Friday night Women’s Basketball plays GW in the first game of the season. Midnight Madness really got me pumped for the season. I’ve never been much of a sports girl, so this is just that much more exciting. Then, on Saturday, the Musical Theatre Club (of which I am a member) has a showcase. I am a tech person (yay costumes) so I actually get to watch a production this time. I’ll be sure to follow up with how great it is.

Thinking… But not about classes. October 30, 2007

This past weekend, my cousin Jenny and her British fiancé, Andy, got married in Virginia Beach, VA. The wedding was absolutely stunning. I had so much fun. Although, now it mazde me think about what I want out of the rest of my life. College has brought such a wealth of opportunity and chance. In such a short time, I have done so many new things. While I completely love all of the new experiences, it makes me really unsure of things I had been sure of. For instance, I was completely sure about my professional ambitions. I want to major in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Environmental Science on my way to getting a Masters in Environmental Health Engineering.  The nice thing is that engineering really interests me and since I a woman in a science field, I have a good chance of getting a job right out of school. But, I was watching the movie Chicago with a couple of friends and it made me really want to change my major to costume design. I really love costume design. It’s something I truly enjoy.  So, what I’m hoping to do is work as an engineer for a few years and then get a degree in costume design just for the fun of it.  I was talking to my friend from high school I told her that I could very easily spend the rest of my life in college. 

I have always enjoyed learning. I love the academic minded atmosphere of UMBC.  The students here are driven to achieve their goals while learning as much about other fields as possible. That is one of the traits I was looking for in a college last year. UMBC is definitely the school for me.

Examination Procrastination? I Think Not. October 25, 2007

I have two killer exams next week that I really have to do well on.  I’m trying to do very well mostly because I hadn’t done as well on the first exams as I could have. I won’t be specific but I’m not pleased with my grades on Exam 1 in chem and calc.  Lucky for me, Exam 2 for both classes is in the same week.  I’ve written out a detailed study schedule because I’m so determined to do well. I guess we’ll see how that goes. I’m sure I can find people on my floor to study with!  I really didn’t study much in high school; I never really needed to. I’m trying really hard not to have that kind of mentality this year.  I know that I have to study hard. I mean, for every hour I’m in class, I should be studying for three.  I’m going home this weekend so I can go to my cousin’s wedding. I’m so excited. Out of the 24 first cousins on my mom’s side, Jenny is the first to get married. I’ve already begun study because I know I will get absolutely no studying done with my family.

 Many on-campus students go home for the weekends but I much prefer to stay here. Weekends are a good opportunity for me to clean, do homework, go shopping if I need to, etc.  I’ve heard a few students refer to the campus as “dead” over the weekends. Most of the activities are planned during the week.  During the week I go to class, study, hang out with friends, and do as many on-campus activities as possible.  By the weekend, I really need that time to study and relax.

Do we have chemistry? October 22, 2007

It’s National Chemistry Week! YAY! I never thought I would be enthusiastic about chemistry of all things. I’m not a huge fan of chemistry and moles and Lewis structures and naming compounds. But, today in class, my professor presented all 275 (give or take a few) students with a container filled with Hershey Kisses. So, in celebration of National Chemistry Week, a person can guess how many kisses there are in the container AND how many moles of Na (sodium) are in said amount of kisses.

In the last hour, I have researched as many pertinent facts about Hershey Kisses as possible. I even noted the type of container the kisses were in and found their website. I’m pretty sure I have the precise volume of the container. Using three methods I came up with five possible answers (taking air space and different sized bags into account). So tomorrow, Mole Day, I will have a answer ready to guess as soon as the festivities begin.

I really enjoy being a dork! J

“Good morning, Baltimore!” October 17, 2007

Ok, so it wasn’t morning but the feeling is the same. I love Baltimore! My roommate, Robyn, the girl across the hall, Debbie, and I decided to trek-it into Baltimore to go to a mediterranian restuarant we heard about.  Debbie mapped out a plan to get to the restuarant (none of us have a car on campus).  It just so happened that the 35 (a bus line) goes from campus to a few blocks from the restuarant.

After we got slightly turned around and waited for the bus in the wrong direction for over an hour (woops!), we got on the bus headed downtown. I get quite a kick out of adventure which comes in handy when the restuarant was closed. We found a great Thai place instead.  Dinner was delicious; I really Thai food and trying new things.  We got to eat at an outdoor table. The weather was BEAUTIFUL. I love Autumn. The air was dry, crisp, and cool. For me, there’s nothing better than a Fall night. We walked all over after dinner scoping out new places to try (that is, next time we have money!).  It was great! By the time we got back  to campus, I was actually willing to do homework.

 Tonight is definitely going down on my list of college memories!

Yay campus life! October 14, 2007

College food does not equal mom’s (or dad’s) cooking. It’s just a fact of life.  I don’t mind dining hall food. I really like the cereal bar, the salad bar, the sandwich bar, and the pasta(!!!). I like other food the dining hall serves too but those are there every day. My all time favorite food in the dining hall is the mocha chip ice cream! I have a crazy weakness for ice cream and this stuff is amazing!

 On a totally different note, I love campus life! There’s always something happening which is good for me becaue I’m not the type of person who likes to sit around and facebook for hours.  I love walking into my building to find a new poster promoting some on campus activity. I like to write the interesting activities on my wall calendar. Right now some of the activities I have written down are homecoming (too many events to include in the tiny boxes), midnight madness (It was last night and SO much fun), a screening of the movie Chocolat (yay! Johnny Depp!), and a costumed Rocky Horror Picture Show event.  I have actually started doing more homework on weekends than I ever did in high school so I can do the activities during the week.

Sleepover! October 10, 2007

So, to be perfectly honest, I’m still completely psyched about the whole being away from home and on my own thing. Yesterday my friend Debbie got back to school after being home in Minnesota from a few days. I was thrilled that she was back, kinda hyper, finished with my homework, and looking for something to do. We came up with the brilliant idea of having a sleepover. So, my roommate and I had four of our friends (all of whom live on hall) sleep in our room. It was a ridiculous idea but that’s not to say it wasn’t fun. We didn’t even make it through one round of  “Truth or Dare” yet bedtime didn’t find us until 4am.  So a sleepover in the middle of the week was a good idea in theory but kinda nipped us in the butt after only four hours of sleep.

Writing this blog is [suprisingly] much more difficult than I ever anticipated. Now that I’ve made it sound terribly tedious, let me explain.  Coming to college is probably the most change I have ever had thrust towards me in my life. And it’s the best (this is coming from someone who usually avoids change so it’s weird)! There so much that I love about UMBC (and college in general) that I want to say. But if I said everything that popped into my head, no one would be able to follow and I would look ridiculously crazy. 

 Right now what’s on my mind is President Hrabowski’s speech at Convocation (it’s like induction into the school). I know it was a while ago but I remember it which means it must have been good, right? (It was a really good speech!) Sadly, over the summer a girl who was supposed to be a member of the Class of 2011 passed away (from a car accident, I believe). President Hrabowski said that we should strive to make the school year a good one in her memory.  I realized that UMBC, despite its magnitude, focuses on making sure every student’s experience is a good one.  I came from an all girls’ Catholic high school where my graduating class had 69 girls to UMBC. The fear of being one among the many was definitely following around like a big dark rain cloud.  But everyone I have encountered thus far has made an honest effort to learn my name and something about me.  I think that’s something really cool.

I LOVE college! October 6, 2007

As this is my first blog, let me introduce myself.  My name is Mariah and I’m a freshman at UMBC (woo! class of 2011!).  I’m a Mechanical Engineering major, and college is the best thing I have experience thus far in life!

I’m not going to lie, college scared me a little bit.  Being the slightly high-strung person that I am, I insisted that my family and I be at UMBC twenty minutes before my move-in window actually began on  move-in day.  We arrived at the ridiculously early time of 7:40 AM.  UMBC students acting as Welcome Week Leaders (Woolies) were awake and ready to direct us in the right direction.  Honestly, having move-in day go smoothly made the whole “being in a strange place full of strangers” thing so much easier.

So, fast forwarding one month, it is now early October and today I had a CHEM 101 exam. I have never studied so hard for anything — ever.  A bunch of my friends on my floor and I took over the study room for hours upon end.  Chemistry is not exactly my forte. Luckily, my professor was very fair.  The exam was very much like the practice exam she posted online. (Thank god!) The exam was difficult but managable.  It was pretty much exactly what I expected from a college exam.  (The best part was that I got to sit in a left-handed desk!)

On a completely different note, I love my floor!  Most of us leave our doors open and people just filter in. I love it.  Almost all of my friends are people on my floor.  I really like living close to the people I spend the most time with.  I also really like my roommate.  Yes, living with a stranger is rather awkward at first, but all the Welcome Week activities made that situation infinitely better.