One idea a current student had for me to blog about was this: if you could go back, what would be one thing that you wished you would have brought to college?
For me, I wish I had brought more pictures and keepsakes from home. Drake has plenty to keep you busy, but over the years I’ve steadily added more pictures to my walls and desk to remind me off all the good times with friends and loved ones. If you had to do it over again, what more would you have brought?
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Monday, March 25, 2013
A True Break
For the first time I can remember, I decided to make this year’s spring break, a true break. I didn’t bring any work home and didn’t have any plans during the week to do anything but rest and relax. And that’s what I did!
I’ve usually viewed fall and spring break as an opportunity to catch up on work. The weeks before each are usually pretty hectic, there’s a flurry of exams, projects and papers due, and most times I feel like I need to spend those days off from class catching up on things I didn’t study for while I was focusing on my exams. This year was no different; I’ve got some big tests, projects, and even my senior chemistry capstone looming on the horizon, but this break I really felt like I needed to be a “true break”. The toll of running, classes, and other commitments really took its toll during the first seven weeks after a long winter break that I spent shadowing physical therapists most of the time. I’d been burning the candle at both ends of the stick for too long, and it caught up to me.
Today I feel refreshed, rejuvenated, and motivated to tackle the last seven weeks of the semester and my final track season. It’ll be madness for most of the time, but I’m looking forward to it. Hard to believe that eight weeks from now I’ll be graduating. Time to buckle up for the rest of the journey, it’s about to get crazy!
I’ve usually viewed fall and spring break as an opportunity to catch up on work. The weeks before each are usually pretty hectic, there’s a flurry of exams, projects and papers due, and most times I feel like I need to spend those days off from class catching up on things I didn’t study for while I was focusing on my exams. This year was no different; I’ve got some big tests, projects, and even my senior chemistry capstone looming on the horizon, but this break I really felt like I needed to be a “true break”. The toll of running, classes, and other commitments really took its toll during the first seven weeks after a long winter break that I spent shadowing physical therapists most of the time. I’d been burning the candle at both ends of the stick for too long, and it caught up to me.
Today I feel refreshed, rejuvenated, and motivated to tackle the last seven weeks of the semester and my final track season. It’ll be madness for most of the time, but I’m looking forward to it. Hard to believe that eight weeks from now I’ll be graduating. Time to buckle up for the rest of the journey, it’s about to get crazy!
Saturday, March 9, 2013
On Writing
The biggest area I’ve improved in academically in my time at Drake has been my writing. In high school, I focused heavily on math and science, and my ACT writing and reading sections showed that. I carried this mindset into college, and really didn’t care at first about any of the classes I was going to take outside of chemistry and math.
However, I believe the most rewarding classes I’ve taken in college have been my area of inquiry (AOI) courses that span across all disciplines of academia. Surprisingly, I’ve found that these courses have challenged my critical thinking and writing skills the most, and have significantly made me a better student in math and science.
AOIs have been the most challenging courses I’ve taken, and besides being a source for new interests, all have had significant writing components. In the past four years, I’ve had to write about various philosophical issues, China’s relationship with the U.S., leadership in my generation, technological ethics, nutrition, the significance of art, and more. Not to mention the numerous scientific reports. Although none of those issues may be directly relevant to me in my career as a physical therapist, they’ve sharpened my intellect and provided ways for me to think in different perspectives about many issues. This will undoubtedly serve me well in my career and in all areas of life.
However, I believe the most rewarding classes I’ve taken in college have been my area of inquiry (AOI) courses that span across all disciplines of academia. Surprisingly, I’ve found that these courses have challenged my critical thinking and writing skills the most, and have significantly made me a better student in math and science.
AOIs have been the most challenging courses I’ve taken, and besides being a source for new interests, all have had significant writing components. In the past four years, I’ve had to write about various philosophical issues, China’s relationship with the U.S., leadership in my generation, technological ethics, nutrition, the significance of art, and more. Not to mention the numerous scientific reports. Although none of those issues may be directly relevant to me in my career as a physical therapist, they’ve sharpened my intellect and provided ways for me to think in different perspectives about many issues. This will undoubtedly serve me well in my career and in all areas of life.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
"The Bubble"
Often times on campus, you’ll hear students refer to Drake’s campus as “the Bubble”. It’s kind of like it’s own little world within a major city, all buildings on campus are relatively close to each other, with only Drake buildings covering the span between 25th and 31st street and University and Forrest Ave.
The thing I love most about “the Bubble” is how quickly it is to get from one end of campus to the other. I live in an off campus apartment, and to make it Olin Hall (the Biology building), it only takes me 10 minutes! And that’s the farthest I have to walk for any of my classes.
I didn’t consider Drake’s compact size as a factor when I was thinking about coming here, but I’m really thankful for it. Some of my friends who go to big state schools, like the University of Minnesota, have to leave upwards of 40 minutes before their classes start just to make it there on time… and they live on campus! Drake has so many little things just like this that make it a great place to live and learn.
The thing I love most about “the Bubble” is how quickly it is to get from one end of campus to the other. I live in an off campus apartment, and to make it Olin Hall (the Biology building), it only takes me 10 minutes! And that’s the farthest I have to walk for any of my classes.
I didn’t consider Drake’s compact size as a factor when I was thinking about coming here, but I’m really thankful for it. Some of my friends who go to big state schools, like the University of Minnesota, have to leave upwards of 40 minutes before their classes start just to make it there on time… and they live on campus! Drake has so many little things just like this that make it a great place to live and learn.
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