I would have written about this last weekend, but unfortunately, I was gone the entire time. On the bright side, the place I was away at was New York City. The only thing that was better than being in New York was being in New York for the sake of intercollegiate quidditch. Yes, that's right, I personally took part in the 2010 Quidditch World Cup. Two days, forty-something colleges, and a lot of Harry Potter nerds make for one swinging good time!
Transy didn't come out entirely competitively, which isn't surprising considering that schools the size of Texas A&M and Purdue were present. With that said, we had a fantastic time having fun and representing our school. Time magazine, MTV, CBS, and an overall surprising amount of press were present for the gathering in the park just off the Hudson; even if certain desperate pleas for an appearance by Stephen Colbert were ultimately in vain. In fact, it is entirely possible that Transylvania Quidditch got more press for the school than any other sport has in quite some time, strange as that seems. Personally speaking, I greatly enjoyed getting a chance to seek against some amazing snitches who have been doing this for years. The quality isn't great, but this link should take you to a youtube video of one of our matches. If you see someone with a gold headband getting thrown to the ground by people dressed in yellow, that's probably me!
-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXCLDmc6Wu8&feature=player_embedded
So what's been going on at Transy other than Quidditch? More prominently, we are definitely into the dead heat of the academic calender. The coming week is blissfully short for a Thanksgiving break; during which time I'm sure everyone, myself included, will be sleeping and recuperating as much as possible. I can't quite relax yet though, I have an exam in calculus 2 on Wednesday that may prove rather challenging. Consequentially, the rest of my evening will be spent working a couple of problem sets over power series; exciting, I know.
One of the other things, beside sleep, that I look forward to during the break is a chance to meet up with old friends. I have friends from GSP returning back to the commonwealth from Boston to Michigan, not to mention my high school friends. I guess I didn't realize it until I left all of them for college, but I actually do miss these guys and girls, a lot. Not to say that I'm lonely or don't like it at Transy, just that it's a rather abrupt shock of moving away from all of the friends you've grown so close to all at once. I actually think I may be planning to meet up with them for a rock band 3 jam session, about which I will openly admit, as a music/gaming nerd, I am quite excited.
One thing I've been looking at getting done before too late is starting to look at options for my summer. My ideal job would be either a REU (research experience for undergraduates) or a position as an office staffer or a residence adviser at the Governor's Scholars Program about which I have such fond memories. REU's are a great experience for students interested in graduate studies to get their hands dirty and find out what it really means to do meaningful research in a discipline. Many programs are located throughout the country and pay not only room and board, but a stipend as well. Unfortunately, I question whether I have enough educational and laboratory experience to be competitive for these programs as just a freshman, but I'm glad to know that such a cool experience exists for me as I move through school. I am super hopeful about the possibility of at least working in the office for GSP however. Until such a time as I can apply however, possibly over break, I must remain in question about my summer plans.
And now, I believe it is time for calculus. Problem set, here I come!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Scheduling!!!!!
I'm still a little astounded at what time of the year it is. At just over 2 months, so much has happened here at Transy, and yet it feels like so little time has passed. More disconcerting, we are past midterms, and it is officially registration week for winter and may terms. Not that I'm dying from the stress or anything, but choosing how exactly to structure my schedule is proving to be a more involved decision than I might have thought. It's a liberating freedom to be able to do more or less whatever I like, but it's also a little frightening.
I don't know how much information to this point I've provided so far, but I'm a math and science sort of kid. Granted, I like writing, I like reading, I like philosophy, I like music, etc; but ultimately my study of choice is in physics, chemistry, and calculus. Granted, the ability for these to coexist is part of the reason why I chose to attend a liberal arts college. But at the same time, I'm having trouble balancing my schedule, mainly because I'm afraid of falling behind in my math and science. It wouldn't be so bad if I knew which science I wanted to study, but unfortunately, trying to keep up with all of them is proving a daunting task.
So here's what I'm looking at so far: Physics 2, General Chemistry 2, Calculus 3, and Fundamentals of Liberal Arts 2. The general sentiment from people whose opinions I've asked is that while miserable, the schedule is probably doable, if not as varied as one might prefer. The problem is that I don't exactly know what I want my major to be, math, physics, chem, or biochemistry. As a result, I don't want to get behind on any of these subjects. Something tells me that I really do need to decide before sophomore year though, lest I wind up taking organic chemistry, classical mechanics, and differential equations all at the same time. If only I knew how to decide!
And then, of course, there's May term. Those not familiar with Transylvania's academic calendar may be somewhat confused by the term. Essentially, we are divided into two semesters and one short session called May Term. The semesters are just like one would expect from any other given university, while May Term is a little more special, consisting of a month where students only take one class, but take it every day, usually in a little more of an applied or special sort of topic. I have to register for this soon as well as winter term, and as of now I have a few options. A class on the psychology of marriage is being taught, which I'm interested in, although I'm not sure that I would be able to sign up for it, a senior psychology major friend of mine informed me that it usually fills up quickly. Alternately, an interdisciplinary studies class called, "creative disruptions" is being taught that absolutely intrigues me. The premise of the class seems to be to investigate the social construct of the world in which we live, and in our own way, disturb it. Not only for amusement, but out of pure curiosity, I have an interest in this class.
Ultimately however, despite my minor hysteria trying to decipher the correct delineation the next four years of my life which then in turn determine my career, I recognize that I'm probably a little more concerned with this than I need to be. Life will go on, and I'm sure that I'll do just fine with whatever schedule I end up with. Plus, there's always more than enough going on around campus to distract me from serious introspective concerns, at least for a little while.
I don't know how much information to this point I've provided so far, but I'm a math and science sort of kid. Granted, I like writing, I like reading, I like philosophy, I like music, etc; but ultimately my study of choice is in physics, chemistry, and calculus. Granted, the ability for these to coexist is part of the reason why I chose to attend a liberal arts college. But at the same time, I'm having trouble balancing my schedule, mainly because I'm afraid of falling behind in my math and science. It wouldn't be so bad if I knew which science I wanted to study, but unfortunately, trying to keep up with all of them is proving a daunting task.
So here's what I'm looking at so far: Physics 2, General Chemistry 2, Calculus 3, and Fundamentals of Liberal Arts 2. The general sentiment from people whose opinions I've asked is that while miserable, the schedule is probably doable, if not as varied as one might prefer. The problem is that I don't exactly know what I want my major to be, math, physics, chem, or biochemistry. As a result, I don't want to get behind on any of these subjects. Something tells me that I really do need to decide before sophomore year though, lest I wind up taking organic chemistry, classical mechanics, and differential equations all at the same time. If only I knew how to decide!
And then, of course, there's May term. Those not familiar with Transylvania's academic calendar may be somewhat confused by the term. Essentially, we are divided into two semesters and one short session called May Term. The semesters are just like one would expect from any other given university, while May Term is a little more special, consisting of a month where students only take one class, but take it every day, usually in a little more of an applied or special sort of topic. I have to register for this soon as well as winter term, and as of now I have a few options. A class on the psychology of marriage is being taught, which I'm interested in, although I'm not sure that I would be able to sign up for it, a senior psychology major friend of mine informed me that it usually fills up quickly. Alternately, an interdisciplinary studies class called, "creative disruptions" is being taught that absolutely intrigues me. The premise of the class seems to be to investigate the social construct of the world in which we live, and in our own way, disturb it. Not only for amusement, but out of pure curiosity, I have an interest in this class.
Ultimately however, despite my minor hysteria trying to decipher the correct delineation the next four years of my life which then in turn determine my career, I recognize that I'm probably a little more concerned with this than I need to be. Life will go on, and I'm sure that I'll do just fine with whatever schedule I end up with. Plus, there's always more than enough going on around campus to distract me from serious introspective concerns, at least for a little while.
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