Let's talk about my classes!

(A note to readers, this post will focus on classes, since we're just starting and registering and re-registering during the drop/add period all this week).

Hey everyone!

It's time to begin a new decade, and a new semester! As much as I've debated and argued with myself over the past two years, I think I'm finally settling into a specific area of studies. I just switched my major to Computer Science, and am so far taking just two introductory classes. One that carried over from last semester, Computer Science II, was introduction to Java, and now we're learning about software engineering and data structures. I don't know about you, but that sounds pretty intimidating to me. Still, it's pretty interesting and Professor Ames is fantastic at teaching from the bottom, up. The other class I have is Web Application Development, which incorporates building websites and learning the web language PHP. Again, I don't know much about either, so I'm looking forward to "expanding my horizons" (a.k.a. studying like my life depends on it).

The class that I really want to tell you about, though, my music class. I'm trying to complete another major with music, as a means to follow my passion, live the life, etc. etc. Really, I just really love it. So, this semester, I decided to take a Music of the Romantic Era class with the legendary Beethoven buff, Prof. Jeremiah McGrann. Let me tell you, this class is amazing. I've been to three classes, and it has already significantly changed the way I can listen to music. Plus, we've already seen prof. McGrann doing a silly dance to Mozart. It covers everything, really: historical, social, political, artistic contexts, philosophical implications, affect on contemporary life. I'm seriously looking forward to this semester.

The last class I'll talk about is for those of you who are history-oriented. To help me fulfill the liberal arts core required in the College of Arts and Sciences, I'm taking Prof. Schloesser's Transatlantic Modernities class. A huge, ridiculous name, but a truly interesting class. His own creation, it is a class mainly designed around cultural history - music and paintings, philosophy, sociology - in the context of the "what was happening at the time" style history. I've just showed up in the middle of the two-semester course, which isn't a problem, but I might have more to say on it later, when I know more about it.

Until next time,

Joe M.

mahonjc@bc.edu

home sweet socal.

Hey guys!

So it looks like I slipped out of New England just in time...a nasty storm hit the East Coast yesterday afternoon right after I flew home to LA.

Now that finals are over I can finally kick back, relax, and sleep! It's very exciting. I plan on taking a few days off before picking up my thesis again. I know that I need to start working seriously on it, which unfortunately means a bit of work over break. Luckily I can convert data while catching up on Tivo.

What I'm really looking forward to over break is the upcoming Emerald Bowl the day after Christmas! The Boston College Eagles will be playing the University of Southern California Trojans (aka where everyone in my family has gone to school...Christmas Day is going to be fun). Bright and early on the 26th my mom and I will be flying up to San Francisco to meet up with a bunch of my friends and watch the Eagles take on Pete Carroll's Trojans. We'll see what happens! All in all I'm hoping for a great game and one last time to see the boys take the field. Other than that, it'll be awesome just to be in San Francisco with some friends, some of whom have never been to California!

Well, Happy Holidays. Happy New Year. And for those of you still filling out college applications...good luck!

Peace.
Caroline

post-turkey update

Hello!

So this might actually be my first post (honestly I don't remember). Allow me to (re)introduce myself, my name is Caroline Wilkinson and I am a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences and the class of 2010's only geophysics major (also a math minor). I am from beautiful, sunny southern California but I have finally started to get used to the whole "New England weather" thing. I also am obsessed with BC sports...I will elaborate on this later.

So I actually opted to not go home for Thanksgiving this year. I went home both freshman and sophomore years, went to London to visit roommates and friends who were studying abroad last year (so much fun), and went home with my roommate, Beth, this year! She is from just about 45 minutes from BC so it was nice to stay close by but still be able to celebrate Thanksgiving (and fill myself with delicious, home-made food). Her family was totally great and welcoming, I never stopped eating! After dinner on Thursday I came back to campus to work on my thesis. I am a student in the Honors Program and as a senior project opted to write a thesis in the Department of Geology and Geophysics under Professor John Ebel. So far it has been going fairly well, but I knew that I had to use this break to get some work done. I worked all day Friday and woke up Saturday ready to keep it up. Luckily, my good friend Christina had other plans. Christina is from Rhode Island and offered to come pick me up from BC and take me back down to RI! Obviously I couldn't pass it up, so I made the trip and found out that the BC Men's Basketball team was playing Providence College in the Dunkin Donuts Center! We were pumped, and one of Christina's best friends from home goes to PC, so we bought tickets and cruised on over. It was a great game, and we ended up winning in the last minute! I was very impressed by the Superfan representation at the game as well. We had a few pockets of proud maroon and gold out there!

Now it is back to BC and the last two weeks of class! I am working on my thesis as I write this, actually. Probably should get back to it and give it 100% of my attention. Well, wish me luck. This thesis is shaping up to be quite the journey!

Peace.

Caroline Wilkinson
A&S 2010
wilkinca@bc.edu

Week before Thanksgiving break!

Hey guys!

I'm less than a week away from going home for Thanksgiving break! I have a lot to do for classes between now and then, but I'm excited for the last home football game on Saturday. The weather has been so mild this year for most of the games, so we got really lucky.

I still feel like this semester just started, and I just got back to BC, when really, we're about 2/3 of the way done! It's crazy how fast the time goes by when you're a college student. I'm really excited to see my friends and family (and, of course, my dog who I miss more than anyone) back in Minnesota for almost a week!

Class registration is coming up for next semester; I have to figure out which classes I'm taking. I know I'm taking two Econ classes, which is exciting for me, and I have to finish my core requirement in Philosophy and Theology.

I went to the Plex today after not having gone in about a week, so that felt really good! Then, I had a "turkey dinner" from Lower Dining Hall.

Well, I'm off to hit the books in the study lounge!

-Libby

The Environment of Boston College

It only takes a quick glance at any promotional brochure to realize that Boston College has a beautiful campus. Located six miles west of downtown Boston in charming Chestnut Hill, a village of Newton, Boston College’s beautiful, collegiate gothic architecture is nestled an array of plush vegetation (that turns stunning in the autumn). The superficial beauty certainly improves times spent on campus. Still other ways in which the campus is arranged subtly enhance the college experience.

Firstly, student life is closely tied to academia. Geographically speaking, the vast majority of students live on campus, with the exception of a fraction of the junior class that is obligated to find off-campus housing for one year. I particularly like this feature because it allows for easy access to university facilities and resources. Additionally, BC’s campus is rather compact and far more navigable than the campuses of large state universities. Walking to class, the library, the stadium, et cetera takes almost no time at all.

Secondly, as I said before the campus is very aesthetically pleasing, but the pretty sights around the Heights have (I feel) a stronger moral impact on students. I have found that just living in a beautiful place will positively affect my mood any given day. If finals begin to burden me with stress or if I failed to meet my goals for a recent paper, I can always find some shred of relief in my life on this gorgeous campus.

Lastly, the charm is not limited exclusively to Boston College. Downtown Boston blends aged and contemporary architecture in fascinating ways that lend it much character. And neighboring Brookline offers a homey, uptown outlet for students as well.

The beauty criterion is frequently minimized in the college selection process, and it should be when compared criteria such as academics, school size, or geographic location. It really should not be the sole rationale behind an application, but that being said the beauty of BC certainly does improve the time spent here.

Until next time,
William

Bye bye, October!

Hello again, everyone!

I can't believe today is the last day of October, and, of course, that it's Halloween! This month has really flown by with all of the activities and work I've had over the past few weeks, but I wouldn't trade any of my sophomore year experiences for the world.

One thing that's really become full swing in the past few weeks is PULSE, which I mentioned in my last post. PULSE is a class that combines service and learning, using both class time and a service component. The year-long class fulfills all of your Core requirements in Philosophy and theology with the added plus that you only take 4 classes a semester instead of the usual 5, as it counts for 6 credits. During September, each PULSE student goes through an involved process to pick a placement that they're interested in. There's a town hall meeting, where you go to informational sessions about different placements. Then, you can go on tours of different placements to see what each environment is like. Some of the placements are really competitive- one of the ones I was interested in is at Tufts Medical Center. Over 70 PULSE students applied for a placement that only takes 4 students!

Anyway, after that long and stressful process, I ended up picking Casa Nueva Vida, which is located in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, about 5 miles from BC. Casa serves 16 homeless families, which consist of mainly mothers and children, and helps the families get back on their feet. Different classes, like computer skills and English as a second language are offered to help the mothers improve their lives too. As a volunteer at Casa, I've mainly been working with the children, but hope to also develop relationships with the mothers over the course of this year. Two days a week, I get to help the kids with their homework, play with them, and, sometimes, practice my Spanish. It's been a lot of fun so far, and also really eye-opening!

Anyway, HALLOWEEN! Halloween is so much fun at BC- people get really into dressing up and some have really creative costumes. One of my friends, for example, is being a flame, while his roommate is being St. Ignatius...so overall, they're being "Go set the world aflame," which is the Jesuit motto. Some students even wear their costumes to class! Yesterday, in my organic chemistry class, I even saw someone dressed up as a student from Hogwarts in Harry Potter, complete with a full robe and Ravenclaw uniform. It was very funny.

I hope all of you have a fun and safe Halloween!! Until next time,
Lauren

Halloween on the Heights

Hey Guys!

It's supposed to be almost 70 degrees outside today! Woohoo! It has been chilly lately so it will be nice to have a warm day for the football game vs. Central Michigan. We played our fellow Irish Catholic rivals, Notre Dame, last weekend and many students flew out or took RV's to South Bend for the occasion. Although we lost, it was a fun game to watch and all of my friends who went to the game said it was a great experience.

I got hired at the BC Bookstore last week! I have worked three shifts so far and it has been pretty fun. It's cool to see what goes on behind the scenes at the bookstore and to help customers find what they need. My first rush of midterms is over, so classes were pretty low key this week and should be for the next few.

Last night, everyone was celebrating Halloween! I got free candy from my Philosophy Professor and from people in the lobby of my dorm. You will find out when you get to college that everyone is obsessed with getting "free stuff." It's pretty great. When I was walking up the stairs, I passed a really good Harry Potter and a Robin Hood! Seeing people's costumes is hilarious. Tonight will be round 2 of that!

Happy Halloween!