Monday, November 8, 2010

Dancing through the week

Hey guys!
I just finished another 4 hour dance practice tonight, I'm so tired! I am a member of the Dance Organization of Boston College, a group that is student-run that performs dances that are student-choreographed. Every Monday and Wednesday, we have an hour of required practice, and each girl decides which of the dances she wants to perform. I absolutely love it, but it does take up a lot of time! I am very tired now, but I have to study for a bio test and write a history paper for next week. Starting early, but somehow I never seem to have enough time... like most BC students, I am always so busy! I'll probably lock myself in Bapst (the 24 hour "silent" library on campus) all weekend, unless something more fun comes along....

Anyway, if anybody has any questions about dance or BC in general, feel free to email me!

-Kathryn
carliskb@bc.edu

Friday, November 5, 2010

Help Desk

Hey all,

Sorry I haven't blogged lately, but this is because I was without a laptop. It was a fluke incident - a faulty hard drive - and it doesn't happen to everyone. However, because of this incident, I found out about a couple of great resources.

The Walk-In Help Desk saved my life. I had spent hours on the phone with the computer company getting no where so one of my friends told me to stop by the Help Desk on Monday when they were open. I did. The friendly folks down there help me out. They took my laptop, diagnosed the problem, and helped me figure out what I needed to do. Once my new hard drive arrived in the mail they removed the faulty one and installed everything I needed.

Thank you, Help Desk.

While my laptop was broken, I studied and used the computers in the lab right across from the Help Desk in the O'Neill Library. It's a nice place to study with a laptop lounge, Macs, and PC's, so there is something for everyone. And I got to use some of my 500 free printing pages.

If you ever need it, the computer lab is a good place to go.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Planning Ahead in My Life

Hey all!

I'm back, and doing better than ever this year! I've been keeping pretty busy, but after almost two and a half years of school, I've finally begun to settle into a solid direction in life. I know, wicked scary, right?

I've found myself two main courses of study; I haven't yet planned out every detail, but I'm hoping they can both be majors, in the end, between Music and Computer Science. I love them both equally, and there are actually a lot more similarities between them than you'd expect at first. Either way, as I learn more about each of them, I find myself more and more interested in studying them!

Over the summer, I got a taste of what a professional work environment is like in the C.S. world, while I worked here on campus while rebuilding a large portion of BC's websites. It was actually quite fun and interesting, and I'm putting everything I learned there in use for the Student Admissions Program now! I've taken the role of SAP Online Coordinator, so if you ever have any questions pertaining to the website, feel free to let me know.

This semester, I joined the University Chorale after a completely impromptu audition, and by some strange trick of fate, got in! I absolutely love the group now, and it's an awesome experience - we're singing Mozart's requiem in D Minor this fall, and in the Spring, I'm going with them to Ireland to perform in a few places around the country!

Here we are performing with the Boston Pops



I'm definitely still into a broad range of subjects; I came into school with a Physics major, and have switched to Chemistry to a very brief stint trying to join the Lynch School of Education, to Computer Science as it is today. My roommate is convinced I'm going to graduate from the Theatre department by the time I'm done. It's one of my favorite parts of BC - you can be specialized in a subject, but still dip your toes all around.

Until next time, let me know if you have any questions!
mahonjc@bc.edu

Sincerely,
Joe Mahon
BC '12

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Midterms

Ah, finally, an end to midterms! Over the last three weeks I have had three tests and two papers, not including all of the other homework. Now, on to round two (my next midterm is next week)!

To be honest, the midterms weren't that bad. Sure, coming out of high school everyone gets a little shocked to see the grade on the top of their paper, but with my experience so far, most classes scale them, so a 50 could be a B.

As a science major, I highly encourage taking classes out of the discipline that interest you. Don't just pick random classes to get rid of the core. I am in Sociology of Health, Illness, and Healthcare and, as pre-med, it is extremely interesting. I took this as a social science so instead of being in Intro to Sociology, this class is open to anyone and a lot of fun. Check out all the options.

Now, off to study!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Freshman Year

Hello!

This is my first post, so I will introduce myself. My name is Taylor and I'm a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences majoring in Biology with a pre-med concentration. I'm from Portland, Maine. I'm involved in the service group Appalachia as well as the Student Admissions Program in outreach, high school visits, and blogging.

If you have any questions, please email me at deantb@bc.edu!

Friday, April 30, 2010

Appreciating Boston

You know how people say "you don't know what you've got until it's gone"? They were right, you really don't. I'll be outta here in a few weeks and I'm kinda upset that I didn't get to spend very much time exploring Boston. That was actually my New Years Resolution, to explore Boston more, looks like I dropped the ball on that one.

But in all seriousness, this is a great city, probably one of the best in the country. I wish I could say that I've been to the Commons and all the other hot spots in the city, but sadly I haven't. Maybe next year I'll make the effort to spend my free time in the city instead of in a dorm room.

Either way, to anyone reading this, explore Boston. It's a once in a lifetime chance to see a city as a college student and really get to know the city inside and out. The T makes the city so accessible it's ridiculous and you can have a really good time for little or no money.

When you come to BC you're not going to school in a college town, your going to school in a city, and one full of colleges at that. Really take advantage of all the city has to offer, you won't regret it I promise.

Jake

Finals

It's that time of year again - time for finals. Spring semester could possibly be the worst time ever to have finals, and the reasons are endless.
  • 1) Its beautiful outside. 75 degree weather screams "don't do work and play wiffle ball" and it's hard not to listen.
  • 2) You're so hyped up about being done with school, the last thing you want to do is study more.
  • 3) You're wiped out. By the time finals week rolls around the mountain of papers and presentations you just climbed has left you tired and drained of all energy.

But you can't just give up, finals are make or break grades so sometimes you just have to gut-check and stick with it. If you plan out your studying you'll be fine. So here's a few pointers I've found helpful when finals roll around.
  • 1) Start early. The earlier you start the more comfortable you'll be with the material by the time you actually take the test. Also, this takes a lot of the weight off your shoulders in case something pops up you didn't plan for (mostly parties but that's not the point)
  • 2) Find a way that works for you. I know everyone's different but I think the one thing we can all agree on is that blankly staring at your book is not going to cause your body to absorb knowledge. It'd be sweet if it did though. So find something that works for you. Some people like flashcards, come people like to just write down everything they know and work from there. Whatever it may be, find it and do it.
  • 3) Relax. People get so tense around this time of year. I mean I know how serious finals are but relax bro, your not going to die. Don't hesitate to reward yourself with a movie or some video games after you've been studying for hours. If your not careful you'll burn yourself out before the finals even start.

Anyway, that's just my advice. Hopefully it helps you too.
Jake

Procrastination

I think the title of this blog is a little ironic considering that I have procrastinated posting this for far too long. Everyone loves to procrastinate because it's easy and a lot more fun than whatever else you would be doing. But a word of advice to all new students, avoid procrastination at all costs.

If you stay on top of your work you'll thank yourself when you're in bed sleeping and not caged in at the library all night writing a paper. Believe me, I know how hard it is to avoid procrastinating. Why do my paper now when its due in a week and I could be playing NFL Blitz? I've asked myself this way too much. So from me to you, don't procrastinate. It's that simple.

Jake

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Adventure through Boston!

Hey all,

Today, I went for a bit of an adventure through the streets of Boston. I think it's a pretty good (if tourist-y) route, so I figured I'd share some highlights:


View Walking Tour! in a larger map

We took the BC Shuttle down the road to hop on the D Line of the T:

Blue - Got off train 20 minutes later at Copley Plaza, left the stop and immediately found something interesting. I've never been in the Boston Public Library, and, oh my, was it enormous. And free!

Red - Walking past all the ritzy boutiques and art stores and cafes along the famous Newbury Street.

Green - Walked through the lovely spring-time Boston Gardens, and by the also famous Swan Boats (they were not running today, sadly). We then continued through Boston's version of Central Park, the Boston Commons. Lots of frisbee, dog walking, and Merry-Go-Rounding on a nice day here.

Teal - Hit up historic Tremont Street, one of the first routes of the Freedom Trail through downtown Boston. Strange that some of the people responsible for the creation of this country walked along that exact road.

Yellow - The circus was in town... literally! The Big Apple Circus tent was set up in the middle of the expansive Government Center plaza, outside the *gorgeous* (sarcasm) City Hall. We continued our walk past that irrational excitement that surrounds circuses, to

Purple - Quincy Market and Fanueil Hall, one of the main tourist centers and a very handy marketplace, entertainment center and shopping plaza for everyone. We watched one of the many street performers balance on the top rung of a 10-foot ladder while juggling three daisies, spinning a pillow on a pole off his mouth and doing comedic stand-up. Needless to say, he earned a tip from us.

Red - Finally, we made it to our destination! Annddd... way past it, accidentally. But after a bit of backtracking, we sat down and tasted the glorious Mike's Pastries (though personally, I'm partial to Modern Pastries across the street). Located in the heart of the Italian-influenced North End, and in the middle of downtown Hanover Street, you really can't go wrong with a trip to Mike's, Modern, Cafe Vittoria, the Gelateria, Pizzeria Regina, or really anywhere else in that neighborhood. Mmmm...

So there's your introductory walking guide to Boston. I'm two years in, 20 years native of the suburbs, and still love walking around to see all the things I've seen before, while finding all the new things I've never noticed. More to come soon, of course!

Meantime, email me!
~Joe
mahonjc@bc.edu

Saturday, April 24, 2010

The Asian American Scholarship Has Been Named!

Hey guys!

I'm proud to say that the Asian American Scholarship has been named!! HOORAY! Why is this important you might ask?

For a few years now, the scholarship has been left nameless; there has been no one for Asians to look up to, unlike other mentors such as Martin Luther King (a scholarship in his name goes to an African American student every year). So the BC community believed that the Asian American Scholarship should be named after someone also.

However, BC has been denying our candidates that we believe the scholarship should be named after, for reasons such as having no connection to Boston College or not living within the Catholic faith, but all that changed this past week!


With the scholarship now named, the Asian community here at BC can feel a bit more at peace. To celebrate, everyone was invited to participate in a few events, one of them being a small "flash flood" in the Quad with lots of music and dancing. Such a great accomplishment!

That's it for now! Peace!

David - A&S 2013
nguyenec@bc.edu

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Boston

Hey y’all,

My name is Katherine McKenna, and I’m an economics major from Houston, TX. One of my favorite things about BC is the city of Boston. One of the cool things about BC is that we’re out in the suburbs, and we have awesome football games and tailgates just like other big schools, but you can also hop on the T (the subway) and go into downtown Boston or Cambridge. The trip usually takes about 20 minutes, and it is definitely worth it.

There are a ton of fun things to explore in Boston. My friends and I love to go to Newbury Street when the weather’s nice on Saturday or Sunday to go shopping and eat lunch. There are also lots of really cool museums and historical sites around Boston. Being in a city full of colleges is a blast. You can go check out parties at other schools like MIT or Harvard (who actually have fun parties, shocking huh?) or go see a concert at the House of Blues or other venues.

There are a ton of schools in Boston, and therefore there’s always something cool to check out. However, BC is nice because it is not directly in the hustle of the city.

Thanks,
Katherine

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Play that Funky Music...

Wow! There's always so much to talk about here, especially in the spring; when the weather goes nuts, people emerge from their winter-sleepwalking, every group on campus seems to have events going on, professors basking in all this forget to give as much work as usual, and on and on! But, it's Easter break, I'm relaxing at home, and I'll keep this one quick.

So, there always seems to be something going on through the music department, and I usually completely overlook many of the smaller, solo-performance artists they bring into the Irish Room (a beautiful performance hall used for performances in Gasson Hall).

Thankfully, my music professor told us not to miss Mana Tokuno's performances this week. A professional pianist, she came in to do a recital performing a piece one of my old professors composed just for her, Tokuno Toccata, but while she was here, she also played Beethoven, Schumann, and another entire recital dedicated to Chopin.

I'm not usually one to gush over small ensemble or solo pieces, but I have to say her Chopin recital was probably one of the most beautiful musical performances I've ever seen or heard. I'm definitely going to pay more attention to the Arts Calendar from now on, especially since all these concerts are completely free!

Also, did I mention that this performance was a rehearsal for her main recital coming up at Carnegie Hall? I feel very special now.

That's all I wanted to share for now, but happy Spring! The rain's finally stopped here in the Northeast, and it's gorgeous outside!

As always, feel free to comment or email: mahonjc@bc.edu

~Joe M

Sunday, March 28, 2010

SHOWDOWN brought down the house!

What's up people?

The ALC Showdown has come and gone. Every single ticket sold out! (And might I say some people even sneaked into the show because there were rows filled that should not have anyone in them). I was part of the VSA cultural dance and we left our mark for sure. There were two competitions: Cultural and Modern. For cultural category, MASTI took 2nd place and AeroK took 1st. For Modern, Fuego received 2nd and Synergy received first (with their "SinCity" Theme dance). Here are some photos!

Synergy


Conspiracy Theory


Easter Break is coming up so I think I will be enjoying that as much as possible, given the fact that people who participated in Showdown put in hours of practice each day! Congrats to everyone!

Peace!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

It's Almost April?!

Hey Guys,

So it has been a while since I posted, but I figured it would be a nice break to jot down the things that have been happening since Spring Break ended.

I'm amazed that it is almost April. Where did my semester go?!?! Midterms are for the most part done with, which is amazing. To make this even more amazing, the weather here in Boston has been phenomenal. There's nothing better than Boston when there isn't an enormous pile of snow covering the Million Dollar Stairs. It's great to see all the BC kids dust off their shorts and T-shirts and play some Frisbee in the Dustbowl or eat their lunch outside of Hillside.

I also went to a phenomenal lecture last night called "The Last Lecture." It has become a pretty popular concept, but in case you aren't familiar here's a small re-cap: Each semester a Professor is asked to pretend as if he were reaching the end of his or her days, think about what is the most important lesson they have learned over the years that they would like to pass along, and then actually pass it on. This year the lecture was given by Father Fleming, a beloved Father here on Campus who is unfortunately leaving BC at the end of year. He focused his speech on what a Jesuit Education truly means, and how its cardinal principles can be incorporated into our daily lives. It was an amazing speech and a great way to put my last weeks at BC into perspective/prepare how I want to spend my last year at BC. Unfortunately his lecture isn't up, but if you want to catch the first "last lecture" at BC from Father Himes, an equally beloved and distinguished professor here on the Heights, click here!

Alright well time to get some more work done so I can go and lay out in the Quad before the rain comes.

Thanks for reading,
Juan

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Spring at BC

The most amazing thing happened last weekend - it got warm. You have no idea how weird it feels to be walking around outside in a T-shirt after wearing layer upon layer all winter. I'm from Atlanta, and on Friday and Saturday I felt like I was back home every time I stepped out the door.

The really incredible thing, however, wasn't just the weather, it was what the weather did to people. I kid you not, a spontaneous party broke out across campus. Literally more people than I have ever seen on Upper Campus at one time were outside blasting music, throwing footballs and talking with friends. So naturally I threw on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and ran outside; I loved every minute of it.

You know how on the cover of every college brochure you get in the mail there's a picture of some kid doing homework on the nicest lawn you've ever seen as he basks in sunlight? Yeah turns out those things aren't staged, at least at BC. You will actually see people doing that, and a lot of people at that. The weather is just too good to pass up.

During the winter people never want to go outside, and why should they? So after all that time cooped up in your dorm room, you can't wait to get out. So when that first weekend up spring time weather comes around, tell your work it can wait and put it off until tomorrow, I promise you won't regret it.

-Jake

Monday, March 15, 2010

It's SHOWTIME!

Hey everyone! What's up?

Lately, I've been getting into some new activities which I thought would be fun, besides Parkour of course. The ALC Showdown is coming up soon! It's only about two weeks away!

The ALC Showdown is basically where all the student dance organizations and a couple of culture clubs come together and compete in a dance-off. I heard it draws crowds each year, so yes I am nervous. There are two separate categories: Modern & Culture. Competing in the Modern category are Synergy, Conspiracy Theory, Sexual Chocolate, and more. For Culture, we have the Vietnamese Students Association (for their first year!), Aero-K, and others! Right now I'm training with the VSA to do something amazing! Too bad my body is in pain at the end of each practice. Here are some clips:

Synergy:




Conspiracy Theory (2008)




And: the housing selection process has begun! Except it is going to be wicked hard to get a 4-man in Edmond's (which has a kitchen so I can cook). I don't like the system because there is no way to reward the students who were not written up during the year. It starts tomorrow, so wish me luck! I really want to do some Pho Nights in my 4-man!

PS: I thought this was cool and wanted to bring it to your attention for when it's time to start decorating your room.


PEACE!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Getting Involved

So since this is my first post I thought I would start by introducing myself. My name is Jake Morakis and I'm a freshman in the school of Arts and Sciences. I'm from Marietta, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, so coming up to Boston was definitely a huge change of scenery. As of now I am majoring in Political Science with a minor in Environmental Studies and hope to one day become a lawyer.

Let me start by saying I love BC and I am yet to experience a point when I wasn't having the time of my life, but I have to admit first semester was a little slow. I was so concerned about school work and adapting to college that I decided to put off getting involved until second semester. If anyone reading this is a perspective student worried about the college work load, let me be the first to tell you, you have a TON of free time in college. I had so much free time last semester I didn't know what to do with myself. I must have checked Facebook every 5 minutes out of sheer boredom.

The plus side of my "don't get involved in anything" strategy was that I got really good grades first semester and my parents were really proud, but for some reason that felt way to much like high school. Don't get me wrong, succeeding at a school like BC is a great feeling, but I've come to realized that half the fun of college is getting to do anything you want. Toward the beginning of the year there is Student Activities Day, where every club the school has to offer sets up a table in the dust bowl, which gives students a chance to find clubs they're interested in or never even knew about. I'll be honest, I went crazy on club day. I signed up for every club I was even remotely interested in but, as you already know, I didn't actually get involved in any of them. Instead, I just ended up with an inbox full of email messages I didn't care about reading.

This semester, however, I decided to change things. I got involved in the Student Admissions Program (which would explain this blog) and decided to try something completely new and audition for an a capella group. I never sang in high school or anything but I always enjoyed it and figured it was worth a shot. Somehow I ended up making it and I'm proud to say I am now a member of The Heightsmen, the only and best all male a capella group on campus. It's amazing how getting really involved in just a few activities can fill up all that time I would have otherwise spent on facebook.

But getting involved isn't just about filling time, its also a great way to meet new people (especially upperclassmen) and get invited to sweet parties (it's true). So find something you really like or try something completely new, whatever your choice just get involved. You've only got four years of college so make the most of them.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Second Semester!!

Happy Asian New Year Everyone! Year of the Tiger! Rawr! :D

Since last semester, I've been focusing more time in my clubs: Both VSA & CSA, SAP, and, of course, PARKOUR!

So much fun, but it is a lot of work to get better, more fluid in movement. So far, I've been able to finish vaults across railings and low walls (Ex. pictured left). With all the bruises, scrapes, and sweat, they look pretty good now.


Currently, I am working on my wall run which take a lot of conditioning and strengthening of the lower body since that is where you get your momentum (Ex. on the left). What's the wall I want to climb up? The Higgins/Devlin wall on Million Dollar Stair Case!









It's the second wall behind the first one on the stairwell. I think it would be better if you come to Boston College and see it for yourself. Who knows? Maybe you'll see Boston College Parkour (BCPK) group training!

That's all I've got for now! Peace!

David
nguyenec@bc.edu

Saturday, February 20, 2010

February Recap

Hey all!

I've had quite a remarkable past couple weeks, for which I want to briefly share some highlights. Moving from the future, backwards:

Tomorrow: I'm going to see The Lion King at the Boston Opera House!

Yesterday: I went to the ALC Ball (AHANA Leadership Council) at Copley Plaza Hotel. They bused hundreds of students into the city for quite the night of semi-formal dance-floor mayhem (and lots of really good food)! A popular event every year, it certainly lived up to its reputation as being "like Prom, but in college!". Well done once again, ALC!

Last week: Much of my last week of class is a bit fuzzy in my memory, as between my three exams and a paper - analyzing the use of Goethe's Gretchen in Faust in the lieder (songs) of Franz Schubert compared to that of Carl Loewe, in case you were wondering what it was about - all due in the first half of the week, I slept less than any human ever ought to (mostly due, of course, to my own procrastination). Still, I am loving all of my classes this semester, and I'm starting to feel like an actual college student. I'm not sure when this began, or how or why it is the case, but I'm just going to roll with it. And I'm falling in love once again - with Bapst Library.

Last weekend: An incredibly eye-opening experience at a Kairos weekend retreat. I won't get into details, because in case you ever end up going yourself, this retreat simply does not work if you already know anything about it.

Monday, Feb. 8th: Pretty exciting night, started with hundreds of Eagles packing onto a single T line train (MBTA) - which effectively prevented some of our opponents, the BU Terriers who live down the street, from getting on our train. Getting off in downtown Boston, we had to walk a bit to the TD Bank Garden for the BC/BU Beanpot Tournament Championship hockey game. While the game was incredibly close towards the end, BC held on for the 4-3 win! "We are!" - "B-C!"

Well, that's enough for now, I'll be back later in the week!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

The Calm Before the Storm

Hey Guys!

Well it's Thursday, which means the end of the week is in sight and some much needed days of relaxation are almost here. This week hasn't been too bad work wise because a lot of professors have chosen to take this time to review what has been covered because it's that time of the year when midterms are just around the corner. I can't believe that we are pretty much half way through the semester, which means I'm only another half a semester away until senior year. It's a crazy thought, and it all feels like it has gone by in the blink of an eye...

Thankfully, there are still a couple of months before I have to actually call myself a senior. What's even better is that this weekend is looking to be a great sports weekend for Boston College to help get my mind off the work that needs to be done. Saturday afternoon is tip off for BC Men's Basketball versus University of North Carolina. Conte Forum is going to be loud and rowdy around 12:00pm in a couple of days with a bunch of screaming Eagles rocking their Superfan shirts and cheering on the basketball team. School spirit is a huge part of being a BC student, and it's actually pretty cool seeing all of your classmates wearing their own custom Superfan shirt (a new slogan is tagged on the back of the Superfan shirts for each new class year; 2011: For Here All Are One) and screaming BC fight songs....and without question will include "Shipping up to Boston" and " For Boston". It's almost entertaining enough to help me forget that I have a mound of work awaiting to be completed before the weekend is up. It's not that bad though, at least when the next week is over it'll be Spring Break!

This Spring Break I've decided to partake in a pretty cool program BC offers called Appalachia Volunteers. Appalachia is a program that is committed to working with the poverty stricken population of the United States. For the entire week an enormous amount of BC students who signed up gets split into smaller groups and are assigned a job sites throughout the US to help out with. It could be a Habitat for Humanity site in North Carolina or Bethlem Farm in West Virginia where I'm off to. I'm probably not doing this program justice so if you want to read up on it just click here!

All right, looks like it's time to get to class.

Till next time,
Juan

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Almost Snow Day

Good Evening Blog Enthusiasts!

I am blogging from Bapst Library's Gargan Hall (Boston College's 24 hour study space) during a break from studying for my Intro to African American Society exam that is tomorrow. I believe this is my first blog post from Bapst Library and let me just tell you, it is my favorite place on campus. I LOVE Bapst Library. In fact, I feel kind of funny if I don't get to come here in a 24 hour period (some might call that an addiction, I just call it dedication).

So it is February already! Scary for a second semester senior, especially one with her thesis project looming over her! My adviser was just featured in the Boston Globe in an article talking all about the seismic hazard of New England, which is pretty exciting. I worked on my thesis all yesterday and feel pretty good about where I am, though I will have to do a little more research using Boston College's Weston Observatory and New England Seismic Network. For now I will try to keep my academic life balanced with all the fun I want to be having for my last semester at BC.

And now a brief recap of some of that fun...

These past two Mondays marked the nights of the great Boston tradition of THE BEANPOT! What is the Beanpot? The Beanpot is a hockey tournament between Boston's 4 "hockey schools:" Boston University, Boston College, Harvard University, and Northeastern University. BC played Harvard in the first round last week and played extremely well with a 6-1 finish! We progressed to the Championship Game against our biggest rival, Boston University, last night to make a run for the Beanpot! We played an amazing game; and, even with a 3rd period scare, were able to pull off a huge 4-3 win over the Terriers!

The games are played at TD Banknorth Garden (home of the Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins) and is the most insane, energetic, spirited atmosphere I have ever experienced! I have been all four years and it truly does not disappoint. The student sections are always stacked and we all scream cheer after cheer after cheer to motivate our team and drown out the competition! It is a fantastic Boston tradition, and is really one of my favorite parts of being a BC student.

You can read all about it here: http://bceagles.cstv.com/sports/m-hockey/recaps/020910aaa.html

Alright, my break is over and I'm off to a meeting and then a group study session. Everyone have a great evening, and GO EAGLES!

Caroline Wilkinson

Sunday, January 24, 2010

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