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.

Campus events - ALC Showdown and the Bostonians!

Hey guys!

So I wanted to tell you all about this amazing campus event I went to on Friday. It's called the AHANA Leadership Council Showdown, and it features all the hottest dance clubs on campus, both cultural and technical, in a competition that no one wants to miss. Since its birth several years ago, the event has moved from the small Robsham Theatre to Conte Forum. It was an amazing display of talent, and showed how diverse our community truly is. It was amazing to see so many different cultural groups, from Brazilian to Indian to Hawaiian, all showing us what they have been working on. The dance groups were amazing. The step groups Sexual Chocolate, an all male step group, and F.I.S.T.S., an all female step group, were just fantastic. If you haven't seen step dancing, it is a sight not to be missed. The hip hop groups Synergy and Phaymus were also amazing, but my favorite was Synergy. They came in second place, leaving Fuego, the most spectacular Latino dance group, to come in first. For the cultural event, Masti, the Southeast Asian dance club, outperformed all others and came out on top. The intensity was really awesome, and with an attendance of about 3,000 people, you didn't want to be left out!

Saturday night was the Spring Cafe for the a Capella group the Bostonians. They are my favorite group on campus out of all the dancers and singers who perform. They are the oldest co-ed a Capella group and they are just phenomenal singers. Absolutely extraordinary. I've been to two shows, and both have rooms that are packed and dedicated fans who wouldn't miss the show for the world. It was an awesome weekend.

There is always so much to do on campus, and these are just a few of the events that occur. There are always events at the O'Connell House, the Rat, the Chocolate Bar, plus movie nights, theatre productions, comedy shows, and so much more. It's such an awesome place to be with never a dull moment. Of course, it's always nice to stay in with friends and pop in an old movie :)