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

Hot Topics at BC

What's up ladies and gents?

Life at Boston College... at least that's what this blog is suppose to be about. Other than the tests, quizzes, the large amounts of reading, and so on, it's college! Oh except for these things some professors make you use called "iClickers" (shown on right). These little devices can be used for in-class quizzes, homework checks (making sure you did the reading), and it can ALSO be used as to keep attendance. Thanks Apple!

So lately there has been an uproar in campus about interracial communications at BC. According to the Heights, BC's independent student newspaper, Boston College is ranked 17th in "Little Class/Race Interaction" in the Princeton Review. This issue was further was raised when a freshman wrote an article in The Observer, one of BC's political student newspapers, about how Caucasian people are being excluded from ethnic groups. This article got a lot of attention from the student body, especially from the non-white student population. And a lot of these students are mad.

When you talk about race, you are bound to get a lot of raised eyebrows because it is such a sensitive topic in the US. Now, there are people writing in response to this article, and to another similar article written in the Heights. Panels are planned to discuss the issue. Open discussions, like the one tonight, are likely to attract a lot many people.

Now why are so many people interested, mad, happy or confused about this issue? There are many reasons. The positive things that do stem from this are:

1. When something happens at Boston College and it sparks interest in the student body, there is action and it won't rest until whatever the event is has come to peace.
2. The Boston College community actually cares about what students have to say and wants to discuss these things further. I am confident in saying that students and faculty do come together to discuss issues of interest.
3. College Students read the newspaper. Let's be honest. In this technological era, TV media is the primary source of news, but nothing is better than fine print.

Oh and the one thing I'm really sad about is that I was not able to go hear a child soldier from Uganda come and speak at BC, sponsored by InterVarsity. I really wanted to go, but Bio kept me away and now I am sad that I didn't go because I heard that it was amazing. Next time; I need to stop procrastinating.

Later!

One week!

Hello!

Sorry it's been so long, so much has been going on! I'm one week away from the big day-- Marathon Monday! Although I'm a little disappointed I won't be partaking in the festivities on campus, I'm really looking forward to hitting that 21 mile mark and running past all the screaming Boston College fans. As I've mentioned before, I'm running with the Campus School Volunteers, along with about 150 other BC students. I'm very excited - but will be very relieved when it's over!

Now that I'm completely done with midterms for the semester (I had 3 right before spring break!), I'm on the home stretch of this school year. Class registration happened last week, and luckily I got into most of the classes I needed/wanted to take. It's weird to think 2 years of college are already over - and some of my friends are going abroad next semester, which is also weird to think about. England, Scotland, Sweden, China... they'll be everywhere! Last week was also the housing lottery - I found out I'll be living in a 4-man in Edmond's! There were 8 of us, but with 5 people going abroad in the Spring, we figured it would be better to block two 4-mans. It should be great.

Tomorrow night I have club field hockey practice (in preparation for our game at Brandeis) and an Irish Society Movie Night-- Boondock Saints!

Well, until next time,
Megan

Ommmm...

Hello again,

Week's recap: Wednesday, got a chem test back - improved from last test by 27%! Thursday's chem lab went relatively well, though my partner and I were last out. Ear-training and sight-singing lab (required for music majors, open to all) went well, though I pity those around me who have to hear me sing.

Friday: in-class chem quiz I definitely needed to have studied for more (two quick questions, I got at least one right). Bio exam went well, and Perspectives quiz on Kant was all right. Friday night, silly friends and I built a bed-sheet fort in the study lounge of Keyes, hung out there all night.

Saturday: went to see BC bOp! jazz ensemble perform at biggest show of year - it was phenomenal (they compete and perform internationally). This was followed by two hours of ice skating in the hockey rink in Conte, put on by UGBC - lots of fun!

This is clearly the time of year that Student Admissions starts working overtime. The trees start to shake off the winter with little buds and beginnings of leaves, those all-important letters are being sent to and fro all across the country, and excited and - if at all like me - extremely confused high school seniors start trekking around the globe (or so it seems) to figure out what they want to do next year. For the past weeks and in ever-increasing numbers, BC students get to watch potential fellow Eagles wander around campus wondering what it is that makes our school so great.

Looking back now, I am amazed that it has already been a year since I was doing the same.

I just want to offer what advice I have, being fresh out of the dreaded Common App system: take it easy for a bit. It's always good to sift through data and tour schools and think about pros and cons or however you're trying to make a decision, but your mind and your life can't take too much of that. Take an hour a week or so to just sit back and relax: pray, meditate, write a poem, go for a jog; a general brain de-tox. It will help enormously in the overall process.

One other, more concrete tip: when it comes to choices, reactions can speak louder than anything: put the schools you're considering in a hat, pull them out one-by-one and see how you feel the instant you read it. Relieved? Check it as possible. Very disheartened? Reconsider it. Obviously not a perfect method, but it helped me out.

Good luck, and I can't wait to see any of you around campus, visiting, or perhaps, studying?

Joe

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 :)

The snow lay on the ground...

So, this morning I was awoken by my roommate at 9:30 because it was snowing. Great white fluffy bits of sky were falling outside my window. The excitement was palpable.

I went down to McElroy to grab some food with a friend from my hall. After that I came back to my room and started my last chemistry homework of the semester before another friend texted me and asked if I would go to Mac with her; always up for food and prolonging any work, I obliged. After a french fry fueled discussion of the weekend's events, we decided we should go back up to Gonzaga and try to get some work done, it being finals week and all.

Back in my room, I make some raspberry tea and snuggle up under a blanket to check my email, then my Facebook, then the yoga schedule, then my Facebook and email again in case anything had changed. After feeling as if I had wasted enough time, I decided to start planning out my study schedule. We only have one more day of class tomorrow (Monday), and then two study days before finals week. Then I decided you, as a prospective student at Boston College, would love to hear about my day thus far and wrote this blog entry.

Tonight, I'll probably go to Mac again to grab some dinner and then possibly to a coffee shop near campus for an a cappella show and then Christmas Mass on Lower. It all depends on how much work I accomplish in the next few hours.

Until we speak again,

Kristin

A Day in the Life of a Math Major

Monday, December 1

• 8:57AM- My alarm goes off. I hit snooze after exactly one second of "Accidentally in Love" by Counting Crows.
• 9:06AM- My alarm goes off again. I hit snooze again.
• 9:11AM- I finally roll out of bed, wrap myself in my blanket, turn off my alarm, and sit at my computer.
• 9:23AM- I realize I should probably stop Facebooking and start getting ready for the day. I grab some clothes and hop in the shower.
• 9:36AM- I'm back at my computer again. Whoops!
• 9:42AM- I head out of my building, across the parking lot and up through the parking garage elevator. I'm just not feeling the Million Dollar Stairs today.
• 9:58AM- I arrive in Fulton for my Abstract Algebra class just in time to get back the exam we had before Thanksgiving break, and then settle in for some note-taking.
• 10:52AM- My roommate and I arrive in Hillside, snatch a table (surprisingly, there are some empty ones today!) and get in line for sandwiches. One of my friends who works there makes me a fantastic chicken club with lots of honey mustard, and I take an extra side to go with my frips (fries+chips=...). Honey mustard is heaven, but I could seriously live off of honey mustard with frips.
• 11:28AM- Realize I didn’t finish my Probability homework. Take out said homework, realize I actually had finished it after all, and put it away again.
• 11:47AM- Roomie and I arrive in our Probability classroom to get our ideal seats, and also start taking down the notes the professor has already put on the boards while discussing the He Said/She Said column of The Heights.
• 12:53PM- Head over to Carney to tutor in the Math Lab for a couple hours, and spend some time grading math homework for Calc 2 when no one needs tutoring.
• 3:00PM- Run back to Edmond’s to grab my ID and blood donor card so I can go to the blood drive.
• 3:30PM- Check in at the blood drive in Gasson, work on a paper while I wait, then donate blood, eat some cookies and drink some juice. For some reason, cookies at blood drives are fantastic. Maybe it’s the lack of blood.
• 5:00PM- Meet up with my aunt for a while, have some nice conversations.
• 5:50PM- Meet up with a classmate to work on our Psychology project. Spend an hour or so analyzing our data and talking. Her room in 90 is fantastic, I’m very jealous of her bay windows.
• 7:54PM- Arrive back in my room, and start trying to read for my Psych exam I have on Thursday. One of my friends comes by to show me the BC Men’s Ice Hockey poster, and point out where we are on it. We look at the poster for a good fifteen minutes or so, discussing how cheesy and poorly photo shopped it is, but how much we enjoy it anyways.
• 8:11PM- She leaves and I start reading again.
• 8:23PM- Another friend comes in to talk about Christmas present ideas. We finally figure out what she should get, and I finish my last page of reading.
• 8:49PM- I head next door to Walsh to do some work and hang out with two of my sophomore friends. One of them puts in a load of laundry, and we go back to her room to talk and look over the script proposals for the CCE's next murder mystery comedy show. Very little work is accomplished.
• 11:18PM- We realize the laundry has been left in the washing machine for at least an hour extra, and run down to put it in the drier. I make her use her Eagle card to buy me some Reeses Cups. Go back upstairs and proceed to spend an hour watching youtube videos, including Disney Sing-along Songs. We keep an eye on her laundry this time using LaundryView on the UGBC website.
• 12:40AM- When my friend goes down to get her laundry, I decide I should head home and go to bed. Arrive back in my room to find a note from my roommate on my desk saying "I like your face." Leave her a note that says "I like your face more," and go to bed.