MUFASA!

Hey dudes and dudettes!

What's up? First post guys! Yes! I'm David Nguyen from Cushing TWO Newton! It's the place to be! Alright, enough of the exclamation marks. So quick bio of me:

- I am part of the FRESHMAN Class of 2013
- Psychology Major with Pre Med
- Clubs I am involved in: Parkour Group, Chinese Student Association (CSA), Vietnamese Student Association (VSA), and Southeast Asian Students Association (SEASA)

I had my interview for Freshman Representative in CSA today. I was ten minutes late for it because I thought the interview was in Campion, and that was the wrong building. But I just finished watching the Lion King with my dorm, which made it all better. It is an amazing movie as all of you know.

If you have any questions about Pre-Med or any of the groups I am in, feel free to send me email at nguyenec@bc.edu.

Alright guys, peace out!

-David

From MY freshman year to YOUR freshman year

Hey all,

Here it is in early April, and depending on where you are at school right now, you may have anywhere from three to ten weeks left of high school. Everyone here at BC, however, has a mere three weeks before finals begin, a week of finals, then off we go into the early summer, eagerly awaiting the day we get to return to the Heights.

For me especially, coming back is going to be great. We "won" the housing lottery, as is an appropriate expression, and 7 of my friends and I managed to get an 8-person suite in Walsh, on Lower Campus (a long shot more convenient than Newton, but I will miss the more comfortable atmosphere). Many people were not as lucky: though one of my roommates right now had a group of 8 that also got it, my other two present roommates (in the same group) didn't get 8-man rooms, and today also missed out on the 4 person apartments. They have one more chance, then may end up on Upper Campus, in the sophomore section on College Road (fondly dubbed "Co-Ro"). Wish them luck with Lower!

It also seems to be time for me to put in a shameless plug for the marching band; we get to come back early for band camp in August (which, for perspective, takes more energy than my football doubles in high school). If you can play an instrument, it's a great way to meet people, practice playing, and keep busy early in freshmen year. You are also welcome to look into it if you decide to go to any college in the Boston area!

AND, just in case you didn't realize it, the deadline for deciding on a college is swiftly approaching. I know how much a struggle that can be, and being (relatively) fresh out of the process, feel free to shoot me an email with any question/comments/concerns, or about really anything. Best wishes and Happy (late) Easter!

Adieu for now!

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

Chemistry goop and other such goings-on

Well hey there!

So, chemistry lab today was probably the most fun I have had in science lab since the fourth grade. We were studying polymers and their properties – translation, we made different kinds of goop, then played with them. I just wanted to share this awesome experience with the world.

Yesterday was a big day for me, I got to office hours of two of my professors for the first time, both of which were extremely helpful (office hours = optional periods where students can come in and ask professors any questions; often regarding class, but not always – Professor Wolfman of General Chemistry talked about the closely-kept secret U2 concert being held nearby). Since I am still up in the air about what major(s) I want to pursue, I am trying to poke around a bit more thoroughly. Though my general biology lecture is around 200 students (the only larger class I have heard of on campus is an economics lecture) and general chemistry just under 100, the professors are great in small-scale office discussions. Most, if not all, professors hold office hours every week at various times. And since I came back this semester with a new drive to get everything I can out of this education, office hours and TA (teaching assistant) discussion sections are invaluable.

Unfortunately, while I would love to stay and talk more about my classes and how to choose them (PEPs are key – student reviews of many teachers throughout the university), and to continue playing with synthesized goop, I have to run to band and dinner, after which I will be reading Rousseau, writing Harmonic progressions in preparation for a take-home midterm exam, quickly going over our chemistry chapter for our quiz tomorrow, and beginning a paper on Calvin’s place in modern philosophical thought. Those Jesuit ideals of a liberal arts education and rounded character not exactly ignored here at BC.

So, until next post!
Joe

Hello all,

I just returned to the Heights from an exciting weekend in New Jersey with the BC Figure Skating Club Team. We were competing at the 2009 Eastern Sectionals Synchronized Skating Championships, or so it says on the gold medal hanging from my neck. Wait? Did I say gold medal? Yes, I did. We won.

Something you will learn quickly at BC is that the motto "Ever to Excel" really rings true, as corny as it sounds. People here are not just excellent students, but they also are amazingly talented outside of the classroom. Take my lovely floor of Gonzaga as a microcosm for the campus. We have two varsity swimmers, a hockey player, a lacrosse player, two girls who sing in the Chorale, one of whom has just been cast in the spring musical (congrats), almost an entire intramural volleyball team, and two members of varsity crew; and that's just from the top of my very sleep-deprived head. My point is that as a university we're good at what we do. Now, what if you don't play a varsity sport? That's where club sports and intramural sports come in. If you get your "exercise" fix from hiking up the Million Dollar Stairs, then no fear there are many people on my hall alone that feel the same way.

So back to the competition. What a blast. It was my first synchro competition; I skated singles through high school and I loved it. The highlight I would say was singing "For Boston" right before we stepped on the ice to compete and having the ice monitor, a BC alum, join in. When you are walking around in BC gear, it still amazes me how many people approach you or yell "Go Eagles!!!" which happened several times in the airport. I would like to say that once an Eagle, always an Eagle rings true here. Beyond that it was great getting to spend so much time with my teammates. The win was more the cherry on the sundae if you will.

So that's all I've got for now folks. I'm heading off to a FACES meeting in a few and need to get ready. TTFN.

Kristin

Spring Awakening?

The spring semester is beginning, and while not exactly warm and relaxing, it has started with some pretty sweet moments.

First, and most importantly, of course: it is absolutely prime sledding season. Though the weather is WICKED cold, everyone came back from break with nice warm winter gear, which I enjoyed seeing after having waved goodbye to a friend going home to California in flip flops. Seriously, though – it’s winter. It’s supposed to be cold. Good old Mother Nature dropped a foot or so of snow, which I naturally had to shovel, being home for the holidays. Now, many have found hills around campus, especially here on Newton, to get trays and sleds out and fly down in all kinds of creative - and slightly insane - ways.


We started classes a week ago; we have until tomorrow when Add/Drop period ends to finalize our schedules, and I am still moving around in my schedule. So far so good, though – my professors are great and class times are really quite convenient.

I just went to a meeting for College Bowl, similar to Academic Bowl apparently, which I was never part of, but it deals with trivia. Last night was Zombie, Pirate and Ninja themed night. I hope to go to Laser Tag this Saturday at the O’Connell House, the center of freshmen social life on Upper, and maybe back into the city – my friends and I visited the Museum of Fine Arts for free, since we go to BC. Other extracurriculars abound, and I just applied for a job with the IT support staff.

In Organisms and Populations class, we learned that a blue whale’s testicles weigh over a ton, but a fruit fly has the largest sperm, longer in fact than its body… and this actually related to the lesson in evolutionary progress. In chemistry, we passed around blocks of dry ice that could freeze our fingers off if we held them for too long. Cold potato, anyone? In my philosophy/theology class, we discussed the various college-life habitats, the mating and courting patterns of freshmen, and social structure based on a BAC of 16.7 (or something ridiculous) and the goal of college students in general being able to replace their blood entirely with alcohol. Believe me, these classes are not boring – and far from being inapplicable to life. Except maybe the biology facts… but as a lesson, make sure to put plenty of effort into choosing courses at any school. The teacher can make or break your future in that subject.

Anyway, that’s it for now, I am not envying those that have to go through the selection and application process, though I do sympathize. Good night and good luck!

Joe M.