HECTIC WEEK

    So as many of you know, last week began with Easter weekend. However, it culminated with finals week...


    First off, I was actually extremely happy with what I wore for Easter. If any of you know me in the slightest, I'm NOT one to dress up at all, so coming up with this was a huge feat.

    It was great catching up with family and watching the boys in their Easter Egg hunt. I never realized quite how much of a family person I am until this year at university. When you're on your own, the times you see your family (even if you get to often as with my case) can do so much. I try not to take them for granted. The view is always pretty sick at my grandparents house too.

    Like I said, the week ended with finals. I really only had two big exams, but when I say big, I really mean HUGE. Both cumulative, I had a Physics exam on Tuesday and a Calculus II exam on Thursday. I probably could've studied more for Physics, but I studied for a straight 10 or so hours for Calculus. I guess this is what I get for studying engineering, huh? 

    Besides exams, it was a strange week saying goodbye to some people. After spending nine months with these people, seeing them almost every day, the bonds built are something else. It's hard seeing some of them go, even if it is for just a couple of months. I'm one of those people who might not say it too often, but I truly am grateful for my surroundings in life. 

    I'm trying to keep this pretty short - just an update on the last week or so. I made a Year in Review video to document some of the awesome events in the past year of mine!

    Thanks for reading!

-Alli

9 Underrated Items To Have At University

So I've been wanting to do this post for a while now. Throughout a year in the dorms, I've found these items to come in handy for a variety of different reasons. I thought I'd share some of these items and reasons in no specific order.

1. STAPLER. Do not forget a stapler. I forgot it first semester and I was always running to the library in between classes to staple papers together. It would usually result in me being late for class too. Of all the items, this is probably the most school-practical. Make sure you remember staples for it too!

2. PAPER CLIPS. Before having my stapler, these were my life savers. However, despite helping with assignments, they also kept me pretty organized through the year. Anyone who knows me knows that I like to have myself together. My desk isn't always the neatest, but these bad boys and a folder kept me pretty well off. In addition, if you buy any posters, you can clip these to the ends when they're rolled up rather than using tape that could harm the poster.

3. PUSH PINS. Even if you don't have a cork board, there's still a use for these. On my side of the dorm room, I have a calendar, a flag, a bandana, and a Naruto headband all hanging purely by use of push pins. I never thought I'd use them to hang stuff up, but I was scrambling one day and started using them. The good thing is that they don't peel off paint.

4. TAPE. It's pretty self explanatory the many uses of tape. However, I never would've expected to use it as frequently as I did or in such a strange way as I did this year. Obviously, I used it for hanging things up, but I also used it to mend a whoopee cushion and make a sled. Yes, a sled.

5. BAND AIDS. Okay, so I went through a whole pack of bandaids this year. With soccer in the fall, I would have blisters or turf burn all the time, so I would grab a bandaid, use some Neosporin and be on my way. However, girls, I HAVE NEVER CUT MYSELF SHAVING MORE THAN IN COLLEGE. I have no idea why, but it's literally every other week, and when I do, it's like I just created the Red Sea. So, yes, bring bandaids - at least a pack of them.

6. STAMPS. Before I came to university, I asked one of the seniors on the team about items I should bring with me. Stamps she said. I didn't think that I would use stamps too much being a local kid, but I was wrong. I had to mail basic letters and I even had to priority ship papers which used at least sixteen stamps. You never realize how important stamps are until you're shipping Skyline chili to Tennessee. Not to mention, they're expensive.

7. TWEEZERS. When you live in a room of four girls, tweezers are important. I'm not exactly sure what urged me to bring them with me, but they've definitely come in handy. If anything, they'll help get out a splinter too. 

8. NAIL CLIPPERS. So this one is probably more of a hygiene thing for me, but I've used this more than I thought I would. Not everyone has the same ideas about nail clipping, but personally, it was useful. 

9. MULTI-TOOL. Finally, the item I would consider most useful. This came in handy so much. For those who don't know what a multi-tool is, it's basically a pocketknife that has pliers, a screwdriver, and other tools depending on which one you have. I've had to assemble a shelving unit, disassemble and reassemble a skateboard, fix two fans, and countless other little tasks where I used this. Plus, a lot of multi-tools have scissors included. Now, that said, a lot of schools don't allow knives on campus as they can be a weapon. Be sure to check these policies. 

That's it! Let me know if you agree or disagree and if there are any other items that you think should be on this list from your experience!

Expedition University.

January 13, 2014

EXPEDITION UNIVERSITY.

I’ve learned a lot in my short time at university. Clearly about my field, but more significantly about myself and about my perspectives. I came into university as a Division I student-athlete majoring in Physics. Now, I’m not playing anymore and am an Aerospace Engineering major.  I knew early on in the semester that I was interested in engineering and wanted to change majors, so that didn’t come as much of a surprise. Rather, it was more of a game making sure I had the right credentials to apply and get accepted into the program.  However, in no way, shape or form did I foresee the end of my soccer career. 

About October of my fall semester I tried to focus on figuring out what the next steps were in order to pursue the field I wanted and to get the most out of that in order to best prepare me for ‘real life’. I ran through every different possibility and realized that for the best opportunities in my field, it would be best if soccer didn’t play such a large role. Now this was no easy decision for me and in no way am I encouraging athletes to stop playing, but in my case, it happened to be the best decision for what I wanted to get out of my education and experiences.

With all of that being said, the biggest piece of advice I can give to anyone feeling overwhelmed about decisions or the affects of a certain decision is to reflect and listen. They can encompass a lot of different actions themselves, but for me, the most significant ways to do that are as follows:

GET TO KNOW YOURSELF.

For me, this is like meditation. It’s conscious reflection of who you are as a person. Learn to understand how and why you act the way you do. Figure out your values. Determine your commitment levels towards what you are involved in. And finally, think about your habits.  Think about your study habits, your exercise habits and more.  Your values, habits and commitment level can help to narrow down things that might be within or out of reach.

This might be hard for some people. For me, however, reflecting is in my nature, so it was genuinely easy being that I already had done it and had a good understanding of myself. I knew that my dedication for anything I set my mind to is high and my values help with that, so it became a question of what am I setting my mind to and whether it was too much?

THINK ABOUT YOUR INTERESTS.

Most people have a general idea of what they like to do. But I know in my case, I didn’t really think of what I would like to do. To figure this out think about all of the things you like and dislike.  This might not be too hard, but don’t discard it so easily. More than likely you’re missing something. Think about any past interests you had. Did you want to be an astronaut? There’s probably a reason for that. Figure out that reason, and realize why you had that interest. You might be shocked to find out you still are interested in that.

Thinking about what I had wanted to be growing up really helped me with this one. I had so many different phases, but after considering a lot of them, I began to see similarities. I had the astronaut phase, the doctor phase, the making planes phase, the pro athlete phase, etc. Each of these led me to realize that I want to make an impact, I want to create and I want to make things work. So then I thought more literally about what each was. Astronauts, making planes, the fact that I’ll stop just to watch a plane go by, my interest in space and the phase where all I would draw are spaceships and planes all led me to look at fields involving space and air. Knowing I liked to build things and be creative narrowed that down more. From there, I just had to prioritize my interests.

LEARN ABOUT YOUR MAJOR OR INTENDED MAJOR.

For those of us actually at university like me, I’ve found that this was pretty crucial. Research the coursework that your major requires. Really study this. Learn if you have to have an internship or a co-op. Learn if there are multiple ones required. Determine the types of classes that you’ll have to take and the workloads involved. You might have to take the full 18 credit hours every semester to graduate on time. Once you figure out the core subjects and workloads, think about your interests and past experiences. Is that something you are willing to commit yourself to?

With my intended majors narrowed down (I really only had one or two to pick from), I did some research on each and figured out what I’d have to do. I learned the length of the program, that my program has five co-ops, and is a lot of work. I scheduled my classes around what would help me get into those fields the best and went throughout my first semester, then applied and got accepted.

THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT.

It’s self explanatory, but not so easy. Continually ask yourself, “What do I want out of ___________, and why do I want it?” Everyone is different when it comes to this. For me, thinking ahead to when I would be out of college really helped me. You may or may not have the opportunities in the future that you do now. Think about what you want to get out of your education. Think about what you want to get out of the time you’re not in school. Think about what you want to get out of your career. Think about what you want to be able to look back on.

I knew only one thing for sure when it came to making my decisions – I want to travel. At the time when I was still playing, I knew I’d probably have to co-op (if I got accepted into the program I wanted). This, personally, was where everything got difficult. I knew I wanted to travel, but I wanted to play. However, I knew that the next semester, my school would get even harder and I really wanted to travel with my co-ops. This gave me two options: 1. Continue playing, dedicate a lot of time to both soccer and school and only be able to co-op in Cincinnati, or 2. Stop playing, dedicate all of my time to school and have the chance to travel with my co-ops.

TALK TO OTHERS.

Don’t try to do everything yourself. Chances are, you aren’t the only one going through this. Other people can provide great perspectives and even teach you things about yourself that you may not have realized. Be open (to an extent) about what you’re looking for. Discuss with your parents, especially if they’re funding any part of your life, about what you are thinking about changing or doing. It’s cliché but your parents really are a huge help. If you’re an athlete, talk to your coaches (past or present) and teammates. Talk to other classmates and advisors too. Your advisors can give some of the best advice on actions that need to be taken and if you have a classmate that is already in the program you’re thinking about, they might be able to give advice on the best way to prepare and succeed.

Some of my best advice came from talking and listening to others. It was good to learn how my parents felt about my decision and in this particular situation, what they’d need help funding. My teammates were also great resources. I talked to my roommates and one of the seniors on the team. The most helpful advice came from her.  She basically told me, ‘I’m all for doing what’s best for your career. If you were someone else, and you didn’t have what you have going for you, I might suggest reconsidering your decisions.’ This really made me realize all the things and possibilities I had going for me, which helped me make my decision.

Talking to my advisors helped me schedule out the following semester in the best way possible to prepare me for possible opportunities, other classmates that were already in the program were great references to get an idea on the coursework and what I was getting myself into and my coaches really helped me solidify my decision (to stop playing) but to keep me less-dramatically involved in one of the things I love.

__________________________________________________________________________

Like I mentioned above, chances are that you aren’t the only one going through this or that might go through it. Try to realize that and help others figure some of this out. They might not look at things the same way as you, so giving them another perspective can really help. Give them that, help them find other ways to think, and listen to them. Sometimes listening to them is one of the best things you can do. You never know what people may have gone through and you listening provides them a chance to get a lot off their chest.

The biggest thing is not to just go through the motions of the above, but to really spend time on each one in order to truly get the most of it. Each of these helped me get different perspectives on what was achievable (for me and for my surroundings) and how to achieve it. 

Gore Mountain. Beauty.

January 8, 2014

GORE MOUNTAIN. BEAUTY.

Over winter break I took a ski trip up to Gore Mountain with some of my family. It was a great time, and provided some amazing photos and video footage. Have a look!