Hello everyone!
I am only a week away from summer and I know some of you are already enjoying the rays of the sun and relaxing without any homework or papers to write. It is still surreal to me that school is ending in a week and I will have completed my first year of college! During these past few weeks I have had so much to get done, but I also have attended some great events. First, I had the opportunity to participate in Habitat for Humanity, where we volunteered to help this program finish some tasks they had. This was a great opportunity because not only did it help me bond with my supervisors and peers, but also we helped people who needed our assistance. Another event I attended was, “Noche de gala.” This was an event to award many Latinos on their achievements throughout the year, but before they gave out awards they had traditional Mexican music and food for enjoyment. After all of these events and fun times with great people, it has now come the time to start looking for a new home. As of right now my roommates and I are looking for a place to live next year and it so hard to find an apartment, because many places will not start showing their apartments until school is out. Looking for a new place comes with so many emotions that I never thought I would have because I didn’t realize the attachment I had to my dorm and the friends/neighbors I created in the Finley Hall. Next year is going to be so different and it still hasn’t sunk in that I won’t be seeing these people everyday and I won’t be able to just walk down the hall and be able to socialize or study with them. When I leave here I will truly feel as if I am leaving something great behind, but at the same time I am excited for the new adventure with my new roommates. This year has been such a blast and the ending is bitter sweet for me because even though I can not wait until this week is over, I will not see my new friends for months and they are like my second family. Living in the dorms has helped me create this new family and I think everyone should have this experience and opportunity. Also, living in the dorms your first year gives you the comfort and knowledge of where everything is located on campus. I have had so many experiences this year I don’t know if I could pick a favorite memory to share with all of you, but I will say that one my favorites memories was going snowboarding with my friends I made through a program here on campus known as the college assistance migrant program (CAMP). Through that I found a new sport I really enjoy and became closer with my peers in CAMP. Well I hope that everyone has an awesome summer and that Oregon State becomes your school of choice!
Lizeth Ochoa
Many people believe that college changes you and to a certain point I agree with them. When I first came to Oregon State I was still very immature about the way I saw certain things and thought that school was going to be all about going out and having fun, but I can say that I was very wrong. Although college has been hard work it has helped me grow and become more independent.
During my first term I learned that college was going to be hard work and it was not going to be like in high school where if you did something wrong it would not matter, because here you learn that if you don’t do something there is nothing you can do that is going to make the professors change their mind, unless it is a valid excuse. For example if you miss a midterm or final because you slept in your professors will not give you another time where you can make it up, it will go in as a zero and affect your grade tremendously. Also, when you come to college there is thousands of people who you share campus with. We are all different people who have different traditions, language, beliefs, and personalities and you have to be respectful and learn to appreciate the diversity OSU is representing.
Now going into my third term I am much more opened to people, I am responsible for my own actions and don’t blame what I have not done or have done on other people, I am not angry when things don’t go my way, and am much more independent. I do not want to make any of you nervous to come to college because I think this is a one in a lifetime opportunity that not everyone gets to have. OSU teaches you to mature as an adult and without being here learning to think for myself and going through new experiences I would not be the person I am today. With this new confidence I have gained the skills to meet people on campus who have helped me feel more connected to campus.
I hope everyone has a wonderful week and they choose their college to be Oregon State University.
~Lizeth
Hi Everyone
For the past two weeks it has been nonstop homework and studying, but now that I have started to meet different people on my floor they have been able to help me with the problems I have been having with my homework. Winter term has flown by also, in just three weeks we will be going home, and once again be reunited with our families. I have missed mine so much and this term has been tougher than the last. This week I attended the 20th annual recycle fashion show. If you ever attend Oregon State University I think it is an event that everyone must go and see. They had all kinds of awesome and very well designed outfits and dresses. There was a large spectrum of how the designs were made. They ranged from a Caprisun dress to a bridal gown. My personal favorite was the bridal gown, which was made from dryer sheets! The designer used the dryer sheets to make origami roses to make the bottom of the dress and made over 500 of them. It was a well-organized event and I enjoyed it a lot. As I am writing this write now tsunami waves are hitting Hawaii and I hope everyone makes it out ok. Have a good weekend!
Lizeth
Hi everybody!
I can’t tell you how much this weekend is needed! This week was very stressful. I had a ton of homework, which is never ending and is piling up as I type. It is scholarship time again and I have not started any yet. It puts a lot of stress on you because on top of having that on your mind you have your schoolwork, meetings, and work on your mind. Don’t let all this work scare you though because at the end of the day this is an opportunity some people in the world would kill to have. This chapter in your life is also where new experiences happen and where you will make relationships that last you a lifetime. I am very fortunate to have met people that will help me in anyway they can. OSU is a very “homie” place where you feel welcomed and I know I say that a lot, but I can’t say it enough. This place has already matured me so much and has shown me that the things you want and desire in life are hard work and don’t come easy. While you are doing all this work the time flies by, without you even noticing, we are already half way through our winter term and I feel that we just arrived and started last week. This feeling is insane and sometimes makes me feel emotional because to think that I am actually doing this, going to college, and am going to have a degree someday just makes this experience a thrill and a ride of a lifetime. I hope you all decide to go to college and have the same opportunity I had. Well, I hope you all have a good and safe weekend.
Lizeth
Hi everyone:
The upcoming week is going to be my fourth week back, since the winter break, and the start of midterms once again. Last term was very stressful trying to balance all my time with the activities I was doing and the amount of homework I received. This term I think is going to feel less of a workload, although it is not, because I now know what to expect and have found the way to manage my time wisely, while still investing a large portion of time into my studies. I feel like I belong here at OSU and for the next four or five years this town is going to be the place I call home. When I went home for the winter break I felt more matured and that I connected more with my family and the friends who didn’t have the opportunity to go to college. I feel I understand my parents more and why they make the decisions they do. I am really grateful for them and am so happy they pushed me as hard as they did, so that I could do the best I could in school, to get me where I am today. I am excited to see what this term is going to be like and hope for many new adventures and experiences. Have a great weekend,
Lizeth
Well this term is finally over and I am now in my hometown, Brookings, Oregon. It feels awesome and great to know that I have finished my first term in college with straight A’s, and that I survived the emotional rollercoaster that college puts people through. When I finished my last final I felt overwhelmed with happiness and also felt no more stress, because I knew I was going to get to go home and enjoy the company of my family. When I arrived at home for the second time since the beginning of the school year it made me feel so good. I really missed my family and their crazy way of being and doing things. My mom cooks me my favorite meals and really shows me how much she has missed me over the few months I have been gone. When I went back to my high school, to watch a basketball game, it felt different and weird to be back again and see the changes while I was away, but it was good to see my old teammates and other friends and just be able to catch up and talk. Being away from OSU is a relief because I don’t have to think about homework, tests, papers, and all the other activities college requires. I do miss the friends I made and the independence I had in OSU, but I will be there soon and have all those things again. Now that I am home I am taking it pretty easy, relaxing, and catching up on the sleep I missed doing assignments and studying for tests. Overall, my first term in college was a success. I made many memories and friends, accomplished my goals for the term, gained new experiences being a student and an intern for university housing and dining services, and learned new techniques to succeed in school. I also discovered that college is not a scary place where everyone tries to make your life difficult. It is a place where you grow as an individual, find out who you really are, and expand your knowledge. College is hard most of the time, but after experiencing all the great things I have I would never want to go back to high school. Well I hope everyone has a great Christmas and a Happy New Years!
Lizeth
(Lizeth & Tay, before “The Event”)
Hi everyone! This week has been a very stressful one, but also has had some exciting activities occur. DEAD WEEK is what OSU calls the week before finals. During dead week there is no time to waste because studying, homework, and meetings take over your life. Everyone is tired and stressed by Friday. The semi-good news is that the upcoming week is the last week of the term and the following week you get to go home. Also, during this week, there were a couple of events, which were really fun. The first was called “The Event” it was a dance, put on by our hall council, which is similar to a high school homecoming. It gave us the chance to relax and not think about finals or homework and to let us dress up and not forget that college is not always about work. It is also about finding new friends and new experiences. The other event I went to was cultural, but reminded me of home. It is called “Posada Night” and in Mexican culture it is a tradition to sing, eat, and pray during the last two weeks of December. Well, I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and enjoys the Holidays.
Lizeth
Hello everyone!
I wanted to apologize for not updating my blogs. It has been really hard for me trying to get into the rhythm of school, but I have figured out how to manage my time wisely and balance my school, friends, and family. Well, today I wanted to talk about going home and how it has affected me to not get to go home since I first arrived at OSU. Today, November 24,2009, is the first day I am going to be home since September 12, 2009. You might not think that is a long time, but the longest amount of time I had spent away from home was two weeks, I have been away from home two months and twelve days and am now starting to feel the effects of being away from my family, friends, and the stability I once had at home. At the same time I now know that I can make it on my own. Independence is a trait everybody has to challenge at some point in their lives and going to a university, community college, trading school, or any other type of commitment that takes you away from where you are comfortable, is a fear a lot of people have. I am happy that I got this opportunity to be away from home and to see how I overcame this challenge and how it built me up and made me become a person. During the time I have been at Corvallis I have learned to be patient, confident, and optimistic when things don’t go my way. You always have to keep on going forward and looking ahead. The past cannot be fixed, but the future can always be molded into your dreams and desires. I wanted to leave all of you a quote to think about over Thanksgiving Break: “Anyone can give up, it’s the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that’s true strength.”- Author Unknown. Have a good Thanksgiving Break, eat a lot of turkey, and spend a lot of time with loved ones.
~Lizeth
Hello Everyone!
I hope everyone had a good and fun Halloween weekend. College has really been going by fast. I am already looking for my new classes and seeing my advisor to talk about my career path. My life in Finley Hall has been really fun and has been a whole new experience. Living here is like gaining a whole new family, who helps you through the ups and downs of college. The resident director, J, and the resident assistant’s have really done a great job putting on events for us.
During the weekdays they have two separate rooms where we can hangout, do homework, play ping-pong or pool, or just watching some movies. They also have a piano, who some people decide to play and helps relax you during stressful times, like midterms. For academics and knowledge about global issues they hold tutoring sessions, awareness talks, and many other resources where you can get the most from your college.
During the weekends the hall council, who are students, makes decision on what happens during the weekends. There are Halloween and Southside dances, sport events, movie nights, and this weekend they are making all sorts of pancakes, which we get to eat watching cartoons J. It can’t get any better than that. It is just like home sweet home. Events like these also provide a chance for you to make new bonds with people whom you have not met yet.
Well I hope you all have a good weekend!
-Lizeth
Well now it is about to be my fifth week of college and understand why people get really stressed out during midterms. Living on campus has really helped me out this week. You might be wondering, “how does living on campus help you with midterms?” Living on campus you can get a support and study system that you could have difficulty finding off-campus. Last week I studied with my friends and when I was stressed they would always cheer me up and push me to keep going. The campus also provides a sense of safety, stability, and getting to know places around campus. Oregon State University has many faculty members that are willing to help you whenever you are feeling lost and homesick. The campus might look big now but once you are here and walking around, it will feel just like any other school.
My transition to OSU has been really smooth. I feel welcomed and to be honest I don’t feel homesick at all. Everyone welcomes you with open arms. A big part of that is because I am living on campus. If I lived off campus I would still be getting lost and would have to worry about transportation and meeting new people. Since I live in the dorms I have many friends that are taking the same classes or have taken them already. We form our own study group and help one another. It helps a lot when we have questions on the homework or for some reason we couldn’t make it to the class we can rely on getting the notes from each other. Transportation as we all know is annoying, but on campus it doesn’t matter because all the dorms are within walking distance to classes. I live in the farthest dorm and I can get to Kidder, which is across campus, in ten minutes. Everyone is walking or riding their bikes too so you don’t feel left out either. Off campus you have to use a car, which depending on the type of vehicle, spends a lot of money on gas. The bus sometimes can be reliable but sometimes things come up and you’re late to the bus stop and miss it. Then you are stuck on what to do and on top of that you missed your class.
I know from personal experience that if you live on campus your transition to your college is going to be better and your worries are going to be less than if you live off campus. I hope you all have a wonderful week and have a Happy Halloween.
