Exam week is finally here.  During this week you can walk around campus and see people walking faster than normal, some studying flash cards every spare second they have and others spend their time isolated from the world in the art building.  Lucky for me I have spent the past 2 weeks in the art building every night.  Preparing CAD drawings, rendering perspectives, printing presentation boards and helping solve mini meltdowns.  As a senior I feel the responsibility of setting an example for future interior design students.  Setting a good example along with displaying good academic strategies for completing projects.  It is very important for designers to work with others because of the constant feedback that goes back and forth.  Having someone there to bounce ideas off of is very critical in the type of design that we are in.  Seeing the different perspectives is what design is all about.  Having the art building is such a wonderful privilege to be able to use their facilities. 

As first semester is winding down I am now realizing the challenges ahead.  These challenges are not related to academics, but to the “real world” that awaits me.  For the past four years I have been challenged in many different ways.  I have been challenged academically and socially.  In the academics area I have excelled beyond my imagination.  The mount and its faculty have given me the confidence to believe in myself and my dreams.  I have learned to never settle for my work being “ok”.  I strive to continually produce quality work, which meets my standards.  Although these standards are harder and higher than many others, I believe that is what has made me excel so much in college.  The mount is the perfect place to have enough space to develop into your own person, but have solid and well respected advice that surrounds you if you have questions.  I always proudly say that going to the mount was the best choice I had ever made. 

I have been anticipating Thanksgiving Break for about two weeks, and now it is finally here.  Although this break means I get to catch up on homework, it’s still a break from the everyday craziness that I go through.  Although this was a short week, the professors didn’t hesitate piling on the homework.  This is no surprise to me as I am a senior and expect these things.  I tried to accomplish a list of things that needed to be done by the end of break, which was mostly completed.   Over this holiday break I went on an exciting trip to Canton, Ohio for the Division 1 Ohio Football state competition.  My cousin David plays for the Elder Panthers so my family and I went to cheer them on, unfortunately they lost 28-20. Oh well it was a good break anyway.

Ring the Alarm………

The one thing that I will not miss when I graduate are the fire alarms.  The fire alarms here are usually because someone burnt popcorn.  Not only have you been woken up from a very deep sleep but it smells up the residence hall.  Usually when there is a fire alarm it happens around 2 am or 3am just when some or going to bed or when others are off dreaming in their sleep.  Last night I was abruptly woke from my sleep to the sound of a fire alarm and the unpleasant smell of burnt popcorn.  So as I always have I sleepily stumbled down the stairs outside to see people of the residence hall chatting away about the burnt popcorn and how cold they were.  Luckily the campus police let us inside after about 5 minutes because they knew the source of the alarm was burnt popcorn.  I then drudged up the stairs back to my room and thought I would finish a good night sleep with no other interruptions.  Well I was wrong around 4am the fire alarm sounded again and I refused to get up so I put the covers over my head and waited for the alarm to stop.  For future students, always go outside when the fire alarm goes off, because if you’re caught in your room during the alarm you get a big fine!  This is one of the many things that students can look forward too when staying on any college campus J   

Many people ask me why I am doing a Hospice facility as my thesis project.  Many think the project surrounds the idea of death, but they are wrong.  My thesis is a reflection of the continuation of life and living life to the fullest within certain limitations of the patient.  Although my main inspiration for this project is my grandma, I have realized that my education at the Mount has played an integral part in this decision.  Over the past four years I have been taught to serve others weather this was through my participation as an orientation leader, peer leader, leading a club or as a senator on SGA, all of these roles share one common theme service of others.  And a thesis should reflect what you have learned not only in your major but in other classes as well.  I take much pride in feeling that my project has substance and has the potential to help others.  So while you’re sitting in a class that really bores you, think about what it has taught you about yourself or how this fits in with the college’s mission.  I never realized that my journey through college would be reflected in my final senior thesis.     

Today every eligible American has been asked to cast their vote for local issues and politicians and most importantly the new president and vice president of the United States of America.  I have never experienced such enthusasium on campus regarding politics and voting.  I know that I have strong ethical and moral beliefs that I follow when voting and it has been very interesting to talk to others around campus and find out what they base their voting off of.  In each one of my classes all of my professors have said GO OUT AND VOTE.  I think that this speaks to how the Mount is such a diverse community of people.  I really like how the Mount community is made up of all different kinds of people, it adds to the culture of the Mount.  The Mount has taught me to look at situations from different perspectives and to educate myself on these perspectives.  The advantage of going to a liberal arts college is being able to experience these different perspectives through interactions with others and sometimes even the way classes are taught.  This has been one experience that I am forever grateful to the Mount for. 

This past week was the last time that I had to register for classes!!!  I will soon be a second semester senior at the College of Mount St.Joseph.    My goal is to graduate with honors which are graduating with a GPA of 3.5 or higher.    The registration process at the Mount is actually pretty easy and user friendly.  My advisor usually sends an email stating that registration advising will begin in one week and we should sign up for a time to meet with them.  In between that time I have to pick up a college catalog which are located everywhere around campus, and look through and find what classes I need to take and some classes that I would like to take for electives.  Luckily this coming semester I am only taking 12 credit hours.  I will be taking my Interior Design thesis class, Art History of Design, Digital Illustration and I will also be co-oping.  Well I must get back to work.  Talk to you soon.    

This morning I had a meeting with the academic dean.  I was representing SGA as the Academic s and Education committee chair.  We discussed some important issues that surround the Mount.  Technology was an important point of discussion.  There have been some questions raised whether it is imperative that freshman purchase a computer through the Mount or should there be an option not to purchase a computer.  From my experience the computer that I purchased my freshman year was not capable of holding all the design programs that I needed, so this year I had to order a new computer.  In my case it would have been a better financial choice to purchase from outside the college and made sure the computer I bought had the requirements needed.  In other majors that are not design related, the computers purchased through the Mount have been a great success, because they serve that students needs really well.  Always make sure before making such a big purchase, that the computer will fit the needs of the student.  Before you order a computer call the department chair or someone that is involved in your major and ask if the computer you are thinking of purchasing will meet the needs of the programs you will be using.  Hope this gives some guidance on computer purchasing…happy shopping

This past week by far has been one of the most stressful of the semester!  Last week marked to first of many all nighters for me and many other interior design students.  I literally am either at school, working or doing homework 24 hours a day 7 days a week.  I can honestly say this year; I have not been able to do anything on the weekdays but plow through my stack of homework.  I usually never take a break between my last class and starting homework for the evening, it’s just one continuous day of lots of schoolwork.  But I am sure every senior at the college in experiencing the same thing or at least something similar, well at least I hope so!  As Halloween quickly approaches, SGA is in their final stages of preparations for the homecoming dance, the theme is Monster Mash!  We always encourage everyone to come and join us for a fun filled night of dancing, and of course costumes are a must!!  Hopefully I can kick back and relax for that evening!  In other exciting news, the food court is really starting to come together, the ceiling has been put up, some of the furniture has been put together and the light fixtures have been installed.  Soon we will have a brand new food court area!!  I think the most interesting part of the new food court will be the moveable stage.  This can serve several functions and I think will really bring excitement and creativity to the Mounts campus!   

Throughout my college experience I have always worked extremely hard.  I have also had to work harder than most because of my learning disability.  It usually takes me 10 times longer than everyone else to understand a concept.  But I have learned how to compensate for some of those weaknesses.  The things that I do, all students should really try.  When you struggle the first thing you think to do is give up.  You can’t give up you must persevere, I always ask my professors for help and they are ALWAYS willing and ready to help you.  Knowing that professors at the Mount want you to succeed and graduate is a great feeling.  Always plan ahead, don’t wait to the last minute to do an assignment.  Always proofread your papers before turning them in, or utilize the Learning Center on campus.  The Mount provides so many tools to help you along your new journey and transition into college.  They’re learning and preparation you receive at this institution will prepare you for the “real world”.  I am already getting a little taste of it, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of my future holds.  The Mount was the absolute perfect fit for me.