Here we are! Back to school after a month-long winter break. It’s a little difficult getting back on track after a month, but at the same time I was starting to miss being at school so I was definitely ready to come back. Last semester my schedule consisted of general education courses, so not terribly hard to achieve. Now I’m back to 17 Credit Hours with some serious work to do…this is the part that is difficult getting back on track. I remember enrolling for my freshman year and being told that it seems easy at first but the load gets difficult as you keep going. Now I’m getting a taste of those words, because it is true that some semesters may be slow but it slowly starts to pick up, but I am not discouraged by this and don’t let such discourage you either, college is not meant to be a piece of cake. I’m getting the impression that college life is just a mere resemblance to the life after college, full of slow to difficult moments.

Nov. 28, 2011
The “real world out there”
Everyone has had that one high school teacher who enjoyed frightening the students with stories about the “real world.” I pushed those stories in the back of my mind, because to me, the real world was pretty much doing things on my own.
My thinking on this, however, changed recently. I was working on a project after class thinking how badly I wanted to get it done and go to lunch. Then a  friend of mine, Spencer (not his real name), called me asking me if I could look up a customer service number from an online shopping site. I gave it to him, and only later found out that he had been a victim of a stolen identity.
At age 19, he was already experiencing what a lot of people have already been victims of. But this was not new to him, some of his relatives went through the same issue and they lived through rough times for five years. He couldn’t expect anything but the same fate. So the lesson he shared with me that I feel I should share with you guys is take care of your identity. These are a few tips he gave me:

• Fast food restaurants: Always pay in cash, any bank employee would tell you that because they know that a lot of victims get their account numbers stolen when they purchase through credit/debit cards.
• Shop safe online: Make sure that the websites where you shop provide security for your bank account information, and buy products straight from the store. If you choose, for example, to buy a used textbook from a user read his profile and find out his rating. You can also purchase an online “gift certificate” or a visa gift card.
• Ask your bank: Talk with your bank about things you can do to prevent fraud and ask what they can do for you in case this ever happened.

So life really isn’t all about doing things on one’s own, it’s also about knowing how to prevent accidents from happening and knowing how to handle them if they happen. This skill to handle situations can only be acquired as we go through life and face tough situations, but it is always good to be aware and know what one can do to prevent certain incidents.

Oct. 14, 2011
Learning from the freshmen
Meet Kate, Ian, and Caitlin. They’re just average freshmen, they are involved in extracurricular activities and look forward to ice cream days. But they’ve all done something in my presence that just makes me feel touched. When I first hung out with Kate, we walked from the cafeteria to my room, then from my room towards the art studio. As we were walking, she started picking up trash from the floor and threw it away in the nearest trash can. Her act rubbed off on me so I started doing the same. I was just amazed that she did that despite her short stay in USM. Ever since, I’ve been picking up trash on my to class or my room.

Then there is Ian, we just had casual conversations here and there. Cool guy, but I didn’t really know him that well. My friends and I were going to breakfast one morning and the doors were locked, so we decided to go on and take the side door. No big deal, a lot of us have gotten used to the doors being locked in the morning. Then from the corner of my eye I saw the door being opened, and not only that, but it was also being propped open by Ian as he used a door stop to keep the door open for the rest of the students coming over. I’ve never did anything like that. Yeah, I’ve held the door open to other people but I gave up on the cafeteria doors in the morning. 

And finally there’s Joe (not his real name). I’ve never met the guy, but my roommate, Amanda, told me what he did for her. Amanda came in to the dormitory hall carrying her purse, bagpack, a bag with groceries and her laundry bag. Her plan was to take the elevator and be back in the room in no time, just to realize that the elevator was shut down. That’s when Joe appeared. He opened the door for her to the stairs, and helped her carry her stuff—Just out of kindness.

The 5 Best Things Nobody Ever Told Me About USM

1. Freebies!
   Candy, food, t-shirts, groceries, samples, gift cards, gym membership, laptop, etc…  Yup, I’ve had every one of these things, and all from just participating in campus events or just for being a student at the university!
2. Small classes, more individual attention
   So picture this: First day of class, I walked in my Drawing 2 class, and there were only two other students sitting around. I waited patiently for class to start, maybe more students would come in, but to my surprise, we were it. I hated having the spotlight on me sometimes, but with time I realized how much better it was, because the class had people who wanted to be there and critiques didn’t take as long! And in this class, just as most of my other classes, my professors know me well.
3. Easier to make friends
   None of my high school friends came to USM. In fact, no one from my high school came here other than me! So I was very nervous about the social life. After breaking the ice with many types of people, I found the crowd I enjoyed to be with in a short matter of time! And I continue to find new friends and maintain my old ones today.
4. Everyone says “Hi!” to you
   One of the things I love the most from USM is the sense of community on campus. In the morning, the janitors say hi and ask how you are doing and some casual conversation to go with it. The cafeteria employees are super friendly as well, and they certainly want to hear from the students! The president, the vice president, and all the faculty and staff love to greet the students and get to know them! And let’s not forget the Sisters of Charity, they’re super friendly and sweet J.
5. Running into the same person everywhere
   Running into the same person everywhere? Really? Yes, really! Remember those awkward times when you ran into the same person so many times in just one day? And how you awkwardly just kept walking and pretended you didn’t see the person? That’s over for me, because being in a small college you can’t avoid running into the same person frequently and with time you learn to not be so awkward, such as by making sarcastic comments or saying “See ya later!” instead of “See ya tomorrow!”