Archive for the 'Jessica' Category
May 5th, 2009 by Jessica
On this cold, dreary, rainy day in Huntington, finals week is underway. I had my first final yesterday at 12:45 in my integrated science course. I believe that I did pretty well on it; thankfully it wasn’t a comprehensive exam and that it just covered what we had discussed in lecture and lab since our midterms in March.
Finals week isn’t too terrible for me. I have my big media law final today at 4:00 p.m. and I won’t lie; I’m nervous. While I have secured a passing grade (for the first time in my college career I am more than happy with accepting a ‘C’ and being pleased with that) it’s still nerve-wracking to into a final, even if you know the outcome won’t affect your overall grade. This final is comprehensive, fill-in-the-blank and essay. Since this pertains to my major, I want to do well on the exam since the information that I have gathered from the class will important for when I head out into the real working world. While media law has been my most difficult course this semester, it’s also been my favorite to participate in. I have learned so much from my professor, Dan Hollis, and he has been completely supportive of me this semester and has been so helpful in covering material that I’ve been having trouble grasping.
Wednesday I have my final in my Film and Fiction course, where I will write essays based on the past movies we’ve watched. I’m not too terribly nervous about that exam. Friday I have a pretty big final in Political Science that I’ve been preparing for at 8:00 a.m. Yuck. I’ve been thankful that my other three finals are later in the day and I have just the one final at 8:00 a.m.
Of course, everyone is on a different finals schedule. If you’re interested, you can take a look at our finals schedule for this semester here. I have a couple of friends who have more than two finals scheduled for today, but they were able to make arrangements with their professors so they wouldn’t have more than three finals in a single day. I did have one friend who opted to take three of her finals today so she would be completely finished for the week. Students have a lot of freedom has far as making arrangements ahead of time when it comes to exam taking, which really works out well for those who have tough schedules or have special circumstances.
Tomorrow is the annual School of Journalism and Mass Communications Awards. I may be up for an award for my work in The Parthenon last semester. It’s a time where the college has the opportunity to award students for their hard work and dedication by presenting awards and scholarships. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that I get an award.
Other than that, the big finale is Saturday when Marshall will have its 172nd Commencement. This will be my second year attending graduation, and it may be my hardest. I have a lot of dear, close friends that are walking across that stage to shake hands with our president, Stephen Kopp, and that means a lot of them will be leaving Marshall and Huntington to pursue law school, graduate school or to head out into the workforce. While it’ll be a sad time, I am also happy and proud of my friends for their accomplishments and know that I will be walking across that stage to receive my diploma this time next year.
April 28th, 2009 by Jessica
In the past four years that I have been here at Marshall, I’ve often wondered why the week before finals is called Dead Week. Some of my friends think that it’s called Dead Week because everyone feels so dead just the week before finals. Some think it’s because you’ll be lucky to be alive by the end of the week because you’ve spent the week working to get everything accomplished before finals. Professors will tell you that this is the week they can’t assign students any additional work that wasn’t already included on their syllabus.
Typically, this week does signal that I’ll be extraordinarly busy with finishing last minute papers and projects. But, for the first time in my undergraduate career, I do not have anything due this Dead Week. Nothing. Not a paper. Not a presentation. Not a random quiz or exam. I am officially three finals away from my summer break which will begin on May 8. For graduating seniors, they are just a little over a week away from graduation which is May 9.
So, what am I doing while all of my friends rush around finishing last minute assignments? I’m laying on my couch and preparing hundreds of note cards for my huge Media Law final next Wednesday. Not to mention that as I lay on my couch, I am also reviewing and revising my notes for my ISC 280 class. And this weekend’s agenda? Reviewing and revising my PSC 105 notes. While I might not be writing papers or giving presentations, I’m still in the middle of trying to make it to May 8.
While I’m blogging, for anyone college student or graduating senior who may be reading this, I want to point out the importantance of not getting stressed out. Being stressed out can leave you feeling sick, something I know quite well. Last week, I began experiencing pain in the center of my spine, followed by a rash. The pain became so severe that I had to stop at Student Health, which is just minutes from our campus, to see a doctor. Her diagnosis? Shingles. Shingles at the age of 22. Thankfully, she prescribed me some antiviral medication that I picked up at a pharmacy nearby and my back is feeling tons better than it was this time last week. She said my shingles outbreak could have been caused by high levels of stress; so, take note: don’t stress out. It’s not worth it.
March 31st, 2009 by Jessica
Spring Break has come and gone all too soon. This year, my best friend and I decided to tackle the streets of New York City, a new experience for me. In the last week, I have had many firsts: flying, trying seafood, walking 38 blocks, shopping at stores I can’t afford and rode a Ferris wheel in a toy store (Just a note, go to the Toys R’ Us in Times Square and ride the Ferris wheel. No matter your age, it’s a blast.) In that week, I tried not to think about what’s come; it’s that final stretch between the break and finals.
It’s also that time of year where the grass is becoming a little greener and ripe in smell. The sweaters and heavy coats are finding their places in the back of your closet as you say hello to your short sleeve shirts and light-weight jackets. The sun is staying out a little bit longer and you find yourself looking out the window during class and wishing you could be outside. Spring is slowly, but surely, coming to Huntington and spring fever will soon catch on campus.
Students are definitely hanging outside more now, and this week is Greek Week for our fraternities and sororities. It’s a week filled with competition as the Greek organization face each other in everything from trivia contests to tug-of-war. I watched today as the girls of different sororities battled it out over a game of soccer on Buskirk Field. It’s a time that those involved in these groups wear their letters proudly and strive to be the best on campus.
While the weather is warming up, the spring semester is winding down. In just a short five weeks, I will be preparing for finals and gearing up for summer. But in that final five weeks, I have a few papers to write and exams to study for. Even though it’s quite tempting to miss class so I can enjoy the sunshine, I remind myself that if I can just make through this final stretch then I will be ready for summer. I’ve decided to lighten my final year load by taking a summer class. Marshall is offering four different sessions that run at different intervals. A lot of students stay in Huntington in the summer not only for employment but to take courses that will help with scheduling in the fall and spring. I have registered to take my journalism capstone class from July 14-August 14. The class will finish just in time for the start of Fall 2009, which will be here before we know it, but hopefully not too soon.
It’s hard to believe that another semester will be over in a blink of an eye. Time flies by.
March 3rd, 2009 by Jessica
I had a thought as I was working out last night in our new recreation center: using the new fitness equipment is almost like tackling schoolwork and exams at midterms. You’re excited to sit down and get started with the new semester just as you sit on the machine and prepare your muscles to pull the weight that will help you reach a weight goal or help you tone. In the middle of the repetition, you feel your muscles tighten and it becomes more difficult to push or pull the weight. You want to quit because it hurts and feel like you can’t do anymore. You know that you can just stop now, pat yourself on the back and tell yourself that you did a good job just getting on the machine and doing maybe 10 of the 20 repetitions you had planned to do. Or you can push through the pain and finish those last 10 repetitions and finish what you started.
It may seem like a pretty silly analogy, but that’s how midterms feel like to me right now. The exams have crept up on me. In the horizon, there’s the promise of spring break in two weeks, a time that every Marshall student is looking forward to. And honestly, thinking about spring break in New York City is far more fun to think about than studying biology, reading for media law or writing papers.
These midterms are almost like those repetitions that I face almost every day in the recreation center that opened just a little over a month ago. I tell myself that if I can make it through studying for some of the hardest midterms that I have faced in a while, then the payoff will be worth it. A good grade on a midterm exam or paper can set the stage for what grade you may receive at the end of the semester. If you do well at midterm, chances are you will be fine when finals roll around or if you find yourself in a midterm slump, you’ll have to work that much harder to get the grade you want at finals. You don’t have to face this challenge alone, though; you have professors who are willing to help you. I have a huge media law midterm later this evening that I’ve been studying for a while now, and my professor has been very helpful to me as far as helping me prepare for the content of his midterm. When you have the help and the encouragement to do well, it makes it that much easier when it comes to test taking time to finish it and finish it well. Just like finishing those last 10 repetitions, earning that high grade makes the time and effort well worth it.
While on the topic of the recreation center, I would like to say that it’s slowly becoming one of my favorite places on campus (although Drinko Library and its comfy hiding spots for studying surely will remain number one in my heart) and it’s definitely becoming a new hang out for Marshall students. I’ve been going almost every day for the last two-three weeks and I’ve enjoyed working out on the new equipment like the tredmills, elliptical machine and bikes. I like to walk a mile on the new indoor track that circles the entire center and I’ve been giving my muscles a workout on the new weight machines. It seems that every time I go inside to work out, whether it be early in the mornings or late at night, there’s always people there playing basketball or racquetballand there hasn’t been a time yet that I haven’t ran into one of my friends either going swimming or going to run on the track. And just like your professors helping you out in class or during midterms to give you that little extra push, there are personal trainers and assistants that can help you with your work out and teach you how to use the machines properly so you can make the most of your time. The recreation center has been a long time coming and I’m glad that now we have a new place on campus to play, take fitness courses and have fun.
Just as I continue to climb hills on the elliptical machine, I will continue climbing that hill that is finishing my midterms that will eventfully turn into finishing my eight semester here at Marshall on a high note.
January 13th, 2009 by Jessica
There is something about the glare of the digital numbers staring back at you that make you want to roll over, throw the covers over your head and sink back into slumber, at least until the blaring sounds coming from the speakers remind you of the waking reality that is waiting as soon as you stumble to the shower (or, to the closet to throw on the first thing you see since you only have a few moments to spare.)
This week marks my first week back at Marshall and the beginning of the Spring 2009 semester. After spending my winter break from the comfort of my home, family, sleeping in pass noon and watching lots of movies, it is time for me to buy books, prepare a schedule and get back into the routine of studying, reading and going to class.
While it is rather annoying on that first morning back to be disturbed by an alarm that you haven’t set in close to a month, it’s more than just a wake-up call to not miss class, but to have a fresh start. Last semester, I wrote for our newspaper, The Parthenon, completed a 25 page political science/statistics paper and found myself incredibly busy with work, student organizations and life in general. While I would rather be busy in my time than idly sitting somewhere, I often tire of the same mundane routine. I feel that most college students feel this way, especially so close to finals. After months of writing papers and reading textbooks on the same subject, you want to learn something new…there has to be a new challenge to make the day more exciting. By my last final at 8:00 a.m. on December 15, I was more than ready to be finished.
My grades didn’t turn out too shabby; I know that I put a lot of hard work into my courses and I’m satisfied with what I accomplished. I wrote nearly 30 articles for our newspaper, wrote and actually understood statistic data and know quite a bit more about the Islamic religion. That’s the thing about grades, I feel it’s more about what you take from the class rather than what is reflected on your grade card. That’s not to say that GPA is not important in college; it most certainly is when it comes to scholarships and attending graduate school or other levels of higher education. In the four years I’ve been here at Marshall, I’ve discovered it’s all about experience and personal gain. While I may have received a B in my Parthenon class, that B doesn’t say how much fun I had covering politics, or the lengths I went to get the story. When you go into a job interview, it’s highly unlikely than an employer is going to question why you failed to make an A in a certain course; they want to know more what you learned and what experience you gained from taking it and if you can demonstrate the skills you learned outside a classroom setting.
This semester will be completely different from last. I am taking 14 hours this semester and I will be finished with the Marshall Plan. The university-wide Marshall Plan is designed to ensure that every student who receives a baccalaureate degree will be well prepared for the 21st century. The Marshall Plan includes taking courses in mathematics, literature, multicultural studies, international studies, writing intensive and capstone experience. Some students take integrated science courses or a computer literacy if their major/program does not focus or include these courses in their level of study. I will be taking my integrated science course with a professor that I had for my biology course during my sophomore year. It’s called Living on Earth…I know that may sound strange/funny to you, but it seems like it’ll be an interesting class and I’m amongst friends so I’m really excited about it. I will be taking Film & Fiction for my literature course and have heard nothing but great things about it. I am also taking Journalism Law and Fundamentals of Politics, which are required for my public relations/political science double major.
I am also looking forward to a week-long internship at the Capitol in March. I am honored to be chosen to be a Frasure-Singleton intern. I will be paired with a state delegate or senators and I will shadow their work in committee meetings, during session and get a more inside look of the West Virginia Legislature. I’m really excited about it and I still receive an hour of college credit for the time I will spend there.
I’m still balancing a schedule of working about 15-16 hours a week with my courses. When you enjoy the work, it’s not so bad. I still have plenty of time to devote to my student organizations and to my classes, and that’s what truly important. While I may be hating that glare from the numbers of my digital alarm clock this week (okay, let’s admit it, all semester I will have a love/hate relationship with my alarm clock), it is a new semester, which means there’s new opportunities that await me. It’s time for a change.
December 5th, 2008 by Jessica
Time never ceases to amaze me; it’s an element of our lives that we often take for granted and never notice how much of it has already passed until we stop and take stock.
This is how I feel about my semester’s end. Last spring, I took a semester away from Marshall, campus and courses to do an internship with the West Virginia Legslature. While I was still a full time student and earning credit hours, I didn’t have to worry about finals, papers…all the makings of the day to day life of a college student. I didn’t realize how strange it would feel to be away from a school enviroment until I took that internship, and I often found myself missing the dreaded feelings of finishing 12 page papers or cramming the night before a big exam.
What was even more strange was coming back to that enviornment this semester. For the first two weeks, I found myself asking why was I being required to write all these papers and read for class. I thought that maybe I prefered the 8:30-4:30 work environment I found myself in last semester but I eventfully got back into my routine of working on papers, reading articles and textbooks. It’s amazing to me now that the weeks have flown by so fast that I am preparing for finals week next week. I thankfully only have two exams and one paper to write before the semester comes to a close.
Looking back, my semester has been busy, but eventful. I had awesome opportunities with The Parthenon to cover major election events and interview politicians. I have been able to expore political science from a statistical standpoint and have a fairly good understanding of what all the numbers and charts could possibly mean in terms of political behavior. I now have a much better understand of Islam and have a new found respect for the Muslim religion and culture. I got to write about my all time favorite television series and link an object from the series to feminist theory. These are the lessons that we don’t expect to find as time ticks down and we take for granted that we’ll always have more time to study, to write, to discover.
If there is something that I really enjoy about Marshall and college in general, it’s that each semester is different. There are different goals to be met, people to meet, lessons to be learned and above all, more things to discover about yourself. I never pictured that I would chase after Hillary Clinton at a rally and fall in love with political journalism nor did I ever imagine that I would ever learn how to interpret charts and graphics that once just looked pictures at a first glance.
These are the types of things that you discover on on your journey through college…and if we fail to pause for a moment to notice, then the time we spend would be time wasted instead of well spent.
November 18th, 2008 by Jessica
Huntington experienced its first snow last night! It’s nothing like the snow I’m used to seeing at home in southern West Virginia, but it’s nice to see at least a dusting of the white stuff on the ground.
I’ve been preparing for the last couple of weeks of school. Next week begins our Thanksgiving Break, which ultimately means that will be the week I finish up any projects due before finals week and it puts me that much closer to the end of the Fall 2008 semester. I have finished covering the State/National elections beat for The Parthenon and am now working on other stories. My 25 page research paper for my PSC 211 class is nearing and I have a few other papers to work on over the break. I prefer writing papers than studying for exams. I’m really thankful to only have one exam during finals weeks this semester.
I registered for the spring semester last week. I will be taking Living on Earth (my intergrated science course) Film and Fiction (my final lit. requirement) , Journalism Law and Fundamentals of Politics. I’m really excited about my schedule. I think it’s a nice balance and shouldn’t be too challenging.
I went on my Washington D.C. trip a couple of weeks ago. It was truly interesting to go to D.C. right after the election and attend different sessions concerning the media coverage of the elections. As someone who followed the electons very closely for class and for personal interest, I was very excited to have the opportunity to represent Marshall University. My best friend and I also got to sightsee at night and visited the Newseum. All in all, a very nice trip.
If you’re wondering about the title of the blog, today is my 22nd birthday. Another year of my life has gone and half of a year at Marshall is in the history books. Being 21 years old had it nice moments; I got to have a new picture made on my license. I interned at the Capitol and lived in Charleston for a semester. Best of all, being 21 meant that I learned a lot more life lessons and met new people.
But, for today, it means I get to do interviews for Parthenon, eat some delicious birthday cake that greeted me at my door at 7:30 this morning, eat taco ice cream and having dinner cooked for me. Happy Birthday to me! 
October 30th, 2008 by Jessica
It’s remarkable, isn’t it? Tomorrow is the last day of October and will mark the end of Week 10 of the fall semester.
I have been busy writing for our school newspaper, The Parthenon. I’ve been covering the State/National Elections beat and it has kept me extremely busy. I have written nearly 20 articles and I have traveled around the Tri-State to cover visits by Sen. Barack Obama, Sen. Joe Biden and Sen. Hillary Clinton. I’ve interviewed the West Virginia candiates for governor, Congressman Nick Rahall and covered forums that have been held on campus concerned with the election. It’s been very exciting for me to RSVP to media events and to talk with people about the different issues and candiates. It kind of puts a new spin on things when you hear the reasons why people support their candiate of choice and hear their life stories.
Our editors are planning a special edition next week that will have all the results of the national, state and local elections. I’m pretty excited for Election Night, but I’m also excited that after next week, I won’t be so concerned with polls, campaign events and how much money a candiate spent on their wardrobe this week.
The really cool thing about being so involved with the newspaper and my beat is that I’m attending a conference in Washington D.C. that is sponsored by the Insitute on Political Journalism. I’m going to be attending sessions about how Election 2008 was covered in our media and also have the opportunity to network with other college journalists and professionals. My best friend and I leave for the 4 day, 3 night trip next Thursday and I couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity to go and represent Marshall at this national conference!
Besides writing articles, I’ve been involved with my other courses. I’m double majoring in political science, so I’m taking a research/statstics course to fulfill a requirement. This is my most challenging course because I’m not the strongest math student. If it doesn’t have do with money, then I probably won’t understand what’s going on. Thankfully, my professor has been extremely helpful and has met with me to make sure that I understand the process. My other two courses, The Rhetorical World and the World of Islam, have been a nice break away from writing for the newspaper and learning about standard deviation and T-Tests.
Life has been busy, but it’s a good busy. Between my articles, working on research and studying, I’m still finding time to hang out with friends and participate in campus activities. There’s a lot that’s been taking place on campus. The outside of the new wellness and fitness center is finished and will be opening in the spring. There was a mini-carnival on Buskirk Field on Tuesday where you could jump on inflatables and take some time off to goof around. Mr. and Ms. Marshall is underway and we’ll be voting for next in about a couple of weeks; that means Homecoming is just around the corner.
Just as the colorful leaves continue to fall and blanket the campus, so will the weeks that remain this semester.
September 2nd, 2008 by Jessica
It was an early Friday morning in August when my mother and I began the newest chapter in my life. We had driven the night before so we could be behind Twin Towers West right at the 9:00 a.m. move in time. Both her Jeep and my VW Beetle were filled with suitcases of clothes, bedding, towels and plenty of posters and picture frames. Outside, the sun was shining. Inside, my heart was racing.
We made several trips up and down the back steps to my residence hall, and joined the countless others who were waiting for the keys that would open more than just the door to their room. My mother caught an elevator just in time, and helped me load everything inside. As the doors closed, the climb to the 15th floor began and I could feel my fingers tremble from more than just holding heavy bags.
I was greeted by my new home with a cool breeze from the AC and suddenly my nervousness turned into excitement. I had a new room…a new start. My hall would be filled with other girls like myself who would be beginning class the following Monday. This couldn’t be so bad.
By the afternoon, my bare bed was now blanketed in bright stripes, my closet filled with clothes and my desk covered with pictures, pencils, pens, paper, and textbooks. My mom graciously filled my mini-fridge with water, juice, soda and snacks. We tearfully hugged each other good-bye and I will never forget the sound my door made when Mom closed it behind her.
I was now officially 2.5 hours away from my hometown of less 1,000 people. I was no longer a high school student who graduated with a class size of 134. I was now a college freshman in a population of 13,000 students.
Now what? I asked myself as I took a look around. I was 18 years old and starting a brand new life. While I had attended Open House in October 2004 and knew my way around, I’ll never forget the first ten minutes I was alone in 1502 in Twin Towers West and that somehow, I was going to make this work. I would have to take a deep breath and prepare myself for a journey that I didn’t have a map to. I didn’t know who I would meet, or what I would do, but it would be up to me to make the best of this new chapter in my life.
—
It’s four years later and a Thursday afternoon. My home in Twin Towers West is now a one bedroom apartment a block from all my classes. Walking through campus feels like walking through my hometown as I recognize friendly faces and feel right at home. If there is one thing I can say about my journey so far is that it’s been a wonderful experience with many life-long lessons that I will cherish and there have been countless people who have shown me the road to success. I could not be happier that I chose to come to Marshall and I’m excited to see what this new semester will bring.