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3 Steps For Removing Stress For Students
Hey! You did it! You’re getting ready to graduate and you’ve been accepted to the school (or schools) of your dreams! Congratulations!! I’m so proud! *sniff*
But seriously. It’s finally spring …
Unless you live in Texas like me and it’s bitter winter one day, then blistering summer the next, then raining with a 49.6% chance of snow while the sun is out. Then spring isn’t really a thing. But whether you’re a High school senior, a senior in college, or somewhere in between, I’d bet my bottom dollar you’re super glad the year is almost over. With finals coming up, moving boxes being collected, and mom’s tissue pile growing, you’re probably a little stressed as well… So what does that mean? It means….
HOW TO DESRESSIFY YOUR CRAZY BUSY SPRING-TIME SELF
WITHOUT PAYING A LOT OF MONEY TO GO TO THERAPY!!
A blog post with a super-duper long title of course! *smirk*
De-stressing really isn’t as terribly hard as it sounds. Actually it’s quite easy. As easy as 1, 2, 3!
1) Stop, breathe, and go look at clouds. Yes, clouds. Right now. Stop reading and go outside.
… Did you do it?!
… Good!
2) Make a list of things you have to get done. Then an equally long list of things you would like to do and also, of major things you have accomplished this semester. This will not only get you organized and focused, but also give you a good list of rewards and pats on the back for when you finish your to-do’s! If you keep up this habit, your list of accomplishments and wishes will grow bigger and better and your whopping task list won’t seem so whopping.
3) Take a little time to write letters to people who have helped you get through this semester, whether that’s a professor or a parent, a best friend or a co-worker. Now would also be a good time to bang out those thank you’s for recommendation letters and early graduation presents! This will help keep you positive as you battle end-of-the-semester nerves and exams.
Good luck! And don’t forget to follow me on twitter! @Rachellington
~Rachel
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Your top 5 Colleges
I was one of those really proactive kids when it came time to apply for college. I’m usually a pretty laid back, get it done when I get it done, day before the deadline kind of person (which probably isn’t good but I tend to be nonetheless). Anyway, I looked at what seemed like hundreds of colleges and started narrowing down around the end of my JUNIOR year. Yep, junior year, not senior year. By October I had it narrowed down to the “Big Twelve.” I ended up sending applications to eight of these schools by the end of October. I received all eight of my acceptance letters and scholarship offers by the start of the spring semester of my senior year. I think the main thing I was looking for was if I could really see myself at these schools. I looked at the big picture rather than the details of if they had a certain program or club or sport. With my track record I knew God would change whatever I thought I was supposed to do anyway. So I instead looked at the quality of the education, quantity of cost and the overall atmosphere, and then let Him do the rest. While I was deciding where to apply, I took the MyMajors test to see what majors it would suggest because I had no clue what I wanted to do, but didn’t’ want to pick a school if I was undecided. I ended up choosing to be a communications major and picked my top five colleges based on that. John Brown University, Hardin-Simmons University, Howard Payne University, Sterling College, and Houston Baptist University were the ones I had chosen. I also applied to Baptist Bible College in Springfield, MO, Boston Bible College, and Liberty University. But by the end of the day, Howard Payne University was definitely the best fit for me on paper. So I visited in May and by graduation my course was set; destination: Howard Payne University. And funny story, after I started school, I was a communications major for about a week and a half then changed to Psychology. And lucky for me, HPU has an awesome Psychology department!
When picking a school I would tell students to not let temporary things influence your decision. You can easily change your major the first year you are there, you can easily lose interest in a sport or get injured, and your friends will still be your friends if you don’t go to the same college. I would also tell high school students not wait until the last minute! Start super soon. The sooner you start, the better because your last semester in high school is stressful. It’s a whole lot more fun to have it done first semester, have a ton of options, then just sit back and pick a school before you graduate. And when your first day on campus finally comes, you can drive your Jeep Cherokee up to your dorm with confidence knowing you’re in for an awesome year. ☺
Good luck picking a school! And don’t forget to have fun doing it!
Sting ‘Em! Rachel Ellington
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7 Pointers For Taking Standardized Tests
Excerpt from SAT Pointers | March 7, 2012
strong>1) Start preparing AT LEAST two weeks before your test date. Procrastinating is fun, but is NOT a good idea when it comes to getting a solid SAT/ACT score.
2) Purchase or borrow some sort of test prep material that you can work on every day until the test. One source is subscribing to the SAT email list. They will send you an example question every day. This is a great and simple way to get used to the questions on the test!
3) Don’t throw parties. One of the dumbest things I ever did in my high school career was stay up until one o’clock in the morning on the day of the ACT. Sleep is extremely important when it comes to testing. Go to bed crazy early every night AT LEAST three days before your test date. Your brain will thank you for not making it work overtime like mine did that day!
4) Eat. I used to always think my English teacher was retarded when she told us to eat breakfast on the day of any test and we’d do better. Two years and a few failed tests later, I realize I was the retard. It has been scientifically proven that if you eat breakfast on the day of a test, it not only keeps your stomach from growling during your test, but also helps to get your brain going in the morning.
5) CHILL OUT BRO. It’s not a life or death thing. It’s a test. Yes, it’s important, but there’s really no need to stress. Again, it has been scientifically proven that stressed people DO NOT function NEARLY as well as relaxed people.
6) Come prepared. It blows my mind when the kid sitting next to me has to borrow a pencil. You came for the sole purpose of taking a scantron test and you forgot a pencil???!!! What is this madness???!!! So make sure you know what you need, you bring it all with you, AND you have extras. Oh and another thing, it might be a good idea to NOT bring your cell phone. I know they’re hard to live without, but the last time I took a standardized test a guy’s phone went off during the test. They aren’t kidding when they say your test will be taken and you will be sent home. If you absolutely NEED your phone, make sure it’s OFF, not just on “silent”.
7) Oh and one last thing… have fun! I know it sounds crazy, but if you make a game out of it, standardized tests aren’t that bad. If you go in with the mind-set that this is a logic test, you are Indiana Jones, and if you beat the test, a fantastic prize awaits you at the end! …No? Ok… maybe that’s just me… Fine, don’t have fun. Waste your Saturday. That’s cool with me. But you know what they say, “Attitude is everything.”
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How To Get Involved In College Extracurriculars
Greetings, fellow earthlings of this fine planet that is earth! … Ok, so that sounded better in my head. But I’m trying new things! Just saying “Hey! what’s up?” or “Helloooooo Readers!” is lame. Anyways, I’m back from a very long and very much needed break. But now I’m getting back into the swing of things for the Spring semester at Howard Payne University! STING ‘EM! But enough about me. Let’s talk about what really matters! YOU! I mean, let’s be real. Everybody secretly wants to read about themselves and not some random blogger they do not know or in some of your cases, know entirely too well. BAHA! Sorry bout cha. So, let’s talk about you shall we?
Everyone on this planet has things that they like to do. So naturally, choosing a college or even getting involved in high school is going to involve stuff that you like to do. And what do we call those? EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES!! *cue Magical Music of Epic Proportions* But what if I’m super boring and don’t have anything I like to do? Oh I’m so glad you asked, you wonderfully boring person, you! Whether you are in high school or college, you will be bombarded with opportunities to join various groups, committees, clubs, and what-nots. But since I’m in college, and college is awesome, we’ll focus more on that. Here goes!
HOW TO GET INVOLVED IN COLLEGIATE EXTRACURRICULARS SO YOU ARE NOT A BORING TUB OF LARD AND WASTE FOUR (GIVE OR TAKE) YEARS OF YOUR LIFE THAT SHOULD NOT BE BORING BECAUSE NON-BORING PEOPLE LIVE LONGER.
1) Sports. When most people think extra-curricular, they think sports. Then they think one of two things: “OHMYGOSHSPORTS! YES.” or… “Oh my gosh… Sports? No.” And then there are the people who refuse to be like “most people,” and think: “Hmmm sports. To play or not to play? That is the question…” These people usually end up not playing sports and audition for the school play instead. But enough generalization. Sports can be an excellent way to stay healthy, meet new people, and have fun. Even if you’re not crazy enough about a sport to play on the actual school team, intramurals are always an exciting alternative. And are an absolutely superb way to meet people with which you actually have things in common!
2) The arts. The Theatre, the Theatre, what happened to the Theatre? The arts can include anything from actual art to band to choir to theatre to ballroom dancing. And yes, that’s a thing now. Most people tend to think that you have to be a creative, abnormally talented genius to be involved in these extracurriculars. While there are certain people who fit this description and spurt their ingenious brilliance onto web page articles that have titles that are utterly too long… this stereotype is not entirely accurate. All of these awesome activities are great ways to express originality and learn, as my mom would say, “lifelong skills you can use forever since you can’t play softball when you’re over fifty.” She’s quite the optimist. But seriously, in theatre for example, every performance that goes on must have a variety of people groups such as: techies, choreographers, set designers, set builders, stage managers, costumers, makeup artists, hair stylists, prop masters, big strong guys who can move heavy stuff, but don’t really have a label except for big strong guys who can move heavy stuff, director’s assistants and box office managers, all of whom work with the actors and are equally, if not sometimes more, important. Wow! Bet you didn’t know it took so many people with so many different interests just for one kind of art! And just from personal experience, ALL of these jobs are a lot of fun and can make your life much less boring!
3) Clubs. There are pretty much like a million different clubs a person can join in college. They have stuff from Archery clubs to Spanish clubs to Book clubs to Comic Book clubs to School Spirit clubs to Drama Team clubs to Environmentalist clubs to Babysitter clubs to Golf clubs (get it, get it? Golf clubs?!) to other various random and sporadically mass-produced clubs with humorous or non-humorous naming. All of which have the sole purpose of connecting you with people like you while doing something you all love.
4) Committees. While clubs are simply for fun in the sun, committees are more productive in their activities descriptions. Some examples might include: Student Government, Yearbook staff, Homecoming Committee, or even a community service projects committee. Committees can be a good way to achieve a sense of purpose or use your skill set to help accomplish certain goals that need to be met at your school.
5) Fraternities and Sororities. Some people find this extracurricular category to be absolutely retarded, useless and let’s be real, sketchy. And depending on the school and the Greek group you’re thinking of joining these negative adjectives can be spot on. That’s why when choosing your preferred Greek Life family, you should be careful as to know what you are getting into and mindful of the consequences, good or bad, that may follow this decision. I personally am getting ready to pledge for a Co-ed fraternity that is for Theatre kids since I’m very comfortable on stage and have a lot of fun doing theatrical things.
Well, that’s about all the time I have for today kids. Have a phantasmagorical day! And don’t forget to be on the lookout for extracurriculars you can get involved in!
Peace out homies!
~Rachel
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Thanksgiving Coup
Here’s what I like: being unpredictable! Poem time!
“Thanksgiving Coup”
Thanksgiving is such a lovely taste bud coup
With so much food, you’re not quite sure what to do!
Holy smoked turkey with a hot gravy stew
Creamy potatoes mashed through and through
Honey-glazed ham with a side of fruit salad goo
Gallons and gallons of a southern sweet tea brew
A cranberry sauce tower so high, its top is out of view
That terrible casserole made by aunt you know who
Sweet potatoes with marsh mellows, more than a few
Rolls smeared with honey in honor of Whinnie the Pooh
Green beans, lima beans, and baked beans too
Pumpkin pie and pecan pie, both fresh and new
Hot apple pie with a smidge of cinnamon fond due
Fudge covered in melted, chocolaty dew
Various sweets and treats out the wazoo
After eating it all, your stomach you’ll rue
For gaining so much you might just sue
With so many pounds being added onto you
But then after a nap, your appetite will renew
And you’ll begin your scrumptious consumption anew
Happy Thanksgiving! ~Rachel
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Quick! Make an Assessment!
Why hello there lovely people! This month at MyMajors we are making assessments! Or should I say re-making assessments … November is the month to re-take the MyMajors quiz. Or better yet, take the MyMajors quiz for the first time if you haven’t already! So what IS the MyMajors quiz? Well I’m so glad you asked!
Here at MyMajors, our goal is to help you succeed in college. We try our very hardest to get you the tools you need or at least point you in the direction of where the toolshed is. The MyMajors quiz is one of those tools. You will fill out basic info about yourself, activities you like and dislike, how you felt about certain subjects in school, and your strengths and weaknesses in possible career areas. Although the MyMajors quiz isn’t perfect, it can help you at least begin to think about your future and maybe what majors/career options would suit you best.
When I first took the MyMajors quiz almost two years ago, I had no clue what I wanted to do. In my seventeen years of existence, I had wanted to be everything from a professional baseball player to a chef to a doctor to a NASCAR driver to a teacher to a lawyer and back again. But when it came time to really stop and think about what I should do for the rest of my life, I went blank.
Now I realize that I work for MyMajors and kinda sorta have to say nice stuff about the company … but in all honesty, the MyMajors quiz helped me a lot! The first time I took the quiz I got Speech communications, religious studies, secondary education, and American history as my top four majors. All three of these made a ton of sense considering I love talking, Jesus, and anything that has to do with the history of America (not in that order of course), but I do confess I am not majoring in any of these fields. But fear not! Let me explain!
While I was taking the quiz, I figured out what subjects I liked. So anything that I wasn’t really fond of, I should probably steer clear of in regards to a major, right? Right. So when I picking out colleges and later signing up for classes I knew what subjects or programs to focus on because I knew which subjects were important to me. So my schedule for my first semester of college included: An Introduction to Theatre, English Composition II (which you would think a professional writer wouldn’t have to take), An Introduction to the Old Testament, An Introduction to Psychology, and American Government. And during this first semester I have figured out even more! I realized I love Theatre, despise English and writing papers, am very interested by the Old Testament, think Psychology is awesome!!, and am fascinated by the founding of our government. So, that being said, while I love all the things MyMajors told me I would, I figured out a way to combine them plus some other things I discovered I liked even more!
And that, dear readers, is the story of how I ended up being a Psychology major, Youth ministry minor, a writer for the HPU Office of Marketing and Communications and a Theatre Fraternity pledge. But since my goal is to be a high school counselor, I have to get a secondary teaching certificate and pick a field to teach. Guess what my field is? American history! Pretty crazy right?! So after all of that happened, I decided since re-take month was coming up, I’d re-take the test and see what would happen this time.
Funny story … I got almost the exact same results!! HA! See? Told ya it was funny story 
The moral of the story is: GO TAKE THE MYMAJORS ASSESSMENT QUIZ SO YOU CAN TELL FUNNY STORIES TOO!!! Not really, but it is an added bonus to having a clue when the ten-thousandth person asks you what you’re doing with your life.
You’re welcome from MyMajors to you!
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If You Haven’t Got Your Mental Health, You Haven’t Got Anything
Do you ever just feel like you need a mental health day? Like even more than all the other days? Like you just wanna punch the next person who asks you how your day is in the face? Like you’re super anti-social and it just so happens that EVERYONE wants you to hang out with them or go to x,y, and z TODAY? And you can’t believe you used the word “like” that many times in one blog post?! No? Every day is peaches and rainbows and unicorns? Oh… well this is awkward …
Well then I guess this will just be a hypothetical list of what to do… if you ever have one of those days… hypothetically… Because no one has those days…
1) Breathe. Believe it or not, breathing is very useful. IT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE. Just take a minute to chill. Deep slow breaths. Starting… NOW!
Ok so now that that’s over we can actually start the real… hypothetical… list! Yay for fake outs!
1) Do you like reading? No? Oh… well then skip this one… BUT, if you DO like reading, go read! For heaven’s sake, everyone knows if you’re feeling down in the dumps and quite un-peopley, you should read something in some place very far away and very unpopulated.
1.5) You don’t like reading so I’m guessing you like the silver screen better. So grab a few platinum discs and a bag of popcorn, find a nice secluded area with a TV and forget about reality for a couple of hours.
2) Do you like tea?… Coffee?… Errr… Gatorade? You know what, get some sort of liquid beverage and drink it while you are engrossing yourself in the world of books or movies. Since it’s getting chilly outside, I would suggest something warm and sweet, but hey, super cold works too… if you wanna freeze your innards…
3) Blankets. There’s just something about pulling a nice fleece blanket up to your chin right around the time when the leaves are starting to fall. And besides, you gotta have something to spill on when you burn the sam heck out of your tongue with that hot beverage. Or if you opted for the other, your need something to prevent hypothermia.
4) Perhaps you’re not the sit down and relax kind of person. You have entirely too much on your mind like I do 89.7% of the time. In that case, I suggest you go for a walk. By yourself of course. Get a nice pair of cowboy boots (because I hear they’re good for walking), leave your cell phone at home and just enjoy the cool weather while letting your mind roam free. It’s really a great feeling to scuffle through the leaves without anyone fighting for your attention.
5) Stop reading this blog post and get this list done so you’re not a zombie for the whole weekend! Because let’s face it, you’ve got places to go, things to do and people to see. So we need to get rid of this anti-social business!!… oh wait, you don’t have that problem… Well then… We need to hypothetically get rid of this hypothetical anti-social business hypothetically!!
Happy reading/watching/walking!
~Rachel
Follow me on Twitter! (@Rachellington)
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How to Find the Right College Campus
Pictured above: Campus security and myself… Not really, but I am wearing my MyMajors shirt so it is related to this blog!
(even though you cannot see where it says that due to my luscious locks… work with me here.)
Why hello there fellow student!
How are you? Good, good. Except you don’t know how to find the right college campus you say?? Geese are strange and creepy animals you say??!! … Agreed. But let’s go back to the first problem.
How to Find a College Campus That is Right for You Like I Did Because I followed These Simple Guidelines With an Absolutely Ridiculous Title!! Yay!!
As most of you know, many college campuses nowadays require (or at least highly suggest) that incoming freshman live on campus for their first year. This has been proven to help not only in living costs and in learning to live independent of a guardian, but also in the development of a person’s social skills. But you don’t really care about your ability to function with other hormone- infested beings do you? No! You care about how to find a place to live that you won’t hate after three weeks, four days and an hour! Worry not, citizen! I am here to save you from that wretched fate!
1) It’s a Hard Dorm Life: For some people, the thought of living with someone you barely know is super weird. For others, it’s no big deal. But I already talked about the importance of finding a roommate who does not have psychosomatic tendencies. THIS time I must warn you that when they offer to show you a sample room, you take the chance and also assume it is their nicest room in the building. In some cases you’ll get lucky like I did and all the rooms will be the same so what you see is what you eventually get. When you’re looking at prospective living quarters, try to keep three things in mind: Quality, Quantity, and Qualms. I just really wanted to use all “Q” words. 
Anyways, what that means is, ask yourself these three questions. How nice is the room: Is it like my room back home or like a prison cell at Alcatraz? How much space will I have: Can it fit me, my roommate, all of our furniture and all of my gaming systems comfortably? And finally: Will I have any qualms about my living conditions once the deal is sealed? For example, I am on the third floor, and usually do not have time to take the elevator to class because sleep and I have become such good friends. Will I regret living on the third floor after running up and down two flights of stairs multiple times a day?
2) Splish, Splash, What is Up With This Bath??: Another feature that goes along with the dorm room is the dorm bathroom. Maybe I’m weird, but I like a good bathroom. A clean, pretty, functional bathroom. Like the room itself, you want to make sure it’s a bathroom you could see yourself in … Hmmm, maybe I should phrase that differently … Nah … Moving on … Are there enough outlets for four girls’ straighteners, curlers, blow dryers, and cell phone chargers?? Or in the guys’ case: Will these drawers fit all of my hair gel??!! Another good one is: Can I see myself in this shower? …Man, I need to work on my on my phrasing … Anyways, you get the picture … I’m just gonna shut up now …
3) Taste Test: I don’t know about you, but food is kind of a big deal in my book. I mean seriously, we kind of need it to survive … And like most college kids, I like to have options when choosing what I want for dinner. When you are searching for a college, keep your stomach in mind. While most educational facilities have some sort of cafeteria, you will find after about a month you DO NOT want to eat there every day for every meal. Make sure there are some affordable and delectable alternatives in town or at least a microwave for your T.V. dinners!
4) The Wheels on the Bus: Some college campuses are rather large and walking to class is not always a practical option. At HPU for example, two of the classroom buildings are off-campus and are across a major road. Since I don’t feel like risking death every day, and I no longer have a vehicle at my beckoning, I have to take a shuttle bus to class. If this is the case, you may want to look into what kind of transportation you need to get to those far-off classes.
5) Shop ’til You Drop: Girls, obviously, will be paying much more attention to this one. If you end up going to a college relatively far away from home or even civilization, you will probably need to look into what kind of stores are nearby. For some, the question is: Where is the nearest mall? And for the rest of us it’s: Is there a place where I can get much-needed laundry detergent at 1am? My advice is to calculate how far away the nearest Walmart is. Or even better, is if there is a convenience store of sorts on campus.
6) Classroom Logic: This one I think is fairly simple. Can you learn in this environment? Or do you start freaking out and twitching because there aren’t any windows and it reminds you of that interrogation room where Batman and Joker threw down or perhaps get uber ADD because there’s a million and five things on the wall? And of course, is the equipment useable? Because even though it is great to party like it’s 1969, it is not great to have to use a computer that has a monitor the size of Texas and a CPU as slow as molasses. And you also may want to look into if the classrooms have those awesome spinny, swivelly, wobbly, super fantastic chairs. Because like I said, they are fantastic.
7) Oh the Place You’ll Go: Most college towns tend to at least attempt to cater to the relatively large population of college kids by having a lot of younger-generation-centered attractions. But some towns … don’t. Depending on what kind of person you are, you may desperately need something different to do every weekend or you just want there to be a comic book store down the street and you’re set. Whichever way your “social persuasions” lean, you will however most definitely need a few essentials. The first week I was in Brownwood, I quickly realized I needed four important places: a bank, a mechanic, a church, and a hospital.
8) Extra, Extra!: Something else students forget about it extra stuff a college campus might have. For example, HPU has an excellent work-out facility, an easy-access mailroom with the coolest mailboxes ever, a variety of places to sit and study around campus, and has a student life center with a bunch of rooms where you can just play games, drink coffee and read, or have a Bible study with a few friends.
Living away from home for the first time can be difficult. Especially if you have to leave a super cool kid named Kevin who can play the guitar hardcore par core. But once you get used to being in the college atmosphere, it becomes a little easier to breathe. (See what I did there?)
Well, that’s all the time I have for today, kids. Until next time, I’m Larry the Cucumber … Wait, no … that’s not right … I’m Rachel Ellington and I’m here to tell you that God made you special, and He loves you very much! Bye!
~Rachel
Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter! (@Rachellington)
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A Tale of Four Classes and a Bus:
My First Day of College
Why hello there! Yes I am talking to you! How are you? Oh… you say you’re bored? Hmm well I guess I’ll have to fix that won’t I? Story time!
A Tale of Four Classes and a Bus: My First Day of College
It started out like any other day I suppose… Except now I’m a college kid who has to drag my lazy self to class all the way on the other side of campus by myself! Which is quite a run-on sentence, I realize, but don’t worry. It was a run-on day as well. My first class was Introduction to Theatre. Seems simple enough right? The class starts at nine in the morning and is clear across campus from my dorm so I decide to give myself at least ten minutes to get there. Naturally since it is theatre class and the building listed is C/T I assume that means it is in the campus theatre. Would that not make sense? So I walk up to the doors. They are locked. Great! I’m so early the teacher isn’t even here yet! Riiiiiiight… So I waited with a few other people who were supposedly in theatre… Until this nice man in a nice truck said very nicely… “That isn’t where theatre class is… It’s the next building.” Which is even FURTHER from my dorm! So we finally found it, went to class, our teacher is great, and everything was fine. Lesson I learned: Know where the class is PRIOR to the first day…
Next class of the day was something they call University Seminar, which is basically a success course for freshman. Now this class I knew was in a building that’s separate from the rest of the campus. As in, down the street, across the highway, over the river, and through the woods. Therefore, not a walkable distance. But never fear! There are shuttle buses you can take to get there! Except one small problem, I’m not entirely sure where the bus stop is nor when it will be there. So I go to where I think it will be and wait. I have less than five minutes until the class starts and I don’t see a bus. I wait some more. Class has started. No bus. So as usual, I get impatient. I walk to another spot that I heard someone say is one place the bus stops at on the other side of campus. No sooner am I halfway to the other spot when the bus pulls up to where I had been waiting. Blegh. I keep walking anyway. I am a few yards away from where the bus is suppose to stop and I see it coming. At this rate I should only be five minutes late to class. The bus pulls up and I kid you not, opens it’s doors for a grand total of three seconds then slams them shut and drives away. Without me. -____- Needless to say I caught the next one. And was consequentially twenty minutes late. Luckily my professor was totally ok with it and the only thing I missed was them changing classrooms and handing out get-to-know-you papers. Lesson l learned: Know where the bus stops are and what time they are suppose to be there…
Like that age old saying, “What leaves campus, must come back to campus.” This time, I caught the bus just in time and was EARLY to my next class: Introduction to the Old Testament. Thankfully I actually knew someone in this class so I could walk in and sit right down. Zero problems. Zero awkwardness. Lesson I learned: It makes things so much easier if you know at least two people in your class.
One more class. I can do this… Or not. Funny how that phrase: “The Bus waits for no one” is so true. Because it doesn’t. Yep, next class was also off campus and I missed the bus. Again. And was also twenty minutes late. Again. But this time I wasn’t so lucky. After the class was over, the professor announced that anyone who was late needed to come see him after class. The guy sitting in front of me turned around, looked at me, and laughed as I groaned “Called out.”
The rest of the day was quite uneventful. THANK GOODNESS! Here’s hoping your first day of the next chapter of your life isn’t as ridiculous as mine
Have a wonderful weekend!
Rachel Ellington
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Day 3 of Jacket Journey (Freshman Orientation)
Hey y’all! I am officially moved into my dorm!! *Happy dance* It’s Day 3 of Jacket Journey (Freshman Orientation) and so far… It totally didn’t take as long as I thought it would to get all of my stuff moved in, everything fit in my closet with room to spare, my desk is perfect, the caf (eteria) is like right across from my dorm, our student body president has a curly mustache and wears bowties all the time (and he’s a ginger!), and today at lunch I met a kid who saw me perform at LiFT camp (refer to last blog) and knew who I was!! We are split up into groups for what they call “Jacket Games”. We are basically spoofing the Olympics this week to get to know the staff, other students, and HPU as a school. I’m on the fantastical team known as Great Britain! Yesterday, we participated in a competition known as Messy Rec! Which is basically a crud war of sorts. The countries are combined into four teams, so we were put through a series of activities that involved getting incredibly dirty with our team. These activities included: Human bowling across a tarp covered in glitter, chocolate syrup, and baby oil (but first you had to be spun around 10 times so you were crazy dizzy before you went headlong into the inflatable pins), an egg toss with the egg covered in chocolate sauce and your hands covered in baby oil, a relay involving a large strainer filled with cooked oatmeal, a water balloon toss competition in a sand volleyball pit, and to top it off, a massive shaving cream fight. By the time it was all over, I resembled what would happen if someone dunked that sparkly fish in that one children’s book into a bowl of oatmeal with chocolate sauce and whipped cream… Afterwards, we had the opportunity to tour the University’s President’s massive house a few blocks from campus, have a picnic on the grounds, and end the day with some awesome student-led worship! Today was less exhausting as we began our day with what they call a “Traditions Assembly” where we learned all the interesting historical facts and cool past profs’ habits and crazy comings and goings at HPU. Then we went on a team scavenger hunt to further explore the campus! I’m actually about to leave to meet up with my group right now, and I’m about to be late so I better go! Peace and Blessin’s!
~Rachel
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