KNIGHT CHAT

Hello!

Just wanted to let prospective students & their parents that we will be having a Knight Chat for Parents on Thursday from 7:30-9 pm.

Knight Chats are basically an online chat room, where students & parents can ask questions about Saint Mike's! We have several Knight Chats throughout the year and they can be for prospective students or for parents. If you've been in contact with SMC, you should get emails about upcoming Knight Chats.


At each chat there are several bloggers to answer every question! We have quite a mix of bloggers, so you should be able to hear a wide variety of opinions and experiences.

This Thursday I will be answering questions at the Knight Chat! Fellow bloggers Alexandra, Lauren, Beth, and Sam will be there as well. Check out Lauren & Alexandras' posts about Knight Chats here & here.


Knight Chats are a really great way to learn about & get a feel for the school. They definitely helped me decide that I was interested in Saint Mike's and wanted to tour.


SO TELL YOUR PARENTS ABOUT KNIGHT CHAT! I know that my mom had a million questions when I was looking at schools, and this is a great way for parents to figure everything out.

If you have any questions, ask me on formspring! Can't wait to meet so many excited parents on Thursday!

It's Autumn!

Hello everybody! HAPPY FALL! This is my favorite season & it's so beautiful outside!

This is a picture of the quad - the building there is Lyons Hall.

School at SMC is going wonderfully! I am extremely busy lately, but I'm still having a ton of fun!

I do have to apologize that I haven't blogged in so long! But I'm starting this whole "better me" thing where I focus more on schoolwork, BLOG MORE & don't have the totally delicious soft-serve from Alliot everyday. It's so difficult!

Just thought I'd use this post to update you all on my classes & let you know about advising sessions.


First thing is classes:


As you might have seen in my past post, I am taking a First Year Seminar called Horses & Healing.

I'm also taking Accounting, Business, Spanish, and a half-credit Dance class.

For Financial Accounting: I have an EARLY class at 8:10 every Tuesday and Thursday mornings. I'm not usually a math person, but as a (possible) business minor I need to take two accounting classes. I've actually done really well in this class and it's kind of fun!

For Business: Again, as a (possible) business minor, I need to take this introductory business class called Critical Thinking and Communication. This class is a lot of work because it's basically an overview of all aspects of business, including finance, marketing, and management. However, the class is also a ton of fun. Throughout the semester, we need to create a real business. My group is selling SMC winter beanies, and it's pretty exciting to have the chance to use so many different business skills right now.

For Spanish: I've taken Spanish since Middle School, which means I've been learning about it for seven years. But in order to graduate, you need to take, or test out of, a level two Spanish class. When I took the foreign language placement test during my Summer Registration Day (learn about that here!) I placed into the level two class. That means that, after passing this class at the end of the semester, I no longer need to take Spanish (unless I decide to minor or major in it).

For Dance: In order to graduate, every student needs to take an Artistic Experience class. This can be music ensemble, dance, painting, etc. I took dance because I thought it would be interesting and would give me a little bit of exercise. Also, since it's only a half-credit course, I have little work outside of class and can fit it in with my other four classes. It's a great break during the day.


Now about advising:

Just quickly about this, every semester each student meets with his/her advisor before registering for classes. The exception to this is the first semester of freshman year when first-year students either mail in their desired classes or meet with a temporary advisor on Summer Registration Day.

As an education major, I feel like this advising session is extremely important. Education majors need to double major, and there are a lot of classes to fit in. Especially if you want to study abroad (like I do!) you need to carefully plan out your courses. That's why education majors all have a "Four-Year Plan" which includes several folders and sticky notes that represent each class you need to take. I'll write about this more later, but this was really helpful for me to plan out what classes I need to take next semester.

I have a little more to straighten out before I can register for classes (on November 10, so close!) & I'll let you all know all about advising, next semester's classes, and registration day when I have everything figured out!


Until then, ask me anything about Saint Mike's! I'd love to hear from you on formspring, twitter, or by email! Talk to you soon!

Early Action Deadline

Good morning everyone! Hope you all had a great Friday night & wonderful night's sleep, just  like me!


I just wanted to remind all you prospective students that Saint Mike's Early Action I deadline is coming up November 1st! If you're considering applying to SMC, I definitely recommend the Early Action I or II deadlines!

The college search is incredibly stressful. Trust me, I did not manage my time well, and when it came time to take SATs and ACTs. write numerous essays, and fill out the common app PLUS supplemental applications for several schools, I was a train wreck. But if you can pull all that crazy amount of work together in time, apply early action!

Let me remind you that Early Action is NON-BINDING. It's different than early decision and is simply an early application. It's great because you hear about your acceptance much earlier!



Just wanted you all to know what a relief it is to hear back from Saint Mike's early. Even if it's not your number one choice (although I'm not sure why it wouldn't be!) it's great to know that, no matter what, you're going to college! I did the Early Action II, and Saint Mike's was the first school I heard back from! It made me so excited to start college!

Below are the different application deadlines. You can also check here to see more about how to apply & why you should come to Saint Mike's!

If you have any questions about the application process, let me know! I can tell you all about my application & answers, and I'll even share my college essay if you're curious (but let's be honest, it's not the most exciting thing to read). Shoot me an email to let me know how your application is coming, or ask me a question on formspring! Have a happy weekend!


EARLY ACTION I

DEADLINE: 11/1
NOTIFICATION: 12/31


EARLY ACTION II

DEADLINE: 12/1
NOTIFICATION: 2/1

REGULAR APPLICATION

DEADLINE: 2/1
NOTIFICATION: 5/1

TRANSFER APPLICATION

DEADLINE: 11/1
NOTIFICATION: 5/1

SURVIVOR

Let me start this post with a super awesome family memory. For years my family went camping, for one week every single summer, as our family vacation. While we've gone to Acadia Nation Park in Maine the past seven years or so, we first started camping in New Hampshire.

The first memory I have from camping involves a crazy rainy night when I was seven. It was about 8 or 9 pm and it was pouring outside, so we went to Loon Mountain to get some hot chocolate.

And, TA-DA, there on tv was the very first season of SURVIVOR! It was the first time that we'd ever seen the show, and my family was hooked. It's become sort of a dad-and-daughter thing (I know, just so cute right?), and we've watched the show ever since...all 11 years and 23 seasons of it.


SO now the good part!

While I've been at school here at Saint Mike's, I've been looking for ways to have an "un-common" college experience. Sure I want to have all the wonderful experiences as normal college students, but I also want to do something unexpected! And here is where fate comes in...

About a week ago I was on facebook, and I saw an ad (way on the right in the little tiny column with all of the birthdays and "people you may know" and random movie advertisements). It was some ad for Survivor something-or-others, but I clicked on it anyway.

I explored the Survivor site, and saw an area to apply for Survivor. And OHMYGOODNESS I got so excited. For years I've wanted to be on the show, and now that I'm finally eighteen, I CAN (you know, as long as they pick me and all that jazz).

SO I am now about to shock your socks off and tell you...THAT I APPLIED TO BE ON SURVIVOR. Basically, to sum up all of the above, I may be a future millionaire/have the title of sole Survivor...like whoa.

So for your entertainment, here is my audition video! PLEASE don't judge me; I did the best I could in the few days I had (& during such a busy week)!


And AGAIN to sum up everything, I dare you to find something that excites you and just go for it. I mean sure, there's about a one in a million chance that I'll get picked to be on the show, but what if I do get picked & have the experience of a lifetime?


Tell me what exciting thing you want to do in life! Or, you know, ask about my Survivor dreams, the college search, or about Saint Mike's! Find me on Twitter or shoot me an email!

Freshmen First Year Seminar :)

Happy Weekend Everyone!

Hope your school year is going great! I apologize for not blogging in a while, but my classes have been so busy lately! But finally I can tell you all about them in the next week or so!

The very first class I want to tell you all about is my Freshmen First Year Seminar. Every freshman is required to take one of these classes (either your first or second semester). There's a whole bunch of classes you can choose from, but all are small (about 15 kids each) and are writing intensive. I think they're a great way to get to know a professor & some other freshmen, as well as get used to college-level writing.

MY first year seminar is called 'Horses and Healing' and it's taught by Professor Bridget Kerr. This class is SO MUCH FUN! We learn a lot about the connection between horses and humans, and we also learn about our bond with nature. We meet every Tuesday and Thursday, and most Thursdays we have an extended class in which we drive to a local horse farm and help with a therapeutic riding program. It's so fantastic!

Now, when I attended a Summer Registration Day in July (see my previous post about this here) I did not get into the 'Horses and Healing' FYS like I wanted. I emailed the Professor, explained why I wanted to get into her class so badly, and was put on a waiting list. Then I waited through July...and August...and then as classes were about to start, I was still stuck on the waiting list. While I wasn't upset about this, I was so disappointed! So, during the first week of classes, my friend Merrill (who also desperately wanted to get into the class) and I went to Horses and Healing. We just went to the class, introduced ourselves to Professor Kerr, and sat in for the day. Afterwards, Professor Kerr was convinced that we were so interested in the class that she added an extra spot and allowed us both to join!

So now, a little over a month into school, I'm absolutely loving this class! When we're at SMC on Tuesdays, we have great discussions & have a lot of fun! We talk about so many different topics, journal before each class, and watch a few videos. The last one that we watched was about dancing with horses. A little bit of a strange topic...but pretty interesting none the less.

I also love our professor. Professor Kerr actually teaches writing at Saint Mike's, but she's a lot of fun. She's very chill and she's so excited about this class that you can't help but feel the same way! This is the fist year that 'Horses and Healing' has been offered, and she created the class herself. She's done a great job of making it unique, hands-on, and really really interesting.

Thursdays are my favorite day of the week. I love going to the farm, helping out, watching some lessons, and seeing the horses! But farm days aren't all that glamorous. We do a lot of chores that vary from grooming a horse (so much fun!) to stacking hay, to mucking out stalls (my wonderful job two weeks ago). But no matter what we do, it's great just to get away from campus and get to see the super sweet horses. Somehow we always find a minute to say hi to them.

Last week I took some great pictures at the barn! Despite the rain, it was a lot of fun.

Bunnies! There's so many animals at the farm.

Gabby, John, and Allie up in the hay loft.

SO MUCH hay!

The barn!

There are a couple barn cats around. This one's sleeping in one of the stalls. So cute!

I swear he posed for this picture.

Catherine!

It's Casey!

Hannah & Susannah showing some love!

And this is all of us!

Hope you all have a super relaxing weekend! I love bragging about SMC, so ask me about anything! Find me on Twitter!

IT'S A DO-GOOD KIND OF DAY

Good Morning! Today is the kind of day that just makes you want to lie in the grass and sing some Zac Brown Band (or is that just me?).

My super good mood reminded me of an super cool organization I heard about this past summer while in Maine with my girl scout troop. We had a bonfire one night and a bunch of the girls met this kid named James on the beach. He came to our bonfire to play guitar, and we learned all about his organization called "Lad in a Battle".

Basically, "Lad in a Battle" is a 'do-good' organization. There are "Lad in a Battle" shirts (or "Lass in a Battle" if you're a girl!) that James sells, and the proceeds from these sales go to Make-a-Wish Foundation. Also, while wearing these shirts, you're supposed to do one good deed, like helping someone pick up their spilled papers or holding the door open for someone. How wonderful is that!

James also sings and plays guitar. The song I have stuck in right now, Boat Shoes, is posted below! It's so catchy! And it's a little funny. Check out even more songs by going to the "Lad in a Battle" page on Youtube here.

The last point about "Lad in a Battle" is that the name represents the individual battle that each of us needs to fight. In Maine, James told us that his battle was in not being an "average" college student by choosing not to drink or do drugs (this was the part where our girl scout leader was convinced that he was the perfect boy).

If you want to order a shirt, click here! And check out the Lad in a Battle Website right here!

Next week I'll post about my classes - what I'm taking, how awesome my professors are - and a little bit about the clubs I've joined!

Send me any questions you have on Twitter!

September 11th

For about a week now, I've tried not to write this post. For no particular reason really, I just feel like 9/11 is a day where people focus on the negativity of the attacks in 2001. Instead I really wanted to write about what I remember and the little bit of positivity that came out of it.

When the terrorist attacks happened ten years ago, I was in third grade. My teachers told us nothing at school, and I didn't suspect a thing. When I came home my mom told my brother and I what had happened, but I wasn't extremely upset. As an eight year old, I didn't really have a grasp on what was going on. Instead I was mad that that my teachers hadn't trusted us with that kind of information (but looking back, who in their right mind would tell an eight year old that info.?).



In more recent years, I've learned more and more about what happened in 2001. I've seen videos and heard stories. I also visited ground zero last spring when I went to New York. 9/11 does interest me because it had such a huge impact on our country (for example, can anyone remember a time where there wasn't such tight security at airports?) but there are certain stories that just hit me in this spiritual way.



One story that I think is just so awe-inspiring is about Rick Rescola, director of security for Morgan Stanley, which was headquartered in the World Trade Center. A lot of people know this story, but after hearing about it again this past week, I need to share it.

Rick Rescola started at Dean Witter Renolds in New York City in 1984. Then, after this company merged with Morgan Stanley in 1997, Rescola became director of security, which was headquartered in the World Trade Center. In 1993 there was a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. A truck filled with explosives was detonated in the garage; Rescola was infuriated that the employees of Morgan Stanley didn't listen to his evacuation plans, causing many of them to be stuck in their offices for hours before they could receive help.

After that, Rescola began planning for another, future terrorist attack. Due to the iconic image of the World Trade Center, its proximity to Wall Street, and the huge amount of people working there, Rescola was sure that another terrorist attack was unavoidable. He made sure that there were lights in the stairwells that would not go out after an attack, installed machines to clear the stairwells of smoke in case of a fire, and mandated evacuation drills every three months or so. He also talked with several security personnel, and decided that the next attack would probably come by air. He tried to prepare for this as best he could, but there was little he could do.

On September 11th, 2001, after the first plane hit the World Trade Center, Rescola began evacuating the  2,700 Morgan Stanley employees. As the employees left the building, Rescola, a British army veteran, sang military songs over his bullhorn to keep everyone calm. Then, he went back into the building to make sure that everyone was out. When the tower collapsed, Rescola was still inside. He had gotten all but 3 of the 2,700 Morgan Stanley employees out safely.

This story amazes me because it makes me truly believe that everyone is here on earth for a reason. I think that Rick Rescorla was put here to save those 2,697 people. I can't believe that he predicted what was coming when no one else did, and I marvel at his immense bravery.



Check out the memorial site here to see pictures of the memorial, located at ground zero, opening to the public 9/12/11. It's really beautiful, and I think it's a great way to commemorate all those who died.

God Bless to everyone who was affected by the events on 9/11 ten years ago, especially to the family members of those who passed. I'm praying for all of you.


So what do you guys remember? What reminds you that we're all blessed? I'd love to hear from you on Twitter.