In addition, I will be taking a summer course here at Furman. Despite the course being quite expensive, around three thousand dollars, I will be able to receive a 4 credit class in less than a month. So, even though I dread taking class over the summer, I will be able to still enjoy two months of summer vacation when I get done with it. As the summer draws to a close, I will be on campus for Resident Assistant training. It should definitely be fun, and you might even meet me on move-in day as I am assisting in helping students unpack their vehicles

Since this will most likely be my last journal entry, I would like to thank all those who have read my journals. I hope that they have helped you to somewhat get an idea of what to expect coming into Furman next year. Furman is definitely a great school and you really develop close relationships with the people on your hall and the faculty. This is home.

In my Freshman Seminar, Wal-Mart: Monster or Miracle, we constructed a poster for display at Furman Engaged dealing with our experiment that we conducted about Wal-Mart. The poster was set up in the gymnasium among numerous other posters. Other students, professors, and people from the community walked around and looked at the posters. In addition, they asked us questions as we displayed our posters. The time we spent displaying the posters was not too consuming though. For example, we were only required to stand by our poster for an hour. Furman Engaged is definitely worth it, especially if you have three classes on Friday like I do.

Furthermore, I volunteered for the VO2 max testing that the Department of Health and Exercise Science was conducting. VO2 is the maximum oxygen uptake during maximal exercise. During the testing, a mask was put on me and I was instructed to run on a treadmill. Slowly, the speed and elevation were increased until I could no longer run. The maximal level I got to was 8.5 miles and hour at six elevations. The result: a sixty VO2 max, not too bad. Overall, I highly enjoyed Furman Engaged and I hope the program continues.

Another fun fact about Furman is that different intramurals are played each semester. For example, last semester we played traditional fall sports like football and soccer while this semester we are playing traditional spring sports like basketball and baseball. So far, we lost in the championship game in basketball but we won our first softball game. Hopefully, we will not lose in the championship game in softball.

All in all, I am pretty excited about returning to Furman next year. I am sure that all of you are also counting down the days to your arrival at Furman. Orientation may seem awkward, but it is just plain fun and remember: for the most part, you go through orientation only once, so enjoy it while you can. In addition, I am planning on taking a summer course at Furman. The course only takes a month and you get four credits; however, you must attend class 5 days a week for an extended duration. Even though it is rather expensive, it will give me a head start for next year. By the way, since some of you are making final decisions on whether to attend Furman or not, do not hesitate to comment my blogs if you have any questions about Furman and I will try to answer them to the best of my ability. Good luck!

Furthermore, a challenge already came up a few days after being chosen for the RA position. The prospect RA’s had to choose their roommate, which was not too much of a hassle; however, I also wished to choose my suitemates. Unfortunately, I had to gain approval from the Sigma Nu Fraternity in order to choose my suitemates since I am an RA on the Sigma Nu Hall. The Sigma Nu representative was very understanding and granted my request of suitemates. That’s one of the things I love about Furman: most of the people here are reasonable and very friendly.

In addition to being an RA, I am also involved in the Shucker Leadership Institute this semester. I must say that it is a pretty awesome program. I would say that the group is similar to a Beta Club in high school. For example, our current project is teaching elementary school children in small groups. Although I cannot comment on the teaching experience yet since it begins this Wednesday, I will be sure to reflect on it later. Well, keep in touch.

In addition, I usually go to Einstein’s each night to get a late snack. The students get healthy choices like fruits and low fat yogurt as well as more tempting snacks like bagel pizza. So, if you are like me, you can get a healthy snack if you are just starving before you go to bed. Another popular attraction this semester is Waffle House. If Einstein’s just won’t hit the spot, several guys on my hall get together and we go out for a midnight meal. It’s a fairly popular place for Furman students. In fact, it is rare to find a spot to sit since the place is overflowing with students. Either way, there are always things to do if you get hungry at night.

As far as classes this semester, they are going okay so far. It is definitely hard getting used to different professors; however, they are always willing to help outside of class. For example, I have asked my Computer Science professor numerous times to help me with numerous homework problems and he had not yet hesitated. Anyway, those are just some updates. C ya!

Starting next week, I will be involved in the Shucker Leadership program. Unlike my high school community service clubs, this organization seems highly organized. I have constantly received e mails from the club during Fall semester despite being in the Spring Semester sector. Luckily, there is definitely no excuse from missing a mandatory meeting.

Classes so far this semester are decent. It’s funny, I can actually imitate every teacher that has taught me last semester and I am catching on to this semester’s professors as well. Each professor acts differently and has a unique set of characteristics. It gets pretty entertaining sometimes and definitely keeps me awake in class. Until next time, chao.

Well winter break is finally here. I got out a few days earlier since my exams fell on the first three days of the examination period. Some students have to stay on campus until December 18; however, I got out on the 14^th. The closing procedures for the dorm rooms are pretty straightforward. Additionally, the students do not have to move all of their stuff out during winter break. This saves the trouble of moving all of the big objects such as televisions and furniture. Furthermore, the custodial staff cleans your dorm during the break so that you could have a “clean start” when you come back.

Luckily, I do not live that far away from Furman so I had a short drive home. For those students living a good distance away, Furman provides a bus shuttle that will take you to the airport. That way, you save money by not having to take the rather expensive taxi. Additionally, if you do not want to take the bus, you can always ask someone on the hall to drop you off at the airport since it is only about twenty minutes away. Well, I’m going to get started on my break. Merry Christmas!

Anyway, getting back to the Thanksgiving holiday, it is finally nice to get a break from school work. Exams are coming up soon after the Thanksgiving break; but, the Christmas break is coming up also. To me, that is one of the best things about college: A full month off for Christmas break.

To tell you the truth, time has been flying by for me this semester. The school days in high school took forever, partially because we had eight hour days compared to two hours a day at Furman. Nevertheless, time somehow seems to speed up when you are in college. With time flying by so fast, you are forced to make some pretty crucial decisions early on in your college career. For example, if you wish to double major, like I do, planning your courses for the next four years must be a priority since there are plenty of classes that you have to take and not many slots to waste. Happy Thanksgiving!

To make things better, it rained all Friday night as we were playing. The ball was super slippery and I would say there was an interception or a fumble almost every other play. At first, we were getting dominated by the Pickens team. We were getting shut out and the other team had scored four touchdowns; however, we started making a beast of a comeback and tied up the ball game in the end. The final score was five touchdowns to five touchdowns.

After being beat, we bought some pizza and just hung out for a while in the hall discussing the game. I would say the guys on the hall definitely got to know each other better by playing this game. Not only did it require teamwork, but also a lot of communication in order to keep the plays running smoothly. There will be a re-match in about two weeks, so come rage.

So how do you prepare for these more challenging cumulative multiple choice/fill in the blank exams? Well, to start off I would recommend reading the assigned readings. The next thing I did was take notes on the readings. Last, I studied my class notes and my class readings. Missing classes definitely reduces your ability to do well on these exams, as each and every lecture is equally important. Although I did all of this extensive studying for my sociology course, in addition to not missing a single class in there, I still made a B on the exam. So, Furman is definitely a challenging institution; however, these high standards prepare you for the future.

Well, after enjoying a weekend off from everything after the Midterms, I realized that Thanksgiving break is in less than 3 weeks. Plus, after Thanksgiving break, we only have like a week and a half left of school left in the semester. Wow, exams heading my way again. Great. So anyway, I better go enjoy the little free time I have until these exams come again.

P.S. To add to the misery, the Cowboys and Giants had to play each other today. Dread