A SPOOK-tacular Halloween!

Our Halloween Costumes! (Fairy and Old Man)

Happy Halloween Lakers!




I must say, one of my favorite parts about college is celebrating holidays! As many of you probably know, today is Halloween!  Mercyhurst has loads of fun activities, celebrations, and traditions that really make this holiday come alive for students!  Let me tell you about them!

My Boyfriend, his brother, and me

Every year, the Student Activities Council (SAC) hosts two well-attended and non-stop fun events on Halloween weekend.  The first event is the Haunted Skate.  This is held in our very own ice rink.  Students come dressed in their best costume and enjoy a little ice skating, snacks, and fun music!  Students LOVE this event and it is an excellent way to celebrate Halloween!  I have to admit, I have never gone to it but I have heard nothing but GREAT things about this spooky event!

I even dressed my dog up for Halloween!

The next event is Haunted Hurst!  This is probably one of the most attended events of the entire school year!  Some of you may not know this, but Mercyhurst is rumored to have a haunted buildings and creepy areas.  Haunted Hurst is an event where the campus is actually tranformed into a haunted house and students can get haunted tours through the scariest places on campus...if you DARE!  Watch out for the ghosts, though...you never know where you might come across one!  After a tour, you can enjoy yummy treats and Halloween activities in the student union!  This event is actually award-winning and trust me, is SO MUCH FUN! (click here to read about its award!).

I was a fairy!

If you're interested in the spooky ghost stories of Mercyhurst College, check out the school's youtube page here!  There is a series of five videos entitled "Haunts from the Hill" that give you a sneak peek of some of the stories you learn about on your haunted tour of campus!  Don't be too scared, though =].

As for my own Halloween celebrations, I spent the weekend visiting my boyfriend at his school!  We got all dressed up on Saturday night and enjoyed some good spooky festivities!  Check out the pictures to see how I spent my Halloween!

Now, it is unfortunately time to buckle down and prepare for the end of the term!  Final paper writing time...=[.  So, until next time!

Open Houses!

This past weekend, I donned my lovely green Ambassador jacket and worked the first fall Open House of the year.  While I must admit that I don't enjoy having to get up early on a Saturday morning, the Opem Houses are really great ways for prospective students and their families to learn more about Mercyhurst.  If you happened to miss the first one, and would like to register for the next one (coming up in two weeks!) click on this link to get more information!

The Ambassadors who may give you your tour at open house!

Open Houses and other admissions events, (We also host Major Day and Junior Day in the spring), are a really good opportunity to visit Mercyhurst.  While the admissions office and ambassadors give tours 6 days a week and all through the summer, open houses give you a chance to attend a major fair, eat at Egan dining hall, and learn more about the admissions and financial processes that it takes to become a Mercyhurst student.  This last open house we had an awesome turnout: 100 families!  If you want to experience this day, make sure to go here to sign up!

My Mommy Visiting Me!

After the open house on Saturday, my week continued to be busy!  Saturday night, my mom and my boyfriend's mom came to visit me!  We stayed the night at a hotel in Erie and had a girl's night!  It was a lot of fun and an awesome chance to get off campus and spend some time with people that I love.  After my relaxing weekend, I jumped headfirst into a busy pre-Halloween week!  I have had two presentations, two papers, and lots of reading to jam in!  Plus, I have had meetings! 

Tomorrow night I have a Student Alumi Association meeting that I am actually excited for!  It is Halloween themed and everyone gets to dress up, have snacks, and enjoy the fall holiday.  Then, it will finally be Halloween weekend so I can dress up in my costume and have fun!  Hopefully the fall rain holds off for a little while longer!

Until next time!  And don't forget to check out admissions events and open houses here!

What's your major, major?

Hey all!

As I was looking through my blog posts recently, I realized that in the year or so that I have been blogging about life at Mercyhurst College, I have barely talked about my major, professors, and academic experience!

Mercyhurst has a lot of majors to choose from.  For a small school, we have a large variety or majors, minors, and concentrations.  Some of the most popular programs of study here include Intelligence Studies, forensic science, and business.  I am actually a social studies secondary education major.  In other words, when I am finally finished with my education, I will be a high school history teacher!  For any other those future Lakers out there that might be interested in either being history or education majors, read more to find out what each department/program is all about!

If you want to be a high school teacher after college, the program that Mercyhurst offers is the 4+1 program.  This program is designed so that students take 4 years of undergraduate college and receive a bachelor's in their content area (I will have one in social studies).  Then, students in the program will remain at Mercyhurst for just one extra year in order to get their master's degree in just one year!  This is an awesome program because students can get two degrees in just five years, which takes other students 6+ years to accomplish.  Plus, once I graduate, I will start at a slightly higher salary because I will already have my master's degree...and those new teachers that only have their bachelor's won't be able to say the same!

Because I am doing the 4+1 education program, most of the classes I take are in the social studies/history content area.  Because of this, I have only had two education classes so far, so I don't really know much about the department yet.  But, I CAN tell you a lot of really good things about the history department!  I do not have one bad thing to say about the professors in the department. I know them very well and it is so great to be about to say hi to them when I see them around campus.  They all know my name and I have gotten to know them in return.  Plus, the advantage of being in a small program means that I know exactly what to expect from professors in classes; plus some of my classes are as small at 9 students!  It is very personal and gives classes a chance to have discussions and interactions.  I love it!  Be sure to click on the links to learn more about the department and all the cool things that it has to offer.  Plus, if you love history but don't want to teach, you can learn all about the other concentrations in history you could do!

Now, I know all of you aren't interested in history or in education.  But, like I already mentioned, Mercyhurst has MANY majors to offer students.  We even have a couple brand new programs (public health and sustainability)!  Check out this link to see everything that this school has to offer!

Times, they are a'changin'

As long as I have known about Mercyhurst, it has had a trimester system.  Theis means that we have three 10 week terms during the year and lots of breaks in between.  Classes move at a faster pace, but you take on less work at a time and it makes classes (especially if you don't like them) go by REALLY quickly.  I personally love them and couldn't imagine a different schedule.

However, Mercyhurst is in a transition phase right now.  We are growing by the minute, building new buildings, planning for a very exciting future, and hopefully becoming Mercyhurst University by this time next year.  All of these things are SUPER exciting, but they do mean that there will need to be some changes to the Laker way of life so many of us have grown accustomed to.   Click here to read about Mercyhurst's future, or here to learn about "university" status!

Because university standards require more class time for all students throughout the year, the trimester seems will need to be modified, or dropped altogether.  They have several options; these include traditional semesters, a longer school year and longer classtimes, or the unique 4-1-4 system.  These are all laid on the table and there is a huge debate that is buzzing around the school about the future of the Mercyhurst schedule. 

When this does change, I probably won't really be affected since it will most likely take place a couple years from now.  But, for all you future Lakers out there, it will be something that you will have to keep in mind!  Personally, I think all the changes are exciting and will really make this already great school even better.  I know a lot of students that are outraged at the changes, but that's because we are all a little resistant to change at first!

Anyway, if you're interested in learning more about the options for the schedule change, check out the link to the Merciad (school newspaper) below!
http://merciad.mercyhurst.edu/content/college-considers-calendar-change

My Final Fall Break

The leaves are turning colors and dropping to the ground, the weather is getting chillier, and Mercyhurst students all just got back from their fall break!  It's just that time of year!

I must say, fall is one of my favorite times of year...especially when I am driving home for our lovely four day weekend and get to see all the beautiful leaves changing all colors of the autumn spectrum.  Plus, the long weekend gives all students a MUCH needed time to relax and recooperate after midterms and prepare for the marathon that is finishing up the term.

This year for fall break, I went home for a couple nights and then spent the rest of the weekend visiting my lovely boyfriend at his school.  It is so nice to be able to leave the crazy hustle and bustle that is Mercyhurst!  Of course, I did have to do a little homework over break...and probably should have done even more, but I didn't have to attend classes or meetings, or anything else for a few days.  An escape from it all was certainly needed regardless of how many exciting things were happening!

Last week I blogged about our Senior Class Gift presentations to Dr. Gamble, the Mercyhurst President.  They went SO well!  And, he and his fellow administrators chose an awesome gift that is really going to make a HUGELY positive impact on our school!  It is something that future and current Lakers will be able to enjoy!  I'm not sure if it is disclosable yet...but when I know whether or not our awesome gift can go public, my blog readers will be some of the first to know! 

Now that I am back to school, I am realizing that I have very little time left in my final fall term of undergrad!  Only a few more weeks to finish up all my papers, projects, and prepare for finals!  It's enough to make my head spin!  I know I will get it all done...I always do...but it doesn't make me any less scared or stressed!  Hopefully the upcoming Halloween festivities will keep me treading water!

Well, back to the grind!  Until next time =].

Senior Class Gift Committee Madness!

So, I have something really exciting that I am involved in this year!  Every year, Mercyhurst seniors get together and raise money for a senior class gift.  These gifts are usually something useful that would improve the school or benefit the student body in some way.  In the past, classes have raised money for a green roof on the ceramics lab, the mexican station in the Laker Inn, books funds, and the 24/7 study lounge on the first floor of the library.  With all the awesome precedents, the class of 2012 committee has really big shoes to fill!

My roommate and fellow blogger is the chair of the committee this year and we have really exciting ideas!  I can't tell you our ideas yet...it's a secret!  But, what I can tell you, is that if we raise enough money, we have the possibility to really add something great to the already awesome campus. 

Our class gift logo!

This group takes a lot of work, though.  We have to do fund raisers (LOTS!), choose and plan out gifts, and then propose them to Dr. Gamble (college president!) for him to choose between several options.  I chose to help with a proposal for one of our three options that we will be presenting!  Our committee is going to present TOMORROW!!!  I am nervous and excited all at the same time.  Giving a formal presentation in front of the president of the college is not something very many students get to do, so it really should be an awesome experience.  But let me tell you...it took a LOT of work.

In order to make our gift sound appealing and credible, we had to do some serious research.  We had to contact many people, find out quotes and specifics, and come up with reasons why our particular gift would benefit the schools and the students.  We also had to create a powerpoint presentation as well as a tangible paper proposal for the president to have in front of him to refer to and study in his deliberations for which gift to choose.  I'm am really hoping that all our hard work (which we had to balance with midterms, papers, and other homework...) will really pay off after tomorrow!

Here's to hoping it goes great and Dr. Gamble approves of one of our awesome gift ideas!  I will keep you posted on how it goes!

All that hard stuff...

Well, once again I find myself up to my nose with midterms and homework.  Of course, what is NEW with my life??

Luckily, I am finding a pretty good balance for doing work, studying, and my extracurriculars.  I sometimes wonder if I take on too much, but I know that through all the stress it will be worth it in the end when I have everything done and feel very accomplished.  So far, so good.

But, if you go to college and don't know how to balance your time, you will meet serious issues!  I am a firm believer in working ahead (I know, I know...I'm NUTS because I don't wait until the last minute to cram) but BELIEVE ME: it's worth it!

I am the kind of person that schedules my day very carefully.  If I have a lot to get done in one night (like tonight), I will go so far as to plan my day hour by hour just to be sure that I can fit it all in.  Plus, of course, I need a little time for myself or I would probably be clinically insane right now.

Here is the key to handling the workload of college: TIME MANAGEMENT.  You don't need to by a psycho like me and plan your life by the hour, but it is probably a good idea to invest in a good planner.  Know when things are due, when your tests are, when meetings are scheduled, etc.  If you write it all down in front of you, you can then plan on when to do your work so that it doesn't get backed up on you!  Pulling an all-nighter because you forgot about a ten page paper due the next day is not exactly the best way to excel in college!

This is a skill that comes with time and patience.  College is a way of life.  You have to find the good balance between schoolwork, extracurriculars, and going out and having fun with your friends.  If you can do this, I PROMISE you that you will have the BEST possible experience with college!

So, here's to handling our stress in healthy ways!  And now I return to my ridiculously planned even full of studying, ambassador events, and a meeting! =]

Homecoming!

This past weekend was Hurst Homecoming 2011!  It was also parent's and alumni weekend so this tiny campus was hoppin' with visitors from all over.  It unfortunately was a cold and rainy weekend, but that did not stop my friends and I from having a ton of fun!

Roomies on Friday night

On Friday night, two of my roommates parents came to visit and we all went to "Rodeo Bingo."  Student Activities Council hosts bingo this weekend every year and it is totally worth going because there are AWESOME prizes.  This year some of the grand prizes inculded and Keurig coffeemaker and a flip video camera!  I have gone to bingo all four years and have NEVER won because I have rotten luck, but there are so many chances that at least someone you know will probably win something.  After Bingo, some friends and I went out to the Cornerstone bar and grill, right near campus, and was surprised to see it overflowing with alumni and students ready to celebrate their love for the Hurst! 



We didn't stay long, though because the next morning we got up to work the First Annual Alumni 5K.  This was organized by the Student Alumni Association, of which I am a member, and so we had to be up and ready to work it at 7:30AM!  That was one EARLYYYY and COLD morning!  I worked registration but there were a lot of other students that worked as court marshalls all morning in the cold and rain!  I felt so bad for them.  Luckily, though, we had a great turnout and it went very smoothly!  Plus, we had fun doing it.

Friends with the King and Queen!

After a much needed nap, I bundled up in my Mercyhurst gear and layers and headed to the Alumni tailgate.  It's not open to all students but since I belong to the Student Alumni Association, I was able to attend it.  There was delicious food and I really enjoyed mingling with alums of our awesome school!

Me and her majesty the Queen =]

Then, my friends and I headed over to the stadium to catch the football game against our rival, Gannon University.  It was FREEZING and miserable, and of course I have been battling with a terrible cold, but we still had a good time.  The best part was, my roommate Lindsay won Homecoming Queen!!!! We were SO SO SO excited for her!  She completely deserved it and even got a really pretty tiara!  It was so exciting!

After the very cold game, we headed over the Hurst Fest.  It was inside the rec center because of the rain, but still fun.  There was a petting zoo, snacks, games, and a mechanical bull!  I had to work the bounce house during the afternoon and it was really great to see all the little kids and siblings having tons of fun on it.  It was a great last Hurst Fest as an undergraduate!

Obviously, Saturday was a busy busy day for me and my friends!  When the day was over I crashed into bed early and spent the rest of the weekend relaxing and catching up on homework.  But, regardless of the cold temperatures and my little cold bug, it was a homecoming to remember!