I know exactly how you feel right now. You are ready for spring break. You are SO ready to be done with high school forever. Most of you are DYING to get to college in the fall.
SLOW DOWN!! High School is just as much of a special time as college is, especially your senior year. Cherish every moment because lets be honest, college isn't a cake walk by any means. But because I have a semester and a half under my belt, I can give you some advice.
First of all, invest in a couple of warm jackets, gloves, and especially ear muffs. If you are going anywhere relatively cold, you WILL BE COLD walking to class. It's a fact. It's also not a bad idea to bring one of these jackets with you when you move in. I think you will be surprised at how cold it can get.
Secondly, don't be afraid to make friends. College is a fresh start for everyone and they all want to make new friends too. Being shy and inverted will get you nowhere and there is a possibility it could lead you to depression. That is never a good thing. On that note, I would also recommend going through Rush. Joining a sorority or a fraternity opens you up to 200 people that will be there for you if you need it. Also, there will be older people in your house who have taken your classes already or are in your degree program, which is extremely beneficial.
College is a great way to make life long friends, but you can't get too caught up in that aspect. I mean, college is first and foremost about going to class and graduating so you can have a future. Therefore, I highly recommend reading your text book even if it isn't required. It's much easier to understand your foreign professor if you have read what he is writing on the board. (And yes, you will have a professor that you can't understand.)
I also encourage everyone to get involved on their campus, whether it is the Student government, a bible study, or some other club. It is a way to meet new people and also something to look forward to if you have a rough week.
But if you get involved, you MUST MUST MUST stay organized. Actually, you need to stay organized anyway. Organization is key because you can plan ahead if you have 3 tests in one week, which does happen quite often. It allows you to plan ahead and manage your time. I was an organized person in high school, but even I have had to step up my game in college. Find a planner that works for you and use it. Everyone has their preferences and it will help you if you get a planner that is pleasing to your eyes. Sadly, I did this by buying my high school planner because I really liked the layout!
But finally, have fun! As I have been told, college is some of the best 4 years of your life. Enjoy it and take it all in. I know that the short time I have been here, I have had the time of my life, but I also made good grades too. It is all about balance and scheduling, but I guess in the long run, no fun will cause you stress which isn't a good thing!
So... have fun and take it all in, but don't do this in place of making good grades. Your parents will not be very happy with you if you fail out.
Good Luck with the rest of your senior year and with college next year!
Love always,
Carrie
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Bystander Behavior
In life, it is almost always easiest just to walk on by and pretend like you never saw anything. Sadly, I find myself doing this a lot. Because I like keeping myself busy, I often make my excuse "I just don't have any time to spare to take care of this one little problem," and that is never the right attitude. In 18 years of life, I have learned, slowly but surely, what goes around comes around. If you don't take the initiative to help someone, they won't take the initiative for you when you need it.
There have been plenty of opportunities in life where I have been a bystander. I bystand friends being rude to other friends all the time. I walk right past the booths in the Union because I have somewhere I need to be. Even the small things can make you a bystander in everyday life. It is usually so much easier to take the low road and walk on by, but I know now that I need to start being that bigger person and helping out where I can.
There was a time in my high school volleyball practice where our coach was raising her voice enough to make a girl on our team cry. She was raising her voice about how this girl never took anything seriously in practice or in life when in reality, she just has the happy-go-lucky personality and was naturally goofy. It is especially difficult to stand up to people who are older than you. I really wish I said something to my coach about it, but instead we just went on with our practice and when we had a break, we comforted our teammate. Looking back, I still wish I would've said something because in my opinion, no one has the right to be yelled at, and our coach really couldn't see all sides of the conflict.
Making the transition to college, you would think that all the high school drama would stay back home and the cliques and peer pressure would do the same. However, there is still just as much in college as there is in high school. I think college kids choose to take the easy route because there is still potential for them to get judged and made fun of for doing the right thing. College is still about making new friends and meeting new people, but all of those friends can vanish in the blink of an eye if a person takes one wrong step. It is still a nasty, nasty world out there. Most college kids see this as a major problem, and therefore, don't want to take the initiative to do the right thing. They would rather pretend like nothing happened, keep their friends, and move on with life.
It can really be a hard decision to do the right thing, but speaking from experience, you do get some reward from it. I mean, we aren't trying to save the world by doing one good deed now are we?
Until next time,
Carrie
There have been plenty of opportunities in life where I have been a bystander. I bystand friends being rude to other friends all the time. I walk right past the booths in the Union because I have somewhere I need to be. Even the small things can make you a bystander in everyday life. It is usually so much easier to take the low road and walk on by, but I know now that I need to start being that bigger person and helping out where I can.
There was a time in my high school volleyball practice where our coach was raising her voice enough to make a girl on our team cry. She was raising her voice about how this girl never took anything seriously in practice or in life when in reality, she just has the happy-go-lucky personality and was naturally goofy. It is especially difficult to stand up to people who are older than you. I really wish I said something to my coach about it, but instead we just went on with our practice and when we had a break, we comforted our teammate. Looking back, I still wish I would've said something because in my opinion, no one has the right to be yelled at, and our coach really couldn't see all sides of the conflict.
Making the transition to college, you would think that all the high school drama would stay back home and the cliques and peer pressure would do the same. However, there is still just as much in college as there is in high school. I think college kids choose to take the easy route because there is still potential for them to get judged and made fun of for doing the right thing. College is still about making new friends and meeting new people, but all of those friends can vanish in the blink of an eye if a person takes one wrong step. It is still a nasty, nasty world out there. Most college kids see this as a major problem, and therefore, don't want to take the initiative to do the right thing. They would rather pretend like nothing happened, keep their friends, and move on with life.
It can really be a hard decision to do the right thing, but speaking from experience, you do get some reward from it. I mean, we aren't trying to save the world by doing one good deed now are we?
Until next time,
Carrie
Monday, February 15, 2010
Priorities
It's different how your priorities change over time. I remember when my priority used to be volleyball. Nothing came before volleyball and it always trumped everything.
Coming to college, my two main, main priorities were to make new friends and have fun. I have been told time and time again that college is some of the best four years of your life, and since I kinda missed out on high school social stuff, I knew that's what I wanted to do. Of course school is a huge priority and still is to me, but let's be honest. I had it SOOOOO easy last semester. This semester is completely different, more busy, and stressful. My priorities have definitely changed between December and January. I am constantly doing school work and projects and barely have time for friends right now, but I am getting the hang of how my schedule needs to be and I'm positive my life will settle down soon. But speaking of more homework, that's what I need to go do!
~Carrie
Coming to college, my two main, main priorities were to make new friends and have fun. I have been told time and time again that college is some of the best four years of your life, and since I kinda missed out on high school social stuff, I knew that's what I wanted to do. Of course school is a huge priority and still is to me, but let's be honest. I had it SOOOOO easy last semester. This semester is completely different, more busy, and stressful. My priorities have definitely changed between December and January. I am constantly doing school work and projects and barely have time for friends right now, but I am getting the hang of how my schedule needs to be and I'm positive my life will settle down soon. But speaking of more homework, that's what I need to go do!
~Carrie
Monday, February 8, 2010
Influences
Hello there
It's been a while since my last post, but only because I've been incredibly busy and sort of stressed. But tonight, I want to talk about the influences in my life. Even though it is the most obvious, I would definitely have to say my mom has influenced me in the past 4 years. She has turned into a very successful businesswoman, creating an incredibly large web of contacts and friends, which is something I strive to do in my life. I mean, the woman knows EVERYONE. I remember one time we were at the airport in Rome about to come home from vacation, and she saw someone she knew. There have been very few instances where she walks into a room and knows no one. I would definitely love to have those connections and that much success in my career.
The other very important thing that has shaped my life is volleyball. Not only did it provide me with keen problem solving, promote teamwork skills, and develop some of my leadership abilites, but it also taught me time management. All of these qualities are very important in life, but I think time management can make you fall faster than any of the others can. Because of the intense training schedule of club volleyball (practice 4 nights a week and tournaments pretty much every weekend in the spring) plus school workouts, not to mention mounds of homework, and only 24 hours in a day to accomplish it all, I was forced to organize and prioritize. It was no easy task, but I got everything finished.
My life has changed so much since high school graduation, but my influences have stuck with me. I honestly wouldn't have it any other way though. I am so glad I was influenced the way I was and I definitely feel as though it has made my college transition much easier!
Until next time,
Carrie
It's been a while since my last post, but only because I've been incredibly busy and sort of stressed. But tonight, I want to talk about the influences in my life. Even though it is the most obvious, I would definitely have to say my mom has influenced me in the past 4 years. She has turned into a very successful businesswoman, creating an incredibly large web of contacts and friends, which is something I strive to do in my life. I mean, the woman knows EVERYONE. I remember one time we were at the airport in Rome about to come home from vacation, and she saw someone she knew. There have been very few instances where she walks into a room and knows no one. I would definitely love to have those connections and that much success in my career.
The other very important thing that has shaped my life is volleyball. Not only did it provide me with keen problem solving, promote teamwork skills, and develop some of my leadership abilites, but it also taught me time management. All of these qualities are very important in life, but I think time management can make you fall faster than any of the others can. Because of the intense training schedule of club volleyball (practice 4 nights a week and tournaments pretty much every weekend in the spring) plus school workouts, not to mention mounds of homework, and only 24 hours in a day to accomplish it all, I was forced to organize and prioritize. It was no easy task, but I got everything finished.
My life has changed so much since high school graduation, but my influences have stuck with me. I honestly wouldn't have it any other way though. I am so glad I was influenced the way I was and I definitely feel as though it has made my college transition much easier!
Until next time,
Carrie
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Welcome to my blog!
Hello!
My name is Carrie Quirk and I am a freshman Industrial Engineering major at the University of Oklahoma. When I'm not at OU, I reside in Dallas, Texas, but I absolutely love both cities! In high school, I played volleyball and was in choir, along with an endless amount of clubs such as National Honor Society, Students Against Destructive Decisions, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and various Student Council organizations. I also spent most of my spring and summer playing club volleyball, so I of course miss playing A LOT! Most people don't know that I love singing and performing on stage. But that is strictly ON STAGE. When people ask me to sing in front of them, I can't do it. I love organizing things and making everything more efficient which fits my life, being so busy and all. Another random fact is that I love to bake and cook and will do either any time I possibly can.
I guess that's all for now.
Carrie
My name is Carrie Quirk and I am a freshman Industrial Engineering major at the University of Oklahoma. When I'm not at OU, I reside in Dallas, Texas, but I absolutely love both cities! In high school, I played volleyball and was in choir, along with an endless amount of clubs such as National Honor Society, Students Against Destructive Decisions, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and various Student Council organizations. I also spent most of my spring and summer playing club volleyball, so I of course miss playing A LOT! Most people don't know that I love singing and performing on stage. But that is strictly ON STAGE. When people ask me to sing in front of them, I can't do it. I love organizing things and making everything more efficient which fits my life, being so busy and all. Another random fact is that I love to bake and cook and will do either any time I possibly can.
I guess that's all for now.
Carrie
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