Registration, registration.

This week all students came back from fall break to find registration forms in their mail boxes! I know I'm such a dork for saying this...but figuring out which classes I'm going to take next semester is extremely exciting to me. For the past three semesters, I've gotten into my first choice of classes. So here's what I've got so far...

English: Poetry Aloud 4 credits
English: Contemporary Literature 4 credits
Communication: American Public Address 4 credits
Communication: Speech Practicum AKA Speakers Bureau 1 credit
Sociology: Intro to Sociology 4 credits
Education: Business, Education, and Economics in Jamaica 2 credits

The last class that I have listed is actually a "Maymester." Right after commencement, a few different departments offer students (regardless of their major) the opportunity to travel for 2-3 weeks to another country. In order to go, students usually have to take a course during the spring semester to gain knowledge about the place they're going. The cost is really minimal (they reand from $300 to $2800...mine is going to cost $1500), and for those students who aren't going to get the chance to go abroad, it's an excellent opportunity to have an experience in another country. I'm really excited about going! Even though I'm an English major, I'm really interested in educational policy. This will be an awesome chance to see what the educational system is like in Jamaica. Also, I'm going to Chicago in the Spring of 2010 for the Urban Studies Program. There I'll be able to supplement what I've learned in Jamaica by interning for someone who analyzes educational policy for a living. These two experiences will hopefully help me deicde what I want to do after I graduate from Ripon...graduate school for educationl policy? I hope so!

Off to do some work!

FALL BREAK!!!!

One of the many perks of going to Ripon? FALL BREAK! I left on Friday, October 17 and just got back last night. It felt really good to be here again. My best friend Ashlee came home for a weekend, and it was really good to have some "girl time." It's been a while since we were able to do that. This past weekend my brother and his fiance came to my hometown as well as my boyfriend's mom. Lots of visitors, but lots of fun!

What was really good about my break happened during the week on Monday and Friday. When I was a freshmen I took Public Speaking and then Advanced Public Speaking. I was then invited to become a part of an elite group called Speakers Bureau. Speakers Bureau is a hands-on class and requires that I set up my own syllabus. That means that I set up my own speaking engagements in the real world, I decide how much of my grade they will be worth, I decide what the criteria for grading is, and I write my own self-assessments. That may sound like "la-la" land, but it's not at all! I'm really passionate about speaking, so I want to make improvements. I think it goes to show that ultimately you have to improve upon yourself...no one else can do that for you. Anyway, one of the events I set up was to talk to two groups of 8th graders while they were one a field trip to a college. After all, who better to talk about college than a college student? Plus, higher education is something that I really believe in and it's one of my interest areas as I look forward at careers. I went to talk to students and they were so much fun! They had some awesome questions and got really involved in the conversation. It's really great to see young kids really examining the possibility of college and how to get there. That was by far the best part of my break.

This week looks preatty busy, but that's to be expected after a long break. Have a good one!

Forgot to show some homecoming pictures!

Homecoming performance! The theme of this year's homecoming was "Wild, Wild Ripon" so the dance team did a routine to Boot Scootin' Baby. It was a lot of fun!

Some of the dance team standing around at our float decorating contest!

My dance coach, Steph!

It's been a while...

The beginning of last week I was really sick, so I didn't do much except for eat, sleep, and go to class. I went to see the nurse here on campus, but I am allergic to all the meds that could have helped me. In a few days a bunch of sleep and vitiman c did the trick.

Then this weekend hit and I was feeling better. On Friday I went to my friend JoAnn's house to see where she's from. We went on a jeep ride through the corn fields and by the river, and we got stuck in the mud. It's so different than where I'm from, but it was so nice to finally see her house and meet her family.

Today is my brithday...I'M 20! It's so crazy to think about. I still feel like I'm 15, don't know how to drive, and that the world is such a big and scary place. I'm not a teenager anymore :( My roomate has been calling me an old fart all morning...got to love her. The two of us were hoping to go out for a birthday dinner, but today is too busy so that's being pushed back until tomorrow.

Everything else is still the same and even though this week is going to be extremely busy, Friday most of us get to leave for fall break!