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Recuperation

Hey there, Prospectives! 

Getting those applications ready?  Remember, if you want to apply early decision to UR, the fall deadline is November 15 (only a couple weeks away!) and the winter deadline is January 15.  Also, if you wish to be considered by the Richmond Scholars Program, the deadline is December 15.  I encourage you all to try to meet this deadline because you should never pass up an opportunity to be considered for a large sum of scholarship money if you can help it.  I am personally a Richmond Scholar with an Oliver Hill designation, and I think it is great that I don’t really have to worry about paying for college because my tuition is taken care of through my scholarship.  For more information about the UR admission timeline, visit http://admissions.richmond.edu/application/timeline.html

In other news…

I have had a wonderfully relaxing week!  I think it is very necessary to de-stress when you can, and since I had two weeks full of stress, I used this entire one to rest and recuperate.  Don’t worry—I haven’t shirked any of my academic or extra-curricular responsibilities.  I had a very light workload this week, so I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Monday evening I went out with a couple friends to the Byrd Theater (which only costs $2!) to see The Time Traveler’s Wife, and I really liked it.  Tuesday, my godmother was in Richmond, so I took her to a poetry reading on campus (since it was mandatory for me to attend anyway), and then we ate dinner at The Cellar, which is UR’s on-campus restaurant.  We both had a great time for the few hours that we had together.  Wednesday afternoon I took one of my friends downtown to get a haircut, and I spent a little time walking around the city, then my best friend and I went to her room to watch Save the Last Dance, which is always fun.  Thursday consisted of volunteering for a couple hours at Bon Air Elementary with an ESL student as well as Ngoma practice, both of which I always eagerly anticipate.

Today will be great, too, because I get to register for classes for next semester (which is a competitive race in itself), and tonight Ngoma is having our bonding activity, which will be dinner and games at a few of the girls’ apartment.  Tomorrow is the Spirit Lounge, and I am very much looking forward to it because last semester it was an amazing exhibition of talent in an open mic setting and Christian environment.

Looks like this week will be hard to beat.  I really think it might be the most enjoyable week I’ve had all semester.  I’m just trying to enjoy the down time while I can, because it most assuredly will not last forever.

I hope you all are making time for relaxation and fun as well in between all of your college preparation! 

Later…

Amani

Published by Amani on October 30, 2009 in Oliver Hill/Richmond Scholars, Etc... and School life. 0 Comments

Decisions, Decisions

How’s it going, Prospectives?

Hopefully all is well, and I am sure you all eagerly anticipating all that senior (or maybe junior) year has to offer.  This week was quite busy, but I definitely made the most of it.

My week started off early Monday morning, when I got up at 7:30am to login to registration—I wanted to drop one of my classes because I was not ready to take on a 5-unit course load this semester.  To my chagrin, after dropping the class I realized that the rest of my classes were on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays—and all of them pretty much back-to-back.  Oh joy, I thought.  What was I thinking?  And then I saw that my two English classes were 15 minutes apart and 75 minutes each.  What was I thinking?!  I pored over other my options, looking for available courses that I could substitute in order to have a more balanced class schedule, but at the end of the hour, my schedule remained the same.  I did not know how my semester would go with such busy days followed by completely free days.  I knew that I would definitely have to manage my time wisely.

And looking back over my week, I think I did fairly well.  I really enjoy my Intro to Creative Writing class, and I am excited to see what creative works come out of it.  My Interpersonal Communication class is also pretty interesting, and it even made me consider changing my desired major of English to that of Rhetoric and Communications or even Sociology.  I went back and forth in my head and with others about this possible decision, and at the end of the week I was still quite unsure of what I wanted to do.  However, on Friday I met with a professor that I had last semester for an English course, and he made things a bit clearer for me. 

After talking with me for about half an hour about the pros and cons of different potential majors, he mentioned that I seemed to be a student who would be interested in an American Studies major.  I did not exactly know what “American Studies” entailed, so I asked him to elaborate, and he enlightened me on the matter.  Learning that the American Studies major allows for interdisciplinary study within the ranges of history, literature, foreign language, rhetoric, sociology, art, and many more, I became very excited.  It sounded like just the thing I was looking for.  My professor told me that my desire to explore a variety of subject matters is something he calls intellectual curiosity, and with the things I am interested in exploring, the American Studies major would probably be a good solution.  He did encourage me to do some research about it before I decided, so that I could determine if it was really something I was interested in pursuing, and since then I have done just that, and I do believe I have found the major I desire.  Nevertheless, I will see how things turn out by the end of next semester when I am meant to declare a major.

In other news, Saturday was quite eventful, with our Oliver Hill Scholars Retreat lasting from 8:30am to about 3:15pm.  Yes, it was long; yes, it was exhausting.  But it was also fun.  The morning started with breakfast foods and business matters, and the afternoon was filled with all sorts of games and activities meant to produce cohesion of the group.  The last event was the high ropes course, or Team Odyssey, as it is officially named.  Last year I participated in this part of the retreat, but this year I opted out because I am not fond of unstable heights (i.e. tightrope-like cables).  I tried it last year just to say I had done it, but I was past that risk-taking this time.  There were others along with me who opted out, and we sat with Dr. Cade and had a group discussion about our expectations for the school year.  All in all, I would say the retreat was a success, as the group bonded in numerous ways.

Saturday night, I went out to a party that was hosted by a few of the people who dance with me in Ngoma.  I had a lot of fun, and it was a nice way to close the week.  Remember, when you work hard, reward yourself.  :-)

Best wishes to you all!

Amani

high-ropes-course.jpg
High ropes course

high-ropes-course2.jpg

high-ropes-course3.jpg

Published by Amani on August 30, 2009 in Oliver Hill/Richmond Scholars and School life. 0 Comments

Giving back

Hi there, Prospectives! 

I hope you all have been well in my absence (a much-needed Spring Break).  I know you all are excited about all of your acceptance letters pouring in—and I’m excited for you.  This time last year was one of the most anticipatory and exciting times of my school career.  Nevertheless, the weight of the situation (having to actually decide on one of the schools) played almost as a check to my joy of being free from the K-12 world as I knew it.  What if I chose the wrong school?  The question loomed like an ominous gray cloud over my college acceptance parade.  Well the question is irrelevant to me, now, because I’d say that Richmond is definitely the school for me.  So what say I to you out there who may be grappling with the same question?  Follow your heart!  Not the big names you hear, not other people’s dreams projected onto you—I believe that ultimately you will not truly be as happy as you could be in college if you do not follow your own inclinations to get you there.  Sure, that’s my own opinion, but hey, it worked for me.

Moving on…kind of…

While Spring Break was great (very laid back and relaxing, as it should be), I want to actually talk about what has gone on this week so far, because it’s been awesome.  I have had the opportunity to host a Richmond Scholar Finalist for the past three days.  These students are high school seniors who have been recognized by the University of Richmond for their scholarship and have ascended the ranks via their stellar supplemental materials requested of them by the Richmond Scholars Program.  The University requires Finalists to visit campus for a 3-day 2-night stay so that they can interview with the Richmond Scholars Committee and also have basis for a knowledgeable decision regarding matriculation into UR in the fall.  I went through this very process last year, so I felt naturally inclined and had a great desire to host a student and do my best to positively contribute to their understanding of and experience with UR.

And I had a great time!  There were so many activities planned for the students—both formal and informal informative events, a recognition banquet, an ice cream social, and chances to attend classes of their choice, among other things.  The Finalist I hosted, Kiara, was so much fun—we shared many laughs and stories as well as engaged ourselves in conversations about school, aspirations, and life in general.  I was pleased to be able to make such a wonderful connection with a prospective student, and I really hope that she makes the decision to come to Richmond in the fall.  I had such a great experience in being able to give back to the program that helped to get me here.  I look forward to many more such opportunities.

Kiara and I
Kiara and I

Just one more thing…

So I was walking into D-Hall on Tuesday and as I passed by a table I heard someone half-inquire, half-exclaim, “Are you Amani?!”  I turned, unsure of whom the voice belonged to, and answered to a student holding a blue Richmond folder that I recognized as one given out at many University-run programs.  “Well yes, I am,” I smilingly responded.  She smiled:  “I read your blog—I’m here for the Richmond Scholars, and I’m really enjoying myself on campus.”  After having a brief conversation, I walked off to find a table, not resisting the grin that was spreading from ear to ear.  People really DO read this!  :-) (I know I did when I was a senior in high school.)  I was approached with the same recognition by a handful of other students, parents, and faculty throughout my time as a host.  I felt good because I received firsthand reassurance from my target audience that I am accomplishing what I set out to do as a writer.  And that, my friends, is a very good thing.  :-)

Until next time…

Amani

little brother over Spring Break
He asked me to take a picture; how could I deny him? :-)

Published by Amani on March 19, 2009 in Oliver Hill/Richmond Scholars, Etc... and School life. 0 Comments
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