2007 August Archive at Ben, ‘11

Archive for August, 2007

The First Week of the Rest of My Life

August 31, 2007

Welcome back everyone! I have survived my first week of classes and I am still in one piece. I am writing to you on a Friday night and I am so ready for the weekend. My week began with my roommate, John, waking me up at 8:00 AM for my 8:15 class. My alarm clock had become unwired when I shipped it here and so the alarm did not work (I did not realize this until Thursday however). Fortunately, I made it to my first class, Microeconomics, on time. It will be a review of high school, but the teacher seems nice. I do not like having an 8:15 AM class, but I don’t have a choice. I know most of you start school earlier than that, but I still go to bed around 3:00 AM each night, so it’s not very fun. CORE is another class I have on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I don’t think that I will enjoy this class. For those of you who don’t know, CORE is a mandatory freshman class that involves reading many books and discussing them. I have already read “The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat and Other Clinical Tales” and have just begun “The White Castle”. My teacher seems nice (although perpetually tardy for class) and I am still unsure what to expect. She is Turkish and teaches English as a Second Language. CORE teachers are randomly selected from throughout the entire faculty, so it’s pure luck whether you have an English or a Math teacher. CORE will be interesting for me, to say the least. Intermediate Spanish will be fun I believe. I enjoyed Spanish in high school and have had four years, but was unable to test out of the foreign language requirement. It meets every day of the week along with two additional practice sessions on Monday and Wednesday meant just for practicing speaking. I was a bit surprised to find out that there was only one other freshman in my Spanish class. Finally, I have Introduction to Public Policy, a class discussing modern issues in our political system. It meets on Tuesday and Thursdays from 3:45-5:00 PM, so I’m a bit exhausted by the time I get to this class.

My CORE Class

Those are my classes, but you probably don’t care about them. What you really want to know about is the homework. There is a fair amount of work here. It is very difficult to make myself buckle down and do homework when it’s not due for another two days. The hour-long breaks in between classes also make it difficult to accomplish things. There is a lot of reading and a lot of online assignments. Economics and Spanish rely almost entirely on online assignments, but I’m not complaining. There is a nice place to study in Gottwald, the science building, which is open all hours and has quiet places to study. I will need to take advantage of that at times. However, I hardly have any homework for this weekend, so I am happy. My roommate, on the other hand, is having a lot of homework and is gone most of the day studying at Gottwald. In the first week, he has had 480 pages of reading. I’m slightly luckier, only at about 350 pages. The short version about homework: It’s about the same as high school, just make sure that you are good at managing your time and aren’t constantly on FaceBook and hanging out with your friends. That is enough talk about classes, now it’s time for the social scene.

I have already gotten involved with InterVarsity (a Christian Fellowship group) and attended their large group as well as a grill out tonight. I also plan to attend a Bible Study for freshman guys on Tuesday nights as well as a fall retreat next weekend. I attended a Scholars Reception this afternoon and met some of the other scholars. As usual, there was plenty of food at the reception, including cheese as everyone kids me about since I’m from Wisconsin. My dorm building (Gray Court) held a grill out tonight, which was hosted by the Resident Assistants. Needless to say, there has been a lot of free food here.

The Gray Court grill out

The InterVarsity grill out

I still have kept in touch with my Orientation group and Tim, John, and I helped some of the girls put together a bookshelf since they needed manly help. Afterwards, we went to Sheetz until 2 AM, which was not a brilliant idea since my classes started in six hours. Orientation, while quite boring, did help me to make many new and close friends. I am still considering being involved in Student Government and considered being a member of the crew team. I had never done it before, but I really wanted to join. However, I had a feeling that I would not have been able to balance academics, organizations, and everything else and still have time for studying and free time. I also considered having an on-campus job, but decided against it. Instead, I plan to volunteer at the Admissions Office and help them to sort through all of your applications and serve as a host for you on your prospective visits. This may eventually lead to me being a tour guide, which I would really enjoy.

The shelf that I helped put together

I am afraid that I must leave you for the week. I will return to post after I have been able to attend some more classes and begin to finally settle in. If you have any questions or feel as though I am forgetting to touch on anything, let me know and I’ll get right on it.

Quote of the Week: “No Sane man will dance.” - Cicero

Thought to Ponder: Why is it that doctors call what they do “practice”?

Shout Outs: Moore 2^nd Floor, My siblings: Karen, John, Emily, and Andy.

Published on August 31, 2007 in InterVarsity. 1 Comment

Welcome to Virginia

August 27, 2007

Howdy y’all, I spent days packing up eighteen years of my life and it took me much longer than I had anticipated. I left Wisconsin a week before I had to arrive in Richmond and I spent the entire week driving towards Virginia. My parents, younger brother, younger sister, and I camped along the way as we visited Gettysburg, Washington D.C., the Little League World Series, and many other cool places. We had to overcome continuous rain, a flat tire, and general exhaustion from being with members of your family 24/7. Finally, I arrived in Richmond and was able to move in. Here is a photo story of my trip:

Leaving Wisconsin at 5:00 AM to head towards Richmond

My little sister and me at a water park after our first day of traveling

A sailboat on Kelley Island, Ohio, which was one of the stops on our trip

The ferry to get to Kelley Island where my family and I camped

The Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA

Our camper’s flat tire in the middle of Pennsylvania

If you think that moving everything that you will need for a year into a 12 by 12 foot room is easy, think again. It took hours of rearranging furniture and general frustration before the beds, dressers, and desks were finally in place. We ended up lofting my bed so that it is about five feet off of the ground. This required me to get a running start so that I could simply jump onto my bed. I now use a chair, but it was quite an adventure to simply get onto my bed. Unpacking my boxes upon boxes of clothes, electronics, and supplies took me almost two days. It would probably be wise for me to introduce my roommate at this point. His name is John and he is from Birmingham, Alabama. We met each other in Richmond during the scholarship interviews and we hit it off, eventually deciding to room together. It looks to be a crash course in Southern culture. He says “y’all” and I say “pop” instead of “soda”. I will definitely add some of John’s insights into my journal entries at times since I know that he also has some unique viewpoints. My dorm is called Gray Court and I live on the first floor, which is rather convenient. I am right next to the Dining Hall, but am on the opposite side of campus from all of my classes. In Gray Court, we have suite style housing. This means that John, me, and the two roommates next to us are joined by a bathroom, which we share.

Moving into My Dorm Room

My Dorm

My First Meal at D-Hall

Orientation began the day that I arrived and lasted for four days.It was an endless schedule of lectures, group activities, icebreakers, and open houses. Some of the things were fun, while many others made me want to pull out my hair and scream. I made some really great friends in the process and really got to know my hall mates well. Orientation is a long and jam-packed experience, so I will simply list the highlights of the four days: meeting President Ayers at a dessert reception, playing Catchphrase with my Orientation group, and attending Vegas night with the rest of the Freshman class. My Orientation group was really fun and I now know at least ten other people whom I will keep in touch with and chat with when I run into them. I have fallen into a core group of guys in the rooms around me and we hang out and do most things together. This tends to be the typical freshman experience right now, since no one really likes to be alone. So, packs of freshmen are seen all around campus. My group consists of: John (Alabama), Tim (New Jersey), Alex (Virginia), Chris (New York), and me. I was ready for Orientation to finally be done and to have some of my own free time to do whatever I needed and to explore. I’ve looked around at the many organizations and groups on campus and think that I will become involved with InterVarsity and possibly Student Government and a club sport. My classes are finally set and I am taking Microeconomics, CORE (a mandatory freshman class), Introduction to Public Policy, and Intensive Intermediate Spanish. I am excited for these courses and hope that they can give me a feel as to whether I want to pursue those studies. I have definitely come here to study, but also to be well rounded and to have plenty of social outlets and friends. I think that pictures are the best way to convey Orientation and move in, so here are some of my pictures:

The beginning of Orientation

Playfair: A class-wide event meant to meet new people

80’s Vegas Night. Dress crazy and have a good time.

Catchphrase with my new friends

The President’s Reception with Alex
The President and Me
Meeting the President of the University of Richmond

Since I have so much to write about and so little space, here is a basic rundown of things that I’ve learned thus far but have yet to mention:

- Bring a tool kit

- You have even less space in your rooms than you could have possible imagined.

- The food here is very good. After a while, it may get somewhat repetitive, but I have no complaints thus far.

-Always try new things. I am a Baptist and went to a church service this morning, yet simply went along to my first Mass later that night and enjoyed discussing the differences and similarities.

-Make sure your cell phone will work on campus. Mine has terrible reception and I am having a hard time staying in contact with others.

- Sheetz (a glorified gas station) is a really fun place to go with friends and visit. I’ve already gone twice.

-Homesickness will hit you early on. I am already missing friends back home and it’s only been two weeks. No one from my high school came here and I have no friends or family within 800 miles. Bring pictures of all of your friends and family. Put them on your desk and it will keep you slightly connected.

-You will run into technical difficulties. I have already visited the Help Desk twice for computer problems and am planning to visit them again soon.

-You will become very sleep deprived. I have yet to go to bed before 3:00 AM and am writing this at 1:00 AM the morning of my first class. My record is 5:00 AM thus far.

-Polos and dress shirts are the standard norms for guys and sundresses are standard for girls, however there are plenty of us that refuse to fall into this category. I proudly wear my John Deere “Save A Horse. Ride a Tractor” t-shirt and regular shorts.

Up Next: My first week of classes and events.

Thought to Ponder: Why do we teach little kids, “Rub a dub dub, three men in a tub”?

Quote of the Week: “Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many rewards, if you disgrace yourself you can always write a book.” –Ronald Reagan

Shout outs: All of my Orientation group, especially Sassy Stephanie, Miraculous Mallory, Tremendous Tim, Charming Chris, Jumping James, Kind Katie, Jammin’ John, Modern Morgan, Kooky Katie, and Awesome Alex.

Published on August 27, 2007 in Miscellaneous. 0 Comments

Call Me Ben

August 15, 2007

Hello Prospective Students, Parents, Family, and Friends,

My name is Ben and I am very excited to be writing this journal to all of you. Last year, I read almost all of the journal entries and would check the website every week to see if a new one had been posted. When I read them, I found myself really wanting to be a Spider Diarist for the Class of 2011. Well, here I am and I am ready to go! I can only hope that I can help you as much as last year’s writers helped me.

Me enjoying the last few days in Wisconsin
Me enjoying my last few days in Wisconsin

It would be best if I gave you a brief background of me and my life before you delve into my journal entries. So, here it goes. I am from Hudson, Wisconsin (aka “that cheese state” to some). Only a few people who attend the University of Richmond hail from the Midwest, so I hope I can add interesting insight into life at UR. I come from a family of five kids and I know that I will probably be homesick at times during my college life. I am 1200 miles from home and probably won’t visit home or see my family from mid-August until mid-December. I have been home-schooled for five years and gone to private school, but I graduated from public school in a class of 400 students. I enjoy swimming, country music, photography, watching movies, baking desserts, Ultimate Frisbee, disc golf, and politics. In high school, I participated in Swimming, NHS, Math League, Quiz Bowl, 4-H, and Youth Court. That was my life in high school, but a lot will change. My current plans are to major in Business Administration with a minor in Leadership Studies. I will also have a lot of classes in Political Science, so I may major in that as well. I know that my plans will likely be altered, so I am keeping an open mind. I will let you know as my attitudes and major/career plans change.

Me and my family

My college search was not easy. Online quizzes showed me 180 schools at the beginning of my search and that list slowly dwindled until I only had thirty left. After many tough decisions, only ten remained. After a college visit marathon from NYC to South Carolina, my choices were narrowed to four universities: Furman University, Bucknell University, Northwestern College (MN), and the University of Richmond. I could not decide where to go and finally had to wait for financial aid packages to come. This is where UR blew everyone else away. They gave me the Oldham scholarship and no other school could even compete. I know that UR has a high price tag, but I strongly advise you to apply here if you like UR even a little. They have some of the best financial aid opportunities in the nation. Since I am an Oldham scholar, I will have some additional opportunities which I will impart to you as the year progresses. The financial aid was great, but the University of Richmond appealed to me for so many more reasons. They have great study abroad opportunities, internship availabilities, plus one of the top Business schools in the nation. Need I mention the amazing campus and the School for Leadership Studies? This is why I ended up choosing to attend UR. I liked several of the other colleges a lot too, but I could never come up with a good reason to cross Richmond off my list. Now, I am so glad that I never did.

My Host and Me
Eric served as my host during one of my visits to the University of Richmond

I know that I am a rather unique person and I may be a bit of a social oddball in some circles since some call UR a place for preppy kids from New York and New Jersey. Most would agree that I do not fit into that group. I have raised horses and goats, have participated in a sheep rodeo when I was a kid, and have never popped a J Crew collar. I consider 40 degrees “almost shorts weather” and have survived blizzards since the Halloween Blizzard when I was 2. I don’t plan to change (although I probably will a little) and I think I could have some pretty entertaining and enlightening journal entries for you to read. Further, I like to keep very involved and be active in lots of different things. I sometimes stretch myself a little thin, so I hope that doesn’t end up wearing me out in college. I am available to answer any and every question about my life here at Richmond, whether it is related to the weather, workload, organizations, party scene, etc… I will probably have the answer and can find it out if I don’t. So shoot me an e-mail or comment and I’ll get back to you as quickly as possible. I’m looking forwards to a great year at the University of Richmond and I am just as excited to share it with you.

Having fun with my friends at a demolition derby at the county fair