Rockhurst in the Fall!!!

The reflection of Freshman Year....so far

Today -- Friday Nov. 30th, finals start next week

Yeah...finals start next week and this week has been a whirlwind of studying, sleeping, and studying some more. Therefore I haven't really gotten a chance until now to respond to the comment made on my last post. The comment was: What are some of the struggles (emotional/domestic) that you are going through as a freshman college student away from your hometown... Houston was it?

Yes...it is Houston . My main struggle? As you can imagine, going out of state for college and being away from my family and friends for an extended period of time…honestly...sucks. But there are many great things about going out-of-state for school. Namely, you get brand new start, new friends and so on. Another struggle is that since you’re on your own, you are responsible for allotting sufficient amount of time to study. Trust me; there are so many distractions in the dorms that you can’t imagine – although that is what makes living in the dorms so great. Adjusting to Kansas City was also a major adjustment. I can wear shorts all year around in Houston . Kansas City ? Not so much. One great thing is that Rockhurst provides 7 weeks for Christmas break – really looking forward to that after all this studying.After one semester at Rockhurst I can say that classes are well taught and well structured. The profs are wonderful at explaining material in a way that you can relate.

A unique requirement at Rockhurst is that the University requires all students to complete a "core", course to graduate. A “core” course is basically a course that Rockhurst requires you to take to graduate. It gives students a wide knowledge base for any career that they choose to go into. And if you don't want to take some of the courses, those AP credits you earned in high school will come in handy. Rockhurst is pretty good on transferring credits, at least in my experience.

FYI: I understand that Rockhurst only accepts a 4 or a 5 on the AP exams for subjects. Rarely do they accept a 3, although there’s no reason not to try.

Well, I think that’s it for now. Hope y'all liked this post and look forward to the comments.

Neel

Which College?

Deciding to move from my hometown of Houston, Texas to attend Rockhurst was a tough decision. I thought I would put my two cents in for the next few posts regarding the different attributes (the pros AND the cons) that led to my decision.

Today: Rockhurst: Population estimated - 3,000.

One of the main things that makes Rockhurst unique is it's size - about 3,000 strong. This is not very big - it actually is the size of my high school! A great thing about this is that you will meet and get to know just about everyone in your class. You will get more "one on one" attention with your professors (so if you don't understand those complex integrals and derivatives the prof will help ya out). And you see many of the same people in your dorms, classes and social activities. Pro or Con? It just depends on how you roll.

The campus is not big....at all. A walk from Corcoran (boys dorms) to McGee (girls dorms)...which are of course across campus from one another...takes about 5 min. Compare this to taking a bus on other campuses. No commute! This short walk lets me take a quick run...or better yet...a quick nap!

Overall its basically what you want in your college experience. I personally recommend Rockhurst because of the size - you never have to worry about getting lost in the crowd.

Well thats pretty much it for this week...look forward to your comments!

Neel

PS: And i will get pics on...my comp isn't working right now so I'll need a couple more days to get it up and running, then i'll post pics.

Busy Busy

SO...this past week and half has been a whirlwind as all of my classes has had exams...therefore I have been unable to post in a while until now. The main thing when all of your exams are at the same time is to manage your time wisely, and not stay up all night...4 am should do it. This past week there were many events. Meg Allison, a "coffee shop" type of singer came to serenade Rockhurst, and she was pretty good. Then the musical "Working" put on by the Rockhurst theatre company started showing this weekend, and...wow. Those guys can really belt it out! It was pretty amazing. And yesterday was second saturday, which had caramel apples, pumpkin pie, and turkey bowling...i didn't do it so don't ask me what it is. Also my floor had a BBQ outside corcoran, which was a blast. Overall, this week was pretty much awesome. Oh, and on the subject of food, one of the cons is that on Friday nights, nothing is open. The cafeteria closes at 7, the pub closes at 8 and planet sub doesn't even open. Basically, the hours on the weekends suck. Well, bio test tomarrow = another long night. Next post I'll talk more about the campus.

Till next time

Neel

Halloween

So during this past week was Oct. 31st, and as you all know is Halloween night! The Social Mentors group, which is basically a group of upper-classmen that help get the freshman into the social swing of things, took many of the freshman to a haunted house, which definitely fit it's description. Of course nothing beats having some girls grab onto you in fear as well ;) Also SAE hosted a Halloween party with free white castles and a lot of dancing, which was awesome too. Someone asked about dorm life and the food at Rockhurst. Well, I guess the first thing to say is that the dorms have community baths. That is, for the girls in McGee the whole floor shares a bathroom, and for the guys/girls in Corcoran, each half floor shares a bathroom. Yes, its different, but it is the college experience, and you kinda get used to it after a while. Dorm life is what you and your dorm mates make out of it. If there are a lot of open doors, then people walk in and out, and its lively. But if you need your privacy, then you can shut your door and people could care less. Unless of course its Friday, then its almost impossible to get people to be quiet. The food...is....ok. There are three main places to eat: the cafeteria, the Pub, and Planet Sub. The Pub is mostly like burgers, and chicken tenders, and wraps, and has an awesome environment that students usually hang out in. The cafeteria is good, with Godfather's pizza served daily, and different demo stations every day. Yes, after a bit you get tired of the food, but that's the same for all colleges. It does the job, which is the most important thing. Planet Sub i think is the best because its actually subs, which are really good. Well considering I'm writing this after 1 am, I think its time for me to turn in. Hope this cleared anything up, and I'll insert more about the food in my next post.

Till next time!

Neel

Drum it Up

So tonight was the appearance of Recycled Percussion, a freaking awesome band group that has two drummers using trash cans, a DJ ripping records, and a guitarist that plays the guitar using a drill. Yeah, it was pretty much awesome. I'll say it again, theres always something to do here at Rockhurst. Classes are...well....classes. There are interesting days, and then days you want to just lay down and sleep. The one thing about classes at Rockhurst is that they do put a heavy emphasis on attendance. Teachers do take attendence, well most do, to make sure that students are putting their best effort forward. The professors are extremely integrated into helping the students as much as possible, and are very accessible to help anyone needing it. Also, just a side note...the game of Gotcha! officially ended about a week ago, and one of the winners was one of my friends Kirby, so congrats to him! If anyone has a question on the freshman experience, don't hesitate to ask...it'll give me something to write about in my next post! So...PLEASE ask.

Till next time

Neel

The real beginning of fall

And finally the moment we all...well ok some of us...have been waiting for...the beginning of fall! The leaves changing colors, the sounds of rakes in the air...and of course the cool wind blasting in your face. Yes ladies and gents, the fall season has arrived with a bang, as rain and cool winds battered the campus today, oh and yesterday too. But the buildings were warm once you got in them, so it isn't all bad. So yesterday night was the monthly $3 movie night at the plaza, sponsored by....SAB, who really does everything for the student activities...hence the name i guess. Anywho, my friends and I, along with many other Rock students, went to go see Across the Universe, which had amazing music, and interesting camera work. I do recommend all to go see it, as it was a very good movie. Of course, no movie can be complete without the wonderful drink Yohoo...which i still need to try. You know what, im going to go try it now (oh the life of being on your own!). I'll be back next week with another post!!

Till next time

Neel

Fall Break!

So one of the many great things about Rockhurst is the fall break that occurs right after midterm tests. Actually, I'm in Houston right now, chilling in my house as I type this. This past week has been eventful, with Rockout with you Hawkout (battle of the bands competition) and the campus wide game of Gotcha! being played. Rockout with your Hawkout was awesome, and that was when I realized how many talented people we have at this school. The picture that were taken didn't turn out the brightest, but they still show a band from 3 West! And thanks to Megan for getting me that pic. Besides the Rockout with your Hawkout competition, the campus wide game of Gotcha! - which is a huge game of tag - was evidently bring played, as people were chased all around campus. Basically, if you play there is one person after you, but you don't know who it is...so if someone starts to bolt towards you, naturally you take off running. It can get real stressful at times, and students have the tendency to become extremely paranoid, but its amazingly fun. SAB (student activities board) usually always has something going on at Rockhurst, and life definentally does not get boring. Well, I'm going to go enjoy my fall break, and I'll post in about a week when I'm back at Rockhurst!

Till next time

Neel

Second Post!!!

Don't worry y'all...the titles will get more creative as the year goes on. Hope everyone had a good week…err well 6 days cause this post is coming a little early. Last week was homecoming week for Rockhurst, and on Friday I experienced the best soccer game I’ve ever seen, as our Hawks beat Kentucky Wesleyan 3-0. It was a good game, and showed just how good Rockhurst is at soccer. The homecoming dance was well organized, and was very fun overall. After all that though, it was back to studying as I had a biology quiz on Monday, a chemistry test on Tuesday, and a calculus 2 test on Wednesday. Yeah, once in a while, especially around mid-term, the workload can snowball, but as long as you don’t run around like your head has been cut off (aka my roommate Kevin) it is manageable. Luckily, my psychology test was pushed back so I have some room to breathe, as I am going home on Monday! Fall break I heard was just expanded from one day to three days, plus the weekend giving five days! I think it’s the best idea anyone has come up with. Of course studying isn’t all we do here, as guitar hero has risen as the main game on 3 west…next to halo 3 of course which made its debut earlier in the week. Down in the pictures you can see what guitar hero can do to you when you're playing Jordan on hard…hahaha. Every week I will also be putting up a poll on my blog about random subjects, such as this time where I put what political party does one follow. I found the results to be pretty interesting, as currently the democrats and the republicans are neck and neck. I might actually have to ask for a re-count if the democrats win. :D haha, well I think its time I sign off, but so far so good here at Rockhurst, and I think that life can only get better!

Till next time

Neel

First Post!

Hey everyone! Hope y'all are having a great school year so far, and not stressing too much about your studies. This blog is mainly to show prospective students what life for a freshman is like around this awesome campus, but for those currently at the Rock if you would like to add something feel free to do so! So as it says in the blog I'm from Houston, Texas, and some of you might be wondering what a guy from H-town is doing all the way up here in KC. Well, my interest is mainly in the medical field -in other words i really want to become a doctor- and Rockhurst has an amazing program with St. Louis University called the Pre-Medical Scholars Program. Basically, what this program does is takes away the huge amounts of stress applicants undergo while trying to apply for med school. If accepted into the program -the requirements to be considered are 3.5 GPA and 30 on ACT- you get a conditional acceptance to SLU Med School after your sophomore year, providing you keep your grades above 3.5, which at Rockhurst is a bit of work but definitely manageable. But the biggest thing; the MCAT doesn't count!! Yeah, you're going to have to take it, but it doesn't count towards your acceptance whatsoever. Personally, I think that’s the best part. After you graduate from the Rock, you go to SLU where you do your thing and become a doctor! It is a 8 year program, but I think its better than those 6 or 7 year programs because you are able to experience college at full blast; and let me tell ya...college is a blast! The classes are actually interesting; the Rockhurst professors do an excellent job of keeping your attention on the subject; and besides classes, Rockhurst does an awesome job of providing the students with activities. There is ALWAYS something going on here on campus; and if theres not, there are always the good ole ping pong tables in the lobbys of Corcoran (male dorms), McGee (girl's dorms), and the Rock Room, which is the big student lounge on campus. Well, although my class schedule is awesome on Thursdays with only one class, I have 4 classes on Mon, Wed, and Fridays so I might as well go get ready for those; study tip i've gotten from the upperclassmen, study in the afternoon and have fun at night!



Till next time



Neel