Back to School

Hey everyone! So I'm preparing to embark on my 12 hour journey drive back to KC from Houston! I'm pretty excited to go see everyone that I haven't seen for the past few months! These past few weeks have been a blur of getting things ready, hanging out with friends, and hanging out with the parents! I'm pretty psyched about this year though; got a bigger dorm room and a cool roommate so I think it'll be a pretty cool year. I hope to see many new faces! Until next time.

Neel

Mid Summer

Hey all! Its the first week of July and i've finally found some time to relax and post something. Work has been crazy, and my free time has just about been shut out...but 2 weeks off means time to relax! I'm totally ready to head back to Rockhurst, a break from the heat and a chance to see everyone after such a long time. I'm also excited to be a sophomore in college, feels like I'm stepping up a bit in life. Another thing I'm looking forward to is my chemistry research I am doing with Dr. Chapman. Dr. Chapman was kind enough to give me, as a freshman, a chance to learn more about the field of chemistry and join one of his research projects, and at the end of the year we managed to do enough to warrant a publication! Rockhurst is very interested in getting students involved in research, and offers summer internships (paid) that allow the student not only to develop a further understanding of the field of research but a way to get some money while doing it! Its a great set up, and one that I am considering of doing this coming summer. Well I'm off to hang with some friends, hope to see some new faces around campus this August! Till next time.

Neel

Summerin it up

Hey all. Its almost the end of June, and to me the time has flown by! These past few weeks have been filled with working and taking my summer course, and I've come to realize there isn't enough time in the day to get things done! I can't wait to get back to Rockhurst, see all my friends. Another thing I am very excited for is club tennis which is in the planning stages to come to Rockhurst next year. This is for those tennis players that cannot play college tennis or aren't up to that skill level at this point, and still want to play competitively. I know I'm looking forward to it; tennis has always been my favorite sport.

Well in my last post I said i would give my impressions of freshman year, so here they are:

As I look back, college is a transition. At first, I hated it. I was 12 hours away from home, and all of my friends. But Rockhurst is actually one of the best places to meet people. With the small school size, it is very easy to meet just about everyone on campus, and the idea of those certain groups from high school are gone. Everyone is very friendly with all, and you can always ask someone for help. Classes were what I expected, a bit more challenging and I was caught off-guard at first but worked through it to get the grades I wanted. The professors are excellent; I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was very happy with the quality of instruction. I really think that after hearing the stories my friends tell me about some professors at other colleges, that Rockhurst has the best group of professors around. The sports teams are very competitive, and while I didn't know a thing about soccer before, I know a bit more and have gotten into it. The food in the cafe is decent - it is the famed college food. The pub is much better, and you cannot get better than Planet Sub. The hours have also improved, going from not open on Fri. and Sat. to open all nights of the week.

At the end of this year, I'm happy that I chose Rockhurst. It has quickly become my home and I cannot wait to get back for next year. Yes, it may take a few weeks to adjust, and because it is a small college some activities may not be avaliable all the time, but Rockhurst can give anyone the college life they are looking for.

Until next time

Hey!

Hello everyone, sorry for the lost time between posts. After school ended I immediately went on a trip to the east coast to attend some family graduations and hang out so I just got back a couple of days ago. Well, my first year is over! And what a year it was. I met some great people that I'm sure I will know for years to come, and learned many new things. I have to admit, at first I wasn't too sure about Rockhurst, but now I can definentally say that I am glad I chose this university. The people are great, professors excellent at what they do, and the general population is very easy to get along with. Life in Kansas City is awesome; the winter may be long but its better than the heat! Thats all for this post, in the next few days I'll make a list of a few highlights of my freshman year in more depth. Till next time!

All most done!!

2 more weeks left!! We've entered the final stage of this school year with papers due, tests finishing up, and finals coming up way too quickly. The good thing about this year's finals schedule is it is half next week, half the following week. Therefore I have time to study over the weekend! But putting studying aside for a moment, the day that many of us Rockhurst students have been waiting for...Rockstock!! The annual concert this year features Ben Lee, who after looking him up on youtube, is quite a good performer. We are all pretty excited to see this guy live, and we don't even have to pay! Its great. But before that...my Biology test calls. Test tomarrow equals yet another long night tonight! Until next time!

Helpin Out

Hello everyone! Sorry for the long period between posts, the past few weeks have been absolutely horrendous. Tests and projects and papers...school doesn't wait for anyone. What I wanted to talk about today/tonight was the amout of help that Rockhurst offers it's students in school work, career questions, or scheduling questions. As we (students) prepare for the Fall 2008 semester, we first must register for classes. To do that we must first meet with our student advisor. The advisor can...well...advise you on what classes you need to take, what classes would fit into your schedule, and help you make sure that you won't commit suicide next semester from taking 25 hours. In short, your advisor is there to make sure you are taking the right courses, as well as the courses you want to take. As college education is expensive regardless where you go, your advisor just wants to make sure you are taking classes that are worth your time. And trust me, its nice to have at least one professor that knows you inside and out.

Another way Rockhurst helps out it's student is by funding a Learning Center right on campus. This center is where you can go get tutored in different subjects such as Calculus 2, Chemistry, Biology, and many more. The tutors are upper-classmen students who are majoring in the field or who successfully passed the class with flying colors. I myself have gone a couple of times and it has helped me out of many confusing states. the Learning Center also sponsores the SI program here at Rockhurst. SI stands for Supplemental instruction, and is basically a twice a week review session for what the class is going over. Not all classes have these, but traditionally the science classes do. These are extremely helpful, as these students are students that truely understand the subject back and forth, and rarely have trouble answering questions.

The last way that I wanted to talk about on how Rockhurst helps its students out is that Rockhurst has a Career Services department. This department will help you get ready for the real world. It can help you choose a career that is best suited for you, go over your resume with you, and help you prepare for interviews by holding mock-interview days. They also have companies come close to Rockhurst so students can look at prospective job opportunites. Rockhurst really is interested in preparing it's students for real life, and I think that it does a pretty good job.

Well thats my post on how Rockhurst helps students...I know since its April many decisions have been made and I hope to see many students next year!! If you haven't made your decision, consider Rockhurst. It really is an awesome place to grow and mature...as well as learn! Until next time.

KU!

Rockhurst was buzzing monday as the Jayhawks won the NCAA Basketball tournament over Memphis in a thriller! I myself couldn't believe it...what an amazing game! It was a good start to what is becoming a very rough week. 2 papers, 3 tests, and not enough time in the days = stress overload. But luckly last saturday was a stress reliever, as Ben Folds came to Rockhurst! I myself didnt get to go, but I've heard that it was a really good concert! Well, its now time to study christianity, got too many notes to go over before the test. One thing about rockhurst that I was really worried about was the fact that we have to take religion courses. But after taking the first one, I was suprised to find that I enjoyed them. The religion courses are all about the history of christianity, and how the beliefs that most Christians have came to be. I find it pretty cool, and considering that I myself am not Christian, it makes it more interesting to learn about a different religion. Also, Dr. Stramara, my Honors Christanity Professor, has a really good way of presenting the material to help the students interact with the material. I've found that all the professors here at Rockhurst really work for the students to get involved with the material, and provide a more personal understanding of the subject at hand. Well thats my two cents on religion courses and the professors here, I'm off to study. Till next time!

March Madness!!!!

Its March....and everyone knows what that means - MARCH MADNESS! Rockhurst is buzzing with excitement as the tournament is closing in on the final four. Everyone has their brackets all busted from the crazy first two rounds, and not many predicted Davidson to make it this far. For me, Texas just lost 30 minutes ago, so my bracket is gone as I stayed true to my roots and had them all the way. But the tourny isn't the only thing going on this month. It was a busy month full of breaks (spring and easter), tests (midterms) and parties (SAB and ADG). ADG had their second major party (at least that I can remember) this past Friday - a 90's party - and it was a total hit! Everyone misses the 90's, I'm sure I can say that for sure, and this was the time to relive the good ole days. The ADG guys even had a dance off, with 5 guys acting as the backstreet boys and 5 acting as Nsync...was very entertaining. Then last night (Saturday) was SAB's spring dance at the Lucky Grille. Good food, good company, good time is all I can say. This weekend was a blur of parties and fun, and now the consequence is that all Sunday is spent studying, which it has been. Well I'm off to Chipotle for dinner; started going there every Sunday since its 3 minutes away from campus. Until next time!

Back...then gone again!

So after a very relaxing spring break, its back to work! But not for long, as this year's schedule has Easter break right after spring break. In other words, I come back for 4 days then leave again! Pretty much the best news I've gotten so far this month. Also since this is March, its March Madness time! Corcoran (guys dorms) has a dorm-wide tournament to see who can pick the best bracket, and of course I'm hoping to win! Also today is the APO (service group) easter egg hunt, which should be alot of fun. But as we all know, school isn't all fun and games. A biology test on Thursday has got me down to earth and studying like crazy, which is what I'm about to do now. Till next time

Busy....like always

So this week and half since my last post has gone by way too fast. Too many things going on, but most of them were good ones! One thing about Kansas City, many awesome bands come to the Sprint Center, and Rockhurst is only 5 minutes away! This past Monday I went to the Matchbox 20 concert with a couple of friends, and it was amazing! Later on this year Bon Jovi and Daughtry, Lifehouse and Goo Goo Dolls, as well as the Police are coming so if you love concerts, Kansas City has quite a few of them lined up! All this music really got me into learning the guitar, and Rockhurst offers a few instrumental classes that are great in teaching you the intrument of your choice. And if Rockhurst doesn't have the one you want, head across the street to UMKC where a Rockhurst student can take 1 course a semester for free. This is a big advantage if your interested in something that Rockhurst doesn't offer. Rockhurst also has an agreement with a couple of community colleges I believe that lets you take a course for a discounted price or even for free! Some pretty cool perks for going to Rockhurst. Well, it feels like spring outside...52 degrees...so I'm off to enjoy the afternoon. Till Next time.

What a week

So this week has been a whirlwind of studying, tests, intramural basketball, and snow tubing. Yes....SNOW TUBING! I had the most fun I've ever had when SAB took us on the "Mystery Bus" to Snow Creek up here in KC to go snow tubing. As I'm from Houston, TX...you can imagine that I don't get this opportunity often, or even at all. I've really come to like SAB, they really make the college experience worthwhile. Besides that, I had two tests on the same day for Christianity and Biology. So my week mostly consisted of getting all the facts down in the history of Christianity or struggling to understand the ecosystem. But I think the highlight of my week besides snow tubing has been intramural basketball. Rockhurst has a pretty good intramural system for those who don't want to join a college team or just don't have the time. I certainly don't have the time, but love playing basketball so this was a perfect situation for me. So far my team is 1-1, which isn't bad. 4 games total and then playoffs...hopefully my team, which consists of all freshman, can show some of these upperclassmen how to play! Well its time to head out for some Halo...after studying by brains out the past week I think I need a break!

Until Next Time

Greek Life among Life itself

Hey everyone!

So this past week has been incredibly busy...I guess the rumor that college gets harder as you go along is very true! This post I wanted to talk about Greek Life....aka Frats. I would talk about Sororities, but as a guy, I know more about the Fraternities here at Rockhurst, and next to nothing about the Sororities. Greek Life is a really great way to get involved in the college life, as well as the community. The frats here do alot for the community as well as have just as big of an impact on Rockhurst. I believe there are 4 frats here on campus, PKE, TKE, SAE, and AEG. All of these fraternities put on great events, and show what college life is really about. Well, I do realize that this post was a bit short, but that symbolizes my time right now : not enough of it. Multiple tests this week are a pain, so I'm off to stuff biology into my head.

Until next time

Spring Semester!

Hello everyone! After an incredibly relaxing winter break, I'm back at the Rock ready to start my classes! One of my favorite things about Rockhurst is that we are one of the earliest colleges to get out for winter break, and are one of the last colleges to go back for the spring semester. Rockhurst just recently went to a 15 week semester instead of a 16 week semester...leading to 2 more weeks off on top of the 5 weeks we already had...which equals 7 weeks! I have to say...I love winter break. In my future posts I'll be continuing what I started last semester, which is take subjects that factor into the college decision process and tell you my point of view on it. Well its quite busy trying to get adjusted to my new classes for the semester. I think thats the main difference between high school and college. In high school, you have a class for the year, and in my case i had that same class everyday of the school year. In college, I have the class 2 or 3 times a week, and only for 1 semester. A lot of information in a very little amount of time. Thats classes at college in a nutshell. But it sounds worse than it is, and just take a bit to get used to the speed. I'm off to take some chemistry notes I left until the last minute. Looking forward to any ideas for future blogs.

Until next time

Neel