Oftentimes, when people think of "college life" they forget that involves a little something called class. Though the Emory experience involves MUCH more than scheduled meeting times of education, they are surely an important part (and what you parents are paying for!)
Since Emory's student body is so diverse, no class schedule could be considered "typical". But I'd like to give you at least some idea. Sooo, I present to you my class schedule for my 6 semesters here. I also included my guesstimate (guess/estimate) of the number of students that were in the class, as well as my main reason for taking the course.
Freshman - Fall
Eng 101 - Expository Writing (fulfilled the freshman writing requirement - 18 students)
Math 111 - Calculus 1 (Math/computer science requirement - 30 students)
Phil 100 - Into to Philosophy (humanities requirement - 25 students)
Soc 101 - Intro to General Sociology (I was interested in sociology - 45 students)
Freshman - Spring
Dance 123R - Modern Dance 1 (It fulfilled 1/3 PE course requirements, plus I used to dance and missed it - 20 students)
Hist 232 - Making of Modern American: US since 1877 (History requirement - 30 students)
PE 101 - Personal Health Education (a required class for everyone, about 250 students since everyone had to take it. But everyone also has a weekly discussion group with a Public Health grad student and about 15 students)
Pols 120 - Intro to Comparative Politics (International studies requirement, plus I was interested in possibly minoring in polisci - 25 students)
Psyc 110 - Intro to Psychology: Psychobiology and Cognition (I was interested in psychology - 125 students)
Psych 190 - Freshman Seminar: Psychology and Pseudoscience (I was extremely interested in the course description, plus every freshman is required to take a seminar - which oftentimes isn't in their major/minor - 11 students.)
Sophomore - Fall
Eng 270 - Intro to Creative Writing: Fiction and Poetry (Interested in the course/subject - 15 students)
JS 169 - The Arab-Israeli Conflict (Interested in the course and the Jewish Studies program - 90 students)
Psyc 205 - Child Development (I love kids - 45 students)
Span 201 - Intermediate Spanish I (Language Requirement - 12 students)
Sophomore - Spring
EDS 201 - American Education (Interested in the course - 25 students)
Eng 378 - Creative Writing: Intermediate Screenwriting (I was interested in the course, plus I wanted to make sure that I wanted to become a Creative Writing major - 15 students)
Jnrl 201 - News Reporting and Writing (Interested in journalism - 12 students)
Span 202 - Intermediate Spanish II (Language Requirement - 17 students)
Junior - Fall
Eng 212 - Readings in Popular Literature and Culture (for my major - 18 students)
Eng 370 - Creative Writing: Intermediate Fiction (for my major/interested - 8 students)
JS 205 - Biblical Literature (for my minor/interested - 15 students)
PE 194 - Stress Reduction and Flexibility (PE Credit - 23 students)
JS 370 - Topics in Jewish Religion and Culture: Holocaust Memoirs (for my minor/interested - 18 students)
Junior - Spring
Eng 311 - Intro to Shakespeare (for my major - 19 students)
Eng 371 - Creative Writing: Intermediate Poetry (for my major/interested - 14 students )
JS 370 - Topics in Jewish Religion and Culture: Religion and Medical Ethics (for my minor/interested - 13 students)
Phys 116 - Intro Astronomy w/ Lab (lab science requirement - 38 students in the lecture, 20 student in the lab)
If you have any questions, feel free to ask! I'd LOVE to know if anyone is reading this!
...and now I'm off to start watching the Oscar's Red Carpet with some of my sorority sisters. I just can't resist judging beautiful celebrities on their dress choices.
Sooo, I'm away for a few days due to a family emergency but I just discovered that most amazing thing! EMORY'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL! http://www.youtube.com/emoryuniversity
The idea that we have a youtube channel really brings a smile to my face. Take that David After Dentist (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txqiwrbYGrs) and Charlie Bit My Finger (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OBlgSz8sSM)! (Fine, the secret's out - I am a frequent fan of the 'tube).
Now I just have to watch all the Emory vids and try to spot myself.
I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in awhile. I actually tried posting in earlier January, but kept receiving odd error messages. Hopefully, this works now! I've missed writing on the blog.
Anyway, let's talk LEARNLINK! Learnlink is my current obsession and has been since I was freshman. It is Emory's online community, run by a server called First Class. Besides receiving personal e-mail and academic announcements, Learnlink also includes:
*"Conferences" for every club and class you're in
* Emory Announcements, where students can post about activities, meetings, performances and any events around campus
* Career resources
* Lost & Found postings
* Classifieds
* Textbook exchange
* Syllabus database
* Discussion on professor and classes, so students can decide what classes to register for (kind of like our own ratemyprofesor.com)
* The ability for students to create their own conferences (friends, their freshman hall, lab partners...any group!)
*Instant Messaging and instant group chats
It's hard to fully explain unless you see it, but student LOVE love love Learnlink! It makes communicating with friends, classmates, club members and even professors and faculty super easy. It's also extremely well organized. Little red flags pop up every time a new message appears. Every member of the Emory community has an e-mail address. You don't actually have to remember everyone's address though; simply type in part of their first and late names...and suggestions for their full name appear.
I recently wrote a poetry collection for my Intermediate Poetry class. While trying to think up ideas for poems, I explored Learnlink. I also searched online for different forms of poetry. Then, it hit me...I would write a poem about Learnlink!
Here it is:
Ode to Learnlink
Thy kind DUC computer so bright and my tiny hands so ready
A beautiful blue and green oval, my eyes catch thine splendor
Fingertips mount on the keyboard, I type with care. Keep steady
A six-letter surname, a complete user ID thus it render
Stroke my password out in precise rhythm with passion
Access be granted, a bright white rectangle forms in greeting
Oh mailbox! Oh conferences! Oh glorious glorious flags in red!
Activities, greetings and news of the hour laid out in such fashion
Thy entertainment and sense of community is never ever fleeting
Behold! A ting my ears do hear. A new message hath arrived in a thread!
Total time used: 32 weeks 7 hours 51 minutes
------------
I never write in Old English, but thought it was appropriate to properly express my love.
Yesterday, I woke up at 7:00am. Not only was it a Saturday, but it was 19-degrees outside (and as you can see my last post, I have a hate-hate relationship with cold weather). I didn't have an exam to desperately study for, no relatives to pick up from the airport for a visit, and certainly no desire to deprive myself of sleep. No, no...I woke up at an hour that I've rarely seen since high school - let alone on a weekend - to help with sorority recruitment! And I couldn't have been more excited.
Both sorority and fraternity recruitment are "deferred" at Emory, meaning that it isn't until the spring semester. But although freshman cannot join sororities yet, we had a practice day yesterday - called Novemberfest - in which all interested girls go inside each sorority lodge to meet the members. This year, I'm a 'Pi Chi'. That means that I am assigned to a freshman dorm and I am in charge of advising all its residents about Greek life and the recruitment process. I LOVE doing it. My sorority is so very special to me, and being a Pi Chi is my way of giving back; I get to help several dozen girls find the sorority that is the best match for them, even if it's not my own.
Since I hope to give readers of this blog a glimpse into my college life, here are a few key facts and observations about Emory's Greek system:
* About 30% of Emory students are members.
*It is NOT stereotypical. We aren't all blonde party girls with their daddy's credit card in one hand and a martini glass in the other. Most of us like to have fun, but we also plan many philanthropy events, value each other's friendship and are serious about our academics.
*There is NO hazing.
*Greeks have a higher average G.P.A. than the overall student body average.
*Members easily have time to be involved in many other student activities.
*Sorority girls are NOT just friends with their "sisters". I have non-Greek friends, as well as friends in other sororities.
*Sorority and Fraternity events are open to ALL students - not just other Greeks.
*It is NOT like the ABC Family show Greek.
*Members don't have to live in the lodges or houses. The 3-year-old sorority complex (pictured above) is like a long townhouse, with each section belonging to a different sorority. I live there and love it. The fraternity houses are HUGE and look like Victorian mansions from the outside.
I'm so thankful for Emory's sorority system, as I doubt I would have joined one at a bigger state school. It sounds cheesy, but it's given me a large group of girls whom I'm proud to call my "sisters" and it makes campus feel more like a home. But since there are SO many other college activities and Atlanta events, Greek life is far from the only social option. It just happened to be a great one for me. There's not much else that would get me up with a smile before sunrise!
I just ran up the stairs of my dorm, threw off my winter coat, and got into bed to snuggle with my Disney princess throw blanket and laptop.
Ladies and gentleman, it is FREEZING in Atlanta.
According to weather.com (AKA my best friend), it is currently 39 degrees fahrenheit and "feels like" 31. Yes, yes...I know from high school science that 39 is not technically "freezing" but it sure felt like I could have gotten frostbite out there! What happened to the 60 degree weather of last week? I am one of the few people who came to Atlanta for colder weather, but now I find myself longing for Thanksgiving in South Florida when I'll likely travel to the beach in shorts and flip-flops with my family.
Oh wellll...those are the weather sacrifices one makes to attend their otherwise dream school! I'll survive these next harsh weeks by hibernating with a warm coat, dorm heat and lots and lots of hot chocolate.
Emory holds a fall band party every year that's free for students. Last year's made national news - not because it was exceptionally amazing, but because the stage collapsed and the show was canceled.. AKON, who created the insanely catchy (and classy!) song "Smack that" had his workers setting up the stage when it somehow broke. Whooops.
This year's was MUCH better. One of my absolute favor bands, O.A.R. performed! You might know their songs "Love and Memories" or (my personal fav) "Crazy Game of Poker." As someone who doesn't know a heck of a lot of bands, I was super excited. I wound up just a few feet from the front. After a bit, my friends I felt a bit too squished so we moved back from the crowd and still had an amazing view. It was a lot of fun dancing around with friends and mingling with other students. The lead singer laughed at us for simply smiling and waving up at him. Some other students crowd surfed, which terrified me, but it was easy to move away from them and no one was hurt.
In other news, have you heard that we have a new president? I watched the election coverage with several friends and we all danced around the room for several minutes after the announcement. I walked outside later and could hear Obama's speech blaring from many TVs. And, my professors all enjoyed talking to us about the historical aspects of the election in class on Wednesday. My Jewish Studies professor described attending MLK's "I have a dream" speech, which honestly sent shivers up my spine. Though most people I talked to shared my happiness with the result, McCain supporters didn't seem to feel alienated. They comfortably expressed their views in a rational (not angry, ignorant or mocking) manner.
Oh and before I head off to read my classmates' creative writings stories, I'll mention a (in my opinion) interesting story. Wednesday night, my "Holocaust Memoirs" professor, Deborah Lipstadt, invited the 18 students of the class over for dinner. Profesor Lipstadt was involved with a trial against a Holocaust denier, which made national headlines in 2000. We all knew that she's a renowned historian and author, but it's easy to forget because she's so down-to-earth and easy to talk to. After chatting over humus, pita and fresh veggies, she left us for a few minutes to prepare her homemade lasagna. We all began to look around the living room, which was covered in fun gadgets and artwork from around the world. One boy in our class suddenly gasped. Propped up right behind him, was a framed letter signed personally by Bill Clinton.
Emory professors often literally write the books, but they still have a clear passion for teaching and interacting one-on-one with students. I didn't originally apply here for that reason, but its given me even a greater appreciation for my school.
Election Day is almost here...and I cannot believe it. Emory students vary in both their political ideologies AND how much politics interest them, but nearly everyone is excited for Tuesday!
Here's what I've been seeing lately:
- An "Obama Voting Party Bus" sponsored by Emory Students for Barack Obama COVERED in Obama pictures, slogans and fliers. It's been taking students to and from the polls for early voting in Georgia
- Daily postings from friends on Learnlink conferences (it's an amazingly addictive Emory-only e-mail/conference system) reminding everyone to vote and register
- E-mails and facebook status with funny election related videos. (have you seen this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX40RsSLwF4 or this: http://www.hulu.com/watch/36863/saturday-night-live-couric--palin-open#s-p4-sr-i1?)
- weekly editorials about the election in the Emory Wheel (emorywheel.com)
- predictions from Emory poli sci professors
Since this school year started, other students have been encouraging each other to vote and make informed decisions. CSAmerica, a nonpartisan political interest group, stood around campus for weeks making sure everyone who passed was registered. There's been viewing parties for all the debates, endless discussion groups with students and faculty, and fliers spread around the mail center about absentee ballots.
I'm not voting on Tuesday, since I mailed in my absentee ballot to dear 'ol Florida 2 weeks ago. But, many of my friends are seriously excited about standing in line for hours at the polls. And at 6:00 we all plan to start partying together at Rock The Results! The Student Government Assosciation and College Council are having FREE FOOD, games, raffles, music and prizes all around a big screen with the news results on our field. Hopefully most students will walk around smiling and not in tears. But we're fairly diverse in our views, so both emotions are bound to occur.
I'm just hoping to get some sleep Tuesday Night! I have a few papers due for Wednesday classes, but I'm not at all procrastinating so I can concentrate on the news.
Well, I have to go. I'm planning carpools for a free Ben & Jerry's scoop and Starbucks coffee. (Both are free for voters nationwide Tuesday!) Mmmmm. Choosing my ice cream flavor may be harder than choosing a president... (Phish Food and Half Backed have equally excellent qualities that will be great for the future of my taste buds.)
