Rejected

I have done many interviews lately with companies since I am a senior now and want a full time job when I graduate. I know companies use to send people letters through the mail when you they did not want to pursue further talks with you. It seems most companies these days are a little less classy. I have gotten emails from several companies saying they did not want me.

I think it would be a little classier to send a letter or make a phone call rather than send an email. I guess it is nicer that you find out sooner by emails, but it would be nice if the companies had a little class.

Group conflict

I am a senior so I have worked on a lot of group projects. Sometimes there are problems such as people not being able to meet at the same time. A few times I have run into problems were one person is just lazy and does not do any of the work. I am usually the person that takes the lead.

I have finally found myself on the other end though. I am in a 5 person group in a computer class. We started of being assigned into groups and I told the group members to please email out when they are going to work on the project, so we can all help. This did not happen. Two of the members decided that they would mostly work on it at times without telling us. When we did meet during designated class time they would work on it and would not let us do anything.

Now fast forward to the last week of the lab. They started sending pissed of emails that we have not done anything. They took the lead on the project and would not tell us what to do. Even when I was sitting with them while they are working on it. The day before it was due they were saying we had to contribute our part to the project now. Since it is a technology class where we are configuring computers we tried our best. We did not know what they had done though since they did most of it without us. Since we did not know what they did we could not do our part.

I the end we did not completely get it done since there was not good communication. Not getting full credit on it is not even the worst part. The problem with group members refusing to work with us hurts my test grades. Our labs help us understand what we are taught in class and then get tested on. Without the lab for the first test I would have failed. I learn everything in lab, so now thing are not looking good for the next test.

The moral of the story of my rant is you must work together. No matter your position in the group you must communicate and make sure you get everyone involved. Also don’t jump to conclusions. My group members did not realize the reason that we were not help them was the reason that they would not give us work or tell us when they were working on it.

Alley Cat

Earlier this week I did something I never did before. I went on an Alley Cat. An Alley Cat is a bike race. There are checkpoints that you have to go to before you return to the start. On this race we were able to choose which checkpoint we went to first. After choosing the first checkpoint you had to do all the checkpoints in order after that. I had never heard of this before, but someone told me about it, so I took my bike out and tried it out. I went into this knowing full well that I had no chance of winning. I was doing it more for fun. I am not in enough shape to be able to win a bike race. Also the top finishers got prizes since it cost $10 to do the race.

The race was setup where we just had to go to five different places on Purdue campus. That might seem like an extremely short distance, but it was not since we had to do the checkpoints in a certain order. I went from the Memorial Mall to Hilltop to Lynn Hall to Westwood(where Cordova lives) to the Northwestern Parking garage to the Purdue Village to the Memorial Mall. If you were to connect the points it would make a star. The path was purposely designed not to be efficient. This way you have to go across campus many times. I think it was about 9 miles in total.

Map of ride

This event was announced through the Facebook group Purdue Critical Mass. Which is a group that organizes bike rides around Purdue about once a month. The point of the group is to do large bike rides as in lots of people. These types of events are very popular in Chicago. I personally have not had a chance to do one yet. I hope to go on the next ride.

All you need to do these bike events is to have a bike.

Late Night On Campus

For some reason I went out a lot late at night this week. Well, I know the reason, but that's a subject for another day. Let's just say I didn't feel like being around my roommate right then. I count going out late as anything past 11 pm. I think we can agree that that is fairly late for a night when I have classes the next day. Anyway, the first couple nights I went out I was clueless about what to do. I don't drink, so I wasn't very inclined to head over to a party or go hang around the bars. Instead, I decided to just walk around campus and see what there was to be found that late. Not suprisingly, most of the buildings were dark and locked up. I tried a few of them only to be rejected every time.

I did find some places to go though. It turns out that a bunch of the engineering buildings are open all night. MSEE is a notable one. It is the one right by the engineering fountain that has lots of big glass panes on the front. At night all the lights are on inside it and it is very easy to see. When I went over there, I found that some other people had the same idea as me and were studying in the main lobby. The elevated walkways connecting it to EE and physics were closed though.

I also found that Armstrong stays open all night. Well, kind of. Some of the doors get locked. The main ones and one of the ones on Stadium stay open, so you can get in if you really want to. Since I live in Hilltop, this was pretty cool for me, and I ended up wandering around in it for around an hour.

When I got hungry that late, I had quite a few choices. Cary Knightspot was a good one, since it is pretty close to where I live and it is open til one. McDonalds on Stadium and Northwestern was another good one. A few days after the first time I went out that late, I found myself over by Chauncy Hill. Taco Bell stays open that late. Hookah is also open. I probably would have gone there if I was a smoker. Most other food places are too far off campus for me to feasibly get to on foot at night.

After going to Taco Bell the second time I was out, I wandered around State street. Hicks undergrad library closes at 2 am or something, but I got to it after closing time. Stewart Center and the Union are open all night, but the food places in the Union are closed. It does have that large room on its first floor with lots of couches and armchairs and a big flatscreen tv though, so I stopped by it for a bit. Don't bother trying to go to other dorms that late, since they lock their outside doors at 11 pm.

Anyway, this is just me trying to give you all some tips on where you can go if you find yourself wanting to go out this late but you don't want to go get wasted. Even though I was walking around by myself at midnight, I didn't really feel unsafe or anything. We have a pretty safe campus and I was around lighted buildings for the most part. It would probably be better to go out with a friend, but if you can't find anyone willing to accompany you this late, fear for your safety shouldn't stop you from going.

Big Spender

Recently, I have noticed a disturbing trend in my daily routine. What happens is I wake up, go to class and stuff, eat dinner, relax, then get hungry again at around 12:30 am. Being me, I cannot stand being hungry. I just get so I really can't think about anything except food. So I end up ordering some delivery or making the ten minute walk to McDonalds and getting something there. Ta da! No more hunger. Once in a while, this is fine. It makes me feel good, I get a little exercise walking over there, everything is fine.

However, lately I have been doing this a lot. I probably spent around 30 dollars doing this this past week. If I keep this up, I'll have spent around 200 dollars by the end of the semester. In my opinion, this is a lot of money to spend on extra food every week. It's not like I don't have time to eat. Dining halls are open from like 7 am to 8 pm (or something similar), serving delicious buffets of food. I just end up getting hungry after they close.

Now I am a college student (obviously) and I have 0 income. For me, spending hundreds of dollars on snacks = BAD. What can I do about this? I have come up with two solutions. First, I have a 15 meal plan but end up eating only around 12 times a week. I could take those extra meals and get On The Go to tide me over when I am hungry. This works, except that most of the non-perishable food that they have at On The Go isn't very filling and would not help me much if I was really hungry. The other thing I could do is go to sleep earlier. This would solve my sleep deprivation problems and my late night snack problem in one fell swoop. The problem with this is that I just don't get tired earlier. I'm really a night person. I'm working on it though. I havent gone to bed later than 2 am this whole week : ) So to bring my rambling to a close, try and go to sleep earlier. It will not only help you in school, it will save you a lot of money in late night deliveries.

Cons of Cars on Campus

There are several cons that may have an influence on you if you are debating whether or not it is worth having your car on campus with you. The first would be the availability of parking. If you have to park your car several blocks away from you and walk there each time is it honestly worth it especially if you are allowed to just catch a bus on your street. On bigger campuses, they always seem to have parking everywhere but much of it is always filled up. You tend to have to park further away then you want to and then it seems like you have miles to walk to your car. Also, since you’re a freshman you don’t have the ability to park in the better spots that upperclassmen can receive. You have basically the parking spots that no one really wants to take unless you get lucky or want to walk for awhile.

Secondly, the cost of gas continues to rise who knows what it will be by the end of the year. It seems to fluctuate frequently and can be very costly for a college student. It’s nice to catch the bus and not have to pay for any of it and it doesn’t hit you hard in the wallet. You could always just shuttle or transport people around if they need rides and charge them then you would have some extra money to fill your tank up. But on the other side of that you may have people bugging you nonstop and ask to borrow it whenever they please.

When students have a car readily available to them some of them may go home every weekend just because that’s what they have always been used to. They may never experience the true campus life and activities. They may lose out on important activities, games, and clubs. It would be a bummer to never fully experience campus and lose out on key experiences.

The basic upkeep and routine things that you have to perform on your car to check up on can definitely add up. You have to do oil changes and maintenance to it that you would not have to deal with it if you used public transportation. You would also have to do a search to see where you should take it, who you would trust, and not just get ripped off. Also, when you have a car you need to have good insurance and insurance for college students usually tends to be higher. We are classified as higher risk drivers because most people are age usually get into accidents. This could be a huge monthly expense that you would have to undertake.

Many students go through college without a car on campus. They live in the dorms their freshmen year and then just get an on campus apartment or continue to live in the dorms. It is feasible you just have to weigh your options out and figure out which is best for you. By not having a car it can make you learn to problem solve, be creative in your own ways, and figure out public transportation.

Pros of Cars on Campus

What are the advantages you will have if you bring your car down to college with you? Is it worthwhile? Do most freshmen bring their car with them? In the next two posts I will give you both sides the pros and the cons. There are many good and bad things that pertain to each aspect.

First of all I think the major advantage is that you always will have a way to get around and you are not stuck in one area relying on other people or the bus to get places. You can go in town to shop, buy groceries, or school supplies and it less of a hassle. You have the freedom to go wherever you wish. You have the ability to go home more frequently and it is a lot easier rather than you having your parents always come down and pick you up and then bring you back down. Allow some people have the advantage of car pooling with people from their same town or city but not all of us are that fortunate. You will just have the ability to get away from campus, take a break, and maybe go to the coffee house or somewhere to study.

Secondly, it increases your chances of finding and getting a better higher paying job if you are looking for one. You will be able to have a better selection and choice to find one and it may even be an internship that will pertain to your major. The more experience you have in your area of studying the greater the chance that you will have to get a better job when you graduate. You will be a step up from other people that may be competing with for the same job. Also, we all know when you go to college you become in debt very quickly if you are lucky and find a good job that fits into your schedule you need to make sure you can get there in the most efficient way possible.

Finally having a car opens up more opportunities for you to get involved in your community or city. It allows you to branch out, join different organizations and clubs, and help the community in a positive manner. Some classes even require you to do a set number of hours to go around and lend a hand to those that are less fortunate and needy. It’s always the best feeling when you know that you have helped someone out and what it means to them. Here are just some of the pros of cars if you have them on campus that I have noticed.

Save Save Save!!!

Didn't those "post-it-up-on-the-refrigerator" A+ papers that you did in high school just give you such a good feeling? Being in high school, or even if your in college right now, it will do you well to keep your work--papers, notes, homework-- for college. Since I've been in college, I've found that keeping all my work from high school has helped me more than I ever thought it would.

I find myself calling home all the time to have my mom find an assignment that I did in high school that will help me with one that I have just been assigned in one of my classes here at Purdue. Believe it or not, you'll find yourself doing just the things you did in high school all over again.

Recently in my math class, all we have learned are things that I learned last year when I was a senior taking a course called Discrete Math. Saving everything and keeping all my papers, tests, and quizzes from that math class was the best choice I could have made. I really think saving work is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Before I started classes this semester, I had no idea that Math 137 here at Purdue University was anything at all like Discrete Math and Bishop Dwenger High School. I've had my math binder shipped to Purdue, and I've studied my high school notes/quizzes/tests along with notes I've gotten here. Let's just say I've gotten an A on every quiz and test here, and I think it's all because I've saved my work.

Also, once you get through high school, hearing the two words "research paper" pretty much makes you want to scream. Trust me, I know, I hated writing those things! However, I highly advise you to not only save your papers, but also save the papers your teachers give you that have the correct way of citing materials in a works cited and inside the paper (parenthetical citations). Although Purdue has a notorious website called OWL, which teaches people how to avoid plagiarism and how to cite materials, I prefer using my old papers that were given to me in high school that teach me how to correctly cite material instead of using websites online because I get annoyed switching back and forth on my computer from my paper and the websites. You may not care, but for those of you who do, I suggest keeping those resources. They are really helpful.

Now after bragging about keeping my notes and resources, I guess I just realized it was never my idea to do that in the first place, even though I basically said it was. After thinking about it, it was actually my mom's idea. So, basically, I have her to thank for this. I guess parent's know what they're talking about after all!

How to Deal with Illness in College

We all wake up in the morning sometimes and just feel absolutely terrible. We get sick, we skip school, we have work to make up. You all know the feeling.


For most of us, it was easier to miss days in high school. Most schools had strict policies, for example, that if you miss a total of 14 days, you needed a note from a doctor if you missed any more than that. The staff was smaller and your teachers were willing to work with you if you were extremely ill.


Now, we come to college and find out that absenses are a big deal. At Purdue University, I can only miss a certain number of classes, like three, before my grade is affected. After three or four classes missed, I can begin to lose many points if I do not show up. So, what happens in college when one of us students becomes very sick and attending class just isn't an option for the day?


I'll give you an example: Last Sunday night, I began to feel bruised and sore on my whole entire body. My body just ached all over the place, and I knew something was wrong. To make the story short, I went to bed, woke up with no sensation in my body, could not walk, and ended up in one of West Lafayette's hospitals around 9 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon. My blood was sent to Indianapolis,and I have yet to get the results back. All I know right now is that my potassium level is very low, my anemia has kicked in (too bad I can't get my medicine until this weekend), my stress level is so elevated that my heart rate is extremely high, and I have some viral infection throughout my body. I hope that's all it is, and when I can all the results back from my blood, the tests are all negative.


To say the least, I've missed all but two classes since Monday and it's already Thursday. I've missed two quizzes and 2 exams, which I'll have to make up, along with all the homework. Talk about my stress level skyrocketing.


What I'm getting at is that even though absenses have a bigger role in college than most of us thought, our health is much more important. Teachers know this. Inform them of what's going on, and they will be willing to work with you. With health issues, they know you aren't just skipping class. They're smarter than that--you have a legitimate reason. My teachers aren't expecting me to make up the work, quizzes, and exams all in one day either. They know that it is physically impossible. Whether you want to believe it or not, teachers want what is best for their students. That's why they are teachers--to help us.


Your goal: Get yourself better--however it takes. Drink many fluids, get lots of rest, eat a good diet, and just wait it out.

Save your money--it's yours!

As college students, we are poor. We go for things that are free. We don’t have money to waste or to spend as we please.

You’d think that universities would be the last people to rip us off, but anyone can see that isn’t true based solely on the cost of tuition. But they rip our money out of our hands in another way: laundry.

Now, laundry is something that we all have to do, and it costs us money. At Purdue, it costs $1.25 per load to wash (unless you have Boiler Express, and then it’s $1.00, but those aren’t available in every dorm) and $0.50 per load to dry.
For starters, that $0.25 per load adds up. I tend to do 3 loads per week: one lights, one darks, one sheets and towels. That’s $0.75 per week that I have to pay extra because my dorm doesn’t take Boiler Express. Let’s just assume that I’m doing laundry once a week except for the summer (12 weeks). That’s 40 weeks per year.
That’s an extra $30 per year that I’m paying because I wasn’t fortunate enough to get into a dorm that has Boiler Express for laundry.

But it gets worse.

Not all your clothes need to be dried in the dryer. This is somehow not communicated to people. The only things that should go in the dryer are your sheets and towels. That’s one load of laundry to dry per week for me. If I were to dry all my clothes every week, that’d be $1.50 just in drying, which adds up to $60 per year in drying clothes. Instead, I only pay $0.50 per week, making my yearly total $20.

Instead of using the dryer, hand up wet clothes on plastic hangers in the warmest part of your dorm or get a drying rack. Clothes only take about a day to dry.

So, if you’re fortunate enough to have that $0.25 discount each load and you’re smart about drying your clothes, you can save around $70 a year. That’s $70 you can spend on pizza, video games, movies, and whatever else you want.

Sunday: Day of Recovery

I've come to realize that Sunday is the most important day of the week for a college student. It's absolutely necessary for recovery and preparation.

As far as recovery goes, it's needed for recuperation from the "festivities" of Friday and Saturday. Usually these festivities involve very little sleep and very large amounts of consumption of C2H5OH. Anyways, that usually means the Sunday is pretty rough.

Let me speak from personal experience. The last few Sundays have consisted of sleep. I returned to my room this Sunday morning at around 10 AM. Then I slept until 7 PM, ordered some food and then of course went back to sleep. Today I am perfectly fine.

Now let's explore what would have happened if I had not taken Sunday off and quit life for 24 hours. Today, I would be extremely crabby and swear a lot. Also, I would have probably proceeded to skip all my classes. Which in turn would have resulted in me failing and then being kicked out of school and becomiing a bum on the streets. It would be disaster. So in order to salvage my future, you can see how important Sunday is.

Basically, Monday through Friday end up sucking due to too much work. Friday through Saturday are good, but always a little rough towards the end. Sunday is the one of the gift the Gods have given us, a little break from the rigor of life. You basically get to die for a short period of time.

You want proof that Sunday is a day of temporary death? There's football all day. If that's not heaven I dont know what is.

My Printing Adventure

Alright so we had this paper due in my english class today. The paper had to be four pages long. I finished up two pages worth and figured I'd leave the remaining two for the day it was due. Which was today.

Everything was going as I planned. I skipped my math lecture, slept in until 11:00. Then I attended another useless chemistry lecture. After which I went to eat at the dining hall, which was pretty disgusting. Then I was ready for my paper.

Me being a proficient writer, I began rolling on my paper. I was unstoppable. I finished up the remaining two pages and was ready to go. It was 2:00 PM and my english class was at 2:30 PM. I had just enough time to print it off and then catch the bus to get to class. I'd walk but then of course I wouldn't get to class until 4:00 PM next Tuesday (thats a different story).

Then of course everything went wrong. My printer was broken, my roommates computer was locked so I couldn't get on his. It was 2:05. So I wasted another five minutes swearing and complaining about how bad my luck was. Then I ran to the computer lab in Cary East and tried to print there. Of course there was no paper in that printer there, so I wasted another five minutes swearing about how bad my luck was.

The building where my class was had a lab in it, so I figured I could get there and print it and be only a little bit late. It was 2:25. So I ran to the bus stop and of course, god was against me today so it took a good 10 minutes for the bus to get there. It was 2:35. By the time the bus got to the building where my lab was, it was 2:45. I was fifteen minutes late and counting.

So I ran (in the loosest sense of the word) to the second floor and got to the lab and printed my paper out. It was finally time. I burst through the doors of the classroom triumphantly and took my seat. Then of course I was made fun of by a few classmates and of course the teacher. It was light ribbing (just a few laughs and a cynical comment) but it still hurt.

With all of that said, I learned a few things. Finish up your paper a little earlier to give yourself time, and never count on God being on your side. He likes to mess with us.