Hello friends. Sorry for my terrible posting habits I have created since returning from Peru. I sort of forgot about time management and my blog in general. However, over the coming weeks I do have quite a bit to share with you all about what has been going on in my life since returning from Peru and becoming reacquainted with my old routine.The first thing I want to discuss is college. As I mentioned a few posts back, I committed to Ohio University, in Athens Ohio. No, not Ohio State, just Ohio. Anyway, last week was my orientation (June 19th and 20th) so Sunday morning, bright and early, my dad and I made the 7 hour drive to Athens.

The first thing I want to discuss is college. As I mentioned a few posts back, I committed to Ohio University, in Athens Ohio. No, not Ohio State, just Ohio. Anyway, last week was my orientation (June 19th and 20th) so Sunday morning, bright and early, my dad and I made the 7 hour drive to Athens.

Upon arriving that afternoon, we checked into the dorm room we would be staying in, grabbed dinner, made a Walmart run to get some breakfast for the next morning, and tried to avoid being soaked by the pouring rain. The dorm we stayed in was quite large, about twice the size of my dorm in San Diego, it even included a sink so I could brush my teeth and wash my face without leaving the room.We went to bed super early because we had to wake up just as early as we had the day before to be ready for orientation (and my two placement tests).

We went to bed super early because we had to wake up just as early as we had the day before to be ready for orientation (and my two placement tests).

5:30 Monday morning (4:30 Chicago time) I hopped right out of bed, showered, ate breakfast, and headed out to check in and then made my way over to 2 different buildings to take my Spanish and Chemistry tests. I ended up scoring in the highest possible grouping for Chemistry and was 1 point away from getting to the highest possible Spanish placement. I won’t have to take anymore Chem classes (I hope) but I will be taking a bunch of Spanish.

After I completed both exams, I met back up with my dad who spent his free time walking around a resource fair. The rest of the morning was a blur, with so many speakers I couldn’t keep up. We were then separated from our parents and took a campus tour (my third), listened to more speakers, and then finally got a break for lunch where we were reunited with our parents. The food selection at Ohio is vast and they have tons of vegan options (the campus is ranked in the top 10 vegan friendly universities in the US). However, all good things must come to an end and the next 8 hours were torturous. We were placed in rooms that were far too cold, and then rooms that were far too hot, being forced to participate in group activities that we had all already done at our prior institutions (it was a full transfer student admissions day so no incoming freshmen were there to questions shower shoes and communal bathrooms), and we had to socialize. The socializing wasn’t horrible and I met some pretty nice girls who I hope I’ll be seeing more of in the fall.

Once we finally finished all of these mandatory (if we didn’t attend we would be unable to register for classes the next day) informational sessions, we had the opportunity to meet with our academic advisors. My academic advisor was less than helpful but it’s a good thing I’m self sufficient and can plan classes on my own (the rest of my group wasn’t as lucky).

When we were finally released for dinner I was able to reunite with my dad and we discussed all of the sessions from the long and tiring day.We retired for bed early again that night because we had to be out of our dorm by 7 the next morning, so after planning out my schedule and reading the piles and piles of information I was given that day, I called it a night.

The following morning, we showered, packed everything up, checked out of the dorm room, and then made our way over to the Union for another couple information sessions and then to register for classes. I had an hour between the sessions and my registration time so my dad and I used the free time to explore downtown Athens.

At around 9:45 I had to trek across campus to my advising session and my dad stayed back to write a letter to me and talk to the campus doctor. When I arrived at McCracken Hall, the home of the college of Education, I saw a sea of people all waiting to have their meetings. There were two people ahead of me still so I had a seat and talked to some of the girls I had met the day before for the next 45 minutes.

At 1030 (my appointment was at 10 but the company was nice so I couldn’t complain) I was able to schedule my classes. I am taking 6 classes: an intro to Psychology, Calculus, Spanish, Teacher Technology, Teacher Education, and a transfer course. I am pleased with my schedule and I have no classes on Thursday so hopefully I can get a job and work that day.

During my advising meeting, my advisor notified me that Ohio didn’t have my AP scores and the credits I completed simply weren’t there, so instead of graduating in 2.5 more years it could be as long as 3.5, so my dad and I rushed over to the admissions office to discuss this issue, only to find out my scores never sent, so I had to resend them. We then walked around campus a bit more, checked out my dorm, before finally making our way back to the car and returning to Illinois.

Now, there are about 2 months until I move in, and I have made a list of what I need to bring, contacted my suitemates, and am more than ready to start this new chapter in my life. OU Oh yeah!

Alicia