Connection: Once and Colleges

To people who don't look below the surface or attempt to think about it, Once is a nice movie about two people who fall in love with each other and their music, but because of the directions that their lives are headed, they cannot be together.  This movie does many things to express that these people do not lead exclusively wonderful lives.  One of the last shots in the movie shows "Girl" looking out the window as this adventure comes to a close, and the camera zooms out to show the windows in the rest of the building.  To some people it would just seem like the natural thing to do, but in reality the director was showing the story behind this window was extrodinary, but there is a story just as extrodinary and awe inspiring happening behind every window in the building.  This movie simply focused on one story, but everybody has one.  This is also why the two lead characters didn't have names; the goal was to show that they were just ordinary people.

One of my biggest fears in going to college is that people won't be looking for each person's extrodinary, but instead just looking at the mass of people as a whole.  I'm terrified of going to a school where my professors won't know my name, where I'm just another one of their 300 students in the lecture hall.  Sure I have a story, but what do they care to hear it?  Well this week I went on a college visit that proved some, if not most, colleges want to find everyone's Once worthy story.  Well I was at Illinois Wesleyan this Wednesday I had a pretty busy schedual.  I had to come in and interview with the head of the theatre deparment, go on a tour, have lunch with the theatre students, attend two classes, and meet with my admissions counselor.  By the end of the day I was beat, even though it all went great.  My first interview didn't take very long, so Professor Quinn, who I was interviewing with, invited my to go get a cup of coffee across campus with him.  He asked me questions that were less formal, more to get to know me as a person.  All the people I got to know there were incredibly nice, even if they did ask me if I had questions way too many times.  When I met with my admissions counselor, Bob Geraty, he already knew many things from my application.  We started talking school, and he immediately brought up that I was involved in a ton of different activities. 

The big moment that made me realize that colleges really do want to get to know you was on Friday.  I got home from school and there was a letter waiting for me.  Bob Geraty had written me a letter saying that it had been nice getting to know me and that I should not hestitate to contact him with any questions I may have.  He also said that he hoped I enjoyed visiting the theatre department and (the big shocker) that he hopes I have a lot of fun with V-show and writing for Comedy Troupe.  I was shocked he remembered, we'd talked about variety show for a little while, but I didn't think he'd remember anything so specific considering I told him about many shows I've been involved with.  I mentioned that we were right in the middle of comedy troupe rehearsals, and he really did remember.

All of the people I met at Illinois Wesleyan, especially Bob Geraty and Tom Quinn, made me feel as though they really were searching for my Once.  I realized most people and teachers you meet will try to find your special story because, as we learned in humanities, we all have one.

Metacognition: Surviving Semester 1

Humanities.  A class I took for many reasons, being that it is creative, it is fun, it didn't seem like too much work, and English is required, and this class seemed like my best bet.  I was definitely wrong about one of my reasons.  This class is a TON of work.  I found a way to make it through all of the work, which was no easy task considering how busy I am.  You may ask: how did you achieve this Debra?  You won't have to wonder for long, though, because I am sharing my secrets to success!

Secret number 1:  When there is time to do work in class, use it.  It seems simple, and I'll admit I've checked the occasional email while working on a paper, but it really does help.  To be honest, I don't want to do write an essay or do homework when I get home.  I don't get home until pretty darn late most nights, and what I really want to do is watch How I Met Your Mother, not work for hours.  In class I can't take a nap or watch T.V., so I might as well do my work there.

Secret number 2:  Get used to staying up late.  I hate this secret.  I love to sleep.  Unfortunately certain mindbook entries (Map to me) may have had me up until 4:00 am.  Granted, it was the same day as You Can't Take it With You so that may have shortened my time too.  Lucky for me, I work well late.  I've noticed that the more tired I am, the more obsessed I become with the project.  I just realize that if I'm going to be up late, I better be getting a good grade.  I like that I've begun to think that way because it proved useful.  I also noticed that I don't overthink as many ideas when I'm tired.  I look at everything as a possibility, opposed to more work I don't want to do.

Secret number 3:  FORGET YOU HAVE A LATE PASS.   That four a.m. day was probably a time I shouldn't have done that, but I stand by my decision 100%.  I'm not the world's most responsible person, and if I fell back on the late pass once, I'd probably "forget" and try to use it again.  I use the tricking myself method a lot because I constantly try to fall back on little details.  I love this madness I've created because I would not function well without it.

Secret number 4:  Get used to your mind.  The first mindbook entry was tough for me because I got down on myself when I couldn't think of anything.  I kept thinking that if I was more creative, or better at ideas, or just plain smarter it would be easier.  Well maybe that is true, but I liked my ending project, and it made me realize I am stuck with this mind for better or for worse, so I may as well like it.  And hey, I realized it's not half bad!  Whenever I started to get down on myself about humanities, or really any other class (except math, because that is the evil exception) I would just think about how I had been doing good work, and I'd learn not to sweat it.

So good-bye semester one, it has, overall, been a good time.  Hello semester two.  Hopefully I come back and read this if I get myself in a tight spot!