Summer '08!

The summer officially began and that means a new term of classes! Because I am an upperclassmen and on the Fall/Winter coop cycle, I am in classes during the summer. As much as I'd like to be at the beach right now, I enjoyed my 6 month "vacation" from classes while I was on co-op.

This term I have a very busy schedule-- I have 6 classes. Despite being so busy, I am very excited to be in the classes I'm in. I'm taking everything from Spanish II to Entrepreneurial Finance. If I had had any free space in my schedule I would have taken an organic cooking class with one of my friends. Oh well-- there's always next term for the fun electives!

With a busy weekday schedule, the weekends are going to be my haven. This Friday I'm heading up to NYC and CT to visit some friends. I love being so close to New York; it makes a great weekend getaway! It's also very cheap to get there. Did you know that you can take the Bolt Bus to NYC or Washington, D.C. for just $1? It's fast, cheap, and very student friendly-- they even have wireless you can use for free the whole trip.

But, for now, I'm just going to focus on getting through week 1 of classes!

Football season!

So I live in a small town in the middle of nowhere Virginia (aka Blacksburg). However, football season is the one time a year this town actually looks like more than farmland. Blacksburg is home to the Virginia Tech Hokies, so the town basically consists of college students during the school year. But for some reason, the entire town is OBSESSED with VT football. I mean, we have 70 year old alumni holding season tickets. You'd think at some point they'd realize they graduated 50 years ago and move on with their lives, but no. This town goes insane every weekend there's a game. I work at Ben and Jerry's in downtown Blacksburg, and today (the day BEFORE the game) every other customer was already decked out in their Hokie gear. Not to mention, when I got off work I tried to go to Kroger, which happens to be in the same parking lot as our ABC store (aka the liquor store for those of you who don't live in states that have sate regulated alcohol sales), and there was not a SINGLE open spot. How crazy is that? This is definitely a drinking town with a football problem. Traffic tomorrow will be tons of fun : )

Housing assignments!

Check them out by logging on to drexelone then clicking on "myhousing"

I hope you all are satisfied with where you've been placed; if not, remember the first two weeks of every term you can apply to switch rooms.

If any of you are in Race on the 9th floor, let me know!

Summer Reading

So all of you freshmen have been assigned a wonderful book to "enjoy" during your summer off. If you would like to actually enjoy a book, there are several new ones out that are worth picking up.

Of course, the new Harry Potter is a top pick. I'm a big dork and already finished it, but I was left content with the way the series ended. So, if you're up to some 1,000 pages, check it out.

Chuck Palahniuk released his new book, Rant, this year, which I picked up yesterday (along with a study guide for my GMAT'S. yay for grad school!). If you haven't heard of Palahniuk, you definitely have heard of his work. Fight Club was written by him, but made famous on the big screen with Brad Pitt and Edward Norton. If you enjoy the sick and twisted mindset of Fight Club, check out Invisible Monsters-- hands down one of the best books I've ever read. If any of you are Panic! At the Disco fans, their song Time to Dance is actually based on Invisible Monster's storyline. It's interesting to listen to the song after having read the book and actually knowing what the heck they're singing about.

For the political mind, The World is Flat is a GREAT book. It's not exactly new to this summer, but if you enjoy satire, you'll enjoy this.

Augusten Burroughs also released his new book, Possible Side Effects this April. Burroughs is the author of the book, now movie, Running with Scissors, which is a hilarious dark childhood memoir. I haven't read his new work, but it's definitely on the list!

So, if you're a reader, hopefully these will keep you entertained during the next 2 months until college!

A tough decision

Hokay, so the job offers are in...

Synthes, Banccorp, and Admissions offered me positions. I am the QA at 4 other places, 3 of which I don't really care about. So, now comes the tough part...which to accept?!

Admissions would be perfect-- I know the job, love the people, and not to mention it pays well : P

buuuuutttt Synthes is more of a job with real experience in the field I'd like to enter. However, it pays less and it would require me to have a car an commute 40 minutes each way.

There's also Monell where I'm the first QA, but who knows if I rank if I'll actually get it.

Help?! Any input??

Co-op job offers!

So tomorrow night co-op job offers are posted! EEEEK! It's so stressful not knowing who will offer you a position or if you have to go through to round B or C of interviews. Fortunately for me, I've already been notified that I have a job at Bancorp Bank and am the first qualified alternate at Monell. But I'll know tomorrow if I am offered any others.

The whole co-op process is quite stressful, but is SO worth it. I mean, Drexel is so unique with their co-op experience; most undergraduates don't graduate with 1.5 years of experience. Also, in a person's lifetime, they may interview for 10-15 jobs. I interviewed for 10 this MONTH. By the time you graduate, interviews are like second nature, which is critical when it comes to the BIG interview that will get you a good paying job when you graduate.

I'll let you know tomorrow what jobs I am offered!

And if you have any questions about co-op, as always, feel free to ask : )

VT

So, for those of you who don't know, my hometown is Blacksburg, VA, which is the home of Virginia Tech. I'm sure all of you followed the news this past spring in disbelief as the massacre unfolded, but things were a little different for me. Half of my high school enrolls at Tech every year, I have friends from work there, and then my cousin is also an engineer at Tech, so the whole week was full of anxiety awaiting the list of the injured to be released. Fortunately, no one I knew was on that list.

So, Saturday was my first day home for the summer, and on my way to work, I drove through Tech's campus to cut off some miles. The campus was simply moving-- banners everywhere saying, "We are Virgina Tech," flags everywhere, memorials still in tact....it was just overwhelming the power of the Tech student body. The community also stepped up; Main Street is lined with American and VT flags, local businesses have supportive signs in the windows, and you can't walk down the street without seeing someone wearing a memorial shirt, which are being sold to raise money for the families of the fallen.

This town is simply amazing.