Snow and Things

... because it Snowed this morning, and I did Things.

Hello my dearest blog readers! I come to you on this snowy Sunday to bestow upon you all a LIFE UPDATE. Please, keep your seats and contain your excitement.

I have successfully completed my first week of the new year, and I think it went quite well. But right now I want to give you a little glimpse into one of the classes I took last semester. It was a Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) seminar, and we met once a week. My roommate and friend Hannah was in the class with me. Our class discussions were about ourselves and our classmates, how we all saw the world and lived in it differently, and how we could use our different strengths to be good leaders.

Unfortunately, Hannah and I had made a habit the first few class meetings of walking in a minute or two late. So I walked into my third or fourth class a full five minutes early, without Hannah. She had another obligation the hour before, and would come separately. I felt safe in presuming that--because I was now early-- she had been a negative influence on me and my punctuality, and thus I removed all the blame from myself and onto her.

Once everyone was present and settled in, our peer mentor (who lead the class) informed us that today we would be asked some questions which required us to take a stance and talk about it. You know, the kind where you choose "Agree with," "Do not agree with," or "Unsure." 

If I had been presented with the scenario "This activity will go over well and without a hitch," I would have placed myself firmly in "Unsure." The questions we were asked were sensitive, dealing with perceptions of women, sexuality, etc. And though we were a group of women, we were still diverse, and very opinionated. I feared, when we were presented with our first scenario, that the resulting discussion would be more like chaos and anarchy. 

But for the next 50 minutes I was pleased to see rational discussion from my peers (and myself! I participated). Though we represented a vast array of opinions and backgrounds, everyone was conscientious toward others. A disagreement didn't take the form of "you are wrong, I am right," but as "I had never thought of it that way, allow me to explain how I have always seen it." It was refreshing, and made me a little bit less cynical about human nature. 

Plus, it totally affirmed  my belief that women are well-suited to run the world. 

I had a wonderful time in that class, and I am sad that it is done. But I am glad to have taken it, and I know I have grown as a person as a result.

With diplomacy,
Maggie

The Return of the King

... or, as it were, the Return of the Person Who has Not Blogged for a Very Long Time-- and who is also more Queen material, all things considered. 

Hello my dearest blog readers!

Oh my... has it really been 16 months since my last blog post? It seems that I have, as the Whovians would say, "pulled a Rose Tyler."*

But alas, I was not off having wild adventures with Christopher Eccleston. I was having wild adventures in IOWA. But you already knew that, because I last left you at the very beginning of my University Adventure.

I can tell you that it has been quite a ride. Recently after my last post, I met my current boyfriend, David. He is amazing, nerdy, silly, and I love him. I also made some amazing friends, met some stellar (and some not-so-stellar) professors, and had some great adventures.

I've just wrapped up my THIRD WHOLE SEMESTER of university, and boy was it a doozy. I thought that my senior year of high school was hard, but my freshman year at college proved to be twice as hard. And then my first semester as a sophomore proved that HOO BOY, my freshman year was easy compared to what is ahead.

Essentially, my dear readers, I am telling you that I have really had to get my shit together. I did rather badly my first year, and I spent the last 4 months picking up my own slack. But I am PLEASED to inform you that I managed all Bs and As this semester!** <does the good grades dance>

I feel as though I have so much to tell you, but I don't even know where to begin. I suppose I can leave that to another blog. Perhaps I will write a blog in the style of a short story. In the mean time, I love you all VERY much, and I hope that I can blog more frequently in the future.

With returnedness,
Maggie

*I very recently watched my first few episodes of Doctor Who, aren't you proud? My how I have grown in the past year and a half!

**Mostly Bs, but I am hardly complaining.

Nice hat, Maggie...

... It's a turban, dammit!*

I saw a scarf earlier and had the irrepressible urge to wrap it tuban-style around my head. So today, dear blog readers, I come to you... be-turbaned. Turbanized. The Turbanator. Like a turban, worn for the very first TIME!

This past Wednesday I did not have school. The leetle froshies had a retreat, and the sophmores and juniors were taking the PSAT. *dark chuckle* I am so done with all of that standardized test stuff. I got the scores I need. *holds up stack of scores*

Since I had the day off, I decided to be productive and go on a college visit! Tuesday night my mom and I drove four hours to Ames, Iowa.** The University actually has a hotel inside the Union, which is cool and convenient.

The next day I talked to the Honors program, the Engineering program, the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) at Iowa State, and ate dorm food.***

I am not entirely sure that I will go to Iowa State, but I did decide something while I traversed the beautiful campus, saw the green, yellow, orange, and red trees, smelled the scent of fall, watched all the students streaming along the walkways and lounging on the lawn.

I will be happy and successful almost anywhere I choose to go. It's not as if there is ONE college that is right for me. Most colleges I've considered look spectacular, have great credence. But why stress myself out so much by filling out tons of applications and trying to narrow my search down?

I decided to just stick with the three schools that I've either already been accepted to, or have nearly finished my application for. After that, it's a matter of which campus feels best and/or which will end up costing the least.

I hope that I was able to get my thoughts across both coherently and captivatingly. I know, you must be riveted. But this is what is happening in my life right now, and that's what I can blog about.


With a college essay to finish,
Maggie

Reader Palooza:
Alysa: Of course you agree with me. I've impressed my philosophies into your brain throughout the many long talks we've had this year. You have no choice but to agree.

Hannah: Calculus is hard, and you shouldn't worry too much about it. I think it's my lowest grade right now (not bad, just not my best grade). I understand it, but math can be unforgiving sometimes, even if you know everything that's going on. That's why if you take the AP test, getting around a 60% will get you a kickass score.

And I've heard that plays tend to fall apart a lot before the actual performances, but that the opening show and the following ones end up being awesome! That's just what I've heard, of course. But it's all mental, like I said. It's all in your head. You're dreaming! This is juuuuust a dreeeeeammmm!


*Actual thing that my dad said to me, actual thing that I said back. My life is... well, you can fill in the blank.

**For those of you who don't know, Ames is where the Men of Ministry of Magic grew up. It is a magical place of wonderment. Jason, Luke, and Aaron actually went to the university I'm looking at. And Aaron actually studied engineering there. So I am going to be taking many of the SAME classes as Aaron Nordyke! =O

***I'll be the first to admit that I have been spoiled when it comes to food. I think that the dorm food will be the most difficult adjustment for me when I go off to do scholarly things whilst at University. *directs back up to blog*