College Conclusion

                  I have had a lot of experiences at Armstrong, to say the very least. My five years here have been filled with just about every kind of feeling one can get out of life: fulfillment, loneliness, wonder, sadness, joy, and even love. This place is more than just a state university filled with students and professors engaged in the circle of formal education. It is a place where one learns to establish one’s identity, to adapt to challenge, and to ultimately grow into a mature adult. But only if you let it change you, that is.

Out of high school, I felt that I already knew everything I really needed to know out of life. I was independent, self-sufficient, and optimistic enough to get through thirteen years of public education, after all. However, I slowly learned that college was not like that. At all. Here I was treated like a full-grown adult, even during freshmen year, and my peers expected me to act like they would. The presence of my youthful energy just simply wouldn’t be enough to guarantee my success in graduating from here. Like an animal in the jungle or a fish in the ocean, I had to adapt to the environment around me in order to survive and prosper. The foundational Greek philosopher and teacher Socrates once said that “the only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing”. Without a doubt, this is the single idea that led me to where I am today.

All of those long nights cramming for exams, all of those group projects, all of those long lectures, all of those FAFSA applications, all of those students and professors that I grew relationships with… they all amount to the degree I will be receiving this Saturday. So now I advise to you, whoever you may be, to never lose hope while you are in college. The college degree itself will not make you a better person; it is merely a piece of paper with a few cents worth of ink printed onto it. Even the extra money you’ll be earning will not be enough to make you feel fulfilled. What will make you a better person is the accumulation of all of your “micro-victories” throughout your college career: the A you made on that biology paper, that study buddy/ friend you made in English class, and even that off-hand compliment you received from your professor after class. This is what makes a college experience truly rewarding.

The End

So this is my final blog post for the student blog.

I’m not sure if I have a huge grand finale or not. Throughout my entire life, I’ve always heard the saying, “Live life with no regrets.” I can appreciate the notion, but I don’t really live by it. I have plenty of regrets, and a lot of them have occurred during my 4.5 years in college. There were people I shouldn’t have dated, tests I didn’t study for, social opportunities I didn’t take advantage of, clubs I didn’t join, adventures I shouldn’t have gone on, and a few things in between. I could’ve done things much differently and probably ended up in a better place than I am right now.

I guess here’s the twist: I don’t regret my regrets. They have made me who I am. I’ve had to improve my work ethic, push myself outside of my comfort zone, and give more than 100%. If I’d started off doing all of that, I don’t think I would’ve learned what I was supposed to learn. It’s so easy to look back and pick things out I could’ve done differently, but I guess that’s the joy of 20/20 hindsight. I’m learning not to live in my regrets and the past, but to turn them into something that can help me become a better person and student.

I would say learn from my mistakes, but it may be better to make the same ones and then a few of your own so you can have the actual experiences to look back on and be happy you went through them.

There have been times that I hate attending Armstrong, and there have been times I’ve been incredibly thankful that I decided to go to college here. Your college experience is honestly what you make it. If you go into with a negative attitude, it’s going to be difficult to overcome it. Go into it with an open mind, and be prepared for whatever may come your way.

Go on crazy road trips with your friends, drive out to Tybee at 1:00 AM and look at the stars, visit Skidaway Island and play in the marsh mud, read a book in one of the squares downtown, pick up a camera and take up photography, and take advantage of whatever you can. Savannah has a lot of opportunities; you just have to go after them.

College isn’t going to be easy. You’re going to be frustrated, angry, happy, ecstatic, anxious, and whatever other emotion you can think of, and that’s totally normal. Embrace the ugly and beautiful moments. Learn from them. Or don’t learn from them. No one leaves college with identical experiences, so create your own story and have fun.

Here are some photos that I’ve taken and that have been taken of me throughout the years I’ve been at Armstrong

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Studying 1101: How to Get More Out of College than an A

First and foremost, I want to get it out there that I am not a straight-A student. I will admit that my GPA is around a 3.4 and that I have never been on the Dean’s list for outstanding grades. However, I do very well in school and both my colleagues and professors look highly upon me. I believe that my success is attributed more from my studying and not from my test scores. I am eager to learn new things, whether they pertain to my major or not, and to participate in activities to test what I’ve learned. Simply put, I love to learn. This passion of mine is what led me into college in the first place, but my good study habits are what kept me here. Assuming that you share my passion for learning, here are some helpful tips on studying for classes beyond the high school level.

Write notes.

-        Even geniuses like da Vinci had to keep a notebook! Keep many clean, blank pieces of college-rule paper along with a good pen/pencil and a highlighter. Stay focused on the subjects of each lecture and write down everything quickly and legibly. Highlight key words or concepts, but use your highlighter sparingly. Find a style of organization that helps make your notes readable later on. Your brain will thank you later! While on the topic…

Listen to the lectures.

-        It’s always a good idea to take notes whenever you listen to a lecture, but taking notes does take some of your attention away from the speaker. Take time to stop and listen to the speaker. Allow yourself a moment to ponder on the subject, form questions in your head, and try to understand the concepts being taught. Some professors are easier to listen to than others, but you should lend each of them your ears respectfully because they all have information to share. If you like to expand your knowledge beyond what’s on an exam, try looking up lectures from the greatest colleges in the world online. I have a collection of lectures from Yale covering a multitude of subjects that I keep in my car for long road trips and traffic jams. Few things are as entertaining or enriching as a good oration.

Apply what you have learned.

-        Test day is coming, you have a week to prepare, and reading your notes is making you doze off. “Inactive studying” is great for curing insomnia, but not for getting an education. Try making games & flashcards out of your notes to quiz yourself. Find friends you can study with after class and put your minds together while reading over your notes. Make studying an active process. Above all else, the best way to learn anything is to teach it. Try teaching your parents about the rise of the Roman Empire, your friends about how pollen affects our  immune system, or even your cat on the rhetoric of Henry David Thoreau (yes, I am being serious). Teaching is a wonderful way to apply the knowledge you’ve learned and to help engrave it in your head long after the test is over. Knowledge is meant to be used!

Keep your notes.

-        As a Rehab Science major, technically the only notes I should keep after the semester ends are for the science classes.  Depending on your major, this should be a no-brainer. However, you may find it helpful to keep all of your other class notes too. Buy some accordion binders (roughly a buck a piece) and empty your notebook into them over winter/summer break, then store them in your closet. Remember that you’re paying thousands of dollars for a college education, so it would be insane to just throw away 60% of it! I enjoying reading over my notes from philosophy class, my critiques from art appreciation, and my formula sheets from algebra. Become a well-rounded individual able to speak with scientists and artists alike.

Enjoy it!

-        If I were to open up my big green school binder right now, the first thing you will see is a laminated page. On that page is a quote from the vibrant 19th century American author Mark Twain and it says: “Don’t let your schooling get in the way of your education”. When four exams, four personal narratives, and four group projects are due in a two-week timespan, most people become disheartened and no longer learn for enjoyment. Don’t let this stressful work sap away your curiosity! Remember that exams and test scores don’t define one’s intelligence. Keep learning fun by remembering the importance of these topics in the greater scheme of things.

Keep these strategies on your mind throughout college (life, even?) and you will always end up somewhere good :)

Learning to Communicate…It’s Only Taken 4.5 Years

My senior year has been my favorite and best year at Armstrong.

Thumbs up for being a graduating senior!!!

Thumbs up for being a graduating senior!!!

I’ve been a senior for two semesters now, and it’s the first time I’ve actually been relatively happy with my college career. Over the past year, I’ve created relationships with at least three professors, made friends who are English/Communications majors, and found my niche that I’ve been looking for since my freshman year. If there has been one thing I’ve learned, it’s you have to push yourself in all aspects of college. People, opportunities, experiences, and academic successes are not going to show up at your front door and beg to be part of your life. You have to actually pursue them yourself.

My favorite Armstrong experience has actually been my internship that I’m involved with now. I’ve been fortunate enough to be part of the Marketing & Communications Department for the past five months, and it’s been phenomenal. There have been a few times that I’ve been pushed outside of my comfort zone, but I’m so incredibly thankful for those opportunities. I’ve had sneak-peeks of behind the scenes at Armstrong, and it’s really neat to see how the university functions. So many students take things for granted here, and they don’t realize the hard work and dedication that so many staff members put into the functioning of the school.

My office

My office

The Marketing Director and Public Relations Manager have given me creative freedom more often than not, and they guided me in the right directions when it comes to creating profiles, documents, and pages for Armstrong. I created this blog and a freshman Facebook page. Those are two creations that I can look back on and say, “hey, look at what I did. I’m actually capable of creating something useful.” My internship has been a wonderfully humbling experience as well as an ego-boost. I can definitely say it’s been a win-win in all areas.

Even though I’m a senior majoring in English with a focus on Communications, I’ve learned that I still have much more to learn when it comes to actually communicating. My college career has been an excellent starting point, but it’s still the cliché tip of the iceberg. My internship and courses have taught me that there is so much room for improvement. But it has also taught me that I’m actually pretty talented when it comes to my knowledge. I’ve learned how to harness my strengths to improve or make up for my weaknesses.

Communication is so important to the success of your college career. Communicate with your peers. Communicate with your professors. Be a weirdo and communicate with yourself. Talk yourself into do things that you wouldn’t normally do. Talk yourself out of stupid things. I promise you won’t regret it.

A few weeks ago, Eric or “Shoe”, the other senior writer on here, talked me into going on a cave trip with Armstrong, and it was so much fun! I met some awesome people, laughed a lot, and spent the night in a cave. If he had asked me to go on that trip two years ago, I wouldn’t have gone, because I would’ve been terrified of social interaction with strangers. Most important tip I can give you: DO NOT HOLD BACK WHEN IT COMES TO SOCIALIZING. If you’re coming to college without any friends, it’s really important to make friends and socialize while you can, or life is going to be incredibly lonely for the next few years.

The End is Near…Kinda

As these last few weeks of classes slowly dwindle down, we all begin to dig in for the final grind of our classes. We can see summer sitting on the horizon, just barely out of our reach. Many of us begin to slack off with our schoolwork when we see that the end is near. I could say that I’m the perfect student who never slacks off and is focused on academics every waking moment, but then I would consider myself a liar. I’m just like every other college student when it comes to the end of a semester. My mind wanders from my schoolwork to sitting on the beach relaxing with the calm tranquility of the waves crashing on the sand. Sounds amazing right?! Unfortunately, we have to keep our heads out of the sand and put them in our books at least for the next four weeks (unless you are taking summer classes). Even though I am in my second semester of college, I have discovered a few tips to help with the end of the semester jitters.

1)     Don’t Procrastinate

I know you are thinking “Thanks Captain Obvious,” and I don’t blame you for that thought. In all honesty though, that is probably the key to success or failure down the home stretch. In high school, I never really studied for final exams except for math classes and I still scored higher than the average. College is a completely different animal from high school. Start studying weeks in advance and little by little you will become more confident when it’s time for those final exams.

2)     Take a break

Studies have shown that the human brain can only stay focused on certain tasks for a limited amount of time. I can go about 25 to 30 minutes studying before my mind starts to wander. Once you find out how long you can stay focused, take a 5 to 10 minute break. Take a walk outside for fresh air, ride a bike, read a book, text friends, have conversations with friends (Try to stay away from computers; it is way too easy to get distracted on them). Set yourself goals like “I’m going to study for 20 minutes and then take a break and then study for 25 minutes” etc.

3)     Spend time with friends

This goes hand in hand with taking a break. If you form a study group, you and your friends can set a time to study and then set aside some time to just hang out and talk. After a long study session, go out and do something fun (but legal) like going out to eat, driving to the beach/downtown or attend one of many amazing events on campus. Check your Armstrong email for the Student Communications, which gives updates on upcoming events on campus.

4)     Don’t become too stressed

Stress is bound to take over and we all have to find our own way to relieve it. If you find that you don’t understand a specific topic, don’t try to force yourself understand it. Go over it once and then move on to the next topic, that way you can come back to it later and still have studied everything else. I have tried to force myself to understand a specific thing, and in the process, did not study the rest of the information that was on the test. I compounded the stress on myself, which ultimately resulted in a lower grade than I liked.

Just enjoy the time you have as much as you can. Live in the moment and savor it because college only happens once. Go out and have some fun, but when it comes down to it, put your mind in the right place and get the job done. As the author James Farmer said “We do what we have to so we can do what we want to.”

Let’s Date

College relationships…they can be beautiful, messy, short-lived, long-lived, and anything in between. They can include some of the most amazing moments during your college career and they can be your downfall. Navigating the emotional minefield of relationships is difficult enough, but once you throw in you academic life, things start to become a little more complicated.

My main mantra in life is balance. It applies to so many things and it can apply to one thing in many ways. In relationships, balance is incredibly crucial to their success and your success.

I’m not going to tell you to put your relationship on the backburner and focus completely on your studies. Both you and I know that it would be unrealistic to demand something like that. I will, however, tell you that you need to make sure you sort out your priorities and make sure you’re focusing on the right thing at the right time.

During my junior year, I was involved in a complete disaster of a relationship. It definitely fell into the messy and short-lived categories. I focused most of my energy on my crumbling relationship and spent very little time on my studies. It didn’t help that he had never been to college and couldn’t empathize when it came to studying for exams and reading my material for classes. In the end, it was easier for me to shove my books aside and spend the evening making dinner and watching TV with my boyfriend. Towards the end of the relationship and the end of the semester, I realized that I’d completely screwed myself over. I didn’t really care much about the relationship at that point, but I did care about my GPA. The damage had been done, though. I couldn’t erase or retake exams, and I couldn’t start the semester over again. When grades came out, I was incredibly disappointed in myself. My excuse was not a valid one and my GPA had taken a major blow. Was the relationship worth it? No.

I’ve been in two successful relationships besides that one. One was successful because my boyfriend didn’t live in Savannah. The other one was successful because I had learned to set aside time for school and make sure my boyfriend knew that my grades were important to me.

Over time, my priorities shifted and it took a while for me to get the hang of being in a relationship and doing well in my classes, but I finally reached that point. For some, the adjustment may be easy; for others, it may not be so easy. It’s completely normal either way. Like I said earlier, though, balance is the way to success. Learn how to balance your time with the person you’re dating and the time you spend on your studies. If you have a really important exam or paper coming up, make sure you’re focusing on that and not pushing it to the side to go watch Harry Potter movies for five hours at your boyfriend’s/girlfriend’s apartment. Complete your studying or paper, no matter how long it takes, and then spend your time after that with your significant other. You’ll be able to enjoy your time better that way anyways, because you won’t be freaking out over not doing your work.

If your relationship starts to conflict with your academic success, make sure you address that issue. And, if the relationship starts to take a turn for the worse, make sure you know when it’s time to call it quits and don’t drag it out. You don’t want to take any more time away from school.

When it all is said and done, though, you’re probably going to have to learn all of this for yourself. I know I had to. It might take you a handful of relationships to realize that you may not have the time or dedication that is necessary to make a relationship work. You also need to remember the other person’s feelings as well as your own. Relationships are just a small aspect to college life, but they can take up a lot of mental space. Make sure you’re ready to get involved and you’re aware of the many possible outcomes.

The World is My Dorm Room

Living on campus for two years was fun, but it had its qualities that I would rather live without. I cycled through good and bad roommates, had to follow the strict rules of dorm living (no pets, no posters, no visitors past midnight, etc.), and basically survived off of the teat of the Armstrong cafeteria. The worst part of all, however, was the feeling of encampment I had on campus.  I felt pampered and confined to stay at Armstrong to eat, sleep, work, and exercise. Everyone I knew went to Armstrong and I barely knew anything about the world around us. Only until I did all I did the arithmetic for my housing expenses did I ever think of moving away, and frankly, it was one of my best decisions yet.

I am in no way bashing life in the dorms. It’s a great way to get established at school and to kick off living independently. However, I would only recommend that people do this for the first two years of college because 1.) it is a very expensive way to live and 2.) it takes away almost all forms of responsibility of real independent living, which saps away valuable life experience. At the time, I wrote out all of my expenses from financial aid, all of my sources of income, and all of the expenses I would have to pay living off campus (rent, money for gas, etc.). The difference was jaw-dropping. I calculated that if I moved out of Terrace 1 (the cheapest housing on campus) and into a $600-a-month 2 bedroom apartment, I would have an extra $1,500.00 in my bank account. Needless to say, the idea grew on me.

My friend Joey lived on campus with me and we were game for getting an apartment together. He was a long-time friend from high school, so I knew I could trust him to pitch in for the rent and such. We started out by just driving around nearby apartments and houses around campus, looking for vacancies and affordable prices. No luck. We fared much better when we searched for places on Craigslist Savannah. One place really stuck out to us as, like Marlon Brando said in The Godfather Part I, an offer we couldn’t refuse. We didn’t have to wake up to a horse’s head to find this 2 bed, 1 bath apartment 5 minutes away from campus to be a sweet deal. We went down there, talked to the apartment manager, negotiated on a good price, and were scheduled to move in by the beginning of fall semester. She even gave us the first month’s rent for free because they were trying to draw more college students over there. How cool is that!

With a smart head, anyone can find a good place to live off campus. It’s not that hard. Once you get past the over-dependency we all get from Armstrong when they suggest where we should live, you’ll find that moving off campus is a no-brainer. Stay dedicated to your plan, shop around the area, look for good deals, avoid scams, pinch your pennies, find roommates, and seal the deal once you get there. A new home away from campus will be a big responsibility, but you will finally feel like a proud, independent adult the moment you walk into that empty room and say to yourself “I make the rules here”!

The First Day

New Freshman Author: Jordan Kelly

My first day of college in all honesty wasn’t even a day. It was only a meager 3 hours in a small classroom in University Hall. My mother was teaching two upper level Special Education classes in the summer, and she decided to bring me along in case she ran into any technical difficulties on her first day as an adjunct professor. Armstrong was quiet and tranquil as we arrived at University Hall a half-hour early to set up the classroom and the technology. The students arrived and took their seats quietly waiting for my mother to begin. I was relatively surprised when my mother did not point me out as her son or as her helper but as another student. We had gotten through about an hour and fifteen minutes before she ran into technical difficulties, which ultimately blew my undercover spy status.

As I sit here watching the newest installment of 007 and James Bond, I’ve come to the realization that the spy life may be for me. My real first day as an actual student was almost as exciting as James Bond fighting on top of a train with guns, knives and missiles except no weapons and/or violence occurred. My first class happened to be Biology 1107 at 8 am in the morning and before I arrived I had a nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach. When I arrived I chose a seat next to a few of the Honors students I had met at orientation and at the trip to Epworth by the Sea. That class seemed like every other class I had been in at high school except for the size of the class, which was around 45 to 60 students.

My second day was considerably a lot more interesting since I had my two Honors courses, which made up a learning community that I was partaking in. I thoroughly enjoyed my second day more so than the first because of how close the class seemed. My Honors classes had no more than 18 students, which lead to a greater chance of becoming close friends. Dr. Howells and Dr. Belzer made us feel welcome and allowed us to interact freely with the content of the course.  They made the class one-of-a-kind with their teaching styles and the incorporation of the assignments that would fit both the English and Civilization portions.

To many, Honors courses seem to be too hard, or that they are not smart enough, but in all honesty, I did not think that I would be capable of completing Honors classes. I found out very quickly that my writing was terrible, which I partially already knew, yet I put in the time and effort to fix my mistakes and came out of the classes more prepared for the rest of college life. As President Abraham Lincoln said “In your temporary failure there is no evidence that you may not be a better scholar, and a more successful man in the great struggle of life, than many others, who have entered college more easily.”

 

Make sure you read about Jordan: http://armstrongstudentblog.wordpress.com/freshmen-authors/

Roommates

One of the most memorable experiences you’ll have in college and life is living with roommates.

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Your roommate experiences can range from awkward to amazing and to a hellish nightmare. All of my roommate experiences have fallen into each one of those categories. I’m going to touch on each one for you so you can get an inside glimpse of the potential situations that can arise each time your name is on a lease with someone else.

Roommate PranksOne of my roommates put posters on my bedroom walls of my least favorite band. So I sought revenge by wrapping her room in ribbon and laid the posters on top.

Roommate Pranks
One of my roommates put posters on my bedroom walls of my least favorite band. So I sought revenge by wrapping her room in ribbon and laid the posters on top.

Freshman Year

If you read my first post, then you know about Ari, Anna, and our other roommate, Alana. In the beginning, we had a decent relationship and dynamic in the apartment. We went on roommate outings to Target, Walmart, Taco Bell, downtown…the usual places. We had our ups and downs and relationships slightly shifted at times; but then, at some point, things drastically shifted. Anna and Ari didn’t have the best relationship, Alana usually locked herself in her room with a friend and her music blaring, and I chose sides a lot between Anna and Ari. One of my tragic personality flaws is that I grow tired of people if I spend all my time with them, and I find myself becoming annoyed. The circumstances of me not having friends besides my roommates exponentially magnified this flaw. I hated choosing sides when problems came up, but it was either choose sides or sit in my room and not have anyone to talk to, or at least that’s how I viewed it at the time. After the hamster incident, we had to move apartments because of water damage. Ari, Anna, and I stuck together and Alana moved in with someone else. It was bad timing because we were uprooted during midterm Spring 2009 semester and were super busy, so it took a little bit of time to adjust to a new setting. We managed to survive until the end of the semester, though. By this time, Ari was spending most of her time with her friend Lucky and wasn’t in the apartment much. Anna and I usually spent most of our time together and the end of the semester was there before we knew it. On a scale of 1-10, I would rank the overall roommate experience 8. It could’ve better, but it could’ve been much worse, which is something I learned the next time I lived in the dorms.

Sophomore Year

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An Albert Einstein poster I had on my wall during Sophomore year.

 Sophomore year was a difficult time for me with no friends, a recent break up, and not knowing what I was doing with my life. On top of all this, I lived with three girls, all of whom were freshmen. They were loud, obnoxious, dramatic, and catty. All of them talked about each other and stayed up until 3 or 4 AM in the living room with more loud people and music. The situation finally hit rock bottom at one point and got messy. It involved lots of drama and changing apartments. Included in the apartment change was Krystal, my roommate’s friend who lived across the hall (I mentioned her before and said that you would definitely hear about her again). She didn’t want to be near the apartment anymore and she and I were moved to the same apartment. Krystal ended up becoming a really good friend of mine. She was dating someone in the military and she helped me get through my break up with Chris, who was a Marine. We had significant differences in our personalities and views, but we were attached at the hip. I picked up another friend my sophomore year; I connected with a girl, Annie, from my hometown. She was a year younger than me and we hadn’t had much to do with each other when we went to high school together. Since neither of us had friends, I messaged her on Facebook, and we decided to hang out. We ended up becoming really close and she was definitely became one of my closest friends. We went on adventures together and shared many laughs. It was such an awesome experience getting to know her and creating that friendship. At the end of spring semester 2010, the three of us decided to move off campus off and get an apartment together.

Sophomore Year continued

We ended up picking an apartment in Georgetown, and living off campus was both great and not so great. Annie and Krystal weren’t crazy about each other and I was stuck in the middle again. I thought I could play mediator and make things work, but I was definitely wrong. At first, things went really well. We all did everything together. If it came down to it, though, I would go out with Annie. We would ride to Statesboro to hang out with some friends or we would go on late night adventures to downtown and grab chocolate milk from Parker’s. Krystal became jealous, and looking back, I can’t say I blame her. After about 5 months of living together, the relationships had completely disintegrated and I was spending a lot of time with my new boyfriend. Things ended up getting so bad between Annie and Krystal that Krystal called the cops because Annie had thrown her broom and one of her shelves on the front patio, and then Krystal moved out. We all ended up subleasing our apartment to other girls and went our separate ways. My friendship with Krystal was over and Annie and I didn’t hang out that much. I ended up moving into a house. Overall, I would rank this experience 4 out of 10. Things definitely ended up getting pretty nasty.

Junior-Senior Year

 I have only one word for my junior and senior year roommate experiences: fail. I had roommates move out in the middle of the night without telling me what they were doing. People didn’t pay their portion of the bills. And a lease was broken. I had some great times, though. And they were probably some of the best nights of my life. But after going through so much frustration and broken friendships, my parents and I decided that it would probably be best if I lived on my own. So that’s where I am now. I have no roommates besides my two cats, and I couldn’t ask for a better situation.

My bedroom. Colorful and a little cluttered.

My bedroom. Colorful and a little cluttered.

For the first time in the five years I’ve been here, I’m not responsible for anyone else beside myself, and that liberty and freedom has been crucial to my success in school and my happiness. I’m not going to lie; it can get lonely. I still don’t have a lot of friends, but I try to keep myself busy. Overall experience: 9.5 out of 10.

Living room area of my current apartment

Living room area of my current apartment

I don’t regret any of the experiences I had and I’m thankful for all the roommates who walked in and out of the front door. I learned a lot about patience, acceptance, balance, and most importantly, myself. Roommates can be a joy, but they can also be a pain. Make sure you establish your boundaries and maintain a good relationship with everyone involved. Sometimes it’s easier to choose sides than remain neutral, but neutral is a good thing when it comes to conflict under the same roof. If worse comes to worst, and no resolutions can be made, accept that who you’re living with may not be a compatible roommate. When it comes to living situations in college, you have to make sure you’re watching out for yourself and your education. That is why you’re here after all.

UPDATE: CALLING ALL WRITERS

Are you interested in writing for the student blog?

We are looking for student writers of any classification (freshmen, sophomore, junior, senior) who are interested in sharing their Armstrong experiences. Blogging is a great way to practice writing skills and is a marketable experience that will look good on a resume.

If you're interested, send a writing sample to Emily.Belford@armstrong.edu, 
and we will get back in touch with you.