Blog # 5: Staying in touch with Family

Since my school is only 2 1/2 hours away from my hometown, it is SO easy to keep up with my family. For the two years I was living in a dorm, I found it to be a nice little vacation every time I came home for the weekend. (I especially loved bringing my laundry home, where I was able to avoid the community laundry room in the dorm!). It was also great to have a home cooked meal compared to dining hall food!

(Photo Credit)

I really appreciate the options that Illinois State University provides for students to see their families.

I highly recommend taking advantage of Family Weekend during the fall semester. There are many activities the university offers, such as going to the football game (my personal favorite), and The Dueling Pianos comedy show (which is VERY entertaining).

Family Weekend is also great for students who live far away from their families. It gives families a chance to come together while also enjoying some of the many activities that are provided.

• Here is the link to the Family Weekend website page, go check it out!

Other family friendly activities that ISU plans include Sibling Weekend during the spring semester.

During Sibling Weekend, Gamma Phi puts on their annual circus performance. Watching these performers display their incredibly athletic and flexible abilities is so amazing. It also brings back nostalgic memories of when I saw the circus with my brother when we were kids. The Gamma Phi Circus was a great bonding experience with my brother.

• I advise you to purchase a ticket for their performance next year if you haven't already seen it. Here is the link to Gamma Phi's homepage, go check it out!

• To convince you even more that you should go and see this Circus, here is a clip!

It is extremely important to stay in touch with your family when you are off at college. I am fortunate enough to be relatively close to home. But I realize other students may not be as lucky, especially if they attend college in a different state.

No matter how far away you are from your family, it is crucial to stay in touch and keep those relationships with your family members intact.

(Photo Credit)

Blog # 4: Socializing 101

Coming to college can be unnerving when you are coming into it without knowing anybody. I felt this way since all of my friends from high school were going our separate ways and attending different universities in different states. That's why I found it so incredibly relieving when I made new friends during my freshman year at ISU.

A great way to meet new people is by getting INVOLVED with activities and organizations on campus. I personally love getting involved, as it helps to find people who have similar interests to mine while also creating long-lasting friendships. These RSO's (Registered Student Organizations) also look great on a resume, which is a plus!

I am involved with the University Program Board, and specifically I'm on the Late-Night committee. We plan campus-wide events that give students a chance to have fun and relax. Some of our past events that were extremely successful were "Glow it Up" and "Casino Royale". Here is a link to UPB's website, if you are interested in joining, go check it out!

Going to sporting events is also a fun way to spend your time. For my freshman and sophomore years, I purchased "Red Alert" which lets students attend ALL of the men's football and basketball games for only $50. I'm glad I took advantage of this opportunity because it really gave me an appreciation of college sports. It's also fun to sit in the student section and cheer for the Redbirds! Here is a link to ISU's Athletics page where there is more information concerning "Red Alert" and game schedules. Go check it out!

I am thankful for Illinois State University for so many different reasons, but the biggest reason is that I've made such meaningful friendships. Some advice that I would give for making friends in college is not to let yourself be enclosed in your dorm room or apartment, but to take that extra step of jumping outside of your comfort zone. Of course those first few minutes of meeting someone may be nothing but awkward and useless small talk, but it helps to develop common interests. It would be easier to curl up in your bedroom and watch Netflix(which I am guilty of), but it's important to get out into the world to be productive. By going out and being interactive, I can truly say that I will keep in touch with my friends forever.

I am thankful for many things since coming to Illinois State University, but the biggest is that I've made so many meaningful friendships. Some advice that I would give is to not close yourself off from making friends. Of course those first few minutes of meeting someone may be filled with awkward and useless small talk, but it helps to develop common interests. It may be easier to sit in your bedroom watching Netflix (which I'm guilty of...) but it is extremely important to go out and be interactive. I have the friends that I have now because I made the decision to be more productive with my college experience.

(Reunion with my roommates from freshman year)

(Photo Credit)

Blog # 3: Apartment Living

For those of you still living in dorms, props to you! I mean don't get me wrong, I lived in the Watterson dorms for both my freshman and sophomore years and found it to be decent, but when I moved into my first ever apartment at the beginning of my junior year, it was a COMPLETLEY new experience for me.

(I wish this was my apartment, but I'm only a college student...)

First of all, apartments are great for SO many reasons. Let me just name off a few of those reasons: you can cook any meal you want, you have a washer/dryer in your apartment so you don't have to wait in line for the dorm washing machines to be available, there are fewer neighbors, and most importantly, THERE'S MORE SPACE!

(My apartment this year)

For my freshman year I lived in a quad with three other girls, so you could say we were pretty cramped. During my sophomore year I lived in a double, which was a bit more roomy, but not by much.

This year I have my own room and it is honestly the greatest feeling to stretch out and relax after an exhausting day of classes. I am also a cooking fanatic, so preparing a nice meal beats a trip to the dining hall.

(My freshman dorm room)

Even though I completely love my apartment now, I wasn't that happy with it at the beginning of this school year.

My roommate and I found out from a friend last year that she had just signed a lease, and that all the apartments were going pretty fast. We really hadn't even started looking, so the next day we went to a local realtor, and visited some potential apartments. There were three layouts that were possible contenders. We were under the impression that all of the good apartments were being scooped up, so we signed a lease for the first apartment we saw that day.

(Photo Credit)

I figured everything was going to be fine, but that changed during the first night I spent there. We discovered that night the apartment is directly across from the train station, and the trains would blare their horns SUPER LOUDLY every time they would pass by. I'm already a light sleeper, and these trains woke me several times throughout the night. The close proximity to the train station didn't even occur to us signed the lease. Oops - lesson learned! So I invested in a fan and some ear plugs to drown out the noise.

Recently the town of Normal put up a "No Train Horn" sign next to the railroad track, which is AMAZING! I mean we get the occasional train that didn't get the memo, but luckily that problem was solved!

(Photo Credit)

There were some other problems with our new apartment like:

• the shower didn't work for three days

• the air conditioning went out when it was 85 degrees outside

• and the couch needed to be replaced as it was torn up and nasty

You know, just your average apartment problems...

So the lesson in all of this is to take your time when searching for an apartment. Don't let people pressure you into something that isn't exactly as urgent as they make it seem. My roommate and I kept these experiences in mind when we searched for an apartment for our senior year. Here is a link to some other apartment horror stories that are so much worse than mine. Go check it out!