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 Sarah bowling Last year, I went glow bowling with my friend Sarah because we needed a break from campus. She was stressing over a paper, and I was going crazy over a math test. Luckily, the glow bowling trip was being put on by the Office of Residence Life. Lots of other McDaniel students went too!
I am in no way a good bowler, but I always enjoying bowling because it is all about the company. I also love a little bit of healthy competition. We lost against the other teams on our lane because one of the guys was really good at bowling, but we’ll get him next time.
The bus ride home was my favorite part to be honest. We sang on the way back, and a good time was had by all. One guy who sang with me in the front of the bus, high fived me. It was just a great off campus experience. I cannot wait for the next Residence Life trip!
College applications were the hardest time for me in high school. I had my senior portfolio going on, I was trying to deal with the fact that I was going to leave some of the people I love the most, AND I had to write an essay explaining why I deserved to go to the colleges that I applied to. I had to find out what made me special and different from everyone else when all I wanted to do was hide in my room and sleep for a couple of days.
I had written about five different essays. The guy who was supposed to help me write my application was the least helpful person I had ever met, so I had to rely on my friends for feedback on my work.
I looked at my application constantly in fear that I was not good enough. Maybe I should have joined another club or maybe I should have done better in a class. My school did not have AP classes, so maybe that will affect whether or not get in. For me, the whole college application process drove me crazy.
In this craze, I told one of my teachers that I was without a doubt certain that I was not going to college. I just knew that I was not going to make the cut. I had done everything I could possibly think of, and it still was not enough.
The next day, another teacher came up to me saying he had heard that I had said I was not going to college. (I went to small school. Can you tell?) He gave me a really motivating speech explaining to me that I could do anything my heart desired, and that if anyone were going to college, it would be me if that were what I want to do.
It really shocked me because I had run into a funk my senior year, and his speech really helped me put it in perspective. I needed to have a little bit of faith in myself.
Thus, this is my advice to you while applying to college. Don’t freak out. Do the best you possibly can while in high school. Study for the SAT. Apply to schools you can see yourself enjoying. Plan ahead, but have fun because this is your last year!
Also, if no one has told you, you are awesome! You can do anything you set your mind to!
Just to restate the obvious–I love traveling. Studying abroad in Budapest has given me fantastic opportunities to explore more of Europe, and I still have three remaining weekend trips in October and November. Since I am studying abroad, here are some things I have learned about while planning trips.
1. Budget Bus Lines
I think in previous blogs I wrote about $20 round trip bus tickets to nearby countries. Buses are definitely the best way to travel if the destination is less than 8 hours driving distance away. It might not be the most comfortable or quickest way to travel, but it is a cheap option and I always enjoy the views on the way to my destination.
2. Hostels
I had never stayed in a hostel before traveling in Europe this semester. Hostels are so much fun. Honestly. In our last hostel in Bratislava, we met an amazing group of backpackers; the discussion with this diverse group of individuals is one of my fondest memories of this trip so far. Hostels are much cheaper than hotels, and as a bonus, staying in hostels is a fantastic way to meet new people from all around the world.
3. Student Discounts
Most college students are on strict budgets while studying abroad. Luckily, many attractions and sites throughout Europe offer student discounts. I have received discounts when entering museums, traveling by bus- my public transportation ticket in Budapest even has a discount price for students! The advantages of being a student are endless.
4. Trip Advising Websites
Sometimes, all of the information to collect in order to prepare for trips is overwhelming. That is why I am a frequent visitor of travel websites; it makes trip planning much more streamlined and simpler. “Tripadvisor” and “Rick Steves Europe” are two of my personal favorites. It really does help to read reviews and tips online, then make a “to do list” based on these reviews prior to arriving in the destination city.
Hi there,
As an RA, I’m part of the FAB team–the team that looks after Forlines, ANW and Blanche–and since we’re fabulous, we occasionally go on staff bonding outings. The weekend before last, our Area Coordinator planned a surprise for us. We were supposed to bri
ng flashlights and preferably wear closed toed shoes (though I am currently boycotting closed toed shoes as I have to buy a new pair!)
We were given an address to meet at about twenty minutes away from McDaniel. By the time we left, it seemed everyone except for me knew that we were going on a corn maze. Since we left in the late evening, it was pretty dark when we got there. Not only did we have to navigate a huge maze, we had to navigate it with only the light of our flashlights to guide us!
Since some of us were on duty (meaning that some of us were the RAs making sure our areas were safe and well) for the evening, we had to go back to campus by 9. Because of this, we didn’t make it through to the end of the maze. However, it was great fun bonding with my staff. We have an interesting dynamic and we give each other a hard time with a lot of love and affection, so it’s always super fun to be around them.
Ema
“Just Like Mom Makes,” read the sign above the inviting green bean casserole. Today was a long day, the sun is setting earlier these days and my energy seems to be draining that much faster – a warm serving of casserole was exactly what I needed on this chilly night. Now to be perfectly clear, no one makes casserole, or anything for that matter, like my mom does, but at this point it was definitely worth a shot. I grabbed a serving of green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and glazed ham and sat down at one of the personal tables next to the salad bar, as if somehow the close proximity to the salad bar would magically infuse some extra nutrients into my system. 
As many of my friends can attest to, a dinner with me in Glar, our dining hall, is not just a meal, but rather a multi-plate experience. I find that there are too many options to just choose one – instead, a little bit of everything is ideal. But I don’t ever get a little bit of one thing and a little of another on one plate. Instead I get a little of one thing, sit, finish, enjoy, and repeat J. There are so many appealing options – pasta bar, fresh salads, funnel cake sundaes, local fruit selections, stir fry, etc. How can all of that go together on one plate?! Eating is an experience and it is no different in our campus dining hall. One of my absolute favorite multi-plate experiences was our Valentine’s Day dinner. Most Tuesday and Thursday nights there is a theme night for the dinner hour. Usually, I only nibble on a bit of this and a bit of that like usual, but this day…this day was different. Never in my life have I ever eaten so much food. The steak was so delicious and the green beans were heavenly. Then there was the chocolate fondue. Incredible. Valentine’s Day dinner – don’t miss it.
But for today, it was just the green bean casserole, not quite like my mom makes it, but maybe just close enough to get me to Fall Break.
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