My Thoughts on My Classes and Such.

Well folks, I made it through my first week of junior year! It's been slightly more hectic than I thought it was going to be, but with that being said I am super excited! I did have to make a change in my schedule because being in both Marching Band and Wind Ensemble was conflicting with a lab I was in. I dropped Scientific Inquiries which I will take next semester instead and then added Intro to Social Justice. I'm a little bit nervous for this class because there is a TON of reading and writing involved, but the concepts and ideas for the class are going to be excellent to help further my thinking and expand my margin of understanding for social issues. I know for sure that I'm going to enjoy my Race, Class, and Gender class, as well as Crime and Deviance. These are two Sociology classes that I've wanted to take since I decided on that major. The professors for these two classes are also two of my favorites so I'm excited to see what they bring to the table. I was pretty nervous about taking Statistics for Sociology but my professor, who also teaches my Crime and Deviance class, reassured us that it wasn't going to be extremely difficult math, because it is designed more for helping sociologists to understand how to analyze statistical data. Western Civ is just going to be one of those classes that you don't really want to take but are required to for me. I think it's going to be like my high school World History class but it only goes from the Ancient period to the end of  World War II. So far I haven't had an over-bearing amount of homework but I know that will change soon. My handy-dandy planner is ready and I know that I will be able to stay on top of everything though!

The most exciting news I got this week is that I was chosen to be one of the telecounselors here in the Admissions office at Ouachita! This opportunity is so exciting because it gets me one step closer to being an Admissions Counselor at Ouachita when I graduate. For those of you who don't know, a telecounselor is someone who calls prospective students to try to get them interested in the school or answer any questions that they have about coming to Ouachita. I'm so blessed to be given this job opportunity as well, because I'm going to be able to be involved in my club and with band still while having this job, unlike if I were to have to get a job off campus. I start training on Tuesday and then after that I will be starting work and making progress toward my dream!

Stay tuned for more updates on my school year and various crazy things that happen to me! ~Em

What Will My Sophomore/Junior Year Bring To The Table?

Well I have officially been back at Ouachita for a whole week now and it has been great! Last Sunday, my dad and stepmom helped me move back to the Dirty Delph for band camp, which is like our pre-season rehearsal time to learn our new show music and go over the stand tunes. We only had two hours to get all of my stuff moved in and then it was time for auditions. Each year we have to re-audition for chair placement and this year, my trumpet professor convinced me to be in both Marching Band and Wind Ensemble during the fall semester where I am second chair in both. It's going to be a lot of work, but I know that I'll enjoy playing my trumpet everyday. Band camp was pretty exhausting, considering we had rehearsals from 9-12 then a two hour lunch break and rehearsal again from 2-6. Thankfully, we had a lot of sectionals and the rest of the members of the trumpet section and I really got to get comfortable around one another and make some great memories early on. This year our show is space themed so we have songs from Star Wars, Star Trek, and ET, as well as many other space songs. I've definitely come to appreciate the friendships I had last semester way more, because with all of my friends going home for the summer, I didn't get to see them. Being back together with them has been so much fun though. The local churches provided lunch and dinner for us during band camp so I got to hang out with all my band friends during that, I'm going to hang out with some of my SAI sisters soon, and being back with my roommate is such a great feeling. One of the members of the trumpet section has a birthday coming up, so last night I planned him a surprise party. Our section had already planned to have a movie night last night and so I brought a cake and a card that all of us signed. Our friend that we surprised was so shocked and said that he had never had a surprise party thrown for him so it went successfully! We watched the first two Austin Powers movies and are planning to watch the third sometime soon.
I think most of my readers know, but for those of you who don't, I'm starting my junior year of college! Technically, it will be my sophomore year but I took summer classes so that I will have enough hours to be considered a junior. I'm headed on the right path to graduating early! I'm taking mostly major-related classes, including Statistics for Sociology, Race Class and Gender, and Crime and Deviance. My other two classes are Western Civ and Scientific Inquiries. We start classes on Tuesday and it's my favorite part of the school year, Syllabus Week! I know that sounds super lame, but if you know anything about me, you know that I love to organize stuff! I absolutely love writing all the dates in my planner. It at least makes me FEEL like I have my life together, and ultimately does help me keep my life organized. I will certainly be writing after classes get kicked off and let all of you know what my feelings toward them are, plus share pictures of our room once it is completely decorated! Ta-ta for now! ~Em

Tips for College Freshmen

It's that time of year where freshmen are getting ready to move into the dorms of their college for the first time. It's pretty much a guarantee that you are feeling a lot of different emotions as you prepare to leave home and start this new adventure. It can overwhelming, nerve-wracking, and scary. However, it doesn't have to be. Here's my post to leave you incoming freshmen with some tips that might ease your stress.

1. Don't overfill your room. When I moved in to Frances-Crawford last year, I had about 4 large totes, boxes upon boxes of random junk, all of the clothes from my closet at home (except winter clothes), and so much more. My parents ended up taking home so much of my stuff and I just felt even more overwhelmed by deciding to leave stuff behind once I got to school. Only bring what is necessary. Sure you need to decorate your room so you feel motivated and productive, but don't bring an abundance of games, movies, and knick-knacks. There simply isn't room for them and there isn't time for you to use them. At Christmas I brought home even more stuff that I thought I would use that I didn't even touch during the first semester.
2. Communicate with your roommate. If you've read my post about my bad roommate experience my first semester of college, then you know that it was pretty rough. I think that part of what caused the situation to get so bad is that my roommate never talked to me about being upset or didn't confront me about things that she didn't like that I did. It just all built up for her and then she exploded with anger and frustration. That being said, it is vital to a happy roommate relationship for you to set some ground rules between the two of you and for you to communicate your differences. 
3. Go to Freshmen Orientation events! Something that I wish would have been more possible for me is to have been able to attend more orientation events. Freshmen Orientation at Ouachita is called WOW a.k.a. Welcome to Ouachita's World. We are separated into groups with your roommate and several other freshmen and you have two upper classmen leading you in group activities and telling you about some of the traditions at OBU and what campus life is like, etc. Last year however, band camp, which is our band practices before school starts, and WOW were at the same time. So, I didn't get to go to all of the WOW events, because I was at band. I felt like I missed out on so many opportunities and making more friends during the important first week before school starts. Some of the stuff may feel lame but those are the establishing memories that you will have about your school and they are so so important. 
4. Use a planner. College professors expect a lot more responsibility from you than your high school teachers did. On Syllabus Day for your classes, I highly recommend that you take all of your dates from the syllabuses you get and write them in a planner. Most professors will not accept late work so you MUST keep yourself organized and on top of things. 

Those are my top tips to go by. Try your best not to get too deep into the party scene. It's so common for college students to use their college years to drag out their childish years and make stupid decisions that haunt them forever. Just get through your college years by staying focused, making great friends that last you a life time, and earning your degree. Find a good balance for your social life, school work, and physical, emotional, and spiritual sanity. ~Em 

MY LIFE IS MADE!

The Concert of a Lifetime!

Y'all. I still cannot wrap my head around the fact that I got to go to a TwentyOne Pilots concert on Wednesday! My heart is overflowing with joy and disbelief and so much love for this amazing band. I already loved them so much before the concert but being there and seeing Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun in person just expanded that love by about a million times. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to have been down in the pit and be so close to one of my favorite bands, like I almost can't even put it into words. So first, a HUGE shoutout to my mom for getting those incredible tickets for me and my sister and then a GIGANTIC thank you to my sister, A, for letting me fangirl all night, show her TOP memes, and live my dream. 

The concert overall was fantastic, including the opening bands, Chef's Special and Mutemath. Chef's Special is a really fun band from Holland who I will definitely be listening to more of their music and Mutemath is an equally fun band from New Orleans, who I had heard a little bit from before but will check out the rest of their music as well. 

I was so full of excitement and anticipation because I had no idea what to expect. I guess for those of you who have never heard of/listened to TOP I should probably tell you a little about them/their music style. TwentyOne Pilots is a two-man band from Columbus, Ohio. The two members are Tyler Joseph, who is the lead singer, and Josh Dun, who plays the drums and the trumpet in a few songs. There is a lot of conflict on what exact genre TOP fits into and that's understandable because they don't just fit into one genre. They do a little bit of everything and most fans like to categorize their music as "ukulele screamo" or "schizophrenic pop" so if that tells you anything then it is just awesome. These guys are adorable and funny and amazing to watch. Their music is deep and realistic and helps people to describe feelings that they don't understand. The greatest thing about TOP to me is how humble Tyler and Josh are. You will not find another artist that does what they do that reacts in the way they do. They don't have songs about fame and how fantastic they are, they write songs about handling depression, anxiety, and fear and that it's okay to because you're not alone when you are facing your demons. They want to help their fans and they never make it about themselves. The fans of TOP are called "The Skeleton Clique" and as one lyric says we are "the few, the proud, the emotional." Tyler frequently says "We're TwentyOne Pilots and so are you" and that is such a touching thing to think about. They want to incorporate us into their music and into their lives, which makes them the most incredible guys I have ever been a fan of. 

Within The Skeleton Clique, there is a little bit of a division into what we call "eras." The first one is the "Vessel era" and these are the fans who have been with TOP from the get-go. Vessel is their second album and before that was their self-titled album. The Vessel era fans are those that know every word to the popular songs Migraine, Car Radio, Ode to Sleep, and Holding on to You. I fall into the other category which is the "Blurryface era." Blurryface is TOP's most recent album that includes the radio hits Tear in my Heart, Stressed Out, and Ride. The first TOP song I ever heard was Tear in my Heart when I got XM radio the summer after I graduated. I immediately bought the Blurryface album and fell in love. I eventually bought Vessel and the self-titled album, but it is without a doubt that I know the Blurryface songs better. My personal favorites on Blurryface are The Judge, Lane Boy, and We Don't Believe What's On TV. Their show that I attended Wednesday, The Emotional Roadshow, was a combination of songs off of all of their albums which was phenomenal. 

I could keep talking about my experiences at the concert forever, but let me just highlight some of my favorite moments. 

1. Josh Dun. Honestly, Josh is so attractive and funny and I got to see him in person and now my life is made forever, what more do I have to say?
2. The people standing around us were all really friendly and fun to be around.
3. Tyler got in human hamster ball and ran around on top of us in the pit and I TOUCHED HIS FOOT! 
4. Tyler and Josh both stood on platforms that were placed out on the pit (held up by fans) and banged on drums and then a bazillion pieces of confetti flew every where and everyone was just having a fantastic time. 
5. During Lane Boy, we all crouched down on the ground and then Tyler counted us off and yelled at us to jump and so we went crazy and had a blast. 
6. Just being a part of The Skeleton Clique is so inviting, heartwarming, and mind-blowing. It is truly an event that I will cherish forever. 

Seriously, if you're struggling with anything, going through something challenging, or just need some new music to listen to, turn to TwentyOne Pilots. Their music is absolutely life changing. 

The Beautiful Josh Dun :)

DJ Spooky Jim (aka Josh)

Josh and Tyler Bowing 

TOP symbol

Tyler doing his piano thing

Surprise! Tyler in the middle of The Amp