Summer..... at UT Tyler

........... And then all was silent. Not the tick-tacking of keys on a laptop. Not the pitter-patter of shuffling feet as they make their way to class. Nor the heated tension pouring from the minds of students pushing for that perfect final grade. Only the rustling of fallen leaves and the incessant squawking of ducks remain.

Here in the call center there is just fellow blogger Megan Allen and I. The others have either graduated or gone home for the summer break. We shall be joined by more soon but until then we shall blog about the happenings at and around the University of Texas at Tyler during the summer. Believe me. Stuff happens. Like this for instance.

Finals To Do List

I wish I could partially cross things off of my list. That paper about The Matrix is about half-way completed.

Cram-tastic Monday

As we all know, today is the last dead day before finals, which start tomorrow. For a lot of us, that means... cramming. It doesn't matter that you've had a week to look at everything (like I did). No, that was sleeping/eating out/happy fun time. Now it's time to digest all that we've neglected in order to face finals in about 12 hours. All the bulleted lists, sticky notes, faded sheets of notebook paper come out and it's a race against the clock. At some point, we've all done it. So long as nothing looks unfamiliar, chances are you're fine and just panicking, like I often do. Yours truly has 3 finals in the morning, the first of which is at 8 a.m. Luckily, there's a pretty large gap in between the second and last final I have to take, so it's not all that bad. More studying time, no?
I'm up for the challenge, though. I'm confident I can do a good enough job studying, but I'm going to need a good night's sleep to be ready. I'm not one to pound energy drinks to get through the day; I'd rather get a good amount of sleep. I find it helps me remember things a lot better than when I jittery or sugar-high. I read somewhere a while ago having protein to start your day is a good way to be energized, which is why I have peanut butter toast before a test. So, so long as I've got my toast and a full night of sleep, I'll be more than fine.

Hopefully, the first day of final exams will go off without a hitch for all of us. If anything, we can all at least hope for the best. Good luck, everyone!

Graduate status cemented

Well faithful readers, I have conquered my final that basically decided my passing grade. I still have one more final to take but the margin for error is a lot higher for that one. This test was a CLOSE one, I basically passed by 15 points, 600 total points was needed to have a passing grades, I scraped by with 614.... a little too close for comfort for my tastes, but I'll take it! Not only that, but I have defeated the specter of another failed class, the first time I took this class I made around a 32, didn't even show up for the final due to being absolutely defeated by it. But since then I have been growing and learning, becoming mightier and mightier, and I have vanquished my old foe, replacing my F with a... C, respectable... oh p.s. Operations Management... I win!

One last week till freedom

Alright y'all, it's that time again. Time to take finals and be off into the summer! After a long semester of work I can't say I'm sad about it and I have a feeling you aren't either. I encourage everybody to hold on for just ONE more week and you can claim freedom! Trust me it only makes it more worth it. I'm not going to be in Tyler for the summer, so this will be my last blog post in a while. I wish everyone a fun and safe summer. Live it up!

It's official!

So I got a nice piece of mail today, according to The University of Texas at Tyler I will officially be receiving my degree, after a loooong 6 year journey. It feels so surreal to soon be out on my own, without having to make a schedule or follow it for the next half of the year.

PSA to all incoming freshmen

The end of semester is near which means it's time for the newbie to reflect on completing my first year of college. It's had it's ups and downs but I survived with all my limbs with a couple scrapes and bruises and bags under my eyes.
             The biggest thing I learned that is important for freshmen is a strong support system to help us remain standing as we lose sleep doing class work in the wee hours of the night when only the infomercials play and adapting to living on our own. The first thing you should try to do is get involved in the campus community and make friends in your classes and to get a head start, for the overachievers, try and make friends at orientation. You'll definitely see this people on campus again and possibly in your classes.The worst thing to be in college is being shy. It gets you nowhere.
    You must make your name and create connections with other students, university workers and professors. This is mostly because sometime in the near future, you will need a letter of recommendation or someone to use as a reference. It's absolutely no fun sitting alone in the MET or Chick-fil-A.Whilst the next table is a loud energetic group of hooligans cracking jokes who are slightly annoying to the other students who are trying to eat peacefully. It's easy to lock yourself in your room and sleep the days away and not attend class. It also easy to lock yourself in your room with your homework and only leave to eat and go to class. You are in charge of what you do.