Falcon Footnotes

It’s cold outside. Probably too cold. And what almost always happens when it’s cold? No, not snow. Getting SICK.
You know I’m right. Whether it’s a simple cold, bronchitis, or some sort of exotic parasite-based disease (there’s not too much of that here, don’t worry), you’ll probably need to seek some sort of medical attention. I mean, sure, you could go to a hospital, but do you really want to drive all the way there for something little like a cold?  Of course not!  That’s what we have the Engle Center for.  It’s really convenient to have a fully-staffed medical center on campus.  There’s a nurse on call 24 hours a day, and you can see a doctor by appointment.  They can prescribe medications, give shots, patch up injuries, and all sorts of other stuff.  Keep them in mind during this chilly time of the year.

Hey Everyone!

Well, it’s that time of the year again.  No, not Christmas.  The end of the semester, of course!  Even with all the final projects, papers, and tests I’ve been taking this past week, I find that I’m really beginning to appreciate the campus life and classes at Messiah.  Since I’m studying abroad next semester (in Japan!), I won’t be around campus until next September!  As in 2011!  I don’t know what I’m going to with myself now that I won’t be walking around Messiah and seeing my friends every day, at least until next year.  I’ve definitely gotten used to the awesome Christian community we have going on at campus, and I don’t know what I’m going to do without it for a whole semester.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m still so psyched for studying abroad.  It’s absolutely going to be one of the best experiences of my life.  But I still can’t help feeling a little reluctant to leave, just because I’m going to miss daily seeing the friends I’ve met here.  Next September seems like a long way off, but I’m glad I get to come back here.  I really do hope you find the home that I’ve found in Messiah.

Hey everyone!
I’ve been here at Messiah for a few years now, and as of right now, I’m an English major with a Writing Concentration. I hope some of you are maybe interested in reading, writing, or whatever (because otherwise this blog might not be that interesting to you)! If you are considering English  (maybe with a Writing Emphasis?) as a major, I’d definitely have to recommend taking a Creative Writing course when you can.  I’ve certainly never had so much fun in a class.  There’s a level of freedom in Creative Writing classes that other classes just can’t match.  For my one class, we divided up into peer groups (groups of 3 or 4 students that critique each other’s work) for the whole semester, and really grew close to each other as we would read each other’s poems and short stories.  Throughout the semester, we would spend our time solely writing, and we would be constantly improving as a result.  My time there was so beneficial to my skills as a writer, and it was insanely fun as well.  Even if you’re not interested in English as a major, try taking a Creative Writing class as an elective!  Trust me, it’s worth it!

Hey everyone!
So, have you heard about dorm life and residencies on campus? I know I’ve talked about it a little bit in previous posts, but I’ll talk in depth about the housing options Messiah offers. Because Messiah values Christian community so strongly, all of our available residencies are on campus, and there’s guaranteed housing for all 4 years. So that’s always great! Starting off, you’ll be in one of our 3 first-year dormitories. The floor life is especially great on first-year floors, and you’ll make a lot of great friends. From then on, we offer both upper-classman dormitories and apartments. The upper-classmen dorms are so nice, I’ve lived in them for 2 years now. The apartments are great too, they’re tailored to either groups of 3 or 5 individuals, and come with a kitchen, living room, and personal bathroom. No matter what you’re interested in, Messiah offers a ton of options when it comes to housing. Feel free to check out our website to see details about the residencies on campus!

So, the rumors about college students staying up until 4 in the morning, feverishly working on homework and essays, only fueled by the miraculous power of coffee, are all true. Sorry everyone! But I promise, you’ll get used to it. The more pressing issue is, what do you do when you’ve been up until dawn studying, only to get up in a few hours for class? How do you wake up after a night like that? Well, yeah, an alarm clock would be helpful. But I can’t tell you how many times I’ve woken up to my alarm, reached to turn it off, then fell back asleep. I’ve missed probably too many classes like that. So, what do I do now? Well, I set my alarm clock at the other side of the room. That way, when I hear it going off, I have to get up out of bed to turn it off. By the point I walk over to it, I’m awake enough to realize I should get dressed for the day. It certainly works a lot better than my previous method.

Hey everyone! So, you’re an incoming first-year, right? Do you know what you want to major in, yet? No? That’s OK, I had no idea what I wanted to major in during my entire first year! Even if you do know now, keep in mind that your plans and major can easily change during your time here. College is the time to really find yourself, to really decide what you want to pursue for the rest of your life. So, it’s helpful if you like what you’re majoring in, right? That’s why it’s so important to experiment with different gen-ed classes (it helps narrow down your interests, really!), or to just talk to your Academic Adviser and ask them about a major’s requirements and potential career paths. You can even check out our on-campus Career Center, or go to any of the Career and Grad School Expos we hold on campus every semester.
So, even if you start at Messiah with no clue about where you want to go in life, never fear!  Everyone is at least a little uncertain when they come into college. Plus, Messiah has a ton of resources available to you just to help you find out! Be sure to check them out! See you on campus!

What are you supposed to when you’re sitting at your desk, writing 3 papers, studying for a midterm tomorrow, and literally ripping your hair out because of frustration and nervousness about tomorrow’s test? Save some hair and take a break! I’m simply not able to do homework/study for extended periods of time without taking a break. So, when I get too stressed, I usually go to Larsen Student Union or the Southside Cafe, both of which are on campus. I almost always see a few familiar faces there, so it’s nice to just talk to some friends and forget about schoolwork for a bit. That, and I definitely browse the huge selection of food, dessert, coffee and tea, all of which are delicious. You’re going to need energy for the typical college late-night studying, so the cafes are definitely a welcome addition to any stressful night.

What’s there to do off-campus, you ask? Well, a lot of things! Especially if you know where to look. Camp Hill and Mechanicsburg are located very close to campus, and offer a lot of good restaurants, malls, and shops. They’re great areas to just go with some friends and get some shopping done, or meet at a Chick-fil-A or Applebee’s. Harrisburg is just 10 minutes away, with a large shopping mall, movie theater, and a taste of city life readily available to whoever feels like doing some exploring. Hershey and Gettysburg, while a little bit further away (30 minutes or so) are well worth the trip, with attractions such as Hershey Park and the Gettysburg Battlefield that are always guaranteed to be fun. Closer to home, however, there are a number of cafes and stores just a short walk off campus, with a working Drive-In Movie Theater less than 5 minutes away! With so many things to do on and off campus, it’s definitely tough for students to get bored.

Well, it’s almost the end of summer, and that means school’s coming up in just a few weeks. I loved this summer, but believe it or not, I missed college. I think what I most missed is the wonderful Christian community we have here. Seeing my close friends everyday is something most take for granted at school, and you really start to miss that reality during the summer. I know it sounds weird, but college quickly becomes the best part of your year, especially at someplace as focused on its students as Messiah is. Messiah really does try to facilitate a tight-knit, safe, and ridiculously fun community on campus, and in my two years here, I believe they’ve succeeded. With my experiences in school, I never thought that I would enjoy a place so much as I have Messiah. I really do hope you come to see Messiah as I have, I know I’ll never forget my time here.

It’s an amazing world on campus. I hope you enjoy it.

Today, I’m going to give you a little bit of information that sets us apart from most schools. Since Messiah College is a liberal arts college, it’s required for students to take certain General Education classes ranging from subjects like Math all the way to a Theology class. Not that common, but not ground-breaking either. What DOES differentiate us is the classes that students can take during their first year. We have FYS (First Year Seminar) during the first semester, and CCC (Created and Called for Community) during the second semester. FYS is really cool, it’s taught by a ton of different teachers and can be almost any subject you can imagine. To give you an idea, during my first year, the classes offered for FYS ranged from Magazines and Popular Culture to the Philosophy of C.S. Lewis, and you can pick whatever you’re interested in! CCC gives students the opportunity to serve the community and creation in a creative and free-thinking environment: again, an awesome class. These two classes helped define my first year for me, and hopefully they will for you too!