Falcon Footnotes

At Messiah there are a lot of different classes that students are required to take, which are called General Education courses. My favorite Gen Ed. was most definitely my First Year Seminar class. I was in one titled What Little Girls Are Made Of and it was taught by Dr. Kris Hansen- Keiffer. I think a lot of times FYS’s are either a hit or miss on whether you love it or hate it based on the professor and subject matter. Fortunately, I found a class with both a great professor and great topics to discuss. This course opened up my mind to different ideas like feminism, relationships, and how the media affects how girls view themselves. It was through this class that I realized I wanted to be a Human Development and Family Sciences major instead of an English major. That is why I am really glad Messiah requires students to take courses from all ends of the spectrum because it helps students to be more open-minded.

1. Highlighter- Helpful for emphasizing the important notes!

2. Rewrite- Once you have studied for awhile rewrite the most important notes on a separate piece of paper!

3. Roommate Quiz- Have your roommate quiz you with questions so that you can make sure that you can come up with the answers without looking at your notes. Speaking the notes is helpful in remembering too!

4. Quiet Place- Find a quiet place to double check everything and reread all your study notes 5 more times!

5. Supplemental Instruction Sessions- Some classes offer study opportunities where another student who has already taken the class designs study guides and is a great way to make sure you are fully prepared for a test! Take advantage of this awesome opportunity!

6. Preparation- Get a good nights sleep. Take a shower. Dress for success. Eat a good breakfast. Be Awesome!

*Most importantly… relax! Do your best and forget the rest!

One of the awesome things about going to college is getting to enjoy all the athletics on campus. Whether it be participating in a rec (or intramural) sport or going to watch a varsity or club sport game, these events allow students to bond with each other and take a break from everything else going on. One of the advantages of going to a small school, like Messiah, is that you are likely to know some of the players on the varsity teams. This helps foster school spirit and adds to the amazing atmosphere surrounding the games. This is also one of the reasons why so many sporting events here have great attendance and it allows everyone to enjoy the success of our teams. Still, if your looking to take part in a sport but not at the varsity level, Messiah has amazing club teams and very competitive intramural leagues. These options allow you time to focus on your schoolwork while still enjoying the sport of your choice and being able to make new friends. So, whether it is watching a game or taking part in a sports club or intramural league, I strongly encourage each of you to take part in our athletics. It is fun, allows you to meet new people and provides a great break from studying.

When the weather is right – which happens quite often around here - we never hesitate to destress through the calm waters beside us. As we walk toward the yellow breeches with our rubber tubes half inflated, we know that hours of homework, club meetings, and challenging exams will suddenly be forgotten. For this moment, life is about the stillness of nature. Call it “stress releasing” or “relaxing” if you will, but this activity provides the break we need to survive the rigorous work week. As we sit comfortably inside our tubes, with our feet dipped into the merky breeches, we know that it is all worth it. For now, though, we savor the moment of freedom. We know that emails and projects and late nights await us; we know that there is more to be done that floating from one side of campus to the other. But it just doesn’t matter. This is how we destress, and were running with it.

Procrastination. Everybody’s doing it..come on, you have plenty of time. Maybe ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ is on TBS? But hold the phone, Ray Romano jumped the shark years ago. If you’re going to procrastinate, don’t settle for TBS.

If I start thinking about classrooms and then a little about professors, eventually I’ll be obsessing about the next exam or assignment..inevitably leaving me disconnected from all useful thought and on a one way track to justifying procrastination. But for me, that always either means 1 of 2 things; Discovery or a Documentary.

The Discovery Chanel could educate an alien. Really, if an alien came to earth and we needed to tell them all about our planet, you just sit the thing down and give it Discovery, Animal Planet, and the History channel. In two or three weeks you’d have something like a ten year old. It is by this accreditation that I justify watching the Discovery channel whenever I can, especially when I just need to zone out on the life cycle of butterflies: very relaxing.

Documentaries are another option. Unlike actual ‘movies’ with stories and actors and fake blood, Documentaries have the element of reality, regardless of the propaganda typically being spread by the idea behind the screen. For some reason it is much easier to watch these films and not feel a sense of deteriorating brain cells. Documentaries will be controversial, colorful, or boring. It’s rather a hit or miss activity, but identical to the Discovery Chanel; very relaxing.

Documentaries will give you opinions, Discovery will keep you learning.

Hermit crabs are fascinating creatures. Think about this, a hermit crab changes bodily homes every other month. That’s like playing musical bedrooms with your life. That’s like moving your bedroom into one of your friend’s bed rooms every other week. If that was the case, could there ever truly be a feeling of being  “at home”?

Wikipedia defines “Home” as simply being, “the place in which one lives”. But no, home is more. The word home triggers a sense of belonging. It is by no means constricted to one place or one time..home can be the cozy living room of the family house or the little study nook on the 4th floor of a collegiate academic building. Home’s change, expand, disappear, and can be nothing more than a memory by itself.

College changes the place and understanding of home for many students. Studying abroad will stretch and provoke query in even more unique ways. Home may never be the same again once college starts and it may end up in a thousand other hermit shells before graduation. But that is no cause for alarm. It is in fact a stupendous challenge to us students and our hearts. In the end, we are bound to breath until our dying breath, and where we intrust our love for places and people will leave our trail of homes..always calling back to us but placid in our wake.

It is safe to say that one chapel does not stick out to me as THE best chapel. However, the student lead chapels by our team of chaplains are unbelievable. Listening to fellow students talk about issues and topics that we as students are dealing with are so relevant to our lives! The chaplains like to do unique and exciting activities that truly engage the student body. Every student lead chapel service that I have gone to I have been able take something from it and apply it to my life. Those are Da’ Best Chapels!!

But when God’s Kingdom Steppers come to chapel it is Awesome!! Check it out. GKS at Chapel!

Whenever students get the acceptance letters from their number one school, they’re most likely not thinking about the classes they might take or the clubs they’re going to join. Most likely, they’re worried about all the new people they are going to meet and whether or not they’ll make friends. And ultimately, they’re worried about the person they’re going to be stuck living with for the next 8 months. At least, I know this is how I felt. Getting my roommate assignment was one of the most exciting and nerve wracking experiences of my preparation for college. I mean, living with a stranger is a big deal. They make horror movies about this stuff. (more…)