John and Nicole's Blogs

Whether it has been ordained in your family since the beginning of time and man that you were destined to be go to Ole Miss, or whether you’re like I was (and most other people) and you have no clue where you’ll go until April or May of your senior year, there is still one huge thing you really ought to do—should do, in fact: Sign up for orientation and SIGN UP EARLY! Even if you are only remotely considering Oxford for the next four years, get into the earliest session you can.

Orientation is, among other things, when you will meet with your academic adviser and sign up for your first semester classes. And if you’re like me, you want your schedule to fit your sleeping, eating, sleeping, extracurricular, sleeping and social habits. The earlier your session, the wider the range of classes that will still be available to you. I was fortunate to be in the second of the seven sessions, but already one of the classes I wanted to take was full. And don’t stress if you don’t know what classes to take. Your adviser knows your requirements and will help you decide, based upon your interests, on a course load that will be of benefit to you.

For the month or so between my graduation and my orientation session, I felt stuck in limbo. I had a job at home and still did things with my friends and my church, and even took care of some final extracurricular things at my high school, but I couldn’t help feeling I had departed Tupelo (my hometown) in some way. Orientation was when I finally got the sense that I had “arrived” in Oxford.

I think it was getting my post office box that made me feel this way. Anyway, if you rent your own P.O. box, your mom will cry because it’s just another thing that means her baby is leaving. The good thing, however, is that you don’t have to be around her when she does break into tears.

That’s because parents have different orientation seminars than you do. They go off and meet with advisers to ask questions about financial aid, etc.—things important to adults—while students go off with upperclassmen to ask questions about food, dorms, clubs, Greek life and anything else important to us! (For example, I learned that in our basic cable package, we get ESPN 2, but not ESPN… guys, what’s up with that?)

This is a good time to ask serious questions, too, and get honest answers from older fellow students. I felt they gave good advice and that they understand what it takes to balance school with the other things Oxford and Ole Miss have to offer. I even spoke to one of the student advisers afterwards who said they sometimes put in 18-hour days getting ready for these sessions. They are prepared to help parents and students understand anything and everything, so whatever it is your wondering, this is the time to ask away!

After these seminars adjourn, you can continue to foster your independence and take care of the following business without your parents but with the guidance of orientation leaders: You can tour your dorm room, sign up for a meal plan to help that freshman 15 along, order your textbooks, register for a parking decal, have your student ID made (which means you’ll have another driver’s license-esque photo in your wallet for your friends to make fun of), and, as I said, rent a post office box. Of course, it’s still good to have your parents come along anyway, because some of these things require that checks be written. And if you’re like me, you absolutely want to be independent—except for when it’s time to pay for something. Then it’s not so bad having good ol’ mom and dad around, after all! But the point is, you have the option.

People who came to orientation seemed to fall into three categories: Those who were familiar with the campus, those who wanted you to think they were familiar with the campus and those who were, admittedly, unfamiliar with the campus. Any way is OK, though! After all, the root of orientation is “orient,” which means “to adjust one’s self to new surroundings.” The signage on campus is pretty good; but, if you still don’t know where something is, simply ask! Students and faculty are generally really friendly and helpful—after all, it’s just not polite in the South to not be hospitable when you have out-of-town company. And even if you do get lost, Ole Miss has the most beautiful campus in the country (and I’m not just partial), so you can’t not enjoy where you are, even if it’s not where you’re supposed to be at the time.

Wear comfortable clothes, too. There is NO NEED to wear your best Lacoste shirts, people, when you’re gonna be walkin’ around campus all day in 99 degrees at 99 percent humidity. Save ’em for the Grove. It’s summer in Mississippi. My advice is to wear your favorite T-shirt (a nice one, though) and be comfortable. Mine’s lime green!

As for meeting new people and making new friends, orientation is a good time for this. And it’s really simple. Out of the 14 or 15 or however many thousand students there are enrolled, there are easily groups of people who share your interests. You’re surrounded by people all day who you probably don’t know, but who are in the same situation as you. So when you’re in a seminar or in the lunch line, look at the person seated or standing next to you and just say “Hey, I’m <insert your name here>.”

Half of my high school is going to Ole Miss next year, but I still learned at least 30 new names of people in my orientation group. And the way they divide you up, most of the people in your group will have a major similar to yours and, subsequently, a similar schedule. At orientation it just sort of happens that you’ll start learning new names, and then you’ll remember people when you see their faces in your classes in the fall. It’s really easy. back to top

Move-in day

My advice: Bring a buff friend. That was the mistake I made—I didn’t bring a buff friend. Nor am I extremely Herculean in form, myself. It was just skinny little me and my skinny little roommate, Chase. I think that we weigh in at a collective 215, maybe less. But we did it! All by ourselves we managed to get everything we brought up two flights of stairs and into our dorm!

And the university did some good things to help, too. First, each dorm provided a couple of dollies for students to roll heavier items—refrigerators, futons, dressers, etc.—up stairs and such. Second, there were tents in front of each dorm with bathtubs—literally, there were giant metal bathtubs—full of ice-cold Cokes, water and Powerade. Mississippi is very, very hot in August; drink lots of water!

Of course, before you can begin the grunt-labor of lugging your stuff up to your room, you have to navigate “The Line” at check in. This is where everyone drives to the parking lot of the old mall with their trucks and trailers and U-Hauls; this is where you wait to pick up your keys and, if you pre-ordered it, your carpet. For the most part, “The Line” moved pretty efficiently when my roommate and I went through, but I hear from other guys in my dorm that it sometimes got a little backed up. They said the earlier you got there, the earlier you got through. back to top

First week of classes

The campus map is thy friend. Use it, and don’t be embarrassed to use it. In fact, you’ll find it even more effective than asking directions, as there are many fourth-year seniors who still don’t know where certain buildings are on campus. Also, the university has strategically placed information booths set up to assist you in the event that you become completely, utterly and hopelessly lost. (For most people, the Circle is where it can all fall apart. Just remember that the Lyceum is to the west and you shouldn’t get disoriented!)

And besides, even if you do lose your way on campus, Ole Miss is still the center of the universe! So in that sense, you aren’t really lost, after all! Another important thing is to wear comfortable shoes. Some places are a pretty good long walk across campus; and if you live in Stockard or Martin, I’m sorry to say you’re a trek-and-a-half down the hill.

Once you do make it to class, though (hopefully on time!), you’ve got about a week to decide whether or not you can handle your course load. And remember that for that first week everything is pretty much written in sand, so don’t feel bad about changing classes. The university and Dr. Spargo’s office are great about letting you adjust your schedule until you’re comfortable with your hours. And being comfortable with your ability to handle your homework is extremely important, because you will want plenty of free time for the bazillion of other things going on around campus. back to top

Professors rate an A+

My professors are great, and that is all there is to say. Other than that one word—“great”—which seems to be so often overused and understated, I can’t describe how much I like the majority of my professors, nor how much they seem to like what they’re doing. I mean, I know this will sound like I’m going out of my way to kiss the university’s you-know-what, but it’s like taking your favorite teacher from all of high school (and by favorite, I mean the one who not only was the coolest, but who also taught you the most) and multiplying him or her by a thousand. back to top

Par-tay!

If there’s one thing Ole Miss knows how to do, it’s throw a party. From tailgating in the Grove on Saturdays to swaps to the Square at night, we do it right! And during the first weeks of school, different fraternities and student organizations on and off campus throw many, many parties. My advice: Go out and have fun, and meet new people! A lot of the bands at these things are great, as is a lot of the food. And odds are you’ll make more new friends during the first few weeks by seeing people not only in class but at off-campus events as well.

You’ll find that because most people don’t know anyone yet, you can talk to just about anyone new you meet. Everyone is trying to make friends, so everyone is really friendly and social. It’s not weird to see someone for the first time and be like “Hey, what’s up?”—and then have a 10- or 20- minute conversation getting to know them. Plus, every guy on earth knows that the most gorgeous girls on the planet live in Oxford and that, despite what other schools may say, they really don’t compare. At all. They’re not even close, in fact. (Myth: If half of your high school’s graduating class is coming to Ole Miss—mine did—and you think, “Oh, no, it’s gonna be just like high school all over again,” you’re wrong. If you don’t want to see them, you don’t have to. There are 14,000 other students among whom you can escape.) back to top

Books

Sorry, back to academics. Pre-pack is the best thing in the world! Get online, and order your books as soon as you know your schedule. All you have to do is type in your courses at the campus bookstore’s Web site, and they take care of everything from there! Then all you have to do is show up with your student ID, and they hand you your books. It’s so convenient. Do it! back to top

Parking

All right. Here we go. Parking. This is often the cause of the most angst on campus. More stressful than organic chemistry or business calculus homework is finding a place to park your car. Go ahead and accept the fact that you won’t always find a parking space close to your residence hall. This way you won’t get upset and lose your temper. And when you do find a great space, it will be that much more *special*! back to top

Plug-in to something

During the first week of classes, different student organizations set up booths in front of the Union with information on their respective clubs, teams and activities. Many more groups do not set up booths but still want you to join. Whether you know it or not, you want to join these groups and clubs, as well. They’re a great way to foster your interests and to meet other people who like the same things as you. There is literally something for everyone. As for me, I’ve already gone to meetings for Club Ultimate Frisbee, Mock Trial, UM Forensics, the Student Alumni Council and Campus Crusade. And that’s all been in the past week. There are 171 other student organizations on campus of which I am aware (I actually sat down and counted them to be sure), plus more of which I’m not. Find something you like, and do it! back to top

Local politics: serving on the ASB Senate

During the very first week of school, my RA (resident assistant) hauled every last resident of our floor out into the hallway for what he called a “briefing” on dorm regulations. As a part of this “briefing,” we were also asked to give an introduction and an interesting fact about ourselves. The opportunistic politician inside me surfaced, and I proceeded to introduce myself to the group like so:

“Hi, my name is John. I’m a freshman international studies major, and I’ll be running to represent Brown on the Associated Student Body Senate in a couple of weeks. I’d really appreciate your vote. Thank you.”

Thus, on the spur of the moment, I began my political career at Ole Miss. Granted, I had been debating in my mind for quite some time prior whether or not I wanted to take the leap into politics and run for said senate office. I was aware (and indeed, it is proving to be true) that the job required a considerable time and work commitment. The decision was made, however, right then and there in the hallway. Two hundred forty-eight door-knocks, handshakes and pink flyers later, I won the election by six votes. Yep, that’s right—six votes. Six votes for me, zero for my opponent, who humbly withdrew due to his getting elected to another office elsewhere on campus.

I have to admit that I get a bit of a power-kick when I walk into the lobby of my dorm and am hailed by “Hello, Senator,” and “Good morning, Senator Martin,” regardless of the sarcasm behind my “constituents’” greetings. As I walk to my room, I can almost close my eyes and hear “Hail to the Chief” echoing down the endless linoleum and cinder-block halls of that great residential edifice known affectionately to those who dwell within it as “Browntown.” Then I run smack into the closed door of the stairwell and remember: I’m a freshman in college; I represent just six voters (one of whom was me) from a total student population of 15,000.

Well, it may not be the office of the president of the United States of America, but it is important to this university, and I take what I do seriously. So does everyone else involved in the ASB, for that matter. And perhaps most surprisingly of all, the administration takes the ASB seriously, as well.

I was impressed during my first few weeks in office to see how much voice the students actually have in campus affairs through the ASB. I have seen several specific requests made during the past four weeks agreed to and met by the university. These were little things, like the placement of trash receptacles and the repainting of faded parking spaces, but things nonetheless important to the quality of daily campus life.

The ASB is the prime advocate for student rights and privileges. I feel that part of the reason the ASB achieves positive results in its undertakings stems from the emphasis each individual member puts on performing his or her job. The students who serve in the ASB have given the organization a weighty reputation. Not only do members of the faculty respond to the ASB, but so do members of the local and statewide community.

For instance, I am currently pursuing an opportunity for the ASB to acquire scantron voting machines from Mississippi counties who are upgrading to electronic machines. Of course, it would all have to be approved with legislation, but we would then use these machines for our on-campus elections. Every race, from Homecoming queen to the ASB elections themselves, would be tallied and recorded by these new machines.

This is opposed to our current, antiquated system: You circle your choices on sheets of typing paper, then insert your ballot into a wooden box from which all votes are later hand counted. This process takes considerable time and energy, and is almost comparable to 18th- and 19th-century election procedures. It’s time to catch up with technology and update to a system befitting Ole Miss, which is, after all, a progressive institution. Heck, my high school even voted for our homecoming court and class officers on laptops.

But I digress from my original point, which was about the respect I feel the ASB receives for itself and engenders for the university. In chasing after information on these voting machines, I decided to start at the very top of state elections and work my way down through the system. I called the secretary of state’s office in Jackson, introduced myself as a member of the External Affairs Committee of the Associated Student Body at Ole Miss and was connected through to one of Eric Clark’s assistants. (I actually think this person’s title was assistant secretary of state for elections, but I don’t remember exactly.)

Anyway, I was provided with a list of counties that were getting rid of their old machines, contacts for those counties and a summary of what options were presently being pursued by these counties to dispose of the old machines. It was way cool. I’m pretty sure if I’d have just said “Hi, I’m this guy named John…,” then I’d still be on hold instead of typing this story out on my laptop just before I go to bed tonight.

Actually, I’m headed to bed right now. I don’t get enough sleep (my fault—I play more than I should). In high school, I went lights-out every night between 11 and 12. Now, 1 or 2 o’clock in the morning is a good bedtime to shoot for and still hope to get my work done. Look! It’s 1:15 a.m. right now! I’m gonna make it tonight! Goodnight. back to top

SEC road trip and Campus Crusade

Many people will argue that the best reason to come to Ole Miss is that it proudly boasts an SEC (please tell me you know what that stands for—if not: Southeastern Conference) football team. Also, it is true that the Grove is home to the most tasteful and taste-full tailgating on earth, Vaught-Hemingway Stadium-goers sport snazzier duds than Fifth Avenue mannequins and, on occasion, we actually win eight to 10 games.

My friends and I went on an SEC road trip this weekend. We had been planning this little adventure since school started. Our Rebels were set to play Vanderbilt on Saturday, so we left Oxford the Friday before just as soon as our last classes dismissed. Up Highway 7 we went, to Jackson, Tenn., and then east on Interstate 20 all the way to Music City, USA.

I was really excited on the drive up! We rocked out to Styx, Skynyrd and The Virginia Gentlemen to pass the five-hour trip. We also talked about how bad we were going to kick the Commodores’ you-know-whats. Little did we know that we would instead spend the drive home from Nashville whining like a brokenhearted country singer at the Grand Ole Opry.

On Saturday, September 17, at 11:30 a.m., Vanderbilt proceeded to wax the turf of their football stadium (if you can call it a “stadium”) with my beloved Rebels. Ouch. No more about football.

Despite the loss, the rest of the trip was great. I rode up with some guys I knew from high school and a couple of upperclassmen I hadn’t met before. We all went out together the Friday night before the game to Printer’s Alley. Ole Miss fans were everywhere. We completely took the place over, and I got to meet a lot of new people through the guys that rode up with us. (A few weeks later, a couple of the girls I talked to that night were assigned to the External Affairs Committee of the ASB Senate with me. It was a weird coincidence, but being semiacquaintances helped the committee get off to a fast start.)

The best part of the weekend, though, had to be activities with Campus Crusade for Christ. The best way I can describe Campus Crusade is that it is an on-campus student organization that facilitates nondenominational Christian worship, evangelism and fellowship. During the Vanderbilt weekend, Campus Crusade helped book Nashville hotel rooms for us students, set up a tent for tailgating and led Bible studies and a Sunday morning worship service. In Oxford, the group regularly sponsors several different Bible study opportunities during the week, and, on Tuesday nights at 8, it hosts a larger, contemporary-style worship service at the Oxford-University Methodist Church.

Now, I must admit that I prefer your grandmother’s style of worship—old hymns and organ music. This stems from my attachment to the church my grandparents attended in rural Mississippi. So, when I go to Campus Crusade, I tend to be a bit of a “back-row Baptist” and stay on the last pew. Yet, despite my personal tastes, Campus Crusade is a wonderful worship opportunity. It has been a great thing to plug into, especially since I am now in my second month of school and have yet to find an actual church to join. I feel connected to a grounded group of students who, for the most part, do a good job of holding each other accountable in a difficult environment. Many, many students are involved with this organization in some capacity. And if not with Campus Crusade, students participate with one (or more) of the 15 other religious groups present on campus. back to top

The Ultimate experience

Since coming to school, I’ve had a lot of people ask me how I like it in Oxford. Now, usually a response to such a question would be a generic one: “It’s good” or “Yeah, I like it.” In fact, a lot of adults who have asked me this question expected just such an answer. This was a mistake on their part, because to anyone who asks me what I think about Ole Miss and expects a brief, formulated answer—well, think again! I’m going to be honest, and that means a long answer in which you will have to listen to me tell about all the things I’m doing on and off campus.

First of all, my course load. I’m trying to stay ahead in my work and in my classes. Unfortunately, I sometimes would rather do other things than sit down at my desk and study. That’s the great thing about Ole Miss. There’s tons of stuff to do—like parties, sports and campus organizations. And the Square has great restaurants. But all these other things to do are also the bad part of school. It’s a constant struggle to balance nonacademic activities with study time.

For instance, sometimes I play Ultimate when instead I should be studying Spanish or working calculus problems or reading for English. In fact, I usually always pick Ultimate over studying. Sometimes I get away with this and it doesn’t affect my grades; sometimes this is a bad choice, and it catches up with me. I’ll stay in the Grove for hours just tossing a disc around. And every Monday, Thursday and Sunday I practice with the club team. In short, I play way too much Ultimate.

If you don’t know, it’s a sport that’s kind of like soccer and football combined, only it’s played with a disc instead of a ball. Seven people are on a team, and the object is to score a touchdown in the other team’s end zone. You accomplish this by working the disc down the field, throwing it from one teammate to another. The only real catch is that when a teammate catches the disc, he or she cannot run with it. The disc can only be advanced by passes from one player to another. That’s pretty much Ultimate in a nutshell.

Now, I’ve caught a lot of flack from some people who say that Ultimate is a “hippie sport.” By this, they mean that all Ultimate players have long hair and are tie-die shirt-wearing VW van-driving individuals. Not true. You have to be in good shape because there is a lot of running. In fact, a good number of our team members are converted soccer players.

A club sport—like Ultimate—is not operated by the school, but is instead a student-organized team. However, club teams still represent the university in competition with other schools. Ultimate is one of several club sports at Ole Miss. We also have lacrosse, men’s soccer and rugby. Our rugby team, by the way, is awesome. I know because I’ve seen them in person. They knocked off Arkansas State this year, a team that just happened to be the defending national champions.

I really am enjoying playing Ultimate. When I ran for ASB Senate, the picture of me on my flyer was taken on the Ultimate field. A little obsessed, maybe; but seriously, the guys on the team with me have become some of my closest friends here. (“Awww!” says the sorority girl, “that is so sweet.”)

A funny thing—after a few weeks, I was surprised to learn that a couple of the guys on the team live in my dorm; I had no clue! I doubt I would have ever seen them or much less gotten to know them if I hadn’t met them through Ultimate. Now they come to my room to borrow my movies all the time. When this starts happening, you know you have become good friends.

Our first tournament is in three weeks in Nashville. Yes, this will be two trips to the Music City in as many months. Only this time, I promise that the Rebels will come home whistling Dixie and with the Commode Doors’—oops! I mean, Commodores’—heads on a stick! Yeah! We shall avenge the football team! There are teams in this tournament, like Vandy, that we are going to destroy. Conversely, and rather unfortunately, there are also teams (such as No.19 Michigan State) that will be destroying us. That’s OK, though; it should provide for a good learning experience. back to top

Writing for The Daily Mississippian

To add to my already swamped schedule, I deemed it a good idea to take on this little side gig of writing one weekly editorial for the Ole Miss student newspaper, The Daily Mississippian. Actually, it’s not really an individual article as much as a group effort. I meet every day at 5:30 p.m. with four other staff writers at the DM, and we discuss important current events. Whatever we conclude to be the lightning rod issue of the day is what one of us will go home and write about for the following day’s edition. Next morning, a 300-350-word summary of our round-table discussion appears in the DM. This little blurb is intended to balance the blatantly liberal/conservative columns we run by serving as a moderating opinion.

The challenging thing about this from a writer’s standpoint is that you never know what you’ll have to write about. Sometimes you have to get really creative. I mean, it’s hard to come up with five different, interesting topics a week that aren’t already beaten to death by individual columnists. I’ve had to write about everything from money-management tips for college students—pretty straightforward—to the prevalence and causes of eating disorders among college girls and the risks that such illnesses as bulimia and anorexia pose to one’s health. I also had to explore the social factors that cause these diseases in the first place. That one wore me out.

Overall, though, I really like writing these mini-articles. A lot of people pick up the DM; and even if they only get it for the crossword puzzle, most everyone at least scans the headlines for local and campus news. Every now and then we print a blurb of importance, which I’m sure a good many people end up reading in its entirety. These are the articles that make the boring ones worth it. back to top

The bid decision

Despite my ambivalent feelings about the Greek system, I received a spring bid from Delta Psi, a fraternity I respect. After much debate with myself and my parents, I actually decided to take the bid. Of course, my parents are insisting that I pay for a large part of my dues, but this is OK with me. I feel like I’m not throwing the money away with this particular group of guys. They are very academically motivated and have been very supportive thus far that my other endeavors on campus take priority over the fraternity. It’s been a big decision, and a lot of thought went into it. back to top

Nicole’s Blog

Nicole’s take on orientation

I arrived on the Ole Miss campus, refreshed, wide-eyed and energetic with my parents for orientation. Registration was held in Martindale, and, as I climbed up the steps, I was greeted by a group of cheerful individuals who asked, “Are you here for cheerleader camp?” “No, just here for orientation,” I replied.

The very second I entered Martindale I was greeted by orientation leaders wearing red T-shirts and big, friendly smiles who handed me a nice tote bag, free T-shirt, a fall schedule and an academic catalog. From there, I proceeded to pick up my temporary room key so I could spend the night in Martin. Come fall, Martin is where I will actually spend most of my time eating, sleeping, studying and having fun before and after class. My room is located on the “penthouse floor” (the top floor) because the top two floors in the twin towers of Stockard/Martin are reserved for honors students.

Parents and students had separate schedules, but several events were held together, including the first session in Fulton Chapel. Our orientation leaders were just as cheerful as the cheerleading people, and they got things started by having a competitive step show and a run-off between the guys and girls. The guys technically won, but I think the girls were the best. After dividing us into smaller groups so we could get to know each other better, our leader took us to the Grove to learn a few things about our new classmates, such as where they were from, what they like to do, etc. As lunchtime approached, my friend and I had to split from our group to go and have lunch with our fellow honors students. The close-knit Honors College was one of the deciding factors in my decision to attend Ole Miss.

That night, I went to see the movie “Hitch.” Sitting upstairs in Fulton Chapel with some friends made the movie funnier than it actually was. When the movie ended at 10, I found myself sleepy and unable to go out with my friends. I reached for my room key and headed for the car.

The next day, the whole family was together. We watched PowerPoint presentations about housing, meeting yours professors, etc. After that, we took a stroll toward Martin (my residence hall) to determine the amount of time it would take to walk from there to the classrooms around the Lyceum. The exhibit room in Martin was decorated really nice, and my roommate and I got some good ideas. Finally, we walked back to the Union, got in our car and waved my good-bye to my new home. back to top

Move-in day and residence hall life

Move-in day was exciting, sad, exhausting, filled with anxiety and unforgettable.

It will always be etched in my mind because I was leaving the family nest for the uncharted waters of The University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). I was excited about the prospect of “going off to college,” yet I was afraid of the unknown that awaited me.

When Mom and Dad asked, “Is everything loaded in the truck?” I thought that if I did leave anything they could bring it to me because I would be only three hours away from home (Meridian). Location was one of the main reasons I chose Ole Miss.

After loading suitcases, clothes, shoes, trunks, television and so much more in the truck, I was ready for the road trip to Oxford. I talked the entire three hours to campus. Mom was a little sad, but she managed to keep her emotions in check. As my Dad maneuvered the back roads, I could barely wait until the sign said “The University of Mississippi.”

I arrived at 10 o’clock and went immediately to Miller Hall to pick up my keys to Martin. Once on the Martin elevator, I finally made it to the 11th floor. Dad, Mom and I unpacked everything after making what seemed to be an endless number of trips from the truck to the elevator.

We finally unloaded the last items—at least that is what we thought until I discovered that I had forgotten something. Eureka, Wal-Mart! Wal-mart was there to save us not once, but twice. The first trip was to get some telephone line; the second was to get an Ethernet cable to hook up my laptop. Dad would not leave until everything was operational.

Finally, superficial smiles underscored with tears prevailed as we said our good-byes. Admittedly, it was an emotional moment.

Now, a few months into living on my own, I’m enjoying my independence. I like keeping house on a miniature scale.

Meeting lifelong friends, discovering cultural differences that make us stronger and being awakened by sorority girls running through the hall screaming at the top of their lungs at 2 a.m. are experiences that can only be found in a residence hall on a college campus. When the water pressure is poor, when the sinks are filled with food, when people leave junk in the hallway, then residence hall life can be less than perfect. However, the positive experiences of eating pizza while watching a Korean horror movie with friends at midnight in the dark, studying for a test with friends ’til 2 a.m., having someone around to complain to about classes, and enjoying free milk and cookies at hall meetings outweigh the bad experiences. back to top

The first day

I woke up at 6:30 this morning. I spent an hour trying on outfits before I decided on a beige tank top with my CK jeans and Ole Miss flipflops. After fixing my hair, putting on makeup and eating my Frosted Flakes, the alarm clock on top of the microwave flashed 8:15 in bright green.

When I got outside of Martin Hall, it was scorching hot and inhumanely humid. I arrived at the Honors College, where my first class at 9 a.m. would be held. I met a nice girl named Catherine and a woman who works at the SMBHC who offered us muffins. After sitting in the lounge a while, I went to class and was surprised to be in such a small setting with 15 other people. Immediately, I felt a connection to everyone at the table. Plus, I loved my professor—he was so cool.

Next, I went to biology class but I was five minutes late because my friends (Nora and Tiffany) and I got lost. (We thought the Circle was the Grove, even though we had driven by it and mapped it the night before.) I had to sit in the back, which is not what I prefer. Biology class seems really neat. I learned about words like bucolic and paradigm.

After biology, I had an hourlong break until my chemistry class at 12, so I decided to go back to the dorm. Thirty minutes later I went to chemistry class. Chemistry class was another small class that consisted of about 35-40 students. I was happy to be up front in this class, as well as my calculus class. My calculus teacher was sick, so another professor taught us today.

Overall, my day went well and reassured me that Ole Miss was the right choice. back to top

Making the transition from high school to college

Let’s not mince words: College is very different from high school. Perhaps the most obvious difference is the amount of uncommitted time that college students find on their hands. In college the ultimate question is, “What do we do with all that time?” Of course, for me, the answer is amazingly simple—study.

In high school, every minute of the day is planned. It was not uncommon for some students to sail through, rarely studying, and still make A’s. This approach may have worked in high school, but it does not work in college. At Ole Miss, where students only have two or three tests to show their stuff, they must study or perish.

In high school, I had a teacher who emphasized time management. Oh, how right he was. Time can be both friend and foe. While it is important to have fun, take time out to socialize and make new friends, students should always remember the real reason for being at Ole Miss: to learn and graduate on time.

As for the professors, because I am in the Honors College, I have found all of my professors to be equally as personable as the teachers I had in high school. In larger classes, however, I would advise that students make it a point to get to know their professors. Obviously, for those students who had good study habits in high school coupled with time-management skills, they will encounter few problems making the transition to college. back to top

Stepping out

The Step Show held earlier this year filled Fulton Chapel to maximum capacity. The show provided students with the opportunity to see the more diverse and fun side of black student life at Ole Miss. The National Pan-Hellenic sororities stepped down and let the fraternities strut their stuff. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, but it consisted of guys showing their six packs and stepping out in painted faces and jumpsuits! Lots of dancing and fun followed at the after party held in Johnson Commons. back to top

Salman Rushdie speaks

Salman Rushdie, notorious author of The Satanic Verses, appeared on campus at the Ford Center. He discussed several things, including his seclusion due to a bounty on his head, his books and his life in India. Following a question-and-answer session, a book signing was held in the lobby of the Ford Center, where the author signed my copy of Midnight’s Children. back to top

Perspectives on religion

Some religion lectures were recently held in the Paris-Yates Chapel during April and May. They included Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and Judeo-Christian. The speakers spoke at 7 p.m. and used PowerPoint presentations to convey the messages of their religions. Some of them were very enlightening, others were admittedly hard to hear or understand due to their heavy accents. Overall, it sparked some interesting conversations with classmates of different religions and helped us to understand one another’s ideas about life and religion better. back to top

Final exams

Final exams were interesting. I liked the fact that we had a whole week off from class in which we could study over our notes and prep for each exam one by one.

My calculus exam consisted of a 10-minute standard multiple-choice section that everyone in the department had to pass. The second half of the exam was from the lectures my professor had given. The whole thing lasted an hour. My biology exam was roughly 2-1/2 hours long. It was all essay, as were all the tests we had in honors biology. However, we were allowed to take a 3x5 index card filled with notes into the exam. It went well.

My journalism exam was just like all the other tests we had in the semester—noncumulative and lasting roughly an hour.

Studying for finals was fun, if you can call it that, because a group of us staked our territory in the crowded study room in Martin and compared notes while listening to iPods till 1 or later in the morning. back to top

How to make new friends

Making new friends in college isn’t that different from making new friends in high school. Just find someone who you share a lot of classes with, or who dresses like you, or just someone you like for whatever reason. Going to the Turner Center will help, but the best place to meet people is definitely the classroom because it ensures constant regular contact, and you always have a lunch/study buddy. Hanging out in different tents with friends in the Grove during Ole Miss football games is also a nice way to make strange faces more familiar. Just smile, be friendly, and be yourself—and making new friends will be as easy as making a peanut butter sandwich. back to top

What’s up in Oxford

This quaint little town also does not have a mall (to speak of), but the downtown Square has some really nice small boutiques, as well as some great places to grab coffee. When my friends and I go to the Square, we mostly go to shop on Saturdays because we are all heavily involved in our studies ( biochemistry and pre-pharmacy majors). On the weekends, I’ll get together with a friend and go out to eat, and then maybe make a trip to Wally World. Or sometimes we’ll catch one of the movies that’s showing at the Turner Center on campus.back to top

How professors stack up

Ole Miss Honors College professors are distinguished as being among the best. The renowned Dr. John Williamson is the first professor I see in the morning. Every day he brings his Coke with him. If he drinks the whole can of Coke, then the class has not probed and analyzed political issues in depth. I enjoy his class because the environment is exuberant. Sitting at a handmade table on hand-woven chairs while analyzing current events, laughing, talking, agreeing, sometimes disagreeing and reflecting on Mississippi’s past is a great way to start the day. There are times when the discussions can get deep, or even ugly, but the issues we discuss are a reflection of life. Honors Seminar is a definite plus of the Honors College.

Upon leaving Honors 101, I mentally position myself to enter biology—a class where fascinating suppositions are discussed and learned. I learn about such things as DNA synthesis, microarrays, ruminant digestion, inspiring cutting-edge research and more. To challenge our minds more, we have nine novels to read, usually based in genetics, which is Dr. [Murray] Nabors’ specialty. Sometimes, however, Dr. Nabors will digress, and we will discuss “the true meaning of life,” “why plants are superior beings” and other inside jokes. This class is very fast-paced and intellectually stimulating.

Calculus is the next class I have with the jolly Dr. Alan Paterson. He always walks in with a smile on his face that automatically reminds one of the Scottish country where he is from. His intelligence shines in the classroom as he draws proofs that consume every inch of the board. Every now and then, he will digress, too, and go into mathematical theories that Calculus III students discuss, all the while wearing a smile with the full confidence that we will grasp the concept of “amenability,” too.

On Tuesday I have biology lab with Mr. Smith, a graduate student. Mr. Smith is quite an astute grad student, always teaching outside of the lab manual and expounding on any topic we bring up. I thoroughly enjoy his class because I am able to see and apply what I am learning in the lecture to the real world. The creation of life is fascinating, and biology just highlights that fact.

At Ole Miss, I feel compelled to open up and become engulfed in the uniqueness of Ole Miss’ academic challenges. back to top


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