Surviving College

Rule number one: Do Not Procrastinate.
As an incoming freshman, I was not used to having as much freedom as I have now. I no longer had to be home by a certain time and I could do practically whatever I wanted. It seems as if you have all the time in the world, because now you are only answering to yourself. This freedom caused me to procrastinate. I would go and hang out with friends and get wrapped up in all the social aspects of college, all the while putting off my homework and studying. My freedom was fun at the time, however the night before an assignment was due I would be stressed trying to get all my work done on time. And in college, all of your tests and big assignment’s due dates usually fall on the same two week period. So, I would put off studying and end up completely stressed struggling to find the time to do so. So therefore, rule number one is this; do not procrastinate, in the end you will regret it.

Rule number two: Bring a backup umbrella.
As an ISU student, you will walk everywhere. Most freshmen do not get parking spots and even if you are lucky enough to get one, your car will most likely reside in the farthest parking lot from your dorm. One morning I woke up, got ready, and left for class grabbing my umbrella on the way out the door. I began walking to class in the pouring rain, safely underneath my protective umbrella when all of a sudden, a huge gust of wind took me by surprise. The next thing I knew, I was standing in the rain holding a misshaped umbrella that was no longer serving its purpose. The metal that held my umbrellas normal shape and helped to shield me from the rain had snapped in two. And being a freshman, I hadn’t a car to make a trip and buy a new one. So, the moral of the story is this. Rule number two; bring a back up umbrella.

Rule number three: College is not high school.
When you get to college, you are coming to a completely new and unfamiliar place. You will be surrounded by new people, each having their own history and past. In college, people do not care if you were the star of your football team or if you were the valedictorian. No one knows the person that you were in high school, and neither do they care. Be mature and leave the drama at home. I say this because no one cares for immaturity and stupid high school drama. So don’t start it. Therefore my rule number three is as following; College is not high school, so be mature and forget the drama.

The only good thing about mondays...

Every Monday night I can be found in my dorm room, television on and tuned to channel 8. Among me and my friends, this has become a ritual that marks the beginning of every week. My favorite TV show, One Tree Hill, is the only thing that makes us look forward to Mondays. The show, which is in its 6th season, airs on the CW Mondays at 8pm. The show began years ago, centering on a group of Tree Hill high school juniors, their families, and the dramatic and intense lives they live. I started watching the show with my older sister because the show is relatable to my own life [although, me life is not near as dramatic]. I began watching the show during its second season, and have watched it ever since. I still call my sister after I watch the episodes and discuss the events of the show. And along with the show being relatable, it is also very interesting and always keeps you guessing about what will happen next.
The show first began set in high school. However, after the success of numerous seasons, the characters had to eventually graduate high school and move on with their lives. So, the show decided to skip four years ahead and continue to air episodes about the lives of the characters after their college years. Through the use of flashbacks, the writers fill in what happened during the 4 years when the characters were separated. This also allowed for more new characters to enter into the plot line of the show.
The overall story line of the show is just about friends overcoming life’s normal and in some cases not so normal obstacles. Lucas is now a published author whose book is being made into a movie. Peyton, who is engaged to Lucas, has her own record label. Nathan is working his way to the NBA and is happily married to Haley, who together has a son. Haley has gone on tour and now teaches high school English. Brooke owns her own clothing line and boutique which is being stolen by her mother. Brooke is also a foster mother. These characters have overcome many challenges and still face obstacles as the show continues. Therefore the show is relatable in the sense of dealing with the good and bad events of life in an entertaining and suspenseful way.

Advertisment Analysis

When I begin to think about specific advertisements, the first one that pops into my head is the recent super bowl commercial for Miller Beer. The commercial was simple and this is how I remembered it. A man was standing in front of a wall of Miller High Life beer in a warehouse. In the background there was a giant sign that displayed the Miller emblem. A black man in a uniform stood looking at the camera and said “High Life!” while he raised his arms in the air. And then the commercial was over. It was only one second, so it is easy to recall the details of the advertisement. Here is a link to the commercial. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYiGpVGTU2U
This commercial sticks out in my mind to be the most memorable and easy to recall, because it aired during the super bowl and lasted for only one second. Advertisers pay millions of dollars for 30 seconds of time to tell convince you to buy and use their products. However, rather than using a slot of 30 seconds to convince you to buy their beer, Miller had the idea to produce a one second commercial. I believe that this commercial was effective because it was different and not expected. That made it memorable and caused a lot of talk. For instance at the super bowl party I was at, we talked and discussed that single second for a good 45 minutes while we watched the second half of the game.
The advertisement didn’t persuade me to purchase beer because I am not 21 and I do not drink alcohol. However, I believe that the commercial was indeed effective to advertise for their product and utilized the element of surprise and being different. The commercial sticks out in peoples mind because it is so different from what people normally expect out of super bowl commercials. Most beer advertisements use humor and sex to get you to buy their products. Miller took a different unexpected route that stood out.

if only there were more hours in a day...

So just as every other student, whether in grade school, high school, or college, I wish for the school week to pass faster and for it to be the weekend already. When you are a kid you cannot wait until Saturday morning to wake up and watch your favorite cartoons. In high school, you cannot wait till the Friday night football game. And in college, you cannot wait to release some stress and let loose a little. This past Monday night, I was talking to a few friends casually discussing the events of the weekend. The conversation sprouted from one thing to another and by the time I went to bed that night, I had planned out next weekend entirely. There is always so much I want to do, but I never seem to have enough time to do it all. During the week, homework and studying for my classes take up the majority of my time. I don’t ever seem to have time to relax and hang out with friends very much. So each week, I wish the week away, longing for the next weekend to finally be here. I wish to finally get to do what I please. I am teaching myself how to play the guitar, for instance. Throughout the week I never have time to practice so it becomes a very slow process. My weeks are filled with classes, friends, working out, staying in touch with family and friends from home and therefore always exhausting. I never seem to get everything I need to get done. I unfortunately have to choose one thing to do over another and someone of something always gets disappointed. Sometimes it’s my friends when I tell them I cannot hang out because I have a test to study for. Other times it’s my grades suffering from spending time with friends. And sometimes I do not get to hear about what is going on at home with my family because I do not have time to call and talk. If only there was more time in the day to do it all…