Spring Break Plans

Tonight, my parents will be arriving at Saint Mike's, and then tomorrow morning I can leave after my morning class for a week of pure sunshine and relaxation! well, who really knows how much relaxing I'll be doing...

Not exactly what's in my Spring Break plans, unfortunately!

The cool part of my spring break will be Friday night. I'm not going straight home from school--first, my friend Cara and I are going to a Matchbox Twenty concert at Mohegan Sun. I am SO excited! Cara and I are huge Matchbox Twenty (and Rob Thomas) fans, and this concert is sure to be a blast. Their newest album, North, has a different sound from their older 90s- and early 2000s-era music, but I still enjoy it, and I'm hoping they'll play some of their older stuff too.

I'm really hoping that my parents knew what they were getting into when they offered to drive us to the concert...I'm currently making mix CDs to listen to all the way there. And, of course, we'll have to listen to the new album at least three times. And then, of course, after the concert on the way to my house we'll probably listen to it again!

I'm too excited for words!

 Anyway, after the concert Cara and I will go back to my house in Poughkeepsie, NY, sleep for a few hours, and then wake up and go to the train station where she can take an Amtrak back up to her home in Plattsburgh. She's going a bit out of the way for this show, but hey, that's a dedicated fan right there.

So that's my only plan that's definite so far, but I know I have a lot that needs to be accomplished over break. Here's a tentative list:

1.) Finish my Study Abroad application so that I can submit it as soon as I return

2.) Update my FAFSA and fill out a campus work study application for my summer internship

3.) Do some readings and decorate my journal for my MOVE trip to South Dakota

4.) Buy an external hard drive (imperative for an MJD major--I've got too much content for one little flash drive!)

5.) Go to interesting places around town and make use out of this awesome camera before I have to give it back at the end of the semester!

6.) Start looking at cameras so that I have an idea of what I want when I can someday afford nice things (I just added this)

7.) Work on my Malaysia project for Global Comm

8.) Continue research and begin a rough draft for my Environmental Problems paper (my topic is e-waste)

9.) Start looking at classes for fall registration

That's a pretty massive list, especially because 7 and 8 are quite time consuming. Plus, I'm going to be distracted with constantly wanting to take pictures and do the "fun" stuff, and of course I'll want to spend some time re-charging the batteries (read: sleeping) and spending time with family and friends. The good news is that Sheila, a Global Comm buddy of mine, has already agreed to getting together and working on our projects for a day (since we live just a few minutes away from each other).

So, looks like I'll definitely have enough things to keep me busy! I suppose the beach will have to wait for another time. :)

Let me know if you have any cool plans for Spring Break! Find me on Facebook, email me at lkopchik@mail.smcvt.edu, Tweet me @LaurenKopchik, and find me on Formspring.

Have a great break!
Lauren   

"Help, I didn't get into all of my classes! What do I do now?"

Class registration is nerve-wracking--all students can agree to that! As much as Knightvision, our online registration program, is efficient, it has its faults. Students often don't get their first-choice classes on the first try...or the second. As a seasoned Knightvision failure, I can tell you that the worst thing to do at this point is panic. It gets you nowhere! Besides, most schedules are not set in stone--sometimes, it can be a really simple fix!

My personal experience with Knightvision has been comical at best. It all started the summer before my freshman year, when I visited Saint Mike's to learn about registration and sign up for classes. I had everything that I wanted to take chosen and ready, and then everyone in the computer lab had to press "submit" at the same time. Mostly everyone waited a few seconds for the program to load and then saw their successful registration pop up on the screen. My computer loaded and then...logged me out of the program.

You can imagine my initial shock! Thankfully, Will Marquess, my temporary advisor for the day, came to the rescue and showed me what to do. He helped me pick out different classes, since some of my first choices were closed. Then, he told me the dates when registration would open back up, and said that I could tweak my schedule as much as I wanted to during that time. I ended up with most of the classes I had wanted the first time around, or ones that would fulfill the same requirement.

Registration for the following semesters did not get any easier. I have been timed out of Knightvision, kicked out of classes that fill up, and computer-crashed. My friends began making jokes about how unlucky I am when it comes to Knightvision, and how I will never get the classes I want on the first try. To be honest, I'm starting to believe it--maybe I will never have an easy registration day! I think that my reaction time is too slow, so when I hit "submit" at 7am, it's not EXACTLY 7am.

Am I making this all sound like a horror story? No fear, people! The good thing about being such a registration day failure is that I've become an expert at getting the classes I want the second, third, or even fourth time around. It just takes some more effort!



Most importantly: BE ON TIME for regisration!

Here is some advice for those of you who have experienced Knightvision Failure:
1.) Know your stuff and be prepared. Make sure you know when your assigned registration day is. You'll get a letter in your mailbox and a follow-up email about it, so it should be easy to remember. All of the rules for undergraduate registration can also be found here, on the school website. Prior to registration day, log on to Knightvision and pick out the classes that you want to take. Put them on your "preferred" list. Also, make sure you meet with your academic advisor. This is extremely important because your advisor has to clear you for registration. Failing to set up a meeting will result in no access to registration because you were not given permission.

2.) Always, always, always have a back-up plan. You've picked your top four classes? Great, but you're not done yet. Choose your second top-four classes. And your third. Figure out each possible way you can work your schedule out so that you can pick and choose properly. For example, my priority class for this semester was Global Communications. It's required for my major, and it's only offered in the spring. However, I knew that it would be silly of me not to have a back-up for this class. It's wildly popular, and tons of other people were making it a priority too. When I didn't get into it, I immediately signed up for Media Law instead--it's another class required to complete my major, and one that I'm interested in taking as soon as possible.

3.) No matter what, try to fill your schedule. You only got into one out of your four preferred classes? Well, you can always try to get into the other three again--but before you log off to take the next steps with getting those classes, register for something else. Look at your academic profile and try to take some unfinished LSC requirements or elective courses for your major. You can always drop these if you add a new class. But you don't want to be scrambling around on the last registration day trying to get any old class just to fill up your schedule. That's only setting you up to either take something that you don't necessarily need or something that you're not interested in.

4.) If you don't get into a class, don't give up on it. There are several ways you can try to register again. We can use my experience as an example here. My initial registration date was Monday (Group 1). I got to register for classes with half of my class year. The second half went yesterday (Tuesday, Group 2). On this day, registration is closed to Group 1, just as Monday had been closed to Group 2. However, today was Open Registration for the entire sophomore class. So, I logged onto Knightvision this morning and tried again. There was one spot left for Global Communications, so I dropped Media Law and tried registering for it. When my registration loaded "unsuccessful", I registered back into Media Law and logged out.

But this step doesn't stop here. I immediately logged into my email and sent the professor a message explaining my situation and why I wanted to take the class so badly. A lot of times, professors will be willing to accomodate one or two extra students. This is how students are able to petition into a class. So, I told him that I'd like to take the class and asked when his office hours are so that I could meet him. This is an important thing to do: if a professor is going to let you into a class that is at its capacity, they want to make sure you're going to put in some effort, too.

5.) Petition. Before you meet with the professor, stop by Founders Hall (where the office of the Registrar is located) or go online and print out a petition form. When you meet with the instructor, he or she will sign it, and then you can bring it to the Registrar and they will process it for you. Then, you're in!

6.) Remember about open registration. Once everyone in the school has had their registration day, there are a few weeks of open registration for all classes. This semester, it's November 12th to December 7th. Things change around a lot during this time, so make it a priority to check at least once a day until you get your desired schedule.

7.) Attend a class. Still didn't get what you wanted? Or maybe you've changed your mind and want to take a different course? Try one more time. At the beginning of the next semester, sit in on the first class even though you're not enrolled. Before or after the class, talk to the professor and let him or her know that you're interested. This is especially important if you did not try to petition into the class. Simply e-mailing the professor will not show much dedication, and most likely will not result in their allowing you into the course. Besides, it's important to make sure this really is the class you want to switch into, and only knowing the title and description of the course won't give you a feel for what it's actually like. Visiting the class will give you the experience you need to make this decision.

So, there you have it! You can always try to turn a registration nightmare into a success story--nothing is set in stone. If you don't get the right classes the first time around, don't panic. Just try again! Make sure you've exhausted all of your options before settling with your schedule.

And if you still don't get the class, remember that if it's required it will always be there again. Spend your time getting the most out of the classes you do have rather than worrying about ones you don't have. I was very excited for Global Comm, but if I don't get into it, I'm just as pumped for Media Law. I've heard good things about the class, and the professor is my advisor! So, this would change my plans a little, but one thing that college has taught me is how to be flexible. No matter what, I love journalism courses, and I know it will be a productive and awesome semester.

Good luck registering, everyone!

Lauren

Week Recap: Registration, Ben and Jerry's, Stress and Sanity

It's interesting that sometimes the shortest weeks are not only the busiest, but sometimes seem like the longest.

I started off the week slowly, like I normally do, since I don't have class on Mondays this semester. Being the procrastinator that I am, Monday is a HUGE laundry/homework day for me, and I try to get everything done while my friends are in class. BAD HABIT. I shouldn't wait for the last minute. No more days off for me!

Luckily, it seems I'll be able to avoid that and force myself to organize this coming semester. Tuesday was my registration day, and with the way my schedule worked out, I'll have class every day. However, my day didn't run so smoothly, and it left me in a bad mood for most of the week until my friends came to the rescue and got me out of my slump.

Registration isn't always an easy process, so it's important to be prepared. Before our given registration date, all students must meet with their academic advisors--this would be a professor who works within the department of our majors, who works with us one-on-one to help figure out schedules, study abroad options, internships, and anything we might need advice for. After discussing the classes we want to take, advisors clear students for registration on Knightvision, the web program we use for class registration.

Then, on the assigned registration day, students log on to Knightvision and select their classes. I woke up on Tuesday morning and tried to register, and on my first try I was only able to get into one class.

This was when I panicked a little. Unlike previous semesters, I didn't have a Plan B--I really only wanted to take these four classes, and I hadn't properly prepared myself for getting into another class if my first choices didn't work out. I looked into the reasons why I didn't get some of my classes...for Environmental Studies, it said that it was open to majors and minors only. Knightvision also told me that I had already taken the Religious Studies course I tried to enroll into. And the third class had simply filled up before my registration was submitted (this happens sometimes because so many students press "submit" at the same time--exactly 7 AM when registration opens--and since there are only so many spaces, students' requests can be turned down).

All I wanted to do that morning was yell at my computer screen!

Not to worry though! Once I stopped freaking out, I got my bearings together. First, I emailed the registrar's office, telling them about the problems I was having with my first two classes. Next, I sent an email to the professor whose class I didn't get into, asking if I could stop by her office so we could meet and possibly see about petitioning into her class. This is how some people get into full classes--you get a petition form from the registrar's office and write down why you want to take the course, and then the professor signs it, allowing you into the class even though the spaces are full.

I heard back from the registrar's office almost immediately--they are really on top of their work, even on Registration Day! Apparently, my Knightvision account didn't recognize that I had declared my minor, even though the process had been completed (the "process" is simply to have your advisor and the head of the department you want to minor in sign a form and give it to the registrar, where they fix your account). I couldn't get into the Religious Studies course because I had enrolled in one my first semester, and even though I dropped it to take another class, my account never recognized that I ended up not taking it. The people that I spoke to from the registrar were so nice--I've never had to deal with fixing my schedule like this before, so I thought I was going to have to go to the office to straighten everything out, but they did everything for me right then and there!

At the end of the day, I heard back from the professor I had emailed. In my frenzy that morning, I had completely forgotten that there would be Open Registration the next day. This is when anyone from the my registration group, Monday and Tuesday, can log back on and try to get into classes they may not have gotten into the first time around. She reminded me to try that, and said that if I still couldn't get in, she would sign my petition form. So, I woke up early the next morning and pressed that "submit" button at exactly 7 AM. There was only one spot left in the class, and I got in! I was SO happy!

So, everything worked out perfectly in the end. However, Tuesday and Wednesday were pretty stressful. Not only was there registration to worry about, but I had class papers and projects to work on as well, and I had to prepare myself for a run-through for my MOVE presentation (more on that in a post next week!). I was running on low energy and lack of sleep, and my room was a mess. I'll admit it...by Tuesday afternoon, I was pretty cranky.

I definitely needed a pick-me-up, and on Tuesday afternoon it was (literally) delivered to my doorstep!

It was Free Ice Cream Day at Ben and Jerry's. I had completely forgotten about it, what with all the craziness going on. Then, I heard some friends talking about it, and they asked if I'd go with them. Since I was busy with work for my classes the next day and feeling pretty irritable, I told them I probably wouldn't be able to go. So I was working on homework when suddenly my friend Nate called me and told me to come outside. I told him I was busy...why was it so important for me to come outside this very second? He kept insisting, so I finally took the trek down four flights of stairs and into the quad...and boy, was I surprised!

Right there, pulled up between two buildings, was a Ben and Jerry's ice cream truck! There were handing out free ice cream to everyone!

Quick happiness fix!

I tried a new flavor--Peanut Butter and Banana Greek Yogurt. It was delicious! Best of all, it lightened my mood right up. I ran into a bunch of friends at the ice cream truck, and they persuaded me to go into Burlington for more freebies!

I had such a great time with my friends Nate and Liz. They lifted my spirits a bit, and I tried another new flavor, this time Chocolate Nougat. By the time I got back to campus, I was in a jovial mood again.

Even though I had a pile of homework to return to, I was feeling rejuvenated and ready to tackle it. The hour or so that it took to clear my head was well worth it, and I was able to get a refreshing perspective of things. Sometimes, the best thing to do when you're stressed is to just walk away from it and come back once you regain your sanity.

After my rough patch on Tuesday, Wednesday was still stressful but I was able to keep my cool. Especially after my whole schedule was fixed, I could feel the stress melting away. It felt good to get things accomplished, especially since Wednesdays are by far the longest day of the week for me--I have to get up early for a class, then I have a 3-hour class in the afternoon, and then normally I have something going on in the evenings. But each thing was like a check off of my to-do list, and before I knew it I could relax! I had one more day of classes left, and then I was going home for break. No class on Friday meant an even shorter, 3-day week for me!

This gave me cause for celebration, so that night I went to my friend Shawn's room where a bunch of us got together to watch Finding Nemo. We are all such kids at heart...we love that movie! We were quoting every line and speaking in whale to each other. Over all, it was a tremendously fun night. It was the perfect ending to a stressful couple of days.

I thought of how happy I was to be going home the next day. But as I looked around the room, I also thought of how I wouldn't be able to see any of these people over the long weekend. Suddenly, that made me sad! I realized how much I was going to miss our ritual of getting together for nightly homework groups or just hanging out on the weekends, and this was only for four days...imagine what the summer would be like!

That's when I realized that so many people at Saint Mike's have truly become like family to me. Sometimes, I can't even believe that I had no idea who they were only a year ago. I think it's amazing that these people know what I need when I'm having an off day, whether it's Ben and Jerry's, a hug, a fun movie, or even just a smile. They remind me why I'm so lucky to be where I am, in an environment where I'm supported in everything I do and there are always people to help when I need it.

 I'm sure this is not the last time you'll hear something like this from me--my friends and I talk about how we're a family all of the time! But I think that's really the true beauty of it. Here, a bad day never turns into a terrible day...nobody ever lets it.

Peace,
Lauren