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First Snow of Winter

November 22, 2011 in Connor, Student Blogs by ccahill2 | Permalink

I cannot believe that it is mid-November and the weather is starting to change. Here in Spokane we saw our first significant snowfall this last weekend and it was gorgeous! Nothing makes me more happy than seeing our campus covered in a beautiful blanket of white snow. It is one of the prettiest settings to see the campus in, especially with the lights of St. Al’s shinning over the freshly fallen snow.

A lot has happened since my last post in my life of an ordinary GU student! Lets see, first off, as always a quick update on our stellar mens basketball team! We had 82 tents of students camp out for the last home game against WSU last Monday, thats roughly 450 students camping out last Sunday night for the best seats in the house against our first huge home game of the season, which was broadcast on ESPN! It was the craziest I have ever seen the Kennel and the place was ROCKING!!! Oh and we won, in case anyone had some doubt!

Also, last Thursday night, instead of studying (shhh! don’t tell my mom!), some friends and I went and saw Macklemore perform at a concert in North Spokane. In case you don’t know who Macklemore is, he is a huge up and coming hip-hop artist from Seattle. Even though it was a Whitworth Concert, the vastly Gonzaga crowd got a G-O-N-Z-A-G-A chant going between one of his songs, truly showing what a force Gonzaga is! The concert itself was preformed at the coolest venue, the place is called “The Service Station” and it is a large coffee shop connected to a large auditorium that has an awesome concert atmosphere! AHHH IT WAS SUCH A GREAT CONCERT!!!

Anyhow, that is mostly whats been going on in my life, oh and I won this weeks game of Fantasy Football, no big deal! Until next time!

Happy Thanksgiving!

~Connor

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Next Week…

November 21, 2011 in Heather, Student Blogs by hdiaz | Permalink

Next week is Thanksgiving Break! Finally, a much-needed break from all the stress that comes with being a college student!

Although I went home for one weekend back in October, this particular trip will feel strange. I haven’t been home since the 1st weekend of October, and even then it felt strange being in my own house!

On the plus side, I get to see my family and my friends. We might even have a big get-together, which I think would be fun!

However, Gonzaga already feels like home to me. I’m pretty sure once next Friday rolls around, I’ll probably be wishing that I’m back on campus again!

We’ll see how it goes. I wish you all a snowy and good Thanksgiving! Have a great break! 🙂

Heather, Class of 2015
English and Music Education double-major

Four Tests, Two Performances, and One Happy Guy!

November 15, 2011 in Ruben, Student Blogs by ryamada | Permalink

By the title of this post, I hope you all know that this post is going to be about STRESS – my favorite topic. I’m going to give you a little sneak peek into the week in the life of RUBEN! This past week, I was jam packed with activities (an inevitable occurrence in a college student’s life).  How did I do it??? I guess I learned how to manage my stress without killing myself over it. FIRST, my four exams were TOUGH. I started studying for the tests two weeks in advance. One thing that really helped me was studying for each test for only an hour at a time. For some reason, this worked really well for me. My physics teacher told me that the brain can only focus on a subject for fifty minutes or so (please don’t quote me, lol).

Anyway, aside from the tests, I had two performances; one for Gospel Choir and another for the International Student Dinner. The time I spent practicing for these I counted as free time; which was fine for me because I love singing. Make sure that when you do have free time, spend it doing something that you love like writing, drawing, singing, watching movies; that way you can do something productive while giving yourself a break from all that studying.

Another thing that relieved some stress, for me, was writing things in my planner and crossing them off. Just the idea of crossing them off makes me feel like I have conquered something, that I’m victorious, and that I am awesome! By the end of the week, I find it a joy to look back at my planner with everything scratched up and done, forever!

There are many things that can be done to relieve stress and to manage time, these are just three of the things that I do to take care of this busy college life. Just remember to breathe when you have stress. Take time to sit alone, or with friends, and relax. But remember not too relax for too long because you need to prepare! So face every stressful week with an organized planner with a pen in hand to cross out, scratch up, and eliminate those tests, assignments, and meetings! Go get em!

Ruben ’14
Accounting and Business Administration

The things we do for basketball tickets…

November 14, 2011 in Student Blogs by Elizabeth | Permalink

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Elizabeth Class of ’13
International Studies of Latin America, Art & Spanish

Getting Sick

November 14, 2011 in Heather, Student Blogs by hdiaz | Permalink

Now, I’ve had a cold on and off for the past two months or so, and they were manageable. However, this past Friday, I threw up and had a fever all day-yet I still forced myself to go to my classes.

Bugs are always going around during this time of year, and missing classes because of it can be tough. I didn’t miss class, but if I did, I would’ve not had the chance to take my French exam or gotten the full schedule of my Music Theory I/Ear Training final.

Stress can play a part in one getting sick, so I recommend getting plenty of sleep (time management goes with that too-do important stuff earlier and get it done earlier, so you can go to bed earlier. Therefore, less stress. Yay!) . Vitamin C tablets are great as well, since they can help ward off colds. Eating regularly can help as well.

Keeping yourself as healthy as possible is an important thing-that way, one can finish tasks with more energy and success, and one can enjoy their free time not coughing up phlegm or burning up with a fever!

What’s on My Desk in My Dorm?

November 11, 2011 in Student Blogs by nxiongxtoyed | Permalink

MyDesk!!

I know this is totally random, but I just wanted to share what my desk in my dorm looks like. When settling in the day before Freshmen Orientation, my mom and I actually took our time decking my desk out. This is how my desk looks like today and I will describe my desk from top to bottom.

On the wall above my desk is a poster that especially caught my eyes. I really like the colors and how a couple is hugging under a pink umbrella; the emotions they have towards each other is espressed through not only the colors but also by the weather. I actually got this poster a week or two into the school year at the Big Poster Sale. There were so many posters to choose from varying from: movie films to actors and actresses and Marilyn Monroe to Bob Marley and many more. Incoming freshmen, don’t forget to look out for the poster sale if you want to jazz your room up a bit.

Next, onto my shelf. As you can see, there are a lot of things clustered on this little shelf. My mom actually arranged my stuffed animals for me along with my prom picture. The stuff animals here have a meaning to me because most of them were given to me as a good luck charm for my dance competition way back in high school. The little bulldog was actually a gift from my dad to me so that I can show off my “Prep Pride” at home. (The high school I attended was Gonzaga Prep and our mascot was a bullpup.) To the left of the stuffed animals are a little mailbox, a capsule containing Texas beach sand, and my prom picture. These three items are important to me because they all represent memories of my boyfriend and are the gifts he gave to me. To the right of these stuffed animals is a picture of my dad and I. This picture was taken at the Father-Daughter dance at my high school and it deserved to be on my shelf because this dance was a once in a life time experience for me and only through this picture can I relive that moment again. Next to this picture are a red container containing miscellaneous items I found while cleaning, a picture album, another picture of my dad, and a stapler. I made sure I brought this other picture of my dad with me because whenever I miss him, I would just look to this picture and feel his presence around me. Also, in college, some professors greatly appreciate papers being stapled so it’s not a bad idea to have a stapler handy! On the right of my book shelf are my high school yearbook, a binder, some of the books for my classes, and another photo album.

Now, onto the next level of my desk is the wall of pictures. This wall is very convenient in that you can pretty much pin pictures or a calendar on here. For me, I chose to pin up a lot of pictures of my friends and family and a quote that gives me inspiration. Now, to the real desk itself. On my desk is a lamp that comes with a pen, pencil, notepad, high lighter, etc container. This is very convenient in that I spend a lot of my time doing homework on my desk, so whenever I need a new utensil, I can just pick one up from here. Also on my desk are water and gatorade.

So, I hope you all enjoyed looking at my desk and reading about what’s on my desk! ^_^

Nikky

Dorm Life

November 8, 2011 in Elizabeth, Ruben, Student Blogs by Elizabeth | Permalink

I remember that when I was applying to colleges one of the things that I really wanted to know about was the dorm life. I wanted to see what the dorms looked like, how I got to select a roommate, if I really had to share a bathroom or walk down the hall to take a shower, the size of the rooms, what the best dorms were, the number of roommates I would have, parking lot, etc. I had two college tours and the one thing I was really looking forward to during the tour was the student dorms. Maybe I am just weird, but honestly I think that getting to see what the rooms look like and getting an idea of what to expect really helps you determine whether or not you can picture yourself in that campus for the next four years.

So here are a few things I learned about the GU dorm life:

  • You are required to live on campus for the first two years (unless there are special circumstances like having relatives here in Spokane, being from the area, etc.)
  • Room sizes vary from dorm to dorm, but the majority of them have the same furniture: two twin beds, two desks, chairs, two closets, drawers, two trashcans (trash/recycle) & a phone.
  • Roommates: During the summer you will get a survey about your living styles (what time you go to sleep, wake up, whether you are clean or not, do homework in your room, etc.).  This helps the Housing office pair you up with someone that might share the same living styles as you. Trust me it is nerve racking! But GU does a great job at trying to find your match! Also, there are some students who already know who they want to live with you can always request each other (but sometimes that’s not the best option)
  • Bathrooms: YES you do have to share bathrooms and sometimes even walk down the hall to take a shower. When I first learned about this I was NOT looking forward to it. I lived in Coughlin hall where the bathrooms are in the middle of each wing. There was one side of showers and the other side of stalls; it was something that I definitely had to get used to. But after a while I realized it was not as bad as it looked; having more than one shower allows you to take long showers without having someone complaining about how long you are taking and custodians clean the bathrooms! So that is one thing you can take off your chore list.
  • Room size: Again, it depends in which dorm you are staying. Some are very spacious, other ones are just big enough for you to live in, but there is one thing you can always do: LOFT YOUR BED. The lofting kits are the ones that allow you to raise your bed and make more space in your room. A lot of students place their desk under, put a couch there, etc. Also you can always get creative with the room setup to help make more space.
  • Best dorms: I lived in Coughlin for two years, so I will probably be biased in this response because I loved Coughlin. There are themed floors, libraries in the building, common areas, coffee shop downstairs, flat screen TVs, indoor parking lot and overall the Coughlin community is great! But there are also dorms like Madonna, CM, Marion, Desmet, Alliance and much more! Just know that wherever you get placed you will end up loving it!
  • Number of roommates: Almost everyone gets paired with one more person, but sometimes there are students that have two other roommates. (both of my years I had ONE roommate, but I had some friends that had two)
  • If you are thinking to live on campus you can always buy a parking permit. Coughlin has indoor parking space, which is nice for the winter season, but throughout the campus there are designated parking spaces for students!

Like I said earlier, the one thing I looked forward to in tours were the student dorms. So here are several pictures that Ruben took this past year of some dorms!

Alliance

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CM

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Coughlin

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DeSmet

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Madonna #1

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Madonna #2

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Elizabeth Class of ’13
International Studies of Latin America, Art & Spanish

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The Second Best Season of the Year

November 8, 2011 in Nikky, Student Blogs by nxiongxtoyed | Permalink

Fall on Gonzaga campus is the most beautiful sight with all the colorful leaf colors ranging from green, yellow, orange, and red. One of the best times to visit Gonzaga’s campus would have to be the fall. During this time, you can capture the most breath-taking scenes on campus from any angle! The weather is also great with no snow fall on the ground yet and just sunshine and cold temperatures. What I love the most about fall is walking in/on the leaves and hearing the crunchy sound of the leaves being crushed below my feet.

FallMarianHall
This is a picture of how fall looks like at Marian Hall, a dorm at Gonzaga University. As you can see, most of the leaves on the trees have fallen, and all the leaves will soon be gone.

Hosts at Gonzaga Welcome You!

November 8, 2011 in Ruben, Student Blogs by ryamada | Permalink

This year, my roommate, Junior, and I are hosts. What does that mean? WELL, I am glad you asked! We are here for YOU! Basically our responsibilities include hosting prospective students overnight to allow them to experience Gonzaga at its finest! If you visit Gonzaga, I definitely think that you should take advantage of the hosting program that we have here. Typically, you would meet with your hosts at 5 pm and live the life that they live at Gonzaga. So, a night with me, for example, would include dinner, some studying, a club meeting, SLEEP!, gym in the morning and at 9 am you’re off to your busy, scheduled day. I really enjoy meeting new people and I want to be there to help you all with that difficult choice of choosing a college because I know that so much thought goes into it. I think I speak for all the hosts when I say you are totally welcome to come and visit with us!!! And you never know, staying a night on campus might help make that decision just a tiny bit easier!

Ruben 14
Accounting and Business Administration

Retreats!

November 8, 2011 in Heather, Student Blogs by hdiaz | Permalink

Since Gonzaga is a Jesuit university, there’s a University Ministry office in Crosby (you know, that one building with a statue of Bing Crosby in front of it…). If you came on a tour, you probably heard the phrase “God is between coffee and money,” due to the fact that the University Ministry office is between the Crosby Cafe and our branch of U.S. Bank!

Retreats are big here. They’re a great way to get away from campus and you meet new people! I loved retreats at my high school; in fact, I attended 5 retreats and led 4 retreats during my 4 years in high school. I always kept hearing about the ever-popular Freshmen Retreats held several times during the school year, so why not sign up and find out how retreats are done at the college level?

This past Halloween weekend, I boarded a bus with around 35 other fellow freshmen and headed to Bozarth Mansion, a real mansion that Gonzaga bought years ago and converted into a retreat and conference center.

Bozarth Mansion

A big element that makes retreats here highly enjoyable is secrecy. I had no idea what would happen on the retreat or what I would learn from others. So, unfortunately, I can’t reveal specifics about the actual retreat. You’ll have to find out when you go on the retreat yourself. 🙂

I met a lot of fun people on this retreat. Some were people I was already friends with, others were classmates that I didn’t know very well, and others I’ve glimpsed around campus from time to time. I was surprised at how we all bonded, especially during our free times during the retreat. I loved how everyone was making an effort to interact with each other and learn more about everyone’s stories, likes, fears, and other cool things. As a result, we all went on a Facebook friending spree and traded numbers!

If you do decide to come to Gonzaga, SIGN UP FOR ONE!!! Making new friends in college may be a scary thing to think about, but there’s many opportunities to meet new people. The Freshman Retreat is a great one to start with. And hey, I might even lead it! 😀 I plan on applying in the spring.

Freshmen Retreat Oct. 28th-30th

Heather, Class of 2015
English and Music Education double-major

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