Packing

First, let’s begin with an extremely awkward video made by me a few hours ago:

Now, back to business. As I said in the video, I’ve pretty much just been packing and relaxing all day. It’s been a good day, listening to Hot Chelle Rae and hearing the thunderstorm outside that occurred all afternoon.

So far I have a couple of boxes, as well as a couple of storage boxes that I am using to pack my things for NAU. I am trying to keep it down, as I know I’m not going to have a lot of room in my new room, especially while living with a room mate.

I also want to say that when I do move in and set up, I will take some pictures as well as a video to show around my room and my move-in process. I am moving in a day early, so there should be slightly less people than there will be on the 25th. I’m so psyched to move in, and the day is getting closer and closer!

So that’s pretty much all I had to say this post. Please keep in mind that when I do move in, I will have more helpful posts for you guys. It’s just hard to blog much about Flagstaff when I don’t live there quite yet!

Also make sure you keep in touch with my “Posts to look forward to” in the side bar on the left. I do keep that updated, so you’ll know what I’m going to post about next (though I will add in some extra posts that aren’t planned, just to throw you guys off ;] )!

Preparations for Starting College

The time is nearly here where we will all be getting all of our stuff together and beginning on our journey’s to Northern Arizona University. With a little over two weeks until school starts, we are all rushing around trying to get together everything that we are going to need for college.

If you haven’t checked them out yet, take a look at my Dorm/School Essentials post and my Textbooks post for resources to help you get everything you need.

I’ve already begun my packing, as I now have boxes laying around my room, some of them half full and others are already closed up and ready to go. My walls are becoming more and more bare as each day rolls around and I begin taking more things down and setting them into boxes. My room’s getting a little less dusty as I move things around and get things cleaned up and organize for that day when I move out. Every day seems to be going by faster than the last, and college is just around the corner.

Although it is very exciting, it’s also almost a sad, bittersweet feeling to see my room being strewn of its former glory. Everything’s looking a bit less chaotic as things are being put away. My memories are no longer out and readily available for me to look after, but instead placed inside a closed box for me to look at as the next few years go by and I make even more memories.

I am only 17, turning 18 in a couple of months, yet I feel even older. At the same time, I feel as if my life is about to begin, finally, and that the last 18 years haven’t really counted. They were just mildly preparing me for what is about to come.

I’m excited, and not really scared like my fellow peers. Many freshmen I know are practically shaking in their boots, not ready to fully get out to the real world and start what their lives could become. Me? Scared isn’t even in my vocabulary. I know my way around Flagstaff, and mostly around campus. I know many people who are going to be attending the school, so I’ll have people to turn to when I’m not quite sure what is going on.

All-in-all: I’m excited, and you should be too.

Textbooks

Hey guys,

Today is the day that I am ordering all of my textbooks and really getting things ready for college. I am moving in in 12 days, so I am really trying to crack down on my ordering, packing, cleaning, and anything else I can do to get me ready.

For those of you who may be where I’m at in this process, or who will be shortly, I just wanted to say a few words. I was considering just going through and buying/renting my textbooks through NAU, because the prices didn’t look too horrible, but I’m so glad I decided to do some research. Do research. Seriously. Through this site, I was able to just search for my books, and it came up with some of the best prices. I’m saving $50 on just one book because of this.

That’s basically all I had to say on that. I am so excited that I was able to find these books to rent/buy used for so much cheaper. I know I sound like some sort of Geico commercial advertising saving tons of money, but I really am saving tons of money. Seriously, college is making me so broke, but with these rentals, I’m a little less broke than I originally thought. 🙂

The One-Month-Before-School Post

Hello!

Alright, so as of yesterday, we officially are ONE MONTH away from school starting! Being a freshman, I know that this is an extremely exciting (and sometimes scary) time for all of us. Even a lot of the upperclassmen I know are all psyched to get back to the lovely weather and friends back in Flagstaff.

As of yesterday, many of us received our roommate and room assignments. For me, that really made going to college seem that much more real. This is really happening, and we only have a few weeks left!

As the move-in day gets closer, I know that there are many who are getting more and more scared, excited, and nervous for that day when we are actually college students. I know that I am getting tired of everyone in my town assuming that I’m still in high school because it just started and I’ve been helping my sisters go back-to-school shopping.

My friend who is the mod of the Life as a Lumberjack Tumblr blog was so kind to make a Master List of Freshman Questions which basically includes all of the most frequently asked and important questions mainly asked by incoming and future freshmen. I definitely recommend checking it out as it will help you immensely with the next few weeks.

Things are finally coming down to the starting point, and there seems like there is so much to do. Packing, buying dorm essentials, meeting new people, talking things out with roommates, the list goes on. Just take a deep breath. Stress is supposed to start along with classes, not before. Enjoy your last few weeks of summer, and get ready to have some fun Flagstaff style!!

Dorm/School Essentials

So as we have one month left until school, I’m sure many of you freshmen, like myself, are wondering what exactly we are going to need for our dorms and just for school in general? It’s hard to know exactly what to get for when we start the new chapter in our life at college, and sometimes it’s hard to figure that out.

I’ve found two different sites that help a lot with that sort of thing. One is FreshmanTips, which I find to be very helpful in a lot of ways to freshmen. There is also this other site that I got emailed to me by a college-finding website I signed up for in my senior year. I usually delete those emails, considering I’m no longer in high school, but this one caught my eye, and I’m glad I did.

The links to the pages are here and here. So you can take a look for yourself, but I will highlight the things that seem to have stood out the most to me.

1) Don’t bring a lot of stuff; only what you need. I feel like this has been repeated constantly for a while on every site that has tips for moving into dorms. This is really helpful because I probably would have brought a lot of stuff…and ended up with absolutely no space in my room. When I pack, I’m going to be sure I set aside plenty of boxes labeled “For Storage” until I get an apartment…

2) Shower stuff (shoes, carrier, ect.) is a must. Don’t go unprepared with just a couple of shampoo’s and conditioner. Make sure you have a special set of shower shoes and some sort of carrier for your shower stuff. Otherwise, it won’t be too fun.

3) Extension Cords. I know for Reilly at least, there’s only one or two outlets. Well, keep in mind that we are teenagers…actually, we’re human. We have a lot of electronics. It’s the 21st century. Bring plenty of extension cords, or plan on buying them.

4) A fan. It may seem silly. We’re going to Flagstaff, one of the coolest parts of Arizona, and it’ll be the middle of winter. However, keep in mind that NAU does NOT have air conditioning. We are also going at the end of August, one of the hottest months of the summer. Your room will get hot. End of story.

I think those are 4 of the most important things. Obviously, there are plenty more important things, but I feel like those are things that people overlook, and I certainly did.

If any upperclassmen have any other input, please let me know. 🙂

NAU STAR Program 2011

Hey guys,

So in case you didn’t now, Northern Arizona University features a summer program in which freshmen may attend NAU for five weeks and take a few classes in order to further themselves with their credits into their majors. It’s a great way to get away from the heat, meet new friends, and get a taste of the campus and college life before everyone else gets up there in August.

For the past couple of weeks, I have been asking people who I know have attended STAR to give me short summaries on their experiences with the STAR program. I, unfortunuately, was unable to attend, so I have no feedback for you. However, I figured if you were someone who was considering doing it next summer or you want to see what you missed out on this summer, you’d be able to see what other students thought about it!

“Star was pretty much one of the best ways I could have spent my summer. I feel far more prepared for college and for life in Flagstaff in general. I surprised myself both personally and sholastically in ways I would never have if I hadn’t gone.” – Robert W.

“The STAR Program was a fun and productive way to spend my summer. I was able to get ahead in my credits by taking Fundamentals of Public Speaking and English courses as well as getting to now the staff, campus and overall feel of Northern Arizona University. I enjoyed the experience very much and I would suggest to everyone that can, apply.” – Jacob W.

“The NAU STAR Program 2011 was an Awesome experience for me. Not only was I able to take two college courses; but experienced living in the dorms. 
I was afraid of meeting new people, but little by little I opened myself to accepting new friends . Thanks to the STAR Program, I am ahead in my credits and have new friends that await at Northern Arizona University.” – Alexis T.

“Star made my summer so much better. I was able to get ahead of the rest of the incoming freshman and got use to the campus. I also got use to college life. I made a lot of friends that I will keep forever.” – Aaron S.

“Overall, the STAR program has to be one of the best and most fun experiences in my life. Sure orientation is helpful, but taking classes and integrating into college early was the most help out of the program. Come fall, I will be more prepared and ready to take on college unlike some of my peers. I took two classes, Rhetoric in the Media and Sociology 101 and labs that accompanied the classes. Personally, I loved my classes. My professors were nice and offered help when needed. The workload was not an issue at all. The labs however, I wasn’t too fond of. The labs were there to help students, but usually were a waste of an hour. What I disliked was the campus dining. It gets old after a few days and after a certain time the Hotspot would be the only option for dinner 😛 Another thing I disliked was my roommate. I’ve never had to share a room and having to suddenly share was difficult. Although we had our issues, I took it as a learning experience. And that’s basically what the STAR program was. A learning experience. I learned what college classes were like, learned my way around campus, and learned to break out of my high school self. I’ve made some great friends in the process as well. Because of all the life experiences that occurred in the short four weeks, I am so glad I decided to participate in STAR. 🙂 I had more fun in those four weeks than all my four years of high school.” – Cecilia (http://cecilia182.tumblr.com/)

So that’s it. 🙂 If you are someone who attended and wants to add something that wasn’t here, either comment or email me at northernazcollegelife@gmail.com and I will insert it into this post. 🙂

Freshman Orientation

The alarm goes off at precisely 4:47 AM, loudly playing whichever song I had set my iHome to play just a few hours ago.  I got ready, and was soon finding myself packing up my car with everything I needed for orientation (including suitcase, sleeping bag, purse, Wall-e pillow, Wall-e blanket…don’t judge). It was at 6:32 AM that I backed out of my driveway, needing to be in Flagstaff by 7:45 AM. I drove down the road with seemingly endless amounts of trees on either side thinking about how my next couple of days was going to go. Since they didn’t give us an itinerary until we checked in, I had no idea what to expect.

I finally reached the NAU campus, excited to be able to go and finally start my journey towards the college life. This was the moment I’ve been waiting for since I got accepted. I parked my car in front of Sechrist Hall, the hall where all the freshman (except for those in the STAR program) were staying in. I checked in, placed my things in my designated room, got lost a couple of times, and then met up with my friend. NAU had set up tables by The Union for their complementary breakfast as well as for the many booths advertising clubs, credit cards, classes, and fraternities/sororities. We were then all shuffled into the Audrey Auditorium for a bunch of presentations that seemed to last forever. Many of them addressed many times that we were at 7,000 feet and that dehydration and passing out were expected. Being from a town at 5,000 feet, it didn’t bug me much. However, if you’re from somewhere down lower (i.e. the valley, California, ect.), you may want to be prepared for the difference. I know many people that I met were having a hard time with the elevation.

Anyways, the day was mainly presentations, there was a lot of sitting around listening to people talk about how great everything is at NAU. Then, at around 7, we were released for free time. At 9:00 PM there was a dance called Hot Mess in the lobby of Sechrist Hall that had loud music and lights. Anything that graduated seniors and future freshman of NAU would love.

The second day had a quiz that freshmen had to take for NAU to learn more about them. Then, we had advising (there were different advising times assigned to different groups, otherwise it would have taken forever). This was my favorite part. This was when we were able to sit down with our selected advisors and discuss what classes we wanted to take and what direction we were planning on going in. I got many great classes lined up for when I start this fall. This was when I really got excited about attending NAU.

After advising there were some more presentations. However, I was extremely exhausted from everything already, and chose to just head home.

For me, freshman orientation was not exactly everything I had dreamed of. It was overall very tiring, however I did meet some great people and my excitement to start college was heightened. If you have not yet attended, I would advise you to prepare for cold mornings/nights (it was about 40 degrees when I was there), and windy afternoons. Since there is no air conditioning in any of the buildings, they do get quite hot inside, so prepare for that as well. Don’t bring 2850 blankets to sleep in. You won’t need them. 🙂

I don’t currently have any pictures. However, if you have any you’d like to share, go ahead and send them to northernazcollegelife@gmail.com. I would love to add them to this blog, and give you the credit, of course. 🙂

 

Anything you’d like to see specifically on the blog? Let me know!

-Ash

NAU Remodel

On September 23rd, 2010, ABOR (the Arizona Board of Regents) got together and came up with a new master plane for NAU’s campus. The article was written and published here on Dark City Times.

I honestly think that it looks great. Although I know that it means that there’s most likely going to be a lot more construction going on during my next four years there, It will definitely be for the best. It sounds like there is going to be a lot more transportation and more beautiful views. The computerized images look great and I think NAU will look even more stunning after all of the work that they put into it.

What do you think? Good idea or no? Do you think that it’s worth the next few years of construction? Do you think it will greatly improve the University?

Weather

Chilling winds, pouring rain, heavy clouds, blowing snow; how is anyone suppose to get used to the seemingly bipolar weather in Flagstaff, Arizona, especially if you’re one from the Phoenix area or any other place that’s hot most of the time?

I know that many incoming freshman are constantly worried about the weather up in Flagstaff. I mean heck, it was snowing last week, and last year all the finals were basically cancelled because of snow in the middle of May! Not to mention the constant wind and the few feet of snow that piles up during the regular winter hours.

Being from California, I know what it’s like to be anxious about that kind of weather. I moved to Payson, Arizona three years ago and not only was it a huge culture shock, but it was also a huge change in weather. I went from the semi-sunny beaches of Southern California to the wind and rain of monsoon seasons and snow of winter seasons up here in the mountains. It was a huge change, and I know that it’s a change that many incoming freshmen and transfers are going to be experiencing this fall and winter as they get used to the beautiful Flagstaff weather.

So, how is it possible for a flatlander (no offense) to get used to such weather? Well, wear layers. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to slap myself in the face when I see a girl (or guy) walking around in shorts in 5 degree weather…especially if the girl decides to wear Uggs as well. I mean, what’s the point? Also, if you’re not keen on such weather, don’t go outdoors too often. It is definitely fun to go outside, build snowmen, have snowball fights, and sit in the snow for hours-on-end (I know from experience), however, not only will more experienced Flagstaff-weather students look at you funny, but you may also catch a cold, miss your classes, and ultimately fail college…well at least that semester.

So, go find that favorite coffee place of yours, wait for the snowy season to come in, and hide out there, sit by a fireplace (if they have one, of course..if not, find an espresso machine), drink your hot coffee, and watch and laugh as others slide about with red noses acting as if they enjoy such weather.

Disclaimer: I do love this type of weather, and am for sure a winter person. Don’t get me wrong. 

The only reason why I decided to post this today was because it’s been windy and rainy all day which has gotten me in a writing mood…:)

Update…Again.

I just wanted to say how happy I am that I’ve had so much support already for this blog. 🙂 Not only do I have almost 300 views already, way more than I expected at this point (especially considering I haven’t even officially started..until next Sunday), but I’ve just gotten plenty of support from you guys and it’s awesome.

I wanted to announce my recent “promotion” to the lovely Life as a Lumberjack blog  that I’ve been referring to. So, if you have any questions regarding being an incoming freshman, head over there and I’ll be happy to answer them. If you prefer, you may also email me at northernazcollegelife@gmail.com. I will respond and publish (if you desire) as soon as possible.

One more thing…17 more days until graduation, and I’m finally going to be considered a college student! This is a moment I’ve been looking forward to my entire life…and it’s finally almost here. I cannot even fully express my excitement and unbelief at how fast this has approached!

On that note, remember I will be going to visit Flagstaff next Sunday. If you have anything you’d like me to blog about, send me an email or comment.

Thank you,

Ashley