Major/Final Changes…Or Not

By: Sarah Schwadron '14

Again the feelings of being stressed have not emerged.

I’m starting to wonder if I’m normal now.

I had my first final today, it was for Foundations of Education. I studied for it, and when the time came to take it, I knew the information! Who ever thought it would work like that?

No, seriously. I have been studying my tail off for these exams. But nothing overboard. I don’t stay up late studying. I go to bed early every night (who would ever think that between 1030 and 11 is early). I end up studying whenever I’m working out. It helps me remember the information as well as burning calories and getting rid of excess energy. I’ve been doing that for Psychology for the past two weeks and I feel very comfortable with the info for the exam.

I really should be, since I’m considering becoming a Psych major. Well, a double major in Psychology and Human Services. Anything that I would use those two degrees for would involve helping people, which is something that I know I want to do. Becoming a education major and eventually a teacher was always just a ‘why not’ sort of thing for me. I always knew that I wanted to help people. And I knew that I was naturally good at history, and the only viable thing I knew I could do with a history degree would be to teach. Then I looked at the job projections for teaching.

Yeah. Not feeling so strong about going into teaching anymore.

At least with Psych and Human Services, there are multiple jobs I could do. I would love to work for Child Protective Services. But I could also do Social Work, Counseling, etc. All of which sound very interesting to me. Plus, they have better job projections than teaching does.

But then, I wouldn’t have anything historical. Maybe I can do a History minor…

Ok. I like that idea.

The Polar Express Part 2…

By: Paige Kleinfelder '14

There aren’t many people who would consider starting off their weekend contemplating the subject of eternal hell to be favorable, but, at Elmira College this weekend, the theater department put on the play No Exit. The play, about being confined in Hell, served as a gentle reminder to live every day to the fullest, so with the holidays approaching, I decided to take the time to get in the Christmas spirit.

Lucky for me, Saturday night there was a gingerbread house making contest at Mackenzie’s. My roommate and I joined several friends to make a team of five using ready-to-use graham crackers, frosting, and mounds of assorted candy to create a Christmas masterpiece. Rather than making a traditional house, we opted for another Christmas standby, the train. A steam engine and two boxes rode on peppermint wheels along our Twizzler tracks.


Our train ended up being a little different from the picturesque trains on the other tables… Because as pieces broke and we broke out in laughter, we realized we had an abundance of Gummi Bears. First, they became passengers on our train, but soon we were tossing them under wheels and in the path of the oncoming locomotive.


As we waited for the judges to come around, the left over candy and even some pieces of our train disappeared, because they looked too good not to eat. We announced our title to the judges and got some strange looks… In the end The Polar Express Part 2: The Massacre didn’t win. We still loved our train, and now that I think about it, maybe watching No Exit before creating our masterpiece had the wrong effect.

Elmira College Freshman Christmas List:

By: Daniel Patrick Moriarity '14

1. One extra hour of sleep every night
2. A personal bathroom
3. An A on my writing portfolio
4. $60 more on my meal card
5. No more lab…ever
6. 20 hours of community service coupon
7. 5 homework passes
8. A reserved parking spot next to my dorm
9. More novelty shirts
10. For my Freshman Writing class to be cancelled…all next term

Winter Wonderland

By: Sarah Schwadron '14

I am glad that this semester is drawing to a close.

Unlike many people I have come across, I’m not stressing out. Like, at all. The boyfriend, for one, has to write the Encore Paper, two Core Papers, finish his Portfolio for Freshman Writing, practice his Chinese, write a Term Paper and do a homework for Microeconomics. That’s on top of studying for finals.

All I have to do is write a three page paper for Core that’s due on the day of the final. Plus turn in the Encore paper. And then light study for three final exams. Most of them are open notes. I almost feel bad when I say this to people.

Key words there are almost.

I like being on top of things. My Core paper is planned out, just waited to be typed up. My Encore paper is four pages and is quietly sitting on my desk, waiting for me to turn it into the box office. My Portfolio is safely in the hands of my writing teacher. My Philosophy of Education paper is being graded as we speak, and I already gave my final presentation for Psychology. I must admit, it feels weird not being under stress. But, I kind of like it.

Finals shouldn’t be that bad. I’m given a little time at work to study, and then studying at night to, so I should be in good shape.

I am getting very excited for this break though. I get to see my best friends from home. We haven’t all been together since September and we’re very excited about having our own little Christmas party together, just the four of us.

Then, I’m pretty sure I’m going to be spending New Years with the boyfriends family. His aunt and uncle have a house up in Vermont that we spent fourth of July at over the summer and it was a great time. But since it will probably be snowing on the mountain, I’m going to be learning how to snowboard. I’m really excited about this. I got most of the stuff I need for cheap, thanks to eBay and the boyfriend being a pack rat and not getting rid of his old equipment.

Let’s hope that I won’t ring in the New Year with any broken bones! =]

Merry Hanukkah!

By: Emily Oshinskie '14

Life has been quite festive these past couple of days. From the purple and gold Christmas trees to the countless strings of lights I’ve seen hanging in the windows of dorm rooms, everyone is getting into the spirit! But let’s not forget that this season is not just meant for Santa and Rudolph, this time of year is also meant for menorahs and driedels. I was sitting in my friends’ room the other night and she and her roommate started talking about their Hanukkah traditions, and before I knew it they pulled out an electric light-up menorah. Don’t worry, no open flames! As seen in lovely picture below (please ignore the Ziploc bags and the peanut butter! We’re college students, and those are the essentials!):

They saw all these Christmas decorations and felt EC needed a little culture and Jewish history, so the last 7 nights have been committed to honoring the miracle of the oil that lasted in the temple for 8 days. After lighting the first candle, we ventured over to the campus center for the Hillel Hanukkah party. The air was filled with the smells of potato latkes and jelly donuts, which we quickly devoured. Then it was time for a game of driedel-with purple and yellow driedels of course! The first night of Hanukkah brought 8 people to sing and light the first candle. Then my friend sent a mass of text messages, and before she knew it there were 17 people in her room for the second night of Hanukkah! You can tell we made very good use of space!

See crowded room below: Tonight we are lighting the eighth candle, concluding the holiday. However, I don’t think my friends will take the menorah out of their window. This is the start of a tradition that I’m sure we will continue throughout our years at Elmira. If you’re ever interested in celebrating Hanukkah on campus, I’m sure you will be able to find us. Don’t worry, we sing loudly-you’ll hear us from all the way down the hall!

20 Things Not To Do In Class

By: Sarah Schwadron '14


Being in school for the past thirteen years of my life has caused me to reflect upon what to and not to do in class. Some seem to be pretty obvious, but some people still tend to not notice the obvious points. So I’ll point them out here.

1. Smack your Gum
   Please. This annoys everyone in the class because it’s just plan gross. No one wants to see what’s in your mouth.
2. Paint your nails
   Not only is the smell obnoxious, your manicure/pedicure won’t come out looking too well.
3. Plan out your outfit for the next day
   Or for the next week. Just…no.
4. Doodle
   This is often the go to distraction because it looks like you’re taking notes. But then you have to explain to everybody what you are drawing, and that opens up a whole new set of questions
5. Do your hair
   It will probably just mess up the style you spent an hour in front of the mirror that morning. Especially if you’re a guy.
6. Do your neighbors hair
   You’ll probably get a taste of their patented ‘WTF’ look.
7. Write lists
   Cause then you’ll start to write what the teacher says, and then it becomes *gasp* notes! On second thought, scratch this one from the list.
8. Use your desk as a drum set, with the person in front of you as a high hat
   Again you’ll see the patented ‘WTF’ look.
9. Write a paper that is due for the class you have right after the one you are in now
   You've probably failed the paper anyway, because it’s not up on ANGEL, so why bother?
10. Throw things
    There are so many lawsuits that could be involved with this…
11. Daydream
    You mind goes to places you don’t want it to go.
12. Sleep
    This is here for obvious reasons. However, if you must fall asleep, please don’t…
13. Snore
    Or fall asleep leaning over your desk, or leaning over the side so far that people start to take bets on how long it takes you to fall out of your chair. Trust me.
14. Adjust your underwear
    Just…please…no. Go to the bathroom if you must.
15. Clean out your bag
    No one wants to see (or smell) your three month old gym socks.
16. Read a ‘for fun’ book
    This might seem like a good idea, but it really isn’t. The teacher can tell right away that you’re not paying attention.
17. Play dots or tic tac toe with your friends
    It’s fun, but really obvious.
18. Text
    See above.
19. Surf the internet
    Teachers in college have gotten wise to this, and often there’s no wifi in classrooms =[
20. Write your next blog.

Ooopss…

Term 1 Daily Schedule

By: Tyler Cuddeback '14

It’s 12:15AM Sunday…well, I guess it’s really Monday at this point. Monday… great. Monday means a lot of things. Monday means it’s time to go back to class and back to Army Physical Training. But, this Monday in particular marks the last week of classes for the Term. This means enough Term Papers and studying to drive a person to drink. Let’s start with the most normal part of my day. Army PT has to be my least favorite part of my college experience. I have to wake up every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 5:45AM just to roll out of bed, throw my PT uniform on and get to the Emerson Hall no later than 06:00.

I mean, I could always think of worse ways to wake up in the morning, but just the fact that I probably won’t get to sleep before 1AM and then waking up 4 hours later is taking some getting used to. Now, before anyone that is potentially looking to go to Elmira College looks at this and freaks out thinking every student has to do this, take a deep breath. I’m part of a club on campus called Army Reserve Officer Training Corp, or Army ROTC. It’s a completely optional club that only 20 to 25 out of 1000 students participate in. What’s the reward for joining this club? If you do all for years of ROTC classes and training, you will graduate and e guaranteed a job in either the US Army, National Guard or Army Reserves.

There are a lot of reasons why my schedule is nothing like the average college students. Most EC students are just contemplating bed now, but probably won’t fall asleep for another hour or more. Then they won’t make up until at least 7, probably 8 or even 10 AM. So, let me describe how my day will go for a full 24 hours

• 12:00AM – start working on blog
• 1:00AM – finish blog and play a round of call of duty to unwind
• 1:30AM – Drink some water and go to bed
• 5:45AM – Wake up to several different alarms so that I don’t miss another PT session
• 6:00AM – Start PT
• 7:00AM to 7:30AM – Finish PT
• 7:45AM –Shower, dress, eat, grab books and run to Chinese class
• 8:00AM- Chinese class
• 9:00AM – Finish Class
• 9:01AM – Go work out with my girlfriend. (two PT sessions for a cadet isn’t uncommon)
• 10:00AM – Walk girlfriend to work, grab snack from the Campus Center to eat while studying
• 11:30AM – Freshman CORE Class
• 12:30PM – Get out of class and go to lunch

I’m only half way through my day and I have already worked out twice and gone to two classes…Someone save me, please!

• 1:00PM – Sleep if I can, otherwise do work on my Term Papers
• 2:25PM – Microeconomics Class
• 3:25PM – RUN OUT OF MICRO AS FAST AS POSSIBLE, and check my mail on the way back to my dorm
• 3:45PM – Watch TV or Play a Video game to unwind. Sleep again if possible.
• 5:30PM – Dinner with my girlfriend.
• 6:00PM to 7:00PM – Call whatever family member called me most in the past week
• 7:15PM – Use my Textbook and interactive DVD to learn the dialogue for this week’s Chinese classes
• 8:00PM – Grab a snack, clean up the room a bit, then hang with a friend or two.
• 9:00PM – Look up prices for Ski Mountains in driving distance for a snowboarding trip with some buddies this weekend.
• 10:00PM – Finish whatever paper I’ve been procrastinating on the past day or so, or start one that’s due soon
• 12:00AM – Take out my uniform for ROTC the next day and be happy I don’t have to do PT

So that’s my life in a nutshell. But, then again… Monday’s suck.

I Know You…

By: Paige Kleinfelder '14

As I started to think about my blog for this week I realized that Tuesday is my favorite day of the week. So yesterday after dinner I joined my fellow Joss Whedon fans during the club meeting for Welcome to Sunnydale (The club devoted to the Whedon shows including Buffy, Angel, Firefly and Dollhouse). Before watching an episode of Dollhouse, we discussed our plans for recreating Once More with Feeling the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Perhaps my love of the Buffy musical episode explains why I was so excited when it was time for Glee!

When I opened the door to my friends’ suite to watch Glee I found myself in a Christmas wonderland. A six foot Christmas tree stood against the wall. Intricate paper snowflakes littered the room and garland with glittering lights was draped around the common room. By the start of the Glee there were eight of us packed onto the futon and the chairs squeezed into the room. As far as Glee goes, it was a pretty important episode because Glee Club was off to sectionals. Cassie jumped up on the futon when the competition started and the song “I’ve Had the Time of My Life” began. (My guess is that everyone in Tower A heard her screaming with excitement).

I admit that I am a bit of a Gleek. But there is another show that steals my true devotion. The Office. Last night I joined the team “Male Primadonna” for The Office Pub Trivia to show off my love for the crew at Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. The four of us pulled off a second place win by answering questions about the show, the actors and the original UK version. Sadly there was only one question that mentioned my favorite character from the show: Creed Bratton. Everyone else watches the show for characters like Michael, the boss who tries too hard to be funny, or the token couple Pam and Jim, but I love to watch episodes to catch Creeds completely random comments. My friends have come to realize if I walk up to them and say “I know you… You’re from the parking lot” I haven’t lost my mind, I have just used one of my favorite Creed quotes. There is a lot to love about the oldest employee at the office whose crazed expressions are only slightly less shocking than the blog he tried to write.

After last night, I am beginning to believe that if Glee fans are Gleeks then there ought to be a name for extreme fans of the The Office. Any suggestions?

Tis The Season!... For Work!

By: Sarah Schwadron '14


It is wonderful how two stressful events seem to coincide with each other. We have finals right before Christmastime. So with studying for Finals, writing term papers, and packing up (to hopefully move into a bigger room…yay!), I also have to worry about Christmas shopping. Even on top of all of that, I have a cold that just doesn’t want to disappear.

I’m not really as negative as I sound.

I am really excited for the Christmas Season. Already the Campus center is decorated with trees, purple and white tulle, and ornaments everywhere. It kind of brings a little magic to the campus. Now, if we could have snow instead of this horrid rain, the picture would be complete. Plus I have most of my Christmas shopping done. And I got most gifts pretty cheap. I am a college student after all. My favorite bargain? I bought one of my best friends a white gold and diamond necklace from Zales for $20. It’s really pretty and I knew she’d like it, so I had no qualms about buying it already.

My favorite part of getting ready for Christmas this year is buying my own Christmas tree. I know, it’s Elmira, so a purple tree with purple lights would seem to be in order, right? Not for me. I had to be different. So in front of my window, I have a pink feathered Christmas tree. It is so tacky I love it.

In between Christmas shopping trips, I’ve been getting ready for the end of the term. Right now, next to me, I have a list of due dates for term papers. And they’re in chronological order, so I know what to do first. That little list has made me stay sane these past couple of days, you have no idea.

Plus it’s also nice to have the satisfaction of putting a big black Sharpie line through an assignment that you are so happy to be done with. That’s my favorite part actually.

And this blog was a part on a my list which shall now be crossed off with my Sharpie, because my little study break is over and it is time to get back to the Wonderful Land of Psychology.

Here’s my ‘tree’. Bonus points if you can tell me what time the picture was taken at ;-)