innovation.

I’ve had a great time in the FIG this year. I love the Walter Williams program – the mentorship with the faculty is an amazing opportunity to really connect with a professor and get to know the industry from a different perspective. The networking opportunities and chance to meet professionals at things like the Honors Medal Banquet have been both fun and extremely interesting. However, I don’t understand what makes us stand apart, and I don’t understand what literally makes us stand apart in terms of our living quarters. Journalists aren’t journalists based on how well they do on a multiple-choice math section – they’re journalists based on how well they write.

Reclaiming Childhood through Laughter

As I’ve grown older, I’ve become increasingly less mature.

Best case/Worst case scenario

I think there’s a small part of every incoming college freshman’s mind that is afraid they won’t make friends and that they’ll be the sad, lonely kid eating alone at lunch.  It’s a legitimate fear.   At a large school like MU, there are a lot of people.  What if you never find people you get along with?  What if you’re lost in the crowd and left wandering alone and friendless?

First Semester: Emotional Roller Coaster?

So first semester is over, and if someone asked me what I learned, there are a number of ways I could respond.

But before I go into that, I’d like to start off by saying that it’s been a ride. I mean, all of us came in with our own perceptions of what college might be like, but now we all know what it actually IS like. Some of us like it. Some of us probably don’t. But in the end were all here for the same reason: to have a good time.

Four Months Into My Future…

My first semester as a freshman at Mizzou has really been rewarding for me. I came into college with very bad preconceived notions about how fun or interesting my time at Mizzou was going to be. All I really knew about Mizzou was a good percentage of my graduating class, and everyone before mine, was at Mizzou. I was really concerned go to school in Missouri would be the same experience as high school all over again. Fortunately, my experience at Mizzou has surpassed all expectations and even just one semester into it, college seems promising to only get better as time goes on.

Please, Slow Down!

If I had to say one thing about my first semester at college, I would say it went by way too fast. Before I came to school I thought I would be a complete wreck, miss home, and struggle with classes. I found out that I can be completely independent of my hometown, make even better friends here, and excel academically.

A Few Tips to Campus Life

I write this with only 3 more days of first semester to go, and even though I’m DYING for winter break, parts of me will miss the previous year. To properly close it out, I feel its necessary to document and note some lessons learned, tips to myself, experiences, and honestly whatever else I want to put.I know everyone in the FIG has the same topic, and I’m assuming several blogs will be similar to this, so I’ll just note some points that stood out to me.

(Ahh free form at its highest.)

Little Fish Swim Together

Coming to a college with 30,000 students from a high school with 550 students can be pretty daunting. One of my classes this semester had an enrollment almost as big as my high school. I’d never been in a class with more than 30 students. At the beginning of the semester, I was a little fish in a really huge fish bowl.

First Semester Reflections

The first semester of going to school at Mizzou has changed my life in a lot of ways, yet still holds reminders of my life previous to college.  Life always changes, but sometimes things stay the same.

A semester with a guy named Travis

The first semester of college is that of an adapting process. The last 2 months of my summer I spent in a condo by myself in Chicago because my parents moved to California. I went from having a place to myself to sharing a room with the one known as Travis Zimpfer. It was a process I had to adapt to from the get go.

What’s My Age Again?

When Humans vs. Zombies started up in October, me and the other people participating on the floor got some weird looks and more than a some belittlement from other people living on this floor.  Either we were immature, silly or just plain weird.  But it being called these things didn’t really matter to me because I value the things I’ve cared about since I was little, including the things I enjoy.

In my last blog post I said that the most important thing I could take with me to a desert island was a teddy bear I’ve had since I was very young.  It has so much sentimental value to me, that I can’t think of it not being an important aspect of my life.

College: The Ulimate Learning Experience

It’s possible that I’ve learned more in the last four months than in any other point in my life. And very little of it came in the classroom.

My first semester at Mizzou, according to Facebook

I have added 191 pictures to my Facebook since I joined Mizzou a few months ago. I have friended 16 people, been tagged in 55 pictures, and posted 18 statuses. It’s a good thing Facebook remembers my first semester for me, because I feel like it flew past without so much as a picture to remember it by.

Leaving the palm trees and Mexican food was all worth it

My friends thought I was crazy for leaving the amazing weather, beach, palm trees and Mexican food. But on August 14, I had no problem leaving all that behind, knowing that I would meet an amazing group of friends and receive a unsurpassed education in journalism.

Five Reasons I Love the 5th Floor

After a semester in college, I expected to have loads of stories of classes, professors, and crazy antics to share with my friends and family at home. While I do have some funny stories, I find myself instead gushing about just how much I love where I live in Mark Twain.

My First Semester at Mizzou: A Mixed Bag

I’ve always been fond of the University of Missouri and the town of Columbia.  My hometown, Sedalia, is just an hour drive away.  I’ve spent many weekends in Columbia, whether it was to go to the mall or visit my friends.  No matter what, entertainment was always plentiful.

That’s changed since I’ve started living here.

What happens in St. Louis…

The defining moment of my freshman semester. The weekend I realized it really didn’t matter what my parents thought, that I was completely independent.

Pierced Arrows

I don’t like [College].

So far.

It seems, among my friends from High school, that I’m the only one. Maybe it’s just because I’m taking some classes that I’m not really interested in, or I haven’t really found my niche here, at least I really hope that’s the case because, if not, I’m absolutely lost.

So You Think You Can Dance

Amongst crime scenes, medical drama (Needles! Blood! Ah! No!), and manufactured reality TV, it’s rare to find a show that is completely transfixing; that leaves me in a state of awe in front of my TV.  Yet, from 7-9 pm on Tuesdays and from 7-8 pm of Wednesdays I can often be found sitting in wide-eyed in front of the screen saying “Oh my god that was amazing.”

Coaches Gone Wild!

In today’s sports world, we see players requiring discipline all too often. Whether it’s a result of the almost monthly bench-clearing brawl or an ejection for some kind of sucker-punch, players are always facing fines, suspensions, or both. But what about coaches?