10 February 2011

The Perks of Being a Ball State Student

Wow, I have a lot to cover this week:  TechTime, Student Voluntary Services, the Career Center, and a thesis update.  When it rains, it pours!  Oh yeah, and I have some photos.  Whew!

So first, glory of glories!  My computer has been fixed!  It's been acting up (read: blue screening every few hours) since December.  The grand finale occurred last Sunday when it refused to turn on, instead favoring a black screen with the words "Operating System Not Found."  That's a BAD thing! The good news is that Ball State offers FREE computer repair services to its students.  So Wednesday I took my misbehaving computer to TechTime.  Two hours later my computer had a new operating system installed and was completely repaired!  On top of that, because I'm a student, I was able to buy the new OS at a discounted rate-- only $27.  Go me!  And a HUGE thanks to TechTime staff!  You guys are amazing!

While I wasn't battling the technology gods this week, I was searching for a job and trying to figure out my thesis.  I decided to look at the Career Center for job opportunities since the market for aspiring landscape architects is rather bleak at the moment.  I've used the resources at the Career Center before to practice interviewing, to learn "proper" etiquette at formal meals,  for my campus jobs, and I've attended a few career fairs.  I've just learned about another of their services: Cardinal Career Link.  This system allows me to upload my resume and CV to make it available to prospective employers.  It also contains a database of jobs, employers, and other career-related opportunities that I can search for new prospects for after graduation.  Perhaps the best part: Career Center staff review any documents I upload and offer feedback on how to improve.  I'm hoping this will be a valuable tool as I move forward in my job search.

As far as my thesis. . .  There were a few hang-ups last week.  They mostly involved miscommunication between my professors and me about certain elements of my project and a misunderstanding of the schedule I should be following.  Thankfully, we were all able to meet on Tuesday to figure things out.  I'm now spending nearly all my free time working to make up missed time.  Which has been a little stressful.

I'm the kind of person who uses volunteering as a stress-management technique, so I've started volunteering with Motivate Our Minds (MOMS).  I volunteer as a tutor for students in grades 5-8.  So far it's been challenging and fun-- exactly the kind of distraction I need during the week.  It's nice to get off campus, interact with people not affiliated with the university, and (hopefully) make a positive difference in the community that's been hosting me the past five years.  As a shameless plug:  MOMS needs more volunteers!!!  Contact SVS if you're interested.

Another distraction that started this week are dance classes.  I'm not a dancer.  At all.  BUT Ball State's Recreation Center offers instructional courses for a small fee.  My friend and I signed up for two of the classes, so hopefully by the end of the semester I'll be able to hold my own on the dance floor.  I've also bought a fitness pass, which gives me access to any of Ball State's fitness classes.  I'm particularly fond of zumba.  And of course, I'm still having a BLAST on the climbing wall.

And finally, here are some images from around campus:

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="336" caption="My friend scraping ice."]Ryan Scraping Ice[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="336" caption="The ice was REALLY thick! "]The Ice was REALLY Thick!  [/caption]

Most people reading this will probably remember the ice/snow storm that covered the country last week.  Those photos were taken a few days later.  Many cars were literally frozen to the ground.  The campus staff are STILL working to clear all the sidewalks.  It's slowly getting better though.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="336" caption="First year projects brighten up the architecture building."]First year projects brighten up the architecture building.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="336" caption="More first year projects."]More first year projects.[/caption]

These projects are from the CAP First Year program.  They've been popping up all over the building.  Quite frankly, I think they're lovely!

1 comment:

  1. [...] Posted in Uncategorized. on Thursday, February 17th, 2011 by jessi Feb 17 Well, for all the hard work TechTime and I put into saving my computer’s life, it seems that the problem is the [...]

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