Video Blog

So my friends and I needed something to do and we decided to make a video blog to share with you all. I always like doing this because it switches things up a bit. It is just a bunch of people hanging out in Corey and Jake(some friends from second floor)'s room. I had them all either give a favorite memory or some advice about college. Enjoy!

Until next time,

Scott

Less than a month left...

I can't believe that I have less than a month left of college. Wow. I really don't think that has totally hit me yet. I mean, I'm sending out resumes and I'm attending end of the year activities and I'm looking for a place to live- but in the back of my mind I still can't imagine not being back here this fall.

Mary and I were talking about that recently about how we're not ready to leave. Well, sometimes. We're at different stages of how we're feeling right now (and to be honest, I'm not sure any 2 seniors are feeling the same way about it because it is just such a big time in our lives), but we are both in agreement that we'll miss it. There are things that I'm ready to see and do outside of Bluffton, but I love my friends and professors and everybody I come in contact with on a daily basis. I'm really torn most days because while I am excited to try something new, I also know how much I love being here, just down the hall from most of my friends. And I feel like I just started. Less than a month of college left? No way.

That being said, it's been a pretty good time lately. Last weekend was one of the highlights of the year actually. I'll let you read Mary's blog for the details, but basically 30 Bluffton students went to Denny's in Findlay around midnight on Friday. It was so much fun, and we got some good pictures from it.

Today I get to sit in on a meeting of the Board of Trustees for Bluffton. Myself and 4 other members of Student Senate will be observing some of the discussions and decisions that the Board makes for the upcoming school year. I've had the chance to do this the past two times (they meet in the fall and spring) and it's always been a neat experience. I really enjoy getting to see what goes on in regards to decision making from a different perspective than just a student who goes to college here.

I don't remember if I mentioned it yet, but in a couple weeks there will be a Rock Band tournament on campus! For those of you who are not familiar with this game, it is just like it sounds- you get 4 people and you perform rock songs. In my band I'm doing vocals. I'll make a video of us playing sometime so you can get an idea of what I'm talking about. But anyway, I am getting really excited about this tournament and we are in the process of putting a band together now. We have it pretty much figured out except for one spot. I will definitely keep you posted on this, and include pictures as part of the judging is based on performance and costumes. Oh yeah, life is good.

Well folks, that is all for now. I hope you are having a great day whatever you are doing!

Until next time,

Scott

P.S. The pictures are from last weekend at Denny's. The first one of me is a really weird one (which begs the question of why did I put it up) but I was telling a story of taking a picture if I recall correctly.

Bummer.

So apparently my last blog didn't post. I wrote one last week and something must have happened because I just checked now and it isn't there. Sorry about that. Bummer. Anyway, it has been awhile since I last posted anything. Life has been going pretty well lately though. It has definitely been very busy, but there have been some good things happening as well.

It has been hitting me a lot lately that I'm getting close to graduation. Several end of the year activities are coming up and it is making me realize that I am almost done with my undergraduate career. That is super weird, but I can remember the day I moved in like it was yesterday. I don't want to get all sentimental though, so we'll change the topic.

I found out some pretty cool news this past weekend. As a senior business major, I had to take a test that college students across the country take, and I found out I scored in the top 90th percentile in the country. It was pretty exciting to find out, and the EBA (Economics, Business Administration, and Accounting) Dept. here at Bluffton is giving me $100! So that obviously was a great start to my week. (Sorry, I just felt like bragging there for a little bit. It feels weird telling people in person, but if I write about it it doesn't seem quite as weird for some reason. I'm not sure that makes sense, though.)

My Student Senate responsibilities are coming to a close as well. We (the executive committee and our advisor) met this weekend to decide the allocations for next year. It's pretty cool because as Senate we have a lot of responsibility, including deciding how much each student organization on campus will receive for the upcoming school year. In order to do so, each group fills out an application and then we look at them and talk about each group and the activities they have done as well as what they would like to do. We also discuss how many students are actively involved in the organization, etc. Our meeting took over 2 hours to decide, but I feel good about our decision. It's a neat feeling knowing that you can make decisions that will impact the rest of campus.

And then tonight I went to the mock interview session hosted by the Career Development Center. Several community members from all types of businesses volunteered to interview dozens of students. It was a great chance to get some feedback from real professionals who have had experience interviewing and hiring. I actually hit it off with one of the interviewers who offered to send my resume to a recruiter for his company in Indianapolis! I was excited to find that out, because it sounds like the type of job I might be interested in. I'll let you know what I find out.

Well, that's all for tonight. This is a busy week though, so I'll fill you in on the rest later.

Until next time,

Scott

Almost Spring...

It's good to be back at school after a week off for Spring Break. Don't get me wrong, I was definitely ready for a break from responsibilities and classes and everything, but when I'm gone for too long I get bored.

Spring Break for me consisted of visiting my brother and his wife in North Carolina until Wednesday which was a lot of fun (Mary wrote more on that), and then coming home for a couple days and just relaxing. I had a job interview as well but I just didn't bring my A-game and I don't think it went all that well. Oh well, I am just taking that as practice and an experience to learn from.

So I imagine if you're reading this there is a good chance you are looking at going to college in the fall. If so, you are also probably being bombarded with financial aid packets from all the schools you have been accepted to. A piece of advice from good old Uncle Scotty- breathe.

The decision that you are going to make about what college you will attend is big and I don't want to minimize that at all. But at least from my experience it just comes together after awhile. When I was deciding on where I wanted to go 4 years ago (whoa, that went fast), I spent a lot of time talking with my parents, my older brother and sister, friends, teachers, and admissions counselors. We talked about everything from cost to quality of education to opportunity to get involved and everything in between.

While cost shouldn't (in my opinion) be the deciding factor, it obviously needs to impact your decision. Depending on whether you are getting a lot of financial aid or whether or not you have parents or grandparents are helping to fund your education can make a big difference as to where you might be able to go. Even if you are essentially on your own paying, however, there are almost always a way to make it happen. Talk to your admissions counselor- they will everything they can to get you on campus.

But I strongly recommend balancing that desire for a "cheap" education with a lot of thinking about how the colleges you are choosing from will help to form you in your path through life. I've mentioned in previous posts about how different I am now compared to four years ago when I was making this same decision and I am happy about that. If I had a chance to go back and do anything different, I wouldn't. I have loved so much about Bluffton and the opportunities and experiences I have had here.

So as you're making your final decision in these next few months, remember to keep some of those things in mind. After I factored in a lot of pros and cons about each college I was looking at, Blufton stood out as the place that I felt I should be. There was just a moment all of a sudden when I knew that it was where I wanted to spend the next four years of my life.

Hopefully you have a similar experience. Talk to your parents, siblings, friends teachers, mentors, pastor, Sunday school teacher, etc. Ask them if they attended college what factors helped make their decision. Talk to current students at places you are considering. But most of all, make sure it is your decision by deciding what is important to you.

I hope that helps. Now if you have any advice for finding a job, please let me know as this is all new to me. :)

Until next time,

Scott

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

What a week so far! It has been nice because it hasn't felt so busy. Plus, we've had quite a bit of snow and my friends and I have taken advantage of it by making a snowman, sledding and snowboarding. It's weird because sometimes growing up people try to act so cool and grown up and then when you get to college something happens that makes you wanna be a little kid again.

Tonight we were out for the second time this week and we spent a couple hours snowboarding down a hill by Sauder Visual Arts Center. It's not a huge hill, but big enough that I'm unable to stay on a snowboard. We decided part of my problem is that I have such big feet (size 14 shoes) and so my heels touch the ground instead of staying on the board. So we got the bright idea that I should stand on the plastic sled and use that as a sort of snowboard. And now I'm in pain. I got going pretty fast on that thing and then landed right on my shoulder. The other guys said it was one of the coolest wipe outs they had seen so far that night though, so that was some consolation at least. But I was definitely on the ground for a little while, and my first thought was "I wander if I broke something." It's gonna be sore in the morning.

I just realized that I never talked about Tony Campolo (see my last post where I mention my world getting rocked). Anyway, if you've never had the chance to read anything by him or hear him speak, I definitely recommend you check him out. He is an incredible speaker who really challenges you.

But hearing him speak last week really shook me up. He was brought in for our Spring Spiritual Life Week, so that was kind of the point I suppose. He talked a lot about how we are so wrapped up in our earthly comforts and things that we don't even care about things like kids dying of starvation or the AIDS epidemic. It hit me because lately I've been so excited about the job search and finding a good paying job so that I can pay off my loans and save up money that I have been only focused on myself. God definitely showed me through Tony's message and also some Bible verses later that night that I'm gonna be ok, but that I need to refocus on the types of things that I should be focused on. This doesn't mean that I'm going to be a missionary in some third world country (who knows though), but what it does mean is that my options need to be broadened and I need to seriously considering what it is God would have me do with my life.

So yeah, I've been doing a lot of thinking the past week and I'm not sure what I'll be doing next year. Who knows, it might be finding some job and volunteering some time helping out at a homeless shelter or something like that. Or it might mean a year of service in some other area that needs help. I really don't know, but it's been at the forefront of my mind lately, and I don't think it's going to go away.

I feel like I've covered a lot of ground in this post and the different themes might not fit together as well as you would like, so let me sum up the points that I was trying to get across in my stories. First of all, don't be afraid to just go and have fun. Sure, you might be a little sore later, but it's worth it. Secondly, be thinking about the path you want your life to take and be open to changing your focus. God has a way of shaking up plans sometimes, so it helps to keep an open mind and be ready to adjust.

It's late and I'm tired. Good night.

Until next time,

Scott

Whoa

I apologize for what has proven to be my longest absence yet from blog writing. But alas, I am back, and I have tales for you that include, but are not limited to, staying up until 4 in the morning playing SimTower (actually, that's the whole story, I was just bored and I had the next day off from my internship because of President's Day), a road trip to Indianapolis, and my world being rocked. Let's dive right in, shall we?

There has been a lot going on this past week. It started out last weekend when I tried to make my computer run faster. Since I've had the same computer that I got because I came to college, it's been running really slow lately. I'm not really a tech guy, but I am ok with computers so I was only a little scared I was going to delete everything. I tried to format my hard drive, but it wouldn't really work. All my stuff is still on my computer, and it runs a little faster I suppose, but at least I found Sim Tower, which is a pretty old game that I forgot I had. So that's been my new time waster this past week.

Then on Monday I had to take a standardized test that all Business majors here have to take. Something like a 1000ish colleges around the country take it as well and it just lets the school know how the business professors are doing. It's actually kind of impressive because normally Bluffton seniors average around the top 70th percentile out of the whole country. As an incentive to students to do well and take it seriously, if you score in the top 90th percentile the EBA (Economics, Business, and Accounting) department gives you $100. So, I don't know if I did, and I'm not sure when we'll find out, but I think I did well. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Later that night Mary and I went to Fort Wayne to stay at her house for the night. It is always fun to get off campus and I love spending time with her family, so it was nice to be able to do that. Then we got up early Tuesday morning and went to see her sister and brother in Indianapolis. We got to babysit for her niece and nephew for a few hours and I discovered that I am apparently a pretty sweet babysitter. Aka, the kids loved me. I don't like to toot my own horn, but- beep beep.

We spent some time talking with her brother later that evening about jobs and what we are planning on doing. He has quite a few connections in the area and has been helping us in our search for a job in Indianapolis. Plus we sat down and talked about expenses and what we would have to make to afford living in the area taking into account rent, groceries, loan payments, etc. It was a little depressing to think about, but at least it painted a realistic picture.

Then the next day we went to a job fair in downtown Indy and realized that maybe we would have to keep looking since there were only 12 companies there. It was pretty funny actually because we actually stayed in line to get into the room for longer than we spent in the job fair. Plus, Mary and I brought the average age down by probably 20 years. If we had made the trip just for the job fair and didn't see her family, it would have definitely been a wasted trip. But it was a blast getting to see them all and spend some quality time with them. Oh, and I had an interview with some sales company that wants me back for a second interview, but I'm not sure if I will at this point. I'll keep you posted.

I just realized that I have written quite a bit and I haven't even touched the "my world getting rocked" part yet. I think I'm just going to write about it next time because I did not expect to spend so much time on what I did. So, I'm keep you in suspense for a couple days, but trust me, it'll be worth the wait.

Until next time,

Scott

So weird to be back here...

Greetings blog readers. After about a week of no posts, I am back. This past week has been a little weird because my schedule has been getting kind of busy and I'm getting over being sick. Plus I have two job interviews in the next week that I'm trying to prepare for which just adds to everything.

I have been pretty excited about the job search up until this point, but lately it's been getting me down. If you're familiar with Ben Folds, you'll know he sums it up pretty well when he sings "It hurts to grow up, but everybody does, it's so weird to be back here, let me tell you what, the years go on and we're still fighting it, we're still fighting it..." I love the thought that I'll be out on my own sometimes, but other times it just seems like too much. Even though I'm excited about my life after college, I also know that I'm gonna miss this place and the late nights talking with my friends, random trips to the Flying J, and even staying up all night writing papers and studying for tests. (Well, at least I'll miss my friends and the Flying J.)

So yeah, I guess you could say I'm embracing my future but fighting it at the same time. There are days that it seems like I will never get everything done and I'm just annoyed with all of the things I have to do- those are the days that I am ready to say goodbye. But then there are days that I have a few hours to relax and spend time with friends and play Rock Band and watch Scrubs unti the wee hours of the morning- those are the days that I know I'll miss. It's like I can't win.

But alas, time stops for no man. And tomorrow morning I actually have my first job interview. It is in Findlay with a financial investment company and I don't really know what to expect. I have been practicing (and will no doubt continue tonight) interview questions and shining my shoes (fyi, be careful when doing this at home or you might end up getting polish on your jeans like I did) and re-editing my resume for the 139th time and it's finally just time to do it I guess. Wish me luck.

Well, I best get back to the business that is the rest of my night.

Until next time,

Scott

I'm back!

It's been kind of a weird week. I apologize for not posting earlier, but I have been feeling a little under the weather, which means that I haven't really done a whole lot, which means it wouldn't have been that interesting anyway. Except for the fact that I watched most of season 6 of Scrubs yesterday as I stayed back from my internship to rest. Like I said, I haven't done much.

Other than being sick, it has been an ok week. I got a couple of bigger assignments out of the way which is a great feeling. My professor in my Christian Ethics class gave us a lot of options as far as how we would be graded, and even let us put together our own syllabus. There are a lot of choices to do (movie reviews, journal entries, a creative project, tests) that are each worth a certain percentage of our overall grade. We just had to pick enough things to add up to 100%. Each one has a specific due date, so I'll essentially be done with my graded assignments in that class by the middle of March and I will already know my grade. I'm pretty excited about that. I mean, I'll still have to go to class and take notes (we have notebooks that he collects periodically that count as part of our grade), but it will clear up my schedule quite a bit as far as assignments go.

And I am really excited about this weekend. On Friday, Mary and I are going to go to her house in Fort Wayne and stay until Sunday. I'm excited to hang out with her parents and just relax. After a few days of not being able to sleep and just feeling sick, it will be nice to get off campus, get a change of scenary, and relax. I love her going to her house and seeing her family.

Looking ahead, the countdown is on until my first job interview. Mary and I are heading down to Indianapolis in a little less than 2 weeks to attend a job fair, do some interviews, and see her family around that area. I also really enjoy those people as well, and we all have a lot of fun when we're together. It still feels weird knowing that I'm interviewing for jobs already. It's cliche, but I feel like you will end up saying it too- college has been some of the best years of my life, but it's also gone by crazy fast.

Well, I'm off to study for my Christian Ethics test. Until next time,

Scott

I'm tired.

For some reason I just haven't been sleeping well this week. I really don't know why, but I've been going to bed, laying there for an hour or so, and then getting back up for a couple hours because I'm not able to fall asleep. It hasn't been all bad though because it has given me more time to hang out with my friends late at night, which is a lot of fun. I can definitely tell that my body just needs a good rest though.

Today was a pretty good day. My only class was cancelled, which is always nice. Also, today was Focus the Nation, which is an event that a myself and a few others from the Student Senate Recycling Committee have been planning. (See my last entry for a little more explanation.) There was a pretty good turnout and the professors had a lot of insightful things to talk about regarding global climate change.

Tonight a couple guys from my floor and myself went to the Flying J in Beaverdam just a few minutes away. It's just a truck stop restaurant, but there's something about it that just screams "college hangout". I'm not sure if it's the huge amounts of greasy food, the interesting people that dine there, or the fact that you can pay for a shower, but it's a Bluffton favorite. One of the guys had never been there before, and that's always a great experience. I have spent countless hours at the J during my time here at Bluffton. Everything from midnight trips with friends to sleepless nights when I went by myself at 4 a.m. It's definitely one of those college things I'll miss.

I also scheduled my first job interview this afternoon! It is with a marketing firm in Indianapolis in about 3 weeks. And I think I have another one for around the same time, as soon as this other company calls me back. It's crazy to think that I am interviewing for a real job. I mean, I've interviewed for things before like high school jobs, my Resident Advisor position, and my internship this past summer, but this is real stuff. This is moving out on my own, wearing a suit, paying rent, doing all my grocery shopping type stuff. This is crazy stuff.

I am excited about my trip to Indy that time because in addition to interviewing, I will also be attending a job fair. So even if nothing comings of the interview(s), I will hopefully have some more ideas after I leave. As much as I am so excited about all this, it still doesn't seem real at times.

This just seems kind of all over the place tonight. Maybe I just need some sleep.

Until next time,

Scott

It's already the 4th week of the semester?

I've been doing a lot of reminiscing lately in my blog posts. I don't have a lot of deep thoughts or memories for you today though, but I did get to wear my favorite outfit to my internship today (see below, minus the jacket). And someone even said I looked "chic". I guess there is a first time for everything.Speaking of my internship, it just seemed long today. Whenever you start a new job it always takes some time to adjust, but sometimes it takes awhile. With an internship I think it's more challenging because while the point of an internship is to be challenged, it's hard to do that before you get the hang of the environment, what is expected, etc. Also, an intern typically spends only a couple months at the internship, so you don't really have the luxury of time to get really get settled in. That being said, it was still an ok day, just long.

Nothing too crazy happened this weekend either. I was on duty, which means I had to miss the Winter Formal. Mary went though, so you can read about it here. But basically it's a toned down version of prom. I did go out to eat with Mary and her friends before the dance though. And I made sure to really stick out by wearing slippers to the restaurant. Go big or go home, right?

Then last night I ended up watching Scrubs for a long time. It started out as just my friend Jake and I wanting to watch a couple episodes. Then, after every one, we looked at each other, realized we had nothing better to do, and decided to watch another one. That, combined with some random things I had to do, kept me up way later than I would have liked. I've done a better job of getting to bed at a reasonable (college) time this semester, but I saw 3:00 am this morning. And then I paid for it when I had to get up.

I'm thinking it's gonna turn out to be a busy week. I just realized I have an essay due Wednesday for my night class that I haven't started yet. Also, I'm a member of the Recycling Committee for Student Senate and we are hosting an event called Focus the Nation. It's a national event that as of now has just under 1700 universities, schools, churches, and other organizations taking part in a national teach-in. There is a set schedule for the whole day on their website, but since we are a smaller institution we are going to have two sessions where 3 professors will speak on the issue of global climate change and how it relates to their discipline. I probably didn't do a very good job of explaining that, so you can check out the main website by clicking on the link above.

Well, that's all I have for you tonight. Until next time,

Scott

More memories...

In talking with my friends, as well as prospective students that come for tours and overnight visits and events like that, I have discovered that for the most part there are two kinds of high school seniors- those that are really excited about leaving for college and would go the next day if you let them, and those that are nervous and scared and not sure what to expect. You may fall on either extreme (or somewhere in between), and that's ok. Everybody goes through it a little differently.

I remember around this time of my senior year of high school when I just couldn't wait to leave home and go to college. I didn't necessarily know what to expect, but I just knew it had to be awesome. All I talked about was how I couldn't wait to get out of Berne and start figuring out what I wanted to do with my life. (I still don't know, by the way, but I'm getting closer.) I was getting restless and I was ready to figure out if I could handle college.

Graduation came and went, and then it was just my summer job standing in the way of me leaving. At the time I was working as a manager at a local drive-in restaurant. It was an ok job, but I remember counting down the days til I was done and out of there. It could not come fast enough.

And then, it came. The night before move-in day. A few guys from my high school were going to Bluffton with me and we all decided to hang out together that night. I could hardly contain my excitement, and I remember talking for hours about what we would do and how we would all have such amazing experiences. (We also watched "Texas Chainsaw Massacre", which I thought was a dumb movie, but that's a whole different story.) I had a feeling I wouldn't fall asleep easily that night because of all the excitement. Turns out I was right, but for a different reason.

You see, I am, and always have been, a last minute kind of guy. By the time I got home around 2:00 a.m., I realized that I still hadn't packed. This posed a problem since we were all going to caravan together at 8:00 a.m. As you can imagine, I was up pretty late. And it was in that time that I all of a sudden felt something in regards to college that I hadn't known before- fear.

I don't know if it suddenly hit me or what, but all of a sudden I was terrified. What if classes were too hard? Would I make any friends outside of the few Berne friends that were also going? What if I just didn't fit in?

I remember the first weekend pretty well. After moving in, there were several activities for all the first year students to participate it. At times it was fun, at times it was just long, and I remember it being in the upper 90s the entire time. But somewhere in that time I think I realized that I was going to be ok.

It's amazing how soon Bluffton began to feel like home. Within the first couple weeks I had my routine figured out, made some new friends from my floor, and realized that college classes weren't going to be the end of me. I was starting to realize what it meant to be a college student, and I was loving every minute of it.

So anyway, I guess the point of this long, random story is that no matter what stage you're at right now- excitement, terror, nervousness, unsuredness (if that's a word)- you'll be ok. I went through a range of emotions by the time I got here, and I think that's normal. Just enjoy where you are right now, even though it can be hard sometimes. I'm going through a similar situation right now in which I can't wait to get out into the real world and see if I can make it working a full time job, paying bills, living in my own apartment, etc. But I know soon enough I'm going to miss this place that I couldn't wait to get to.

That's all I have for you tonight. Until next time,

Scott

Top picture= All of the Berne boys that were going to Bluffton on our last day of high school-Tyler, Andi, Kyle, Eric, and myself

Bottom picture= High School graduation day with a friend from high school

This seems familiar...

So the last few months I've been spending time preparing for and now doing a job search. With graduation just around the corner, I've been polishing up my resume, signing up to attend job fairs, and hitting the internet hard trying to find that perfect job. It's more work than I had anticipated, and I feel like looking for a job is about as challenging as actually working at a job.

But anyway, it got me thinking about my senior year of high school when I was doing a college search. Taking college visits, taking the SAT, and sending in applications were the big things 4 years ago for me. It's a lot of work and it may seem like more trouble than it's worth at times, but trust me when I say it's worth it. It's more than just a diploma that you can frame on your office wall someday, it's your life for the next 4(ish) years. And just like I'm not looking for a job just based on how much it pays, I would encourage you to not let price be the deciding factor for your college decision.

No matter where you end up going, make sure it is where you really want to be. Don't go somewhere just because you feel pressure from friends or family to attend a certain college or university. While it is important that you listen and let that influence your decision, you need to do what's right for you. Factors such as the institution's values and mission statement will tell you a lot about what that place is all about.

You can learn a lot about a place by talking to students, faculty, and staff. So I encourage you to take visits to several colleges/universities if you haven't already. Ask questions that are important to you about what you feel should be included in your college experience.

Anyway, that's all I have for you on that one. I've been in a "looking back over the last 4 years of my life" mood lately, so be prepared for more of that to come in the future.

But other than the job search, things have been going pretty well. I enjoyed the long weekend with Martin Luther King Jr. Day off of classes, and it gave me a chance to just relax a little bit. I have a feeling that a lot of the responsibilities I have this semester will be nearing an end by around the beginning of April, so the last month should be a lot of just hanging out with my friends and enjoying my last few weeks of college. I am definitely looking forward to that.

Well, it's off to bed for me. Until next time,

Scott

That was quick...

The past few months I've been doing a lot of looking back on my time here at Bluffton. These past 3 and a half years have produced some of the toughest and best times of my life, and all kinds of things in between. It's weird to think, but a lot of the people here probably wouldn't recognize the high school me. There's something about college that changes you in ways you would never expect.

I remember about half way through my senior year of high school when a friend of mine, who was a year older, came home to visit. He went to a college a few hours away so I hadn't seen him for several months. But it was different. He wasn't the same guy that I knew from high school. It was weird, and I didn't like it. I mean, it wasn't like he was bad guy all of a sudden, but there was something different that I just couldn't put my finger on, and I didn't like it. I wanted it to be like old times.

So anyway, I made up my mind then and there that I wasn't going to change- I would be the same person that I was when I started. I didn't want to be some weirdo when I came home to visit. Then, it just happened without me having any say in it. And you know what? I'm ok with it. In fact, I don't think I would have gotten my money's worth had I not been changed.

Change can mean so many different things really. For me, it means learning to think globally and not just about myself. It means being more responsible (which I'm still working on, but I'm getting there). It means tackling some tough issues and finding out where I stand in my beliefs. It means being open to whatever life brings my way.

So, I guess the point I'm trying to make, is to be prepared to undergo a transformation when you go to college. I can almost guarantee that you'll be surprised with how you turn out. With a little hard work and an open mind, I can also guarantee that you'll be pleased with how you turn out. Be prepared to be stretched, to be shaped and molded, to be changed. It can be uncomfortable at times, but I think you'll like what you see when it's all said and done.

Oh and by the way, it goes by faster than you think, so enjoy yourself. Until next time,

Scott

Another week

The second week of classes is already upon us. Weird. I'll probably say this a lot this semester, but it seems like the school year just started. But at the same time, it seems like I've always been here. Like I said, weird.

So this past weekend was great. I already talked about the all night craziness that was "The Office" lock-in, but I should tell you that I think I'm caught up on sleep. Saturday was very much a relaxing day filled with hanging out with Mary and watching movies. Oh, and going to bed earlier than I usually do on Saturday nights.

Then on Sunday I spent the afternoon watching football. Any other year this would have brought me immense joy, however this year has been a little rough on me as a sports fan. First of all, Notre Dame was just pathetic. But then I thought my Dallas Cowboys were going to make a run at the Super Bowl, which gave me hope. It wasn't to be however, as they were the first ever #1 seed in the NFC to lose their first game of the playoffs. Watching the Colts lose was fun, but my joy quickly faded as the Cowboys followed a couple hours later. Oh dear.

Yesterday just seemed a little off. I can't really put my finger on it, but for some reason everything was just kind of blah. You, one of those days when you just don't seem to have the energy to make it through the day? Yeah, one of those. My guess is that part of it was a result of the lack of sleep from the weekend. By the end of the day I was feeling better, but I was glad when it was time for bed. (Which, incidentally, came at 11:00, something that I can't remember happening for a long time.)

Today's been pretty good so far. I was able to get a decent amount of sleep and then got up and worked out and then went to forum. (Forum is an event every Tuesday at 11:00 am where a speaker is brought in to talk. These speakers range from just about any academic discipline you can think of and talk about everything from health care to the quality of drinking water to poetry.) Today's forum featured a Bluffton alum who was my admissions counselor during my Senior year of high school and Freshman year at Bluffton. He was actually a huge reason that I ended up choosing Bluffton. I was really excited to see him, and he did an awesome job. He just graduated with his master's degree and he came back to perform a one man play that he wrote.

Well, I need to wrap this up so I can get to class. Have a great day!

Until next time,

Scott

All Night Madness

It is currently 8:30 on Saturday morning and I am writing a new blog entry. Why, you might ask, would a college student be up this early on an ever so precious chance to sleep in? Well, I actually haven't slept yet.

Last night MCB had an lock-in in Bob's Place where we watched the entire 3rd season of The Office. It was pretty cool, and I won a talking Michael Scott bobble head, but man that's a lot of any tv show straight. (It started just after 10:00 pm and got done around 7:40 am.) But it was a lot of fun hanging out with everybody and trying to stay awake.

So far so good for this semester with classes and everything. I was a little unsure of my internship at first (and still go back and forth), but I think I'm really going to enjoy it. Some of the stuff I am doing is a little more daunting then I originally thought they would be, but it should stretch me to do things I haven't done before. My main project is an analysis of the bank's products and services compared to their top competitors, along with some suggestions of new products to add or how to better market existing products. It feels a lot like some of the work I've done in various marketing classes I've taken, but on a bigger scale. So we'll see how it goes.

This weekend should be pretty fun (if I ever sleep). Mary is planning on coming over around lunch (around 3 hours from now) and we're just going to spend a good portion of the day together watching movies and being lazy. I can tell that I'm not going to have the energy to do much else, so it will definitely be what I need. Sometimes days like that are needed.

But yeah, that's what I've been up to. Just living the dream, being a college senior, and dreaming about sleep. I'm not sure that made sense.

Until next time,

Scott

I'm back

After a great Christmas break, I am back in action here at Bluffton! It's been a little rough getting motivated after doing what I wanted (which was nothing) for over three weeks, but I'm getting by.

But as I alluded to above, it was an awesome break. Getting to spend some time with my family and friends from home was good. My friends from high school have stayed pretty close even through college, so it's always fun when we get together. We played a lot of Eurorails (a board game that people who aren't boring probably have never heard of) and watched some Planet Earth (the show from the Discovery Channel) and ate too much good food. Yep, great times.

The picture at the top has a pretty sweet story to it, or at least I think so. From left to right it goes Tony, Doug, Bob, me, Eric, Josh, and Tim. All of those guys are my friends from home except for Bob, who was a starting offensive lineman for Notre Dame last year! We were at Josh's house around the South Bend area for New Year's and he's friends with him. It was crazy because I had no idea he knew him and it was awesome to get to meet him. I'm am a huge Notre Dame fan, so it was definitely a high point of the night.

I also got to spend quite of bit of time with Mary and her family. Her family got together the weekend before Christmas, and then we went to visit her extended family in St. Louis the following weekend. She came on Christmas to my house and got to hang out with my cousins and I, which was a lot of fun. This was our first holiday season together, so it was really a lot of fun.

Enough about break though. The new semester is upon us and I am excited! It should be a pretty cool semester since I am only taking two classes. With the rest of my academic load I am doing an internship at a bank about 10 minutes away, which should be some great real world experience. I was there yesterday for the first time and I think it should be fun.

It's crazy to think that it will only be a few more months before I am out in the world on my own. I'm very excited, but at the same time I am a little nervous about the whole job/apartment search. I'll keep you posted on how it's going.

Alright, that's all for now. If this post seems a bit random and unorganized, it's because I'm still trying to get back into college mode where I have to make sense when I write. I'm not sure that last sentence made sense. Ok, I'm done now.

Until next time,

Scott