Let it snow!

The first snow of the year always brings about some new experiences for college freshman. Hopefully by now everyone has their winter gear; although you probably laughed at your parents when they used to tell you to zip up your coat and put on a scarf, you will find yourself doing so voluntarily, regardless of how goofy you think you look. It’s hard to imagine how cold your extremities can get merely walking to class, but you should be sure to take extra precautions to stay warm. Also, if you are one to go to the gym and work out, be sure to bundle up when walking back to your dorm or apartment because not doing so will surely result in a cold. Make sure your upper body is warm, and try to cover your head with a hat or a hood. Also, not covering your legs could result in cramping.

Walking to and from class after a fresh snow can be tricky. First of all, you want to make sure that you wear shoes with good traction; my friend and I counted nine people who slipped and fell on ice on our way to class this morning. It’s also smart to wear gloves to keep your hands warm. If you don’t wear gloves you will end up putting your hands in your pockets, which reduces your ability to balance or catch yourself if you slip. Another recommendation: dress in layers. Although this may seem somewhat obvious, it really is crucial. In order to prevent getting sick over the winter months be sure to bundle up, even just to walk to class. However, as soon as you get to class it’s not unusual to find yourself sweating, in which case layers come in handy.

One last thing to look out for after a fresh snow… Today when I was walking on campus I could hear a loud noise coming from the roof of a building. A few people moved off of the sidewalk away from the building, so I followed suit, unaware of why they were doing so. Sure enough, a few seconds later huge chunks of ice came crashing down onto the sidewalk from the roof. I was glad the people I had been walking near had known what was about to happen. So beware of sliding ice; this tends to happen in the afternoon when the sun starts to melt the snow and ice, causing it to slide off rooftops.

Gearing Up for Christmas Break

The semester is quickly coming to a close, and soon we will all be able to relax with our families for three glorious weeks. I know when that last final is done I am going to pack up in record time and head towards home, but don’t leave in such a hurry that you forget to do a few very important things…

1. Take everything out of your refrigerator that will perish, unplug it, and put a towel in the bottom to catch water when the fridge thaws. And make sure you empty the ice cube trays in the mini freezer. We forgot to last year and had quite a lot more water than expected to clean up.
2. Take out all trash
3. Unplug all appliance for fire safety reasons (maintenance will do it if you forget, but it will make their jobs easier if you do it)
4. Loosen laundry detergent bottles otherwise when the room gets warm they will leak from the pressure (I've seen it happen...you don't want that mess)
   
5. Close windows and blinds
6. Turn heat down (but not off) to prevent coming back to a sauna
7. Take home any summer clothes and shoes in your closet to make room for winter sweaters, boots, etc
8. Clean out your desk from first semester and throw away anything you don’t want. When you come back from break you’ll be really glad you already cleaned out your stuff
   
9. Bring home class notes, binders, and books that you won’t need next semester
10. Sell back texts books if possible (you'll probably want that money over break)
    
11. Find out what books you’ll need spring semester. You can order them online over break (www.half.com) for less. That way they will arrive in time for the start of classes.
12. Organize pictures from fall semester to share with your family and friends or to print at home.

IU vs PU...

Since day one I fell in love with Purdue, but I never truly appreciated this fine establishment we call home until I got to visit Indiana University. Although IU is a good state school, there are quite a few things that I noticed that make Purdue, in my opinion, a better school all around…

1. Purdue’s campus is much less spread out than IU’s. This means shorter walks to classes and parties!
2. One word: food. I have personally experienced a few of IU’s dining halls and friends from IU have experienced Purdue’s Ford Dining Hall and the decision was unanimous: the food at Purdue is ten times better than the food at IU.
3. Reputation. Degree’s from Purdue are taken seriously all around the country, where as IU’s reputation as a huge party school has stuck.
4. Dorm life. When I visited IU I noticed a few things about dorm life. First of all, students have to have a key to enter the building, the floor, and their room. This means it’s much harder to stop by and say high to friends or to look for help with homework. Also, in Owen where I live at Purdue, everyone’s door is always open and everyone is friendly; at IU the doors are shut and the general dorm atmosphere is much less open and enjoyable.
5. Parties: although IU is a very fun party campus, it’s also very risky. IU students get drinking tickets and get arrested far more often than students at Purdue. The cops at Purdue are more easy-going and generally just try to keep the peace and make sure everyone is safe rather than try to get everyone in trouble, which is always a plus for the students.
6. The Greek life at Purdue is much bigger than that at IU. This means more registered parties to go to so you don’t have to take the risk of going to house parties and getting in trouble with the cops.

There’s no doubt that IU is a great school, but anyone trying to decide between these two rival state schools should take a look at the facts and get the inside scoop from students who have experienced both schools: Boiler Up!

Attention: Lock Your Room Doors

The Purdue police just issued a warning to all students living in the dorms to keep their rooms locked whenever they are not in the room due to recent burglaries. Early this morning eight rooms in Tarkington Hall and two rooms in Wiley Hall were robbed while the students were sleeping. Detective Lt. Fred Davis reported that the thieves took ten laptops, six iPods, two wallets, and one camera totaling $18,000 worth of stolen items.

Make sure to lock your doors especially at night. Lock your door even if you go across the hall to your friend’s room or to the bathroom. I know it’s a pain, but it’s worth it to prevent being burglarized. You might not think that anyone in your hall would steal from you; however, you never know who might wander into your hall and steal from you.

Birthdays in College

When you go to college a lot of things that you used to get excited about lose their flavor, the best example being birthdays. When you’re in high school, you get to go out to dinner with your family, come home and open presents, then go do whatever you want with your best friends. Everyone at your school had probably known you for a long time, so your day was filled with happy birthday wishes and little gifts from all of your closest friends. Unfortunately, when you go to college, birthdays leave you feeling a little emptier inside than you’re used to. Chances are, very few people will realize that it’s even your birthday, you won’t get to open any presents on your actual birthday, and you will spend your day going to class doing homework.

Today was my roommate’s birthday and I thought I would share a few things that my friends and I did to make her birthday a little more special. One of her close friends bought her a present to give her right at midnight, and while she was occupied with that a few girls on my floor and I decorated our door and our room with colorful birthday decorations. A good idea is to cover your dorm door with paper so that everyone who passes by will know there is a birthday; this way she got more birthday wishes and people who walked by would write personal happy birthday wishes on our door. Although it’s just a little thing, reading little things from all of the people you have met can make your birthday that much better. And since we can’t drive to a nice dinner or anything, a group of girls organized a surprise birthday dinner at Ford dining hall – it’s the thought that counts, right?

And don't lose hope - check your mailbox often around your birthday. Even though snail mail is kind of outdated, its always fun to get cards and boxes in the mail in college - it lets you know someone back at home is thinking of you.

InFLUenza Vaccine

Several of my posts lately have related to our health as college students. We all know how much of a pain it is to have a runny nose, cough, sore throat, or extreme fatigue because of the flu. Then on top of all that lousiness we still have to go to class and study when we just want to sleep the day away. With the semester winding down we will be spending a vast amount of time studying and the last thing we need is the flu. Yesterday I went and got a flu shot at PUSH to reduce my risk of getting the flu. It was really easy and fast. Plus it was only $13! This is a fraction of what it would cost at your doctor’s office.

According to the pamphlet I received at PUSH from the Department of Health and Human Services anyone who lives in dorms or other crowded conditions should get the flu shot which would include many of us. A flu shot is also recommended for children and anyone over 50 years old, anyone who has a long-term health problem such as heart disease, kidney disease, asthma, anemia, or diabetes, anyone who has a weakened immune system, or anyone who is around young children or the elderly. Basically if you want to reduce the risk of becoming sick with the flu and spreading it to those around you you should consider getting a flu shot –soon!

Avoid Eye Strain while Studying

While studying over the next few weeks be careful not to strain your eyes because it can worsen your vision. I know this to be true from my own experience. After a visit to the eye doctor at the end of my freshman year I found that my vision had gotten worse. I needed a stronger prescription in my contacts to see clearly. Also my suitemate needed glasses after her freshman year after never having eye problems before then. Studies have shown that close reading, studying, and using the computer for prolonged periods of time can have an effect on your vision and can cause headaches and irritated eyes. I read Care of Eyes For Students During Examinations by Dr. Anand Shroff and I learned what precautions I should take these next few weeks to ensure that my eyes don’t get even worse.

What to Avoid:

• Poor lighting
• Make sure you can hold the book you’re reading away from you and still be able to see clearly. You do not want to have to have your “nose in the book” to be able to read it. This will reduce eye strain and fatigue which can cause headaches.
• Extended periods of close reading
• About every 30 minutes look at distant objects for a few minutes. It sounds dumb, but it will work and it’s an excuse to take a break from studying J
• Lying down while reading
• Laying down strains your eye, neck, and back muscles. If sitting while reading make sure you have good support. To reduce headaches, neck aches, and back aches keep the reading material at a comfortable angle.
• Wearing contacts for long periods of time
• When you focus on near objects like a book or a computer screen you blink less and your eyes dry out. If you have contacts I am sure you know how annoying it is when your contact lenses stick to your eyes. When the contact sticks to your eye it can cause contact-lens-induced allergies. If you know you will be studying for a long time you should opt to wear your glasses.