Penn State York Admissions Blog

PSU Alumna

2011-01-21T17:25:00.003-05:00

My how time has flown since I last posted. I graduated from Penn State in December after only 3.5 years. It is possible :) (Mommy got me a lifetime membership with the Penn State Alumni Association, I highly recommend it.)
However, now that the excitement from graduation and the holidays has settled down a bit I have come to realize that I reeeeally need a job. So, I'm off to the Nittany Lion Alumni Career Network constantly searching their database and sending out my resume. I had a great time at Penn State, both York and University Park, and will always visit when I get a chance. Make sure you become involved with whichever campus you are a part of, it's a great way to make friends and memories that will last a lifetime. (especially when you utilize facebook)

OPEN HOUSE FALL 2010

2010-09-29T20:35:00.002-04:00

WHO'S EXCITED?!?!?! MEEEE!!!

As your 2010-2011 Penn State York Lion Ambassador President - I'm most certainly excited to help head up this years Fall Open House for incoming prospective students excited to learn a little more about good ol' State.

Open House is always such a fun event, and I've got a good crew of Lion Ambassadors ready to take everyone on a fun, exciting tour around campus. What's also so great about Open House? - Well aside from meeting some cool faculty, some fun current students, and being able to roam the halls of a LEGENDARY SCHOOL - we have a lot of new things occurring this year to make it fun and entertaining.

Also make sure you stop by Lion Ambassadors first ever Open House Bake Sale.

Who DOESN'T Love snacks in the mornin'? I know I do! :)

For The Glory,

Maddy Snyder

President of Lion Ambassadors

Summer

2010-06-24T10:23:00.002-04:00

I have successfully completed my third year at Penn State :)
I have one semester left at University Park before I graduate, I've done it in 3.5 years! That's reason to celebrate.
I have an internship in Harrisburg this summer which should be very interesting (it's budget season time: House vs. Rendell, the final smackdown) It's been fun so far even though it's about an hour commute. I'm trying to decide what to do after graduation in December. I'm considering a Masters of International Affairs/ Juris Doctor from PSU/ Dickinson. Four more years of studying but I'd be finished by the time I'm 25 :) Comment with suggestions if you'd like, I think it says a lot that I'm willing to continue my schooling at PSU, I love the University (and from talking with my friends, PSU has its act together). One of my friends may have to go an extra year at Millersville because she can't schedule the correct courses. Even though PSU-UP is huge, there are enough courses for everyone and the entire university schedules based on credits. (Millersville schedules alphabetically and as a person with an 'S' last name, there's no way that's going to fly)
Have a happy summer! :D

A year of writing

2010-02-16T22:57:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to post a small one here ( which is very strange for me!!!! ) Its been a year since I started writing on this blog and I wanted to thank all the people who have read, reviewed and commented on my posts. I love writing here about my thoughts, and the response to them has been awesome!!! To all my fellow bloggers, students, prospective students and non-students who read this blog,

JAI HO!

- Shan

Penn State Jump Start

2010-02-15T13:02:00.000-05:00

This past Friday I planned to leave my last class, take the bus to my car, drive to our apartment building, park along the street while I finished packing, load the car, and drive home. I found a few kinks in my plan.
I left class about 15 minutes after it ended (normally @ 12:05) because I was talking to my prof about Marie Antoinette and the necklace affair. (it's a class on the French Revolution and Napoleon) Anyway, I finally left and walked down to the closest Blue Loop bus stop. I watched a squirrel run around in the snow on top of a bush while I waited for the bus, the third one to arrive was a Blue Loop. I hoped on and settled in for the ride around campus. It dropped me off near the long term parking and I walked the rest of the way up the hill towards the lot. As I walked along the parked cars on my way to Shamrock(my car), I noticed other students clearing off their cars. Luckily I kept an ice scraper in my passengers door and had remembered to bring along snow-playing gloves and was wearing boots. I clicked the key fob to unlock the doors but nothing happened, she does that sometimes so I manually opened the passengers' side door and dropped off my bookbag and picked up the ice scraper. Luckily, much of the snow had melted and only the trunk and windshield really had piles. I cleaned most of it off but because there was so much snow along the drivers side and the front I couldn't really reach the middle of the hood (I'm short btw).
I decided to back her up and then finish cleaning the hood so I tried to unlock the driver's door but it wouldn't work. I climbed through from the passengers' door and pulled on the handle to unlock it, then went back around and hopped in. I kicked off the snow from my boots, took off the mittens, stuck the key in the ignition and turned. Nothing happened. Period. Nothing. Not even a failing attempt at starting. Absolutely nothing.
Drat. Now what do I do? It's about 1pm, I was hoping to leave by then, I still had to get back to York and meet my mother at Sam's so we could get supplies for the apartment. Well, let's think about this. The doors wouldn't open, the car won't start. I think the battery is probably dead. What do you do for a dead battery? Jump start the car! I have oil, phone books, an emergency bag of chips, napkins, plastic fork and spoon, spare tire... all sorts of things in my trunk. No jumper-cables.
I had seen a guy cleaning off his car and pushing away his snow with his sneakers, I think I'll walk back up and see if he's still there. I did and he was. I asked him if he had jumper cables and nearly gave him a huge hug. He had just put them in his trunk the weekend before! :)
I helped him finish cleaning his windshield, hopped in, and directed him towards Shamrock who was patiently waiting to be brought back to life. We opened our hoods and got out the cables. He double checked online with his phone to make sure we did it right. We hooked up his car with engine running and then attached the other ends to my battery, waited a few minutes and I tried the ignition. It worked!!!!! Shamrock was alive!!!
I drove back to the apartment, i would rather not have stopped but I had to get my bags and I'm not about to leave my car running unattended with the keys in the ignition, I love her too much. I parked and called Daddy, he said that I should be ok since I had driven for about 15 minutes, I had to hurry and get back out to start the car.
I turned off the car, plugged the meter (this was difficult because I had mostly Canadian coins in my jeans pocket and hadn't realized it)and ran inside. I started packing like crazy, trying not to forget anything. I took the first load out, my laundry hamper (laundry at home is free and I don't have to wait for a machine) and my bookbag. Next I brought out my hanging dress bag (I was going to a Yacht Club Ball in MD) and my little rolling suitcase. I hurried back upstairs, signed on to check some last minute email, had some leftover mac and cheese (it'd be a while till I could have dinner and I knew I couldn't stop on the road). I took the last load down, my computer bag and purse. Loaded the car, hopped in, turned the ignition. She tried, it didn't work.
Now I'm somewhat pissed, my car is loaded, the meter is running out, I need a jumpstart. There's a gas station beside my building so I ran across the road to the two cars who were filling up. The first, a girl, didn't have any jumper cables but she did have a card for a company that would come do it (I didn't have much time to wait so I told her I'd ask the other guy first but thanks). The guy with the Jeep had jumper cables! :) He drove over and parked hood to hood with Shamrock. Same process, hook up his car while running, hook up Shamrock. He revved the engine a few times, wiggled the clamps a little to get a good contact and Shamrock came to life again. I called Daddy, Mommy and Paul, texted my roommate, best friend, and my brother. I was on my way.
Luckily I had filled up the gas tank the last time I had driven into State College so I had a full tank, I drove directly to Sam's in York where both parental units met me, Daddy had already bought a battery and put my name in the queue. I handed the guys my keys and went shopping for soda, granola bars, and beef jerky with Mommy while Daddy watched them install the battery in an effort to 'learn something'. We checked out, picked up the keys, loaded Mommy's van and I walked towards Shamrock. She started!!! She had come back to life and been saved :)
Thank you to the two Penn State students who helped a fellow student in need without ever even exchanging names or asking questions and to Sam's for having car batteries and installing them on the spot.

McMUN & Montreal adventures

2010-02-05T13:07:00.004-05:00

In case any of you aren't aware, Montreal, Canada, is absolutely frigid. If you ever find yourself venturing up North be sure to bring along a parka, snowboots, fluffy socks, gloves, hat (the Russian kind), earmuffs, scarves, sweaters, extra leggings (for under the pants) as well as anything else you may think of.
This past weekend I ventured up North to Canada for the first time ever with the Penn State International Affairs and Debate Association (PSIADA) here at University Park. It was quite an adventure starting out with a 10 hour car ride taking up most of Wednesday. I drove for about 4 of those hours and maybe 1 1/2 -2 were taken up in breakfast, lunch and driver switching stops. Luckily the weather held out (I've heard that it can get very messy and take until after midnight to arrive!) and we reached the Montreal hostel around 5. McMUN is McGill University's Model United Nations Conference, its one of the largest in the world, this year there were 1,500 delegates present from various Universities.
The conference is held in the Sheraton, only about 2 blocks from the hostel (which is much cheaper than the Sheraton's $250 per night). We had 10 people in two attached rooms sharing one bathroom, quite an adventure I must say (luckily only three of us were girls and since I shower at night that left two for the morning). The walk isn't far at all but once you venture out into the cold for about 30 seconds you felt it, even in boots the toes go numb, even with gloves, the fingers go numb. I highly recommend wearing layers something like this: scarf wrapped around the neck and pulled up over the nose, on top of that place earmuffs, finally the Russian hat with ear flaps down and secured under the chin (outside of the scarf). That just might keep your nose and ears from falling off (think about bringing goggles for your eyes).
Back to the conference itself: Penn State was chosen to represent Yemen and Tuvalu in various international committees as well as President Obama in the G20 Summitt (that means we beat out West Point, Georgetown, York, Toronto, et cetera Go PSU!). I represented Yemen in the Organization of the Islamic Committee (OIC) among such countries as...Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Russia (not a voting member), Palestine, Syria...you get the idea. We passed 6 total resolutions on two topics (Combating Islamophobia and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict) but I'll have to tell you all about those some other time. My classes may be finished for the day but now it's time to write the Delegate Guide for the Godfather Committee for PUNC 2010 (PSIADA's Model UN Conference).
Enjoy the snow!

The knowledge of education - UOGP article by Shantanu Rajadhyaksha

2010-02-02T11:09:00.001-05:00

It is a little known fact that most people in a metropolis like Mumbai in India do not have the time to look about and even at their own feet while going about their daily businesses in the local trains, buses, and even while walking from the nearby tea vendor back to their offices. The maximum effort that the normal working person will make here is to look down at his/her watch to check the time. Its normal one might suppose, to not focus on anything else and to mind one’s business. But yet, there is always time to curse why there are so many problems in life- why does India have so much political corruption? Why does the average Indian have to be so behind in the standard of living as compared to the ‘developed’ world? Why, must there be so much poverty, so much chaos, so much terrorism? The answer to all these questions, which of course are not found by pondering over them on the way to work, may be found by simply taking the time to just tilt the head a bit towards the ground, not look at the wristwatch, and instead look into the eyes of the little girl who has been standing for ten minutes tugging at one’s trousers in the hope of getting some coins to buy lunch.

Today, India is recognized as a nation about to make the huge step of becoming a true superpower. But what kind of superpower are we talking about here? If it is in terms of population, yes, India is certainly up there! But what happens to all these kids? Very few of the nation’s youth actually is lucky enough to obtain that golden chance to at least be able to read ‘The Jungle Book’ by Kipling, let alone be able to obtain a degree in Information Sciences and Technology at Penn State. Different education ministers come and go in the government, each establishing their own systems with their own personal political agendas mixed in, dividing educational privileges on lines of caste, religion and states, ultimately making the little child about to enter the big, bad world of schooling feel as if committing suicide is a better option than this slow torturous death. Greed on behalf of educational institutions for tuition, and stingy practices of hiring substandard professors to teach outdated syllabi, unrealistic and unrelenting pressure from parents…. The little girl tugging at one’s jeans has a far easier and stress free life doing what she does. And well justified from her viewpoint now isn’t it?

The reason behind so many of India’s youth not contributing to progress is certainly not a lack of ability or intelligence. Says Sylvia Menzes, a student at Penn State York - “ It has been fascinating to get to know more about students from India ever since the Initiative program began. Certainly its obvious that they have so much natural talent and appear to handle the education system here with ease”. Thus the fault lies not with the student, but with the kind of encouragement that the student gets in India. Those who are kids of rich parents living in posh South Mumbai can certainly afford the sky-high tuition of the ‘good’ colleges, but what about those who are forced to learn at one of the pathetically resourceless government colleges? Walls covered in mould, wooden benches falling apart, a professor who is on a Rs.1000 a month ($20) salary, and one has an experience which is enough to keep education on the back burner for the rest of one’s long life ahead. Why should begging and stealing be bad options then? After all, its better than wasting time listening to a politician’s false promises of good education and jobs. Why must terrorism and hateful thoughts of killing these corrupt government officials then be condemned in our ‘civilized’ news channels? If society was truly civilized, different educational systems would be unified into one (making use of all the good things from international systems such as the American method), education would be free of politics, government colleges would have the best of infrastructure, coursework and syllabi for subjects would be up to date, and people seeking jobs in teaching and staff in educational institutions would not be made to feel like substandard garbage.

Fortunately there is hope. It has taken some time, but after several years of effort, organizations such as Teach For India, Akanksha, The Miracle Foundation and even traditional schools such as the Ambani International School have made headway into solving India’s educational crisis. Teach For India, which is a sister organization of Teach For America, focuses on bringing together a group of focused individuals from all professional fields of study, to come and make a commitment to go into lower income schools, impart the right kind of education to all students, irrespective of economic status, caste, religion, color, and state. It trains these young innovators in specialized methods of teaching, and places them directly in schools. After placing its first batch of teachers in June 2009, the second major batch will start teaching this June of 2010. (TeachforIndia 2010) It’s comforting to know that the very youth who have gone through the very rigors of the educational torture system are now willing to make the change themselves, unlike leaving the task to others as has happened in the past. It was exactly the old theory of thinking which corrupt people such as Laloo Prasad Yadav, Bal Thackeray, Raj Thackeray, Mamta Bannerjee, Narendra Modi (the list goes on and on) have exploited for their own vested interests. In a true democracy, the world’s largest in fact, there needs to be true change coming from the common man. Teach For India, and indeed Teach For America, deserves a huge pat on the back for daring to do what so many have shied away from doing. And it is not only the common man who is realizing that change is desperately needed. The personalities and figures that everyone in India recognizes and idolizes more than politicians, Bollywood actors, are also getting in the act. Aamir Khan, with his team of young and fresh actors and film-makers (Rang De Basanti, Taare Zameen Par-Like Stars on Earth, 3 Idiots) (Khan 2010) along with authors such as Chetan Bhagat( Five Point Someone, One Night at the call center) (Bhagat 2010) have made India watch and listen to the current educational crisis and how society reacts to them. These efforts have helped increase the mass awareness of the gravity of the situation.
There still needs a lot of work to be done. Teach For India and Aamir Khan can only do so much in the end. But it’s a much needed start, not only for India, but to the rest of world as well, who no doubt faces the same problems. The proper education of our children is the key to the world’s survival. Maybe that would be our weapon of choice to end terrorism. Maybe that would make us bend down to that little girl and ask her about her name and where she lives. It is definitely not that hard to get an A in that easy subject of Humanity, is it?

Works Cited
Bhagat, Chetan. chetanbhagat.com. 2010. http://www.chetanbhagat.com/books/ (accessed February 2/1/2010, 2010).
Khan, Aamir. IMDB. 2010. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0451148/ (accessed February 2/1/2010, 2010).
TeachforIndia. 2010. http://www.teachforindia.org/media_picture_fellows.php (accessed February 2/1/2010, 2010).
TeachforIndia. What we do: TeachforIndia . 2010. http://www.teachforindia.org/history.php (accessed February 2/1/2010, 2010).

I'm So Excited, And I Just Cant Hide It!

2009-12-03T22:21:00.003-05:00

You know when you've been under some serious pressure? I mean, SERIOUS. As in my Thanksgiving break was not that great because I was too busy preparing six different projects that would all be due within the week we came back from the so-called "vacation." Besides the mountain of homework otherwise known as Mt. Kilimanjaro, I worked about 40 hours during break and my great grandfather who lived just north of Pittsburgh passed away. I mean, YIKES!

So back to what I was saying - you know when you've been under some serious pressure, and you've finally reached the top of your mountain with all of your work finished and you just want to rejoice just like how Rocky Balboa did when he got to the top of those stairs? - THATS ME RIGHT NOW.

I have read a 200 page book, and done a speech about it. I have done a movie review (for the same class). I have completed a journal for my Bi Sci class. I have completed an atlas of York County. Have done some serious math homework (three chapters worth, and I mean those chapters that are made up in decimals - 5.1, 5.2, 5.3 - all count as chapter 5). and I have now finished my speech for my CAS class which will be presented tomorrow.

Granted, I will need to type two papers before the semester is finished completely, but writing always seems to come easy for me. I just figured I would share my enthusiasm for finally reaching that end of "hell week" and now I can move on with my life rather than living at a computer or in the library.

Besides that - Lion Ambassadors had their retreat the weekend before Thanksgiving Break and it was more enjoyable for those of us who came!! Also I'm really looking forward to REAL Break in like two weeks. It'll be nice to just have some down time, and by that I mean living at work. HA. I'm also really looking forward to Spring semester since I'll be able to really get into my "major" based classes!

But until then, lets just keep enjoying these days of 2009!!!!!!!!!!!

The scars may have gone, but some wounds run too deep to be forgotten

2009-11-26T23:34:00.003-05:00

For all the people living elsewhere in the world, it was a chilling reminder that there is no place that is safe from the clutches of terrorism..for those of us who call the city of Mumbai our home, it was the most horrifying vision of our lives. To see the very places that I had walked, talked and roamed about all my life, in the very train station that I passed by so many times, that very icon of my home- The Taj Mahal hotel and Oberoi Trident, the Nariman house..all of them falling to a handful of terrorists, burning these priceless pieces of the city's fabric into ashes, spilling blood on the pathways of democracy.. I could not help but feel frustratingly helpless sitting at my cousins place at Indianapolis. For the first time ever had I ever felt so strongly an Indian, a Mumbaikar.
My eyes and soul refusing to tear themselves off the images of explosions booming inside the heritage hotel, the lifeless bodies being dragged away as they left paths of blood on the floor of CST train terminus...
Days later, seemingly endless ones, the carnage was finally over...the NSG finally cleared all the hostage sites, killing the last of the terrorists at the Taj. It was a time where everybody now started asking the same set of questions...WHY? HOW? How was it possible for these few people to control the fates and thoughts of so many through their hateful and obviously fanatic deeds? What was the motive? In the name of religion? country? race, skin color? Perhaps the answer could be found in Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone terrorist to be captured alive..the one who was also captured on the CST train station CCTVs lifting his assault rifle firing at the innocent civilians. Perhaps in forensics analysing all the dead terrorists...but none more so than maybe looking at ourselves. Looking at the human within each of us, trying to see as to how an ordinary person like you and me could lose all our humanity in order to be able to kill an innocent person, as to how we could allow that to happen to ourselves, whether there is any good at all when we are born into this world.... Will I have to walk in fear everytime I now venture near the Taj, have a coffee at Cafe Leopold? Should I always have someone tell me that we should move on from incidents such as these, which supposedly only strengthen and display the 'spirit' of Mumbai?

Coming frm an extremely diverse campus, I find it extremely disgusting to even start to generalize the entire state of Pakistan as the one to blame over the attacks. I thought about this the most 2 days ago as me and Bethany sat down having a fabulous lunch of Butter naans, kebabs and Chicken Tikka Masala at a Pakistani restaurant in NYC. Was I betraying the Indian sentiment by doing this? or should I be rather thinking about how certain corrupt factions in both of these governments are lax towards their own attitudes on terrorism and on how the real cause of it is the huge ONE terrorist network hell bent on their psychotic jihad, existing not only in India, Pakistan and the South Asian countries, but in the entire world. History has proven that Pennsylvania is as prone to a hijacked plane falling out of the sky as is The Taj Hotel being burnt by terrorists. Maybe we should think beyond the countless candlelight memorials that were held in the immediate aftermath of the attacks....the ones with college kids displaying posters condeming politicians, shouting slogans that CHANGE HAS TO HAPPEN. Maybe now there has to be a consistent solution. We, the students of Penn State York did not hold that memorial last year to just mourn the loss of our countrymen and to condemn terrorism....and just get on with our lives the next day onwards...which is exactly what we ended up doing. I voiced my opinion on this that day, and I maintain this opinion today. Just as 9/11, I hope 26/11 is never forgotten. I hope that image of the burning dome of the Taj remains in my mind forever. On one level, I want to feel that hate, that pain, that anger that pours out against those men who caused so much pain to innocents. on another level, my soul feels that this is the time when WE as a world have to come together and take basic steps towards working it out, not hasty wars, nor long speeches by politicians and money being offered to the families of the deceased.

Our terrorist admitting that he is a Pakistani national does not help in the least bit. Sure he might be Pakistani, or Indian or Afghani.....who cares? All I know is that that man has no love left in him. No country should accept him as a national. He claims to have a family and the terrorist organization that brainwashed him into this deed apparently offered his family lifetime support...its cost the Indian Government 34 hundred million rupees to keep him alive so far...in this time of economic crisis.What are we doing?

Right now, the support groups have faded away, all those petitions all those voices...have died out. Change, has only happened in the time. Its a year since 26/11/08 and nothing much has changed. Politicians still bicker and slap each other over regional language issues, security and army personel still are under equipped, and the spirit of Mumbai still wants to 'move on'. If big gaps remain to be plugged, how have we moved on? Arent we just as vulnerable as a year ago?
Instead of praising our heroes who aved us, regional politicians , legalized gangsters want to instead mock these soldiers just because they werent from the state of Maharashtra...hell if the NSG elite commandos hadnt swung into action, who knows how many more civilians might have died, how much more burnt the Taj and Oberoi would have been. Unless we start behaving like adults, even more pathetic people like these terrorists will continue to take advantage of it.
I love Mumbai dearly, and I miss being a part of its daily fabric. I miss that feel of my home, and its horrible not to actively and physically be the force that prevents such event from happening again. Its true now, that ordinary citizens can do very little to change the way things work.. noble though our intentions might be. The real power lies in the hands of these oh so awesome politicians, who have to realize that its not one religion, one caste, one state and one country thats at attack from the terrorist, but our entire world.

Lighting candles and moving on will not do anymore..... 9/11, 26/11 and all the others...cannot and should never be forgotten.

The break is here!!!

2009-11-19T17:35:00.002-05:00

THANKSGIVING BREAK IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO. ...ok..il stop haha, sorry, just got a little too enthusiastic there!
just thought of posting something, which I havent done in a long time now, but I do wanna sit down and write for a consistent amount of time now during the break, which is one of the reasons of my excitement! and of course I want to attempt to match Maddy's enthusiam for life! haha its awesome to have her on this blog! Iv just become friends with her and shes already an awesome person! :)
alright I have to run for a marketing class now...uugh..cant wait till its done!

Hello, Guten Tag, Hola, Bonjour!

2009-11-10T21:57:00.003-05:00

Well hello all.
I’m new to this whole Penn State York blog, but I’m sure it’ll be just as fun as the millions of other blogging sites out there such as facebook and all.

Anywayyy – Introductions I guess would probably be the appropriate thing to do at this point of time? I mean, you can read about what my favorite movie is and all the foods you could make for me which would automatically make me your best friend and all in the whole profile thing – but I figured I’d share random facts so that you’ll find me somewhat interesting and not a total dork – Haha!

Anyway, I’m a sophomore at Penn State York – love it! I’m a Dallastown grad, a Bed Bath and Beyond slave (totally kidding, I love my work 5 out of 7 days of the week) and I’m full of stories. I was on my high school’s track team, concert choir, and newspaper staff so I’ll probably just write random things to catch people’s attention, or try and catch their attention at that.

But enough with the past and onto the present! I’m a Lion Ambassador here at Penn State York. I haven’t been involved that long, but I’ve been busting my butt to have everything be as fun as possible. I also have traveled to Germany with the lovely Frau Deren and Penn State York crew which was literally the time of my life. I’m also literally the Boys’ Soccer Team’s biggest fan – WHICH I’M SO PROUD OF THEM WINNING THE CHAMPIONSHIPS AND MAKING IT TO NATIONALS IN VERMONT. Anddd you may also know me around campus as that really loud girl who’s always laughing at something. I mean, just walk into the Lion’s Den - you’ll hear laughter.

Anyway – I’m not sure what all you would like to hear seeing as it’s in the middle of the semester, or better yet we’re almost to the end. ONE MORE WEEK UNTIL BREAK. How exciting is that?! However, that only means that I have like two weeks to finish like six different projects that are all due at the end of the semester – YUCK. I'll be living in the library for the next few weeks when I'm not at home or living at work.

Well I'm not sure where I'd like to end this. It's like one of those telephone calls where you've said all you've thought to say and all you can really say is - well, I'm gonna go now........... With that - I hope to have something interesting to write here next time. Better yet, I hope to have some EPIC STORY to write here next time. But until then, bring on the weekend!

Finding Your Fit!

2009-11-10T09:15:00.003-05:00

Happy November everyone! Fall is the busiest time of year in the Admissions Office--Chelsea and I have been visiting high schools, going to college fairs, and we've just finished up our big Open House...you can see the awesome Lion Ambassadors in full LA gear at the Open House in the picture! So now...we're taking a minute to breathe!

I wanted to talk to all of you about the importance of a college visit. This doesn't solely apply to Penn State, but to any college that you're thinking of attending. Before you fill out an application, MAKE SURE you go visit that college! See what it's like...talk to the people...talk to the students...eat the food!! I know that sounds silly, but that's food that you're going to be eating every day, so you should make sure you like it. Doing research on web sites is great, as is looking through brochures. But did you ever notice that on web sites and brochures, the weather is always sunny, flowers are always blooming, and everything just looks perfect? Those things are definitely true, but they are the very best of what a school has to offer--it's important that you go there for yourself and see the worst! Check out ALL of the buildings, see some classrooms, TALK TO STUDENTS! Students are the best resource!

They've done studies that show that within about 3 minutes of being on a college campus, you can get a sense for whether or not you feel like you "fit" there. "Fit" has to do with a lot of things--location, size, and most importantly, how you FEEL there. You wouldn't spend $50 on a pair of jeans that didn't fit you right--there's no reason to spend thousands of dollars on a college education at a place that doesn't fit you right!

That said, Penn State York has lots of opportunities to visit! You can take part in our "Be a Penn State Student for a Day" program, where you get to shadow a student for a day! Give our office a call if you'd like to come visit!

Have a great fall!

Week 11 at State College

2009-11-03T19:05:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone
It seems as though Shantanu is the only other one who writes on this blog but the good news is that I love reading his posts and I hope you all do too. I'm writing again, finally remembered in between all the bustle here at State College.

We just had Halloween, such a fun affair :) Paul and some other friends from York came up to visit and we walked around on Friday to see everyone's costumes (there had to be 20 pairs of Mario and Luigi walking around) then Saturday we watched the game and put on our official Halloween costumes. Paul and I went as Edgar Allen Poe's Masque of the Red Death and it was so much fun! I'll try to post a picture eventually.
It's starting to get back into the second rounds of midterms up here, busy busy busy. Most of us have gotten our positions for PUNC 2010 (the Pennsylvania State University Model United Nations Conference here at University Park) and I get to be the crisis chair for the Godfather Committee! I'm so excited!! We're still accepting schools so we hope to continue getting more and I'm really hoping that PSY's Model UN club comes, we had a blast last year.

I've also just joined the Golden Key Honor Society up here and I have to share the story of my first meeting. An email went out from the President telling us when the meeting was and that we were going to have a Halloween social with cider and cookies so we should feel free to dress up. I'm not one to pass up an opportunity to wear a costume (doesn't happen very often) and so I wore my toga to the meeting. When I get there I see maybe two other people wearing something remotely looking like a costume, cat ears. Turns out I'm the only one who decided to dress up and so the first time I met any of them: Hi I'm wearing a toga. It was quite funny though and I got a gift certificate to the Creamery so I call it a success!

Now I have to go finish a paper for my Ancient Greek class and do some more reading, can't wait for the PSU v. Ohio game this weekend.
LET'S GO STATE!!!!!

Something different

2009-10-22T23:17:00.003-04:00

Hey guys and girls,

Here's a thought to all that have been reading or have just started and/or will read the blog. Would it be a good idea to have interviews and special articles on some of the people who work behind the scenes at Penn State York? I personally think its a good idea and a great way for our current and prospective students to find out more about the entire Penn State York family, rather than just the students or the professors.

I just want to get a quick opinion on this before going ahead. Please comment or let me know in person.

I will be attending and speaking at the Open House at Penn State York this saturday, so am very much looking forward to that! I enjoy speaking about things I love and hence this should be very exciting!

Also the South Asian Club is having an Indian subcontinental cuisine lunch this coming Thursday ( October 29th 2009) where some of us are going to be selling home made food on campus. Last time we did that during Unity Week 2009 in April, the response was just mind blowing and all the food was gone in an hour (or less)!!! We hope for the same this time!! Please try and attend if you can

Ciao,

Shantanu

2009-10-19T13:38:00.002-04:00

Just finished reading The Lost Symbol. Awesome read as expected from Dan Brown. Its definitely worth a read, and especially to people living nearby D.C. I for one, cant wait to visit these places and see the architecture for myself.

Lights, mist and ABAP

2009-10-15T09:55:00.003-04:00

Its Thursday.

(with an extra heavy 'Sigh!' at the end followed by an unbelievable urge to get away from it all and take a break at home sipping hot tea and snacks on the balcony with the rain and mist outside)

Unfortunately, I have to walk in my rain gear hoping it keeps me warm and dry on my way to campus for a whole day of classes. The festival of lights, called Diwali is almost us as is Halloween and my way of celebrating it today is to code in ABAP, then write an extra credit assignment for marketing, then attend corporate security, then again study for a test in marketing, and then attend the marketing class till 840pm. uggh! cant wait for this day to be over!!!!!!

On a positive note - I saw 'The hangover' yesterday! What a freaking awesome movie that is! I cant wait to watch it again man, that was so worth staying back after work.

BTW- the post before this 'Of mind blocks..' was written before 'That bottle...' somehow the blog put it in reverse order

Of mind blocks and random thoughts

2009-10-04T22:08:00.003-04:00

Aaaargh! for the longest time Iv been wanting to put up this long long blog post, but things havent been working for me. its either been myself too tired after tests, or a day at the lion's den, or just facing an enormous mental block. I planned to write this sudnay and again here I am on a sunday night facing nothing but a block, block and another block. I could just build a lego set out of so many blocks.....
On the whole though, I think this blog needs to reach out to the students and the general public more. The overall response has been overwhelming and everyone does want to read more and more. So we as the bloggers do need to get moving and write. We could definitely publicize it more by having signs and little posters all over campus.
I dont know why im writing in these little short unrelated paragraphs. Maybe my mind gets distracted easily these days. Or else im getting so used to multitasking that I tend to switch focus every 5 seconds on a different job/topic at hand.
Perhaps I do need to take it easy a bit, or maybe not. Right now the best thing that comes to my mind is a nice dinner and my soft bed, ready to comfort me at least somewhat for the long week that lies ahead. I have one test, one paper to submit and internship work to be done.
Have 3 articles on my drafts that I desperately want to post but cant till this irritating block removes itself from my head. Would gladly welcome any cures for the same.
Its been a while since we had a screening of a movie on campus. Transformers 2 is playing this wednesday and I really want to see it, but not as much as 'The Hangover' which is to be screened next week. People have raved and raved and raved (more so to piss me off) about how great the movie is and since I didnt get to see that either I am so excited to catch that. Last year there was a great response to the Indian movies that were screened and I plan to do that again. There are so many plans but so little time..grrr.
Anyways right now I am off to complete some reading again before I sleep. Speaking fo reading, Im getting a copy of Dan Brown's latest - ' The lost symbol'. Should be a fascinating read..when I find the time!!
Off to bed now,
goodnight!
--Shantanu

That bottle of Coke

2009-09-28T11:32:00.008-04:00

Here I am in the restaurant... one hand on the lid, as I share the drink with a friend. As the liquid travels up the straw and into my mouth..it tastes as sweet as ever.

My kitchen at home has this glass cupboard..amongst all the chinaware there is this little miniature glass bottle of coca-cola. As kids we always have this fascination for all these sodas. A special treat if we behave well, a fitting dessert in the restaurant with parents, an amazingly sweet and tingly drink which you always enjoyed when you went to the movies or at the fair, with the burp that came at the end being particularly something to look forward to. That oh so bad glass of milk in the morning was so horrible and plain by comparison wasnt it? Back then it was drinking out of a straw...whenever we went on train rides to the neighboring city of Pune, hearing that familiar voice of the vendor selling soda in glass bottles was the best part of the journey. I dont know what it was...I truly dont. I just loved it. To this day my cousins still tell an old story about how once I persuaded my mother to buy 5 bottles of pepsi in 30 mins on the train...the good old days never can be forgotten...

When coke re-launched itself in India in the mid-nineties, it must have been the best thing in the world for me, because I reaaaaaly wanted a bottle and even then god knows why, Coke wasnt available freely. Cue one whole night when my dad drove and drove to find me that one bottle of Coke which he finally did in a dusty old shop. Me and my coke...at the time we were one and happy.

Those were indeed the happy days. Running down during lunch break (or the long recess as the school called it) after some really boring classes where the focus was more on reading my book or playing silent games with my bench partner; my stomach usually was growling. 1o rupees in hand and a big appetite were the catalysts due to which 5 mins later I had pushed my way through a gang of giggly schoolgirls at the canteen and had in my hands a delicious wrapped vada pav ( called by some the great Indian burger- although its more like a stuffed potato-pea pattie with bread and spicy garlic sauce) and a glass of coke. Satisfied with my herculean efforts I scanned the expanse of the dirt field to find some friends running around and walked slowly over to them taking care to see that my coke didnt spill, and although the rising dust from the thousands of feet trampling over it probably added a layer of extra spice on the drink, I was still the happiest boy in the world as I joined up with my pals. Most of them had the same combo in their hands...we were birds of a feather after all. Einstein's theory of relativity proved it self time and again however as these moments of ecstacy lasted for too short a time and as soon as I had first sipped my drink and eaten my ' burger' the food was gone and the recess was over. Time for class again. hmm...usually the sports class...which meant doing yoga in the gym.....the professor could never figure out why he heard so many small burps in that span of 30 mins when we performed our exercises. When it wasnt sports class, at least it was geography, which meant another sleep inducing professor, but at least at the time the caffeine kept us awake..and so did the lingering taste of the garlic sauce. Oh yes..we had some good times there. ( I think later on the professors did realize the reason behind the burps and so had aerated beverages banned in the school canteen..grrr... life was never the same..but at least by that time I was old enough to hang out outside school, so I could get my coke after school at least) - I mean Coca-cola.

Graduating from school after my 10th grade, I discovered that all of my friends were in the same junior college as mine. Suddenly I was exposed to the 'hip' college culture. No longer in school, seemingly unlimited opportunities seemed to present themselves before me. But the bottle of coke remained with me. I dont want to give off the impression that I was a poor academic student, I simply did all my work outside class. Sathaye college was another experience altogether. Suddenly boys started noticing a lot of other things in life...girls in normal clothes sans the school uniform, the concept of bunking classes, the football team, hanging out in the canteen singing songs, yes that was the life.

The average day started with everyone coming to college as normal. Mostly everyone in normal attire, but upon close notice someone would have noticed that 5-6 of us wore soccer cleats, or else carried them around in a bag. Not officially in college to play soccer, the cleats were brought in secret. But then who looked down at shoes anyway? One or 2 classes later, everyone met downstairs for a chat. It was only a matter of time though, and in about 5 mins someone expressed a desire for football, and then it was contagious. We were off, to the adjacent pitch or what we called a pitch. It actually used to be a site for an apartment complex, which had been razed down, but the floor never completely levelled. The foundations of the building still showed with bricks popping out of the ground at points. Some kids realized this was an opportune place to practice some ..ahem! productive activities and laid down cement and gravel on it till it was fairly smooth and then added the cherry on the cake, 2 small goalposts. We were more than happy. 2 of my best friends - Prasad and Aniket stayed beside it and thus their homes were useful to store our footballs. And so the games went on - from as early as 3 pm till it got dark and sometimes even after that. Finally when the ball couldn't absolutely be seen anymore, when the jeans had been all muddied and the ankles had been bruised up, the gang finally drifted out of the ground and onto the little convenience store right next to it, all sweaty and tired, but still unsatisfied. The only thing left now, was that bottle of drink, not alcohol mind you! but amazing, bubbly Coca-cola! To feel that cold glass bottle against the brow, the wet water condense from the bottle onto your gravelly hands and then on to your face as you wipe away the sweat...then finally take a deep sip of that soda - This was life . The rust on the bottle edge sometimes made it probably poisonous to the human body, but who the hell cared? This was the time when we needed the soda, 2-3 bottles worth! There we were..sitting on the little ledge of the courtyard of the store, watching the last rays of the sun extinguish behind the apartment buildings of the suburb of Vile Parle, then the slow yet sure rise in the volume of the televisions in all the apartments as the women sat down to watch their daily hindi/marathi/gujarthi soaps.....chat about the game...without one care in the world! Tomorrow would be another day in college, and probably another game with it as well ! hehe.......Coke was amazingly sweet then.

Joining Vidyalankar School of Information Technology after 2 years of tramping about meant finally being seperated from my buddies. We had been together right form school through junior college and it felt horrible to be away from them...gone would be the days of bunking classes to play soccer just 2 blocks away, now I had to travel by the local trains to go to another part of the city for my education....The coke source shifted from the little store to the vendors on Andheri suburb station, from the cafe at Sathaye college to the canteen at Vidyalankar and more importantly...Classic restaurant. The first bottle of Coke was had on the first day of orientation when a couple of us...all freshmen..decided to explore and get to know each other in the canteen. It was the start of something new, and something to look forward to. Somehow, Vidyalankar felt right...the small classroom felt right...the whole atmosphere felt right. Days went by...table tennis on the teacher's desk, interspersed with classes, and lots of fun. We came to know each other pretty fast, and had frequent trips out together as a group...Classic restaurant and 5 Gardens was our favorite hangout zone. A beautiful expansive place from the British era, with footpaths as wide as the roads, and huge trees shading every inch of them, the name of the place derived from 5 huge gardens lying around each other where the Parsi community lived. Old mansions added to this charm, while the famous campuses of VJTI college, UDCT campus and Khalsa college finished what was an amazingly old styled place to be. Lunch however, was always at Classic restaurant. Simple, spicy and cheap Mumbai food. Masala Pav, Pav Bhaji, Dosas and Idlis and of course, the evergreen Coca-colas. The trip back home on the train was again punctuated with small burps along the way.........

Classic soon gave way to Gulshan..and some new people as well. The 2nd year in Vidyalankar was well on its way,and plenty of life changing experiences along with it as well. A relationship, a break up and in turn new ever lasting bonds of friendship formed as well. Gaurang 'Gabo', Priyanka 'Prish', Farhad 'Froggy', Rahul 'Mambo', Chintan 'CJ', Alina 'Loowis' Arnab ( I never liked the nickname 'Arry'!) Ashwathy and Mayetreyee. The Cokes were gulped down along with plates upon plates of Kheema (spiced mince meat dripping with oil..yummmmmmmmmmmm) and Bread. In fact we had cokes everywhere in the city- the beach, our houses, and all the corners of Mumbai. The summer of 2008 was so much fun. I wrote about them in another blog of mine before so I wont go too much into THAT, hehe although I would certainly like to. Again, one of the best times of my life with best friends. We all shared a coke pitcher with 8 straws.

Here I am in the restaurant... one hand on the lid, as I share the drink with a friend. As the liquid travels up the straw and into my mouth..it tastes as sweet as ever. I look down at the bottle, and notice a strange thing that I never noticed before. These days. the label says : Coke Classic.
It so truly is. filled with classic and sweet memories.

Long time no see

2009-09-24T00:25:00.002-04:00

Hey all,
I just wanted to leave a quick post here right now. Its 12 25 am and Im supposed to be studying for yet another test tomorrow for IST Corp. Computer and Network Security, but am delirious and instead listening to some classical Indian music and using my desk as a percussion instrument and waking up my roomies. Truly looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend when I can finally write a long post on something I have been thinking about but havent had the mental or physical energy to write about. The past few weeks have been truly crazy and senior year has made its mark at last!! 2 jobs, 15 credits, an internship and a research + homework .... grrrr!!!
Nayways (wait what!? - I meant 'Anyways') I do think I take insane amounts of time in between posts and so am gonna make conscious efforts and post regularly, even if they might be shorter. I still want to take time out to write fully on what I wanna say, but those long ones look to be relegated to my weekend times now sadly. For now, its the middle of the week, Im living on Snapple and Tylenol at midnight, and craving for infinite uses of the snooze button on my alarm in the morning!
See you at the end of the week!
Shantanu

Fourth Week at State College

2009-09-16T19:33:00.002-04:00

I'm now into my fourth week at state college and loving it! I've brought my car up and have her in the long term parking (the cheapest on campus) so that I can drive home whenever I want. Labor day weekend was Paul's moving into Penn, last weekend was Kelly Clarkson at the York Fair, this weekend is Jeff Dunham also at the York Fair! (can you tell I love the York Fair?)
I'm currently trying to get some reading done and then I'll study for my Western Heritage II U quiz tomorrow. But I decided to come give an update since I've sort of neglected to do so recently.

If you're going up to State College at any point and decide to ride the campus buses (white loop, blue loop, red link, green link: all free) then please do this for me and your fellow riders: when you board the bus, please sit in any available seat as you make your way toward the back of the bus, do not stop midway. Continue on until you can no longer go father backwards, here's why: what most people do not seem to realize is that there are almost always about 10 people behind you also trying to board the bus which means that they must all be behind the yellow line at the front. If you stop before getting to the back, they have to stop also and usually that winds up being before the yellow line. This results in them either having to get off the bus or not even being able to get on, they then must wait for the next bus that comes by, if they're really really lucky, it'll be there within 10 minutes.
so please, for the sake of everyone's sanity, continue moving toward the back of the bus
(you'd think that this would be logical in a college campus, but apparently not everyone has gotten the memo)
thank you so very much

Ambassadors

2009-09-14T00:14:00.003-04:00

I have just returned from an excellent day in Happy Valley watching Penn State pull a lack luster win over Syracuse. The weekend started out by having six Syracuse alumni come and stay at our home. The alumni consisted of die hard fans who knew that they were coming to see a loss, none the less they came anyways. We know two of them very well as my wife's cousin was the link to the group.

Heather's cousin was the homecoming queen for Syracuse in 2007 and her fiance was one of the football team's managers while he was an undergrad. Several months ago they took us up on our invite to spend the weekend at our house for the game. As time got closer, more and more of their friends asked to come along on their trip. Since we had the space and extra tickets, we gladly invited all six of them to our home and experience football at Penn State. The couples arrived friday evening around 9:00pm and after some brief introductions, we ended up in the cigar room drinking whiskey and smoking cigars. This was an excellent time for us to get to know one another and discuss the next days events.

I explained to them that we would be leaving around 5:30am for the noon kick off. Since they were die hard Syracuse fans, they understood the importance of getting to a game early enough to beat the traffic and put in a full shift of tailgating. One of the guys was curious as to how the fans treat the opposing fans. He said that he had heard stories of how crazy the fans at Penn State can get. I informed him that most of our fans are good ambassadors to our university and like any big college program, there were always a few undesirables who tarnish the reputation of the entire fan base. I ensured them that they were to receive a warm welcome on Saturday as they were not posing any threat for an upset. I informed the Syracuse fans that this is not necessarily the case for the big games as I have witnessed PSU fans get pretty ugly towards opposing team fans. I told him that this is a very unfortunate occurrence because I believe that Penn State stands above other universities on so many levels, I wished that all of the fans would acknowledge that and do the same. As the night wore on, we continued the discussion of the game and lost track of time. I realized that it was 1:15am and we were getting up at 4:30am.

Well, as you can imagine, I did not factor in for all of the extra women in my house. Because there were so many women getting ready in the morning, we did not leave until after 6:00am. Once we were on the road, we had smooth sailing until we hit game traffic 12 miles outside Beaver Stadium. We sat in traffic for almost an hour until we started moving again. Once we got to the stadium and parked, we got our stuff together and made our way to our tailgating spot. Once there, our Syracuse guests were relieved to meet other Syracuse alumni. They all agreed that Beaver Stadium was the most impressive stadium that they had ever seen. I thought this was an impressive comment considering some of these guys traveled all around with the Syracuse football team and saw many other stadiums. After a while, it was time to go into the stadium and see the game.

The game was probably one of the more boring games that I had seen in person to date. If it were not for my guests, I would have broken my rule and left early to beat the traffic. Once the game was over, we met up at the vehicles and drank some more beer before we went home. I was thanked by all of our Syracuse guests for giving them a tour of the area and being an ambassador to my university. I responded with my courtesies and we got in our vehicles and trekked home to York. We spent the rest of the evening watching college football and recounting the days events. Alas, Sunday morning arrived and my guests had to leave. I thanked them for coming down to PA and visiting with us. They thanked my wife and I for such a terrific weekend and being host to them. I responded by telling them that when you are a Penn Stater, it is a privilege to let everyone know that we are the best alumni in the world.

The Fall Semester is upon us.

2009-08-31T01:58:00.003-04:00

Greetings to all! I don't know about the rest of you, but my Summer flew by pretty fast. I made a valiant attempt to take two ART class via the World Campus. Unfortunately, I dropped them because they were not as flexible as the previous ones that I took. Never the less, I kept myself busy by working on the basement and finishing my cigar room. It is not completely trimmed out, however it is operational. I just finished a nice CAO maduro and finished reading two journal articles. Hopefully this newly constructed room will help to make my studies a lot more bearable.
I attended a cigar/dinner event in Allentown and met Rocky Patel who is the man behind my most beloved cigars. Rocky invited me to Honduras to check out his entire cigar operation in October. The only paradigm is it is during the week of the Penn State v. Ohio State game. This is more tormenting considering that I already purchased a pair of tickets for the game. Two of my good buddies are the recipients of those tickets. I am also planning on going to the Syracuse and Iowa games. If you haven't been to a game, I strongly encourage you to go to one. There is nothing like getting up to Happy Valley at 8:00 am and cracking beers for a noon game. Beer and eggs are a winning combination for an excellent tailgating experience.
So, what are my plans for this fall? I am taking six hours of internship at York County Prison. This is especially beneficial to me as I am employed there and I can use my work hours as internship hours. On the other hand, it will be challenging because it is hard to write about something that is such the norm. Well, if there is something that I can do well, it's writing BS. It has carried me this far in academia, it can carry me through another semester. I am also taking an 400 level HD FS course. This one should be interesting as I do not have the prerequisite course and it does not have a book. So far, reading the required journal articles are just as lengthy as a chapter. The benefit is not having to pay for a book that is referenced lightly in the course. Time will tell if I really needed the prerequisite course. Oh well, too late for what if's.
I have also had the pleasure of assisting Dr. Christ with some of her Adult Learner open houses. I believe that Dr. Christ is giving pay back for fixing my admissions and such. I never knew that I would enjoy trying to entice others to be part of our campus. Earlier this Summer, I took it upon myself to set up a meeting with local veterans and Penn State-York administrators to discuss why many of these veterans are eligible for educational benefits, yet few of them are taking advantage of them. This meeting was in hopes of enticing them to enter the class room and taking advantage of benefits that these veterans earned. To date, none have enrolled at Penn State-York although several plan on enrolling for the Spring semester. You can lead a horse to water.....well you know the rest.
I was also inducted into the Alpha Sigma Lambda national honor society. This was a very meaningful achievement for me as I never had above a 2.7 GPA in high school. I think that I had a 2.4 my senior year. The induction was meaningful to me in that all of my sacrifices and effort was noticed. I am not one who needs a gold star to keep me driving towards my goal, however a pat on the back and a kick in the ass is needed from time to time. First week down, many more to go. I hope that everyone has a fantastic Fall semester and maximizes their potential.

For the Glory!

The pre-departure seminar

2009-08-30T16:53:00.007-04:00

THE FOLLOWING PASSAGE IS OUT OF SARCASM TO THE HORRIBLY CLICHED ATTITUDE OF A LOT OF INTERNATIONALS
( Corey, Im really sorry to upset you, I didnt upload the whole thing, but now you know what kind of reaction it generates in reality)

In the last few weeks before departing for the United States of America, generally all Indian students are given a pre-departure orientation. This orientation seminar usually has not changed for decades and even in my short experience with it so far with my cousins and myself coming here to study, I now know what is said and fed to the students at the tip of my tongue. Here are a few quotes from this seminar:

‘You are all representing the great country of India; the reputation of our motherland is at stake’

‘We are culturally superior to the Americans’

‘If you are approached by an American, please follow the following protocol –

1. Throw a dirty look to indicate your displeasure

2. Whisper to your Indian mate that you are going to pretend to be friendly\

3. Settle down and convince yourself that if they say “Whats up?” the correct reply is “ Not much, whats up with you?” ( even though you might prefer to conveniently ignore it)

4. Put on the most fake smile in the world and pretend to be cool.

5. Say something in Hindi in front of them just to make a point that you can curse and get away with it.

6. Go home and then tell you mommy and daddy on Skype how dreadful the experience was and great Indians are.

‘Indian food is always the best in the world, there is no food that comes close and its perfectly acceptable to complain, frown and make puking noises in front of you gracious host who spent 3 hours cooking up the otherwise delicious Amish potato salad and Stromboli.’

' if you ever eat beef.....consider your Indian passport invalid'

‘It is ok to forget to say words like “Thank you” ,”Please” and “ Sorry” because hey, cmon yaar! In India, anything works’

‘Whenever you see another Indian in America, get excited and worked up as if you were Will Smith in “ I AM LEGEND” and you just met another person who wasn’t an infected zombie’

' If you need to do research on the natives, switch on your laptops and open a file called A.M.E.R.I.C.A.N P.I.E. 4 - T.H.E. N.A.K.E.D. M.I.L.E'

‘Good luck on your mission soldiers, the Government of India will reward you greatly* if you survive your stay in the enemy territory. ‘ (* conditions apply)

There are really so many misconceptions that we as international students, besides being Indians, or Pakistanis or Africans or Europeans, carry when we come to a foreign country like the USA which is so open to diversity. As discussed in my earlier posts, I certainly do not think leaving family friends and your natural comfort zone behind for 2 years or more is a small step, and neither should it be ever portrayed as one. But in no ways does that make the international student a superman compared to the American who just drives 2 miles everyday to the campus. It is hard for me to understand that when an Indian comes to Penn State York, a prestigious educational institution and a product of the USA, he/she does not even have the simple common sense to respect and acknowledge the opportunity given by the States to study here. Credit to oneself should be given when it is due, but not always. Whatever happened to’ When in Rome, do as the Romans do.’? Now it’s all about ‘When in Rome, make fun of the Romans and live in a bubble’
Its really painful to see this kind of thing happening being an Indian. I have never understood the concept of one race being superior to another, and I never will and never want to. I can unfortunately testify to have felt this first hand in this past year. Never would I have imagined (especially after that enlightening seminar) that the Indian people would be the ones who would cause me so much hurt and loss of respect for my own fellow countrymen and then for an American to become my pillar of strength and her family to make me one of their own. I have realized that national barriers do not exist if only we accept everyone and look at everyone for what their values are and how they are as people, not because of their color, passport or caste. ..can never forget those moments when the only solace I had was one in the faceless sheet of my pillow as I buried myself in my bed, afraid that I would crack if I so much as looked at my fellow mates, their hostility moving the very air around me. It was in these dark moments when I so wanted to go home, be with my true friends, and in the arms of my mother, that an average American person became my friend, her family became mine, and they carried me through it all.

The Snyders have been the one reason why my mother does not have her blood pressure raised everytime she sees me upset and angry. It is because of them and the support of PSY's incredible faculty and staff that I could survive and put on a happy face when my mom saw me on camera. During the whole of last year, and there have been members of the faculty who can attest to it, I went to them in desperation because I couldnt find one friendly face on campus. I lived in denial, even refusing to face my problems in my personal life simply because that support from back home was essential to my sanity here. But even then sometimes it wasnt enough. Even though I am an Indian, it hasnt been hard to feel what an American student would feel when a foreigner comes to the States and then makes fun of him/her in his/her own country because I was made to feel like that myself, by my own fellow Indians.

And still the madness continues. After a summer back home, it was really a deep desire to see things fall back in place. The new apartment, new semester, new roommates and the Snyders have really helped me rejuvenate myself. But again I guess me being so close to an American girl doesnt really qualify me for any gallantry awards back home, does it? At least thats the vibe given here by my Indians.
Remember the pre-departure seminar I talked to you about? Its not all just nonsense and arrogance. It does happen, those values and teachings are drilled into everyone who comes here. And proof of that was delivered just 3 days ago. Well, I already knew that because of my own experience, but now so does the average American.
It was a sick moment when 2 Indians made fun of and harrassed the one person whom I am indebted to for changing my life and making me feel loved and wanted here. Just because she was wearing an Indian dress which I got for her and shes a typical fair blonde.. thats why these 2 people chose to corner her and really make her cry.....

Its not fair to me, and most certainly not to my friend, because she has the right to be at this university; the right to be in her home more than any one of us internationals. These guys wouldnt like it if you or me went to their houses and started taunting them over their habits and race and culture.. so why in the world would an Indian come to the United States and then make fun of an American? Because they eat beef? because they have a different taste in clothes and food? Because they arent 'reaally cultured'? How can anyone make that judgement? Corey's response to my half post earlier is the reaction of my friend too, when such an attitude was thrown at her in reality, and so is my reaction as well. I hate the way that we, as Indians or any other internationals can even think that we are so much more smarter and deserving than the Americans just because of something trivial. Heck, most of the people at Penn State York have been the best people Iv met ever. I cannot imagine a better father figure ( apart from my dad) than Dr. Rodney, our chancellor. It all trickles down from him to everyone else. Does this love for Penn State York thus make me a lesser Indian? A traitor? a rebel? in my view heck no! I am just a person who cannot see someone for their nationality or race or caste or color. True, I take time in making friends, but then if our wavelengths match, then its friends for life. Amongst the very closest people in my life is an American girl and her family where I go to church with them, enjoy their food, have fun with their dogs, and just feel at home. Is that reason enough for other Indians to therefore target my American friend just because she proudly wore the Indian clothing I got for her? Arent Indians wearing western outfits? Maybe someone should pick on them about that... I wonder how cool these people would have felt right now if the people at PSY hadnt shown them the support to adjust in the first place.

At some point, there will be a meltdown, and noone can take this treatment for long. Penn State gave us this opportunity to come and study here guys, dont shoot yourself in the foot...belittling everyone else is really belittling yourself.

The Senior Year begins

2009-08-30T14:44:00.003-04:00

Hello all,
It feels very refreshing to be back here at York after a brilliantly refreshing summer back home in India. This will be my 2nd and senior year here at Penn State and I cannot imagine that I only have a year left here. Its taken time to settle down, and quite a few hardships to endure along with it, but its been worth it. Towards the end of the year, I met one of those people who change your life forever, and become one of those select gems that you just know are going to be with you forever. I was desperate at this time to go back home to my mother and my closest friends, who formed the group i just mentioned above, but definitely I needed a physical presence here whom I could count on, and all those bad times in the last year have been worth meeting this person.

And so I have begun a new life....a new apartment, new roommates, new location, REAL friends on campus, a new job at the Lion's Den and yes, NO ACCOUNTING 211 AND THEREFORE NO MATH!! YESS!

On another note when I went to India it was a great experience to help out my juniors in my program and thus contribute to bringing them up here to PSY and seeing them here.
We have 9 Indians who came through my twinning program this year and I hope we all will help them feel at home.
Cheers,
Shantanu G Rajadhyaksha

Happy Valley

2009-08-26T17:21:00.002-04:00

Hello everyone,
(I forgot to post anything over the summer, shhhh)
It was a fun summer, I worked at Kohl's as usual and was constantly at Paul's house. Then there was the whole excitement over the USS Shiloh (Paul was one of the MIDN on board).
Of course then I had to focus on getting ready for my State College Apartment (if you haven't figured it out already I've transferred to University Park for my last two years)
Today is the third day of classes, we moved into the apartment on Friday so we've slowly become acclimated. Sunday we figured out all of the bus routes and how to get to our classes so that we were all prepared by Monday. My first class today was canceled due to the professor's migraine.
I have two Graduate student for profs this year and four regular professors. My PLSC 014 class has an enrollment of 300 students!!! Luckily the other classes are more normal in size, 20-30 students each.
I'll post pictures of the apartment once we get around to taking them but now I'm off to finish cooking dinner (fried veggies, grilled chicken, and lemon garlic pasta, yummy!)
Hunter

He came, he thrilled, he never left

2009-06-29T06:55:00.002-04:00

Growing up in a generation where all the kids my age had access to various forms of entertainment other than just playing around my apartment complex, it wasn’t as much of a luxury to sit in my room and switch on my tv. But in a place like India, where most of the electronic media entertainment is dominated by the Indian music and film industry, its quite hard to think about anyone else who might even compare or even attempt to reach the standard that we as Indians made. Most of us desis enjoy a good spot of music, dancing to popular bollywood dance numbers, played usually at weddings, award functions, or on the radio. The arrival of MTV in India wasn’t quite at the same time as it did in the USA, and so exposure to the ‘western’ world to a normal average kid was very limited, except to those who had rich uncles settled in the states who could get them expensive music cassettes or whoa a CD!!! There were a few select places in Mumbai where one could get all this music, set up by some dedicated music connoisseurs. But cmon, as a 6 year old kid, all you care about is watching what you can on television and the local store. The Indian film industry was evolving and adapting to the television revolution, exploiting it even. The concept of the music video gathered momentum...Introducing a novel way of watching our film stars more regularly than just on the movie theatre screens. Amongst this barrage of material being pumped in, if you asked me or any of the kids my age or my generation’
‘Hey kid, apart from Hindi film stars whom do you like? (Please don’t say Mahatma Gandhi..I mean amongst entertainers)’ I can guarantee you there was probably a 99% chance that this kid wherever he came from, and I mean wherever ever, was bound to put on hand on his belt buckle with a thumb inside, one hand outstretched rising up, legs bent and head slightly tilted, and then reply in a cheeky voice’ MAAAYYYYY CULLL JAAAAKSON’ .. I admit I was one of those kids myself.
In between all the bollywood item numbers, amidst all the communal riots, the moral policing that the ‘western culture’ was trying to take over India and its culture, there was just one man who managed to penetrate all the levels, and he was the one who everyone knew, even if they had never heard his music, they knew his image, if they had no idea about this image, they knew his songs, if they dint know either, they had heard about this phenomenon from a friend, rich kids had his poster on their walls, ‘black or white’ blaring out from their expensive stereos, servants working in their homes stopped cleaning the floor to watch the strange flexible man on the television with looks of amazement ‘ Sahib, kya hilta hai ye aadmi, kya naam kya hai?’ (Master, look at the way this man moves, what is his name?). These servants went to their slums that night and told their kids who had just come back from playing on the street, who in turn went to the vendor in the city who was famous for distributing illegal ‘imported cassettes’ at throwaway prices, heard ‘Billie Jean’ or saw the man gyrating like no one else before, and instantly a new world altogether was opened up by one man to millions of people who till then believed that the universe began and ended with Amitabh Bachchan.
You remember those costume contests that are arranged just for us kids, either by the local community club or by your grade school? I can vividly see myself entering many of those (being entered by my mother, to be precise), and at every contest, seeing at least half of those kids with curly long hair, aviator shades, black leather jackets with glitter on them, and just one white glove. Eventually I realized that I should take advantage of this situation, and I never went in a famous MJ outfit instead choosing to be dressed as an Indian God, cuz honestly there HAD to be one person who had to be different right? If all the kids were gonna be influenced by the famous man, let me at least win for trying to resist his popularity! … I never realized at the time how much an effect Michael had on me, on all of us, till now. Later when I discovered the music of Elvis and loved it, I became convinced that he was the ultimate king of music and there was no one better. I went to ask my grandmother whether she knew the famous Presley…Unfortunately my hopes were shattered when she revealed that she only had ever heard of Michael Jackson.
I cannot believe the amount of excitement that was in Mumbai in the winter of 1996, when the king of pop dazzled at the Andheri Sports complex to a packed and overflowing crowd. We may have had several people who have held the world captive with their persona and energy, mostly being country leaders, military generals etc. But never before, had we seen one man see his name become synonymous with music and entertainment as much as Michael Jackson, and he certainly cemented his position on the stage every single damn time with his unmatched voice, his dance moves, and energy oozing off to the crowd, infecting everyone with the virus compelling the muscles to move along to his beats. No wonder then that he was treated like a God and all the other people felt his aura. As Jackson departed Mumbai, the staff at the Oberoi hotel where he occupied the Presidential suite decided to clean the room for the next guest. They found a pillow where Michael had left a note for India
“India, all my life I have longed to see your face. I met you and your people and fell in love with you. Now my heart is filled with sorrow and despair for I have to leave, but I promise I shall return to love you and caress you again. Your kindness has overwhelmed me, your spiritual awareness has moved me, and your children have truly touched my heart. They are the face of God. I truly love and adore you India. Forever, continue to love, heal and educate the children, the future shines on them. You are my special love, India. Forever, may God always bless you .
— Michael Jackson.”
Everyone in India was shattered when we realized that this promise was forever going to be unfulfilled. But Michael will always be remembered not only in the dirtiest slum, but also in the most palatial mansion, having touched everyone and proved that one man can indeed talk to all the people in the world through one language, music.
Don’t blame it on the sunshine
Don’t blame it on the moonlight
Don’t blame it on the bad times,
Blame it on his boogie
The world forever knows you through your music and dance and will always.

You cannot come back, because you never left us

Jai NO?

2009-06-24T07:12:00.001-04:00

Watching Jamal struggling to identify Mahatma Gandhi's picture on an Indian currency bill, the Police Inspector-" Even my 7 year old niece can answer that’
Jamal-“ Who stole Mr. XYZ’s bike at Bandra on August 15th?’
Inspector (clearly caught off his guard)-“ you know who stole it?”
Jamal-“….everybody in Juhu knows who it is…even 7 year olds”
Sitting back at home in India watching TV comfortably on a couch after a year in a foreign country I was pretty much relaxed and glad to be home. Surely after 9 months of life changing experiences and writing about how much I missed my home country anyone would really expect me to be all happy and cheerful. That I most certainly was, there is no place like home. But wait something comes up on TV….a promo..for the world television premiere of INDIA’S crowning glory and milestone film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ ..bear in mind the emphasis on the word. One see’s quotes coming from actors and politicians ‘ Slumdog Millionaire has crossed boundaries, truly it has displayed that INDIA can compete at the highest level. WE AS A NATION are so proud..JAI HO!” ..cue the soft ‘sniff!’ and a couple of moist eyes. Then the television is switched off and the real discussion starts.
‘ How can anyone even like this movie!?’ ‘Danny Boyle is an ignorant man who knows nothing about our culture’ ‘Is Mumbai just a ghetto?’ ‘#$!@#!@ SLUMDOGS?...WE ARE SLUMDOGS?!!!! Who gives you the right to call us desi people SLUMDOGS…India is a progressing country, not a stagnant breeding ground for poverty and slavery’ ‘ There are so many better movies than SM..not Oscar material please!’----the tirade is endless. This is when I realize that the moist tear eyed man who proclaims ‘JAI HO!’ on the TV is the same man who uses glycerine to induce tears, bribes the very umm ‘slumdogs’ for votes, spits bright red-orange tobacco on the road and then puts up hoardings for his voting campaign with the quote ‘ JAI HO! LETS WIN INDIA BACK ..vote for me (subconsciously adding ‘..you illiterate slumdogs’ to the message). This very person is the one who will announce a prize of free government owned housing for the child artists of the movie for their efforts on promoting India and then give these prizes to their so-called loving parents who in turn capture possession of these apartments leaving the children – in this case Rubina and Azhar ( playing the kid Latika kid Salim respectively) with nothing except a return to their real life slum where they are from. So yes it is not just that politican who is that teary eyed man, but the parents as well. And it just doesn’t stop there, oh no. We have all of us, the Indian urban masses, who are ready crucify the film and its message with just a mention of the name. ‘The West is ignorant of us. We are cultured. We are the best’..b..l…aaa..haha. What these people, some of my very own friends, do fail to realize is that when we call ourselves the Indian urban masses we are wrong at one crucial point. This group that is refered to as ‘WE’ is not a majority..WE are not masses. India’s masses are in fact the ones who live below the poverty line, who cannot afford to sit in chic cafes and have Slumdog bashing debates over lattes. They are Jamal, Latika, Salim and every other kid who is born to a parent who cannot afford to support them and hence must make do with the utter nightmare that their lives become. These masses..have to live in the ghetto, have to swim in shit, have to beg, borrow and steal just because our so called cultured urban people have deliberately blinded themselves to them.
When Aishwarya Rai makes a cameo in Pink Panther 2 with Steve Martini, WE rave and rave and rave…television interviews, page 3 parties, and the same old glycerine teary eyed man declaring how proud he is of Rai’s contribution. This cameo might be for 2 seconds or for the entire movie, the movie might even get nominated for the All time worst movie of the century, but in our tricolor tainted eyes, it’s the best..oh my oh my! But when an American filmmaker decides to make a movie adaptation of a novel written by an INDIAN – Vikas Swarup in this case (Q & A), not even my grandfather’s buffalo in the village gives a shit (ironic since that’s her favorite hobby). Cue 2-3 months ahead, and the critics(the true ones, not the ones Im bashing here) have raved about the movie, suddenly WE come to life. The above mentioned quotes are mentioned, SM is the pride and joy of India, especially after winning the Oscars. Not that India had much to contribute for the movie, or specifically WE had no contributions, it was the cast and crew who are responsible. Hmmm, the Indian public cant take this reality can they…if WE are not given credit, lets just trash the film. Suddenly the ‘pride and joy’ turns to ‘poorly researched piece of crap by a Westerner who doesn’t know the real India’ But no one will say that in public will they?
What India fails to realize is that everyone has the right to express themselves in the way they see the world to be. And when this expression is reality, even thought it might be a bitter pill to swallow, its better to accept it and appreciate the film for its true excellence. Slumdog Millionaire deservedly has won all the prizes and accolades because of the talent of everyone involved in the film. Danny Boyle came with a vision and translated it on camera. How can our country claim to be progressive when we do the very same things that he film portrays and then deny them with all our might? This clearly just signifies that despite knowing the truth, we are living in a state of denial. I certainly do not deny that India has progressed. We are one of the world’s fastest growing economies, have the most diverse culture and lots and lots of other things that we should rightfully be proud of. But if we can make a Hindi Bollywood film which portrays an America to be an oversexed culture-less country, then it is very clearly justified that the rest of the world pick up on our negative traits and portray them. If we rage against Indian students being ill treated in Australia but fail to even suspend the many police officials and other bullies who drug and rape foreign girls, If a politician can mix religion and education and deny a Muslim or Hindu or Sikh a seat in a college and then complain about why the Indian youth studies in the US and not at home…if the constitution of India declares freedom of speech and yet the government chooses to ban this very piece of written work , then India is not progressive, it is regressive.
Sometimes just knowing who Gandhi is does not make one Indian….or even smart.

Finals are approaching

2009-04-30T16:06:00.003-04:00

I am finished with today's class and about to head to work, one more day of classes before finals. I only have three finals and they're all on Wednesday, oh joy. The plus side is that I have all day Monday to study and then Tuesday before work. These are my last days at Penn State York before I go up to University Park. It's very sad and I'll definitely miss this campus and all of the wonderful people here but I'm still super excited to have an apartment and start out on my own. I'll come back to visit over the Fall semester and I'm inviting everyone to come up and visit UP. I'm rooming with Nicole Lau and we're going to have the coolest apartment ever! We plan to make our own curtains and decorative pillows! We've decided that the apartment's official band will be the Beatles and we're super excited to start moving in on August 22nd, it'll be crazy hectic since that's move in day for the whole campus. But first: summer!!!! I want more of the wonderful weather that we had on Monday and Tuesday but I suppose I shall have to be patient for that as well.
In other news: Paul comes home in about four weeks!!!!!! and then I get to see my boating friends in MD. I'll try to update with pictures over the summer but now it's time to head to work.
HB

Getting Ready for the Summer Semester

2009-04-29T19:46:00.002-04:00

Ah, the end of the semester is here. Although that thought is comforting, I am going to tie up my Summer by taking 2 classes through the Penn State-World Campus. Both of these classes are GA courses and by finishing them, they will complete all of my GER courses. After having taken several courses through the World Campus, I believe that this will be an excellent way to earn 6 cr hrs of course work without hindering my Summer too much. The good thing about taking online courses in the Summer is that I am still able to go on vacation and not have to worry about missing any class time. The only down fall is that I will have to either work ahead or take my course work with me on vacation. Another positive of taking online courses is that I can sit at home, have a beer, and no one is the wiser. Take that Penn State! To all who read this, I wish you all a safe and memorable summer.

Best Wishes, Corey Baughman

Why am I doing this?

2009-04-21T01:07:00.004-04:00

I am so looking forward to the end of this semester. As many adult learners, I do not have the luxury of living off mommy and daddy while going to school. I have been doing the college thing since my days in the Army (1997) to now. At the end of this semester, I will have accumulated approximately 95 credit hours of college from 6 different colleges. Seven if you count the credit hours earned from my Army training. Although I am nearing the end, I still have until the Spring of 2011 until I earn my degree. That last thought chaps my ass.

I continually ask myself why I am doing this. I already have a nice house and a great family. The job I have now pays a significant amount more that what an entry level HD FS major will start out with. I need or want for nothing. I am pretty much on my own terms in life. When I get my master's degree in rehabilitative counseling, I will probably still take a pay cut and have a significantly longer commute. Two years until graduation seems so far away. I have not had a semester off since I have started to include the summer 2008 semester. I am taking 2 classes this summer, 3 classes in the fall 2009 semester, and 3 in the spring 2010 semester. Count it out and that is 7 straight semesters without a break. I feel that I am a glutton for punishment.
What I tell myself is that I want to accomplish this goal. I want to accomplish is when it is and is not conveinent for me. I want to be a role model for my kids and for others who are multi tasking like me. When others tell me that they can not do college, I just look at them and tell them that if I can do it under these circumstances and responsibilities, so can they. The biggest key to being successful and sane is time management. I accomplish the task at hand and prepare for tasks as few others do. I am by far not one of the smartest students at Penn State-York. However, I know I am one of the best at time management and preparing class.
What am I getting out of this? A bald head and a serious case of insomnia. No seriously, I am getting the satisfaction knowing that all of this education and training will one day go towards assisting service-connected veterans with their reintegration into civilian life. They will have the opportunity to had one of them identify and assist them. Why am I doing this? I am doing this for my fellow veteran and for our community and so that my children will understand the importance of education.

Greyscale to full blown color

2009-04-17T20:37:00.003-04:00

Heyyyyyyloooo everybody,
after a really long time my mind has finally been reignited and has a myriad of so many different things to tell you about! To be honest I havent been having the best of times ever since spring break and went through a really rough phase where loneliness, sadness, depression and all those negative things crept in. You know how it feels sometimes that you are in one of those old greyscale movies which you found so dull and boring as a kid and everything around you was dull, lifeless with no chance of escape caught in that small TV box.....thats exactly how it was. Cut off from the world, I yearned for and really missed my mother, my girlfriend and all those wonderful friends whom I talked about before. Life needed some color indeed.........and I was done here, ready to go home....
Sometimes, when its dark, or grey, or white, with no seeming possibility to add that excitement, all it takes is a drop of color to drip on the canvas and its pure joy... such a simple thing can make the difference in the world! And thats exactly what happened when I joined the Unity Day planning committee. I swear to you at that moment there was no chance I thought this small decision to attend would change my life here. But it did... UNITY WEEK 2009 was here
For the first time ever Penn State York, the only campus that celebrates this event amongst all other PSU campuses, decided to expand the event from one day to an entire week , giving the opportunity for each continent to display its cultures & diversity with its food, music, clothing etc etc etc. Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas would each have their day. The ending day would be the traditional Unity Day, where all these continents came together and end the week with a big bang!After weeks and weeks of meetings with planning, running around, organizing this and that, hundreds of emails and worrying and brainstorming, the event was finally here.
Unity week opened with Europe displaying its art and history and culture. With tables from Germany, France, Croatia and french food, there was a hustle and bustle in the Student community center such as never before. Suddenly the hallway was filled with balloons, tables , posterboards, cooking utensils and nice food! Amazing!
Then came the Americas with their unique blend of latin songs and dances, awesome food and colorful posters. Laura had an awesome booth for her country Peru and equally good was her rice and meat dish.
(contd)

PSYMUN09

2009-04-09T16:46:00.003-04:00

Penn State York Model United Nations (PSYMUN) hosted the annual high school crisis simulation yesterday. I've been working on this simulation for the past few weeks trying to make sure the high schools have all the info they need, we have the classrooms, awards and IT support that we need as well as food for breakfast and lunch. Luckily, it all worked. We had five committees this year: France, USA, UK, Russia, China (they happen to be the five veto powers on the United Nations Security Council. Four high schools were able to attend (some of them didn't have school yesterday for Easter Break): Cedar Cliff, Susquenita, Red Land, and Penn Manor. Susquenita received the overall first place high school award and the top two students from each committee room received Outstanding Delegate and Honorable Mention. If you're interested in seeing what crises the students were confronted with as well as what actions they decided to take visit our newsfeed.
Thanks to everyone who helped me with figuring out how to put on this conference for the students.
Hunter Schenck
PSYMUN President
Lion Ambassadors Historian

2009-04-03T10:18:00.004-04:00

Well, here I am one year later from when I started at Penn State-York. I have finally gotten into the groove of things and all my classes are going well. For the first time in my life, I kind of understand Math. I have just completed my world campus course 6 weeks early and believe that I will get an "A". All in all, my experience here has been positive. The staff and faculty at Penn State are top notch. I have had to use the Nittany Success Center and was impressed with the resources that are available to us students.
I have had several issues with my academic progress and was impressed with the amount of support that I received. A word of advice to anyone who has ever had issues with their paperwork, do not stop advocating for yourself. For any of the adult learners out there, Dr. Crist is a pleasure to work with and she is an excellent advocate for all of us adult learners.

Spring Break and Lion Ambassador Conference update

2009-03-29T01:07:00.002-04:00

Hello everyone
I'm back from Ireland, the best spring break ever!
I left the states on the 6th and flew from BWI to JFK and then on to Shannon, Ireland to visit Paul (who's studying abroad for the semester). It was a wonderful trip, I made friends on each flight there and back and got to meet his uncle's family and his NUI Galway friends (National University of Ireland). We flew out to Edinburgh for three nights and stayed in a waterfront apartment complete with a full kitchen, dishwasher, two bathrooms, one with a tub and the other a shower, as well as a washing machine and flat screen TV! It was only about 54 pounds a night which is the amazing thing. We saw the castle and Holyrood Manor (where the royal family still visits, The Princess Mary stayed one night while we were there). We then went back to Ireland and down to Galway where I met a bunch of the foreign exchange students and had a delicious dinner, kudos to the French girls. We went to Inis Môr that Friday and wound up walking at least 10 miles around the island over fields and rocks. We even climbed down to the Ocean, it was such a gorgeous place.
Then we went back to his uncle's house on Saturday and 'babysat' his cousins, Alanna and Fina. (we wound up watching American Idol, the first I've seen this season) Unfortunately I had to leave him on Sunday and come back to reality in the states: school and work. Oh well, I get to see him Memorial Day Weekend :D

This weekend a bunch of Lion Ambassadors met up at Main Campus for the All-Campus Conference. We had a ton of fun (the hotel even had a pool and hot tub so we got there early), I'll try to upload pictures once I'm finished typing this. We all shared different ideas about how to improve our clubs and then played a few ice breaker games.
Well, that's the update for now.
Hunter Schenck

Adult Learner Continuation

2009-03-19T12:19:00.005-04:00

Here is a continuation of my academic history.

After returning from Egypt, I was deployed to Bosnia in September of 1999 in support of NATO. While I was there, I received 10 cr hrs from the University of Maryland and Montgomery College. Although running patrols and taking classes was challenging, I was able to multitask and make ends meet. Anywhere I was able to receive college, I was willing to step up to the challenge.
After returning from Bosnia, I was transferred to the1-501st parachute infantry regiment (PIR), Ft. Richardson, Alaska. I had always wanted to be in an airborne unit and loved the cold weather of Ft. Drum, Ny. The 1-501st PIR is the only arctic airborne unit in the U.S. military arsenal. After several months of being on jump status, I was injured in an airborne operation where I sustained fractures and torn ligaments in both ankles. Since I was out of commission for a while, I found that the University of Alaska-Anchorage and Central Texas College offered classes on post. From there I spent the next 2 years trying to get as much college as possible until I was medically discharged from the Army. At the end of my career, I had worked hard enough to accumulate over 60 cr hrs of college.
Once I got out, I moved my family back to Red Lion, PA and started working at the prison. Since child care was costly, I had to wait five years until all of my children were of school age in order to return to school. I had heard of the vocational rehabilitation program that was offered through the Department of Veterans Affairs. I qualified for the program and have been at Penn State-York ever since.
Starting back in college was something that I wanted to do, however at age 29, it frightened me. Here I was making very good money without a degree. However, I knew that I needed a degree to pursue a profession that I am passionate about, which is counseling. The first two weeks of the Spring 2008 semester were the hardest of my college career. I had signed up for 12 cr hrs of class my first semester back in college in five years. I figure that if I could place the maximum amount of work on me and take it seriously, it would be a good indicator of how my academic career would carry out. I knew that I had to work harder than most of the students at the school. I knew that I would be successful because I had something that set me apart from many of the students. I had a "can do" attitude and was not afraid to burn the candle at both ends. I knew what sacrifice and deprivation were and was not afraid to endure either. The mindset that had kept me driving is that failure is not an option. I refuse to not give my best effort. If I am limping through college, I am wasting my time and that of the university. After the Spring 2008 semester, I had worked hard enough to be on the Dean's List. This was quite an accomplishment for me as I had never made any academic honor roll in my life. To be continued.....

Spring Break

2009-03-12T11:03:00.003-04:00

Bleh...I've been sick since Saturday just finally starting to recover. Spring break sucks...

In all seriousness, I'm not off on some fancy trip like some folks and had planned on just hanging out at home catching up with old friends. I did go to the National Aquarium in Baltimore with a friend of mine but otherwise haven't managed to get out as much as I'd have liked.

So that's pretty much where I'm at right now...finally out of bed but still drinking lots of orange juice.

Hopefully someone else has an interesting story to share.

Not in vain..

2009-03-06T22:30:00.003-05:00

Hey all,
I know I havent written in a long time here and apologies for that! There is a lot to talk about and I do want to sit down and get a nice long post about all thats been happening and some things that have not been happening as well! But today I just felt like talking about something else...
I know Iv spoken quite a bit about how much a lot of effort has been put into me coming here and getting this education..and today I wanna tell you about that one man whom I miss the most in this whole wide world and without whom I and my mother would not be here where we are today.
Girish Rajadhyaksha was born as the third child in a poor yet ever increasing family in Mumbai in the 1970s. Growing up in old Mumbai in a not so rich family wasnt the best deal you could get in the 70s. Life was difficult and Girish didnt find it a bed of roses either. His mother wasnt the most helpful of persons, and although his dad worked hard, it just wasnt enough to support 5 children and Girish like his siblings had to start working from a very young age. Tough times instilled tough values, and in no time , he was one of the most famous doctors in Mumbai, married to the woman of his dreams and with a perfect life. The only thing missing was a child....
Due to certain reasons Gauri, his wife could not bear a child..they decided to adopt.
On a fine morning in September 1988, the doctor and his wife visited the Children of the World centre in Mumbai. Gauri was a bit apprehensive...several babies lay crying or sleeping in cots in a large room. The nurse guided them inside, and they walked towards the babies. They passed one after another, babes either bawling or snoring. Somehow something wasnt right... they walked on. Then suddenly as they were about to pass another infant who was snoring in the nice soft bed, they saw it open its eyes. The baby looked at them, stretched out his hand and grabbed Gauri's finger, and gave the biggest smile in the world. This was it, this was the child. Girish and Gauri knew instantly. Within moments they had the baby in their arms and in no time the baby was home. They gave the baby a name...Shantanu Girish Rajadhyaksha was born.
I grew up always with one aim...to be just like my father. True, I was always closest to my mother, but dad or 'baba' was my hero. The best doc in the world. Growing up in those years was amazing...he did things for me that noone else would have done. I remember when Coca-Cola re-launched in India again in 1994, he drove for 5 hours just to find me a bottle of Coke, and only rested when he saw me sipping it with a smug grin on my face in my mom's arms. His clinic was just 5 minutes from our house, and I would always find time to go there and sit once in a day, playing with his assistant or with him whenever he was free. I was too small to have noticed how amazingly well he was respected by the masses. Everyone from all classes of society would come to him and he would treat everyone equally. My mom has countless stories about the number of times he performed miraculous surgeries or just brough people back from death. We had mafia bosses come to our place, get themselves treated by my father , and then offer him their allegiance. At the time int he early 90's, Mumbai was ruled by a very well known ganglord who was responsible for the Hindu-Muslim riots and the subsequent terrorist attacks in 1993. The papers would be filled with stories of murders carried out by this ganglords cronies..Bollywood stars being their prime targets. Yet they always had enormous respect for my father and he always kept them at the furthest distance, refusing to let him or his family get involved in any way. Life was good....we had a ncie house, we bought another big mansion on the outskirts of Mumbai, and were practically millionaires.
In February 1995, my uncle, my mother's sister's husband, got very sick. They lived in a neighboring city, and while returning from a religious visit, he suddenly had severe migraines and had to be admitted to a local hospital. Hygiene wasnt really that good at the place, and even though the doctors performed an emergency operation to remove a big tumour from his brain, my uncle developed an infection in his brain which put him in a coma. Naturally everyone was very worried, and both my mother and father rushed to be at his side. My father was more so needed at this time than any other. We made several trips, and I remember being there for a couple of days too. This time however, my father could not save him. My uncle's infection proved to be fatal.. and he passed away on March 4th. I was in Mumbai at my cousins' place and my parents were with my aunt to be by her side. My mom thought I should be there too. She almost never left me alone and she missed me a lot. She told my dad ' Could you get Shantanu here please?' He agreed and decided to drive down back to Mumbai to pick me up.
6th March 1995 : I was playing cricket with my favorite cousin at 7 pm at night. Dinner was almost ready and since I was about to win the game I didnt want it to be cut short. The door bell rang. Everything went silent for 2 minutes. Suddenly there was my aunt calling me outside in the hall . Oh! here were two of my father's friends. 'Hey Sunil Uncle, Hey Vilas uncle. How come you are here?' ' Shantanu you have to go home with them ok?' ' ok....now?' ' yes now, we will talk later ok?' ' Ok..fine' ..We drove home...there was utter silence in the car. Noone felt like talking. I couldnt understand it. Why didnt they let me finish the game? Are Mama and Baba home? 'Shhh Shantanu we are almost home' they said. We parked outside the apartment complex gates. There were a lot of people waiting downstairs ...dressed in white. 'Has someone died uncle?' I asked innocently. They didnt say.... I was led up the stairs. The door to my house was open...I walked in....My father was lying asleep at peace on the floor. He was covered in a white cloth. His eyes had cotton balls over them. I knew at that point what it was...but I didnt realize the shock. My father was no longer alive. He was dead. He had been caught in a car accident while coming back ......to get me. He was waiting at a signal and a truck had backed up on our car, breaking though the windshield and ramming into my father, killing him instantly. The truck driver fled. There was my father....dead on the highway...after saving so many lives God took away his own, he called his angel back. I honestly say I could not grasp the pain, I just wanted to be with my mother. I went in. There she was, crying, sobbing hysterically just waiting for me to hold so she could let her emotions flow at the top of her voice. I still remember the exact words she said..'' Shonu..majhi Shonu...(My baby...my darling baby).. aata fakta tu ani me (now its just you and me)..Baba nahi yenar parat ....(Your father is not coming back)" and we just hugged each other and cried...I remember nothing else from that night.
Today its been 14 years to the day since he passed away. I want to tell my mom something. She was wrong when she said my father would not be coming back. Shes wrong...because he never left us. From that moment onward when people realized that Girish Rajadhyaksha was alive no more, the fame vanished. There were to be no celebrities, no glamour, no millions. All that was left was a woman who did not work and her little son. Everyone but a handful of people deserted us, offered us no support...But we survived. All the taunts, all the attempts to bring us down, spurred my mother even further. We werent out. My father had invested all of our money wisely and it was enough to last a lifetime. My mother learnt how to make use of it. She worked hard to learn the tricks of the trade, and we are at this point of time successful and doing good because of those efforts and invaluable decisions made by my father. My father lives on in me , my mother's husband lives on in her, Girish Rajadhyaksha lives on in us. The day I got my visa, me and my mother both thought of the same thing..' This is for you dad'
Even though my parents adopted me, I do believe today that I am my father's son. Whatever I do today , whatever good that I have done , its all because I just want to be like him. I know I will never be. I always want to be known as ' Girish Rajadhyaksha's son'.. wherever I end up. I spoke to my mother today, she doesnt cry anymore. Today she is happy, that her son has made his father proud. Somewhere up in the sky, somewhere in my soul, somewhere within me, I hope my baba is smiling at me.He died trying to reach out to me, today I want to be as successful as I can so that I may finally grab his hand one day and make that connection at last. I know he would have been very proud of me and my mom, and I feel that pride driving me on to those greater heights...
Never forget that we all are here due to the superhuman efforts of someone who loves us to death..so much that even death doesnt stop them from making sure we get what we want..whether it be a bottle of Coca-Cola or a world-class education. Make those people proud..step up!
Baba I love you
Dedicated to the best father in the world - Girish Yeshwant Rajadhyaksha.

Dedicated to Girish Yeshwant Rajadhyaksha

First blog representing the adult learners.

2009-03-05T22:06:00.003-05:00

Hello, My name is Corey Baughman and I believe that I am a Junior here at Penn State-York. I am 30 years old and am married with 3 daughters who are 6, 8, and 10. I also work second shift as a Lieutenant at York County Prison. I have been at Penn State-York since Spring of 2008.
Hmm...where should I begin? I will start off by explaining who I am and how I ended up at Penn State-York. First off, I graduated from York Vo-Tech or York School of Technology with a certificate in electrical occupations. I was not the greatest student in high school. Although I was involved in such activities such as class president, vice-president of student council, captain of the football team etc., my graduating GPA was about a 2.6. It wasn't that couldn't grasp the material, I just chose not to grasp the material. I thought that it was more important to chase girls and party with the boys. This led me to me first career.
With school not being my forte, I chose to join the Army as an infantry soldier. Although I could have had my choice of jobs in the service, I wanted to jump out airplanes and shoot big guns. Well, I got my wish in the summer of 1996 when I enlisted and was sent to Ft. Benning to boot camp. From there I was assigned to the 1oth Mountain Division in Ft. Drum, NY. If anyone does not know where that is, it is above Syracuse, NY and is colder than your first meeting with the in-laws. Three weeks after I got to Ft. Drum, I left from a blizzard in upstate NY to the deserts of Egypt for a 6 month peacekeeping mission. This is where I received my first taste of college. At the time, I was less than a year out of school when my team leader suggested that I take up school. I said, " No way sarge, I didn't sign up to go to college. I am not a college guy." Sgt. Talbot said, "Ok Pvt. Baughman, While the others are sitting in class, I am going to smoke your bags for an hour." Needless to say, I chose to go to college over getting scuffed-up on a daily basis. Once I was in class, I found that it was an extension of high school. While I was over there, I received 6 cr hrs of college from Central Texas College. To be continued.......

Midterms...Yuck

2009-03-03T15:12:00.001-05:00

Just jumping on here to further procrastinate since I should be studying...2 exams, 3 midterms, and 2 papers due this week. I did get my first midterm grade back from last week though - I got an A thankfully since I put tons of work into that. I'd been studying nonstop for 5 days barely stopping to eat and sleep. It was quite a few terms and things to memorize, but it ended up being worth it. I still say studying is detrimental to one's academic success in art history, but it may help in civil liberties. Off to sleep through another lecture, see ya.

P.S. Welcome to the blog Hunter. When's PSY's crisis sim? Am I still welcome to be a chair?

PUNC

2009-02-28T18:58:00.002-05:00

I'm currently up at main campus for the Penn State United Nations Conference. So far it's been a ton of fun (I'm Artemis in the Pantheon of the Gods), I'm about to head back to our last Committee Session for today, one more tomorrow and then we'll head back to York.
Hunter

Thon

2009-02-21T22:44:00.003-05:00

I feel the need to write about thon www.thon.org
I'm watching the webcast right now and the Icers Hockey team is onstage in the BJC (Bryce Jordan Center) dressed as Penguins. It's absolutely hilarious and I highly recommend that you watch the live webcast. I'm heading up to Thon tomorrow with Sara and everyone in York's van as long as the weather holds out. I'm going to wear as much green as possible! Now the Lionettes are performing Under the Sea.
I guess I'm done with my little blurb for now, if I get any good pictures tomorrow I'll try to figure out how to post them.
Hunter Bryce

Hello Everyone

2009-02-19T23:37:00.004-05:00

Hello!
I'm just starting this blog so I'll introduce myself first: I'm a sophomore at Penn State York and I'll be transferring up to University Park in the Fall. (I'll update my profile eventually and put other odds and ends on there)
I'm super-excited for Thon this weekend, I have yet to experience it. I work on Saturday morning but I'm going up with the van on Sunday. York campus's color this year is GREEN!! (Green is my favorite color by the way.)
The next big exciting events to come along are the Pennsylvania State Model United Nations Conference at University Park next weekend and then Spring Break in Ireland the following weekend. I'll keep you posted :)
Hunter

2009-02-12T18:54:00.003-05:00

A college experience......... what is it all about? People go on and on and on about huge campuses, working 24/7 to get that 4.0 GPA, attending wild parties, being accepted in a big student club..
All this while I was in India, I had this image of what it would be like when I would be a student here at this campus....I mean wow! Excitement ++
Yet you know, somehow I feel this past semester , great though it was academically and from the perspective of the whole 'college experience' view, I realised that there were few things missing.
Sure, it is very easy for me to sound ungrateful here, after all that hard work to come here , am I saying that Im not happy? Of course not! What I am trying to say however is that the vision I had , the things I was expecting from this campus and life here as a whole, was not enough. Or rather slightly distorted...What was it that I truly wanted? The faculty is brilliant here, the whole setup is just beyond my wildest dreams, Im doing good with my grades..attended some wild parties too! Then whats missing?
Sometimes we all just quickly forget what really is important in life. Of course noone knows for sure because importance changes from time to time and that itself is based on an equation by some obscene sociologist and so on and so forth..( Im really sorry I hope by now you have figured out how much I ramble on) So going back to what is important in life for ME. yes thats better and simpler to explain isnt it? What I realise is I missed my friends..my life, those little things, the spontaenous laughs, the inside jokes, many many many poses for photos..all that which I so enjoyed doing back home in Mumbai... Im sorry I just want to tell you guys about it all.
I have the best friends ever back home, practically family to me now. And I cannot tell you (but you probably know what im talking about) how much fun Iv had with them. I didnt have any wild parties, I didnt play in an indoor gym, I didnt run for president in any club, I didnt make the Dean's list. But there was pure happiness. I sucked at a subject, but with them, I aced a paper, but with them. We went to Hyderabad (an old city in central India) together for a holiday, spent amazing times together, did some awfully crazy things. We drank together secretly, shared our first beers together, just sat around and laughed, danced a lot, put on shows , laughed even more...heck I even donned a skirt and belly danced! I feel no shame in telling you all this because those were some of the happiest moments in my life. There were times when we would all just sit in my house, someone would play the guitar, we would all sing, eat kebabs, get emotional, laugh it off , sing some more, eat some more and just be happy. Other times the venue would change....there was this tiny chinese place near our college..a typical Mumbai roadside Indian-Chinese eatery...dirt cheap and very very tasty...we would all sit there, laugh and laugh and just have fun , and do all kinds of crazy things. After the noodles and chicken were consumed, then came the fresh lime sodas for all but rs. 5 per glass about 400 ml of it! (thats about a dime per glass) . But you know it was worth millions and millions and trillions. Those moments, in class, in the cafe, sitting beside them, impersonating the professors..comparing our test scores, completing assignments...just priceless.
I left them all behind , back in Mumbai, and I realised now after one whole semester, even though I talk to all of them every single day , that I was missing their rock solid presence in my life that I was so accustomed to. This was a whole new world...where everyone had been amazing to me but I had no real friends, not like those I left behind....that was what happiness was all about wasnt it? this is why I was feeling somehow incomplete..
I just wanna tell you guys that when you look forward to joining college, dont just believe that the experience is complete when you get an A grade in your IST class. NO it isnt. True happiness and satisfaction comes when you are complete ease, when the place feels like home. And it takes time. It never happens on the first day, or the 2nd day or the 3rd.....it takes a hell lot of time. But I will tell you that once you do find yourself, when you find your true friends , thats when it all becomes so much more worth it. Those small things I just went on about, I cant tell you how much they have shaped me more than any education in any classroom ever could or will. Today even if I miss them to the core, I still know that even though I am here on my own, I can make it...because I have their full support...and also Iv made some good friends here whom I can trust. That knowledge alone is enough for happiness. When you know that you have a friend to confide in, to cry to, to be happy with when a test goes wrong or right, thats when you know you have had the complete ' college experience' .
Its never about how big the campus is, if you have a couple of true friends sitting around, some sodas, some food, and maybe a guitar and a person who is a half decent singer, even though it might be in a shed , you know this is what they were talking about.

Dedicated to Mayetreyee Bishnu , Gaurang Bailoor, Ashwathy Nair, Farhad Zaiwalla, Chintan Joshi, Priyanka Hirwale, Rahul Mhambrey, Alina Lewis, Arnab Dasgupta...my best friends

What have I been doing with my life?

2009-02-11T19:01:00.002-05:00

I'm pretty sure being a procrastinator and super busy do not equal the greatest blogger in the world! I am sorry for that!

So, not going to attempt to update greatly on my life because that might take a looooooong time! But to sum up the basics, some new things have happened! I am no in the spring play called "Boys' Life!" I play the drunk wife at the end of the play! hahahaha! It's something that I wanted to get involved with as well as being forced into it by friends! But I'm glad I auditioned!
I am now the SGA representative for Lion Ambassadors, so that's another obligation, but I'm more than eager to do it! Helps me get more involved with the campus and my fellow students.

More to come! Hope everyone out there is doing well and enjoying this new semester!
P.S. My birthday is TOMORROW!!!!!!!

We are...PENN STATE!

Brief update - Exams Yuck!

2009-02-08T22:15:00.008-05:00

Well hitting the fourth and fifth week of classes I'm keeping incredibly busy. It always seems to fall that I have either nothing for all my classes or major tests and projects due in all of them. On that note though, the final exam schedule is up which is great. I have one on Monday and two on Wednesday and Thursday.

Other interesting things of note that I really ought to cover in more detail than I'm going to:

I'm working on a summer internship related to the legal field. I'm still hammering out details of that with the director of the Harrisburg Semester program. I have to come visit the York campus for letters of recommendation.

The trip to DC was pretty incredible. I love art and spent a lot of time at the Smithsonian stuff down there. I learned one of the old ballroom dances from Lincolns Inaugural Ball - special Bicentennial event. I made a complete fool of myself but it was fun...

Only try iceless iceskating if you're incredibly brave! I can ice skate just fine but it was essentially a greased floor and you try to use ice skates across it...really odd. I outlasted my date though - she gave up in about three minutes I lasted five! We went to dinner when the skating event didn't work out so that was fun. She hadn't ever been to an on campus event before though so it was a good experience. Big hint: get involved on campus or you'll sit around insanely bored.

Criminal Trials this week in Dauphin County. I'll be spending every spare moment I can down there observing.

I'm aware I was all over the place in this post, sorry. It makes sense to me - hopefully everyone else can follow it. I'll try to keep updated more often to avoid cramming in so much info.

Penn State? Isnt it in South India?

2009-01-30T20:50:00.003-05:00

August 2006 ( I dont remember the exact date and I wont even try try to remember it) ; After officially being accepted in this program, me and my mom came home in the evening with our raincoats and umbrellas dripping wet thanks to the ruthlessness of the Indian rain gods, yet more happy and satisfied than we had been in months, perhaps years. After going through the extreme torture that is the 12th grade and its board exams and various entrance tests that are the hallmark of the Indian education system, this was a day to celebrate indeed.
India has a different education system to the U.S of A and a student going through the formative years through 10th till 12th grade requires a mental and physical strength of superhuman levels. Generally kids opt for either one of 3 routes - Engineering , Medicine and Commerce. Arts forms a growing but woefully small minority. After graduating from school in 10th grade, we have to go through 2 years of junior college where we choose our broad academic area of study in either science, commerce or arts. All this sounds simple enough (so far) and it really is, at least on the surface. A normal child does not make this decision based on his own interest in most cases. There are a thousand things to consider, and it is enough to make one mental, certainly in my case. My dad was one of the best doctors before he passed away, and my entire family had been on my case to follow his legacy..'Son you are a natural doctor, take up science' ...another one said ' Beta! (son), I looked at your horoscope and theres simply gold written for u in commerce, go for it!, go for science or arts if you want to, but dont blame me if you end up losing everything and going bankrupt and begging on the streets in 2 months' ...clearly this was getting out of hand. Personally I wanted to pursue Arts, but there wasnt really any future in it anyway...ended up taking science in my local college. Mom happy, another aunt not so happy, fortune teller really not happy, but who cares? I was happy..all my friends were here, the area was great, the college was great, I enjoyed it. Then came 12th grade.
12th grade means board exams- HSC (Higher secondary school certificate), and various CETs (common entrance tests) to apply to engineering and medical colleges in the country. For the smart kids there is IIT-JEE ( the entrance exam to the most elite university in India - The Indian Institute of Technology). As if these tests werent good enough, the rotten cherry on top is the reservation quota, which is where politics and corruption make their way in the education system and manipulate the population and divide it based on caste and religion. A 'general' category student (one who is of the majority religion and caste) has less than 5% of the total number of seats in the college to choose from..everyone else gets to pick and choose first. Knowing that its indeed a very steep (concave even!) mountain to climb, students cannot rely on junior colleges with their poorly experienced and even more poorly paid faculty to prepare them adequately for the many D-days. The answer : Professional tutoring classes.
12 months and about 100000 rupees later, I was convinced that I should have rather gone to the Himalayas and meditated on a glacier. Dont get me wrong, I wasnt doing badly. This whole process however was frustrating me more and more every single day. I was giving exam after exam, not knowing whether the political scenario might suddenly change and and I wouldnt be able to get in a nice decent engineering college at all. All my batchmates were going through the same thing, and our professors constantly reminded us the importance of scoring not less than 95%...yea right! Not only does the grading system and exam pattern make this extremely difficult, but the fear of NOT getting in was making me hell nervous! Somehow I got through it all and by the end of May it was done...or was it?
Almost a month later (during which I at least got to enjoy the soccer world cup) the results were out, and although I didnt do badly, I still wasnt India's brightest Kid. Scorecard in hand , then came the final task of applying to all the colleges. I wont get much into the way this works now, but in a nutshell its like a lottery. Its mostly down to sheer luck. I , very obviously wasnt very happy at this, but knowing that there wasnt another option, had to deal with it.
I accidently discovered this course while on one of my rounds at Vidyalankar college to enquire about their engineering program seats availability. I saw it, knew this was it, and jumped at it. Asked mom, got her approval, asked my seniors and cousins who were Penn State alumni, and made the decision. PENN STATE! woooooooohooooo, away from this quicksand that is the Indian education system....in one of the best universities in the world!!
Now you know why me and mom were so happy that day...... came home dripping wet, I decided to call up one of my best friends and tell him about this news.....Picked up the phone and dialed..' Hello? Is Prasad there? I have some news..hey Prasad! Im going to Pennstate!! Isnt that cool? '
Prasad: " Wow dude! that IS cool....Isnt Penn in a south indian state? You will have to appear for their CET though, you ready? "
Me: ........................... *blank with anger and frustration* !@#!$@!#$!#W$

Namaste, PSY!

2009-01-27T13:08:00.003-05:00

Hello everyone! Its such a big relief to finally get on this blog at last! I cant believe its been almost half a year since I hopped on a plane to come here! Knowing that I would be a Penn Stater almost 2 years ago and then waiting for that time to come and then waiting some more...in a nutshell it wasnt a short period of time. But it was worth it. Not only did I have the best time of my life In Vidyalankar (my college back home), but the Penn State experience has been just as wonderful.
Before coming here, there was so much of a ruckus surrounding my departure. Do this, do that, DONT do that, etc. etc. etc. America is a strange country son!, be veeeeeery careful, dont drive and drink! Yes with tons of baggage and even more tons of advice on my shoulders, I came here..leaving all my dearest friends, the love of my life and most importantly , my mother back in India. As soon as the plane took off it hit me hard, I wasnt going to see my mother soon for at least a year or more. The jokes were forgotten, this was it...my chance to either make it or break it! 2 years of hard work, 2 years of friendships, 2 years of watching my mom run around Mumbai getting all my papers in order, 2 years all directed towards one thing....
Shantanu Rajadhyaksha : undergraduate student of the Pennsylvania State University
My chance to make it

Changes!

2009-01-27T11:30:00.003-05:00

Happy Tuesday everyone!

This is my first official blog post, and I'm using it to simply alert you all to some changes in the blog.

Jess Olan graduated (yay Jess!) and we miss her terribly already...but I'm sure she'll be around. But since she's no longer with us, we're adding a new blogger, and I hope you all are as excited as I am to meet him!

His name is Shantanu Rajadhyaksha, and he is an international student from India. It will be awesome to be able to get such a different perspective on Penn State York.

As a side note, spring is coming quickly, and if you find yourself with any questions about admissions, applying to college, or are interested in visiting Penn State York, please don't hesitate to call!

:-)

Sara

Wheelz of Fire

2009-01-25T22:21:00.003-05:00

I attended my first formal campus event tonight - it was hosted by my CA (community assistant) at Wheelz of Fire a local roller skating rink. I met two Penn Stater's who seem interesting - more on them later perhaps from future campus events. More importantly, I found out that there is in fact a local rink with inline hockey! Unfortunately, they don't have a website so I didn't find it before. Also got invited to join a speed skating team - I probably am turning down that offer but pickup hockey sounds awesome!

I played for about six years at a local rink which has since shut down. I haven't played for three years now, so I'm going to get killed but should be fun.

First week

2009-01-14T13:37:00.007-05:00

It's now Wednesday night as I finish writing this, so I have had all of my classes at least once. I'm definitely dreading my honors seminar the most - each professor who teaches it personalizes the course to their field of study - Dr. Jastor is interested in Renaissance England...Shakespeare. She has a really great energy though and is totally upbeat about it which is definitely a benefit. We're going to be taking a trip to The American Shakespeare Center in Blackfriars' Theatre in Staunton, VA to see the various pieces we are studying performed live. That sounds like it should be fun and really help in appreciating the material.

I'll keep you updated on other classes more so once we really get into them. Here's a short insight though.

Accounting - not really a course I'm interested in but a core requirement for a Business Administration minor. I still haven't gotten the textbook from the bookstore - I ordered it in mid-December. =/ Apparently a number of instructors have had trouble with PSH's Bookstore

Public Administration - The professor seems pretty laid back and really interested in facilitating class discussion which is great. He doesn't seem to believe law school is worthwhile, so we have a bit of a disagreement about that.

Civil Liberties and Due Process - better than I imagined since this is my passion. Dr. Woessner is also my academic adviser, and that is certainly a plus. Seems like it will be a whole lot of work though and a rather difficult course overall.

English - this course seems like it will be another that takes a lot of work. We haven't really gotten into depth with anything yet though so stay tuned next week or so.

Energy and the Environment - A pretty easy science credit from the looks of it. Considering how much the idea was thrown around during the election I really hope to cover "clean" coal.

Public Policy Analysis - The professor is the head of the Public Policy program and the Harrisburg semester program; I am hoping to find something in the legal field for an internship to participate in that which means working with Dr. Nechemias The course is writing intensive which means a fair bit of extra work, but I think it should be interesting.

I am really thankful to be done with gen eds after this semester.

Move in on Friday

2009-01-05T17:57:00.008-05:00

Sheesh the holiday break went way too quickly. I'm ready for a bit of structure for sure, but I'm pretty stressed right now with packing everything up and redoing lists I've been making for the past few months on what I want/need. I have the list of my roomates, but I haven't e-mailed them yet. At this point I think I'll just wait to meet them. Doubtlessly some pretty cool folks.

One thing that has me stressed is that the east shore YMCA can't decide whether they're hosting karate or judo classes on Tuesday/Thur nights... The website contradicts itself. I'm interested in judo and don't really want to do karate. Ah well guess I'll go for one class and find out. Otherwise I hope to get involved with the learning center up there, the model UN, and anything pre-law related.

Books still haven't come - which rather defeats the purpose of ordering them two months early and having them shipped to my house. Hopefully I can call the bookstore and have them hold them up there instead *tacks another note onto the to-do list*

I'll definitely keep you guys filled in on how it goes, but I'm too stressed to think of much else right this second.

Oh joy...Christmas

2008-12-21T00:59:00.006-05:00

I'm really glad the semester is done with (though slightly annoyed final grades aren't posted for a certain class. =/ )

Now I get to put 100x more effort into dealing with family events and all the festivities associated with the holidays than I did all semester. I love the fact that everything is finished up for school, but I find family events to be very stressful. Plus I'm still working on packing everything up making sure I have essentials and such.

Meeting up with a friend for lunch tomorrow that I haven't seen in ages since she's about 6 hours away from here at school. I have no idea how I can get along with an Art/Art Therapy major so well yet still completely bomb my art history final. My artist and musical talent is...well never mind that I have no artist or musical talent.

I've been up until 2 or 3 am lately, so I'm going to crash now since I have to get up fairly early tomorrow.

Night all,

Stephen

Thank You! Goodnight!

2008-12-12T10:35:00.002-05:00

I'm going to try to write this without crying. Heh. I've had hair trigger tearducts for the last few weeks. It's been hard to talk about my good memories, or say goodbye to someone, or tell my friends how proud I am without getting all choked up. It seems to be expected now that I'll begin blubbering for no reason. I'm glad everyone laughs it off though. It's embarrassing enough as is.
Now is my time to start slowly withdrawing from everything I've had a finger in for the last three years. I know SGA will be alright (I've endorsed my pick for an heir :D ). I know my friends will be alright - heck I only live 6 minutes away. I guess my biggest fear is that all these wonderful people I've met and become attached to will just *poof* disappear, or maybe I'll just disappear from their minds. Friendships are situational. I know that. And while I know that I'll make friends at Shippensburg, I also know that they won't be as half as wonderful as the friends I've made here.
My interview with Shippensburg is February 3rd. Which means I won't be starting grad school until the summer. Which means I have about 5 months off. Which means I have a lot of cleaning to do....and trashy romance novels to read. I think that's what I'm going to enjoy most (once I get used to it). The Quiet. The Peace. Knowing that I can let my brain - that has been working overtime for the last 4 years - just relax into a smooshy pool of video games and 4th grade reading level books.
Sigh.
Oh who am I kidding? I'll be calling every day for the first two weeks to come hang out. I'll be counting down the days til Paw Search and THON. I'll be on the mailing list for all my clubs and come to all the events. I guess I'll always bleed blue and white. :)

I'll try to get in at least one more after graduation. I want to tell you all about it. And Matt, you're so right. One day you're a sophomore, next day you're a graduate. The horizon is deceptively close. I'll miss you guys. My experiences here will live in my heart for all my life. I couldn't have made it without you. I've never felt so loved and appreciated in all my life. Thank you.

All My Love,
Jess Olan
Alum

Thank goodness it's the last week!

2008-12-08T14:51:00.003-05:00

So what I have been up to you ask?

Well, I am now a brand new member of Delta Gamma and I love it! I just filled out my Schreyers Honors College application and we'll see how that goes!! I'm so happy that its the last week before finals, I just want to get everything over with! I'm moving into Eastview terrace next semester and I'm super excited! I've also just found out that I will be living with some of my besties next year in Eastview again!! Whoot! Now I have to go through the process of moving all my stuff out of my room and into my new room, I suppose that's why we have boyfriends lol I still have so much left to do before break, and to think that Christmas is only weeks away!! AHHH! I haven't even begun shopping. I have so much to update on but I can't even focus.

Until later...

Abbie

Final Stretch...

2008-12-06T05:12:00.005-05:00

It happens every semester and it never seems to fail on me... I once again feel like I just walked into my acting class or my communications course just last week and then right before my eyes, we are in the last full week of classes. It's exciting I suppose. I am kind of happy to see the semester come to an end and receive a break but sometimes, I'm just not sure I want it all to end. It's a perfect replica of the conflict in change. I feel as if I just got comfortable with what I'm doing and that my schedule finally was hitting a steady routine only to be thrown into the fire and start new again. But that's life...

Seeing a semester end actually makes me dread a what-is-coming-to-be-near-future-change.
And as you may guess, it's graduation.
I know, I know I still have another two years but it is like running a race and seeing the finish line on the horizon as I begin to crest over the hill...

To Be Continued...

Sorry it's been a while

2008-12-05T17:33:00.010-05:00

Yikes! It's been over a month since I last popped on here. Sorry everyone, my computer died on me and the bookmark on my toolbar was the sole thing reminding me to come visit here.

Hmm now to catch up on a month worth of updates in the 20 minutes I have to write this...

YES WE DID! Barack Obama won the election! And...I managed to get thrown out of our victory celebration...The party was held at Cobblestones (A local sports bar) and apparently those under 21 aren't allowed in past 10:00 pm without a parent. Because college students never drink, right? Getting up on Nov 5th for my 7:30 am class was pretty rough though. I am never scheduling another class that insanely early if at all possible. 9:00 is great.

Few weeks in between weren't really eventful, but we had family get together for Thanksgiving. Then I got teeth cut out the day afterwords...yuck! Ah well surgery went better than expected - goodbye to any shred of wisdom I had left. On a more uplifting note, I did get to spend time with a girlfriend of mine who's going to school about 6 hours away and I rarely get to hang out with. She dragged a friend back from Roanoke and the three of us went ice skating.

Now I'm pretty busy and stressed with final projects coming due. I turned in the final copies of my honors projects today, so I'm hoping to get those back Monday. I know Dr. Latzko will but am unsure about Professor Neahaus. I'm exempt from her final though since I maintained an A average. I can sleep in that Thursday, Sweet! (It was an 8am final). I managed to bomb the first part of my art history final which was held today today. :(

Studying is definitely detrimental to one's academic performance - I did much better on the tests I didn't study for than this one. Save your sanity and use that time to relax. Ah well think I'll do alright overall in the course with some of the extra credit assignments.

Not sure where this fits chronologically, but I was officially offered on campus housing for next semester and have accepted. Have started shopping and packing some essentials for living on campus next semester, but it'll be really crazy later this month.

I promise I'll update you guys again soon. (Hopefully before December 18th - the last day of final) definitely by then though. Yuck...a 6pm final on the last day...how aweful. Ah well glad the semester is coming to an end.

Stephen

So so sorry...

2008-11-06T22:10:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone...

So yeah, I am incredibly sorry for basically falling off the face of the earth for the last month... I have gotten a little busy and well quite frankly, I am lacking on some basic things I am supposed to be doing...For instance, I had a talk with my parents concluding in them saying I can't just use our home as a sleeping quarters anymore. So I get a little wrapped up in some things and don't come home until 1 in the morning...once a week... Okay, that is a lie, more like every night of the week lol

But on the other hand, I actually like life this way. Busy 24/7 and always rushing. It keeps you on your toes, keeps you busy lol

Okay well, if it were not for me having work and then an exam tomorrow morning, I would stay and type more but hey, you have to stay busy! I promise to be on again very soon and update about the many crazy things going on in life. I'll just leave with the fact that I declared my major in CAS and I will be staying at PSU York all four years!

Until later and as always, God bless!

Matt

Donkey Kong

2008-11-03T13:50:00.002-05:00

The past week has been insane. I've felt like Mario in Donkey Kong, constantly jumping over barrels and busting through obstacles just to make it to the Princess. For me, last week's princess was Friday night. I just wanted to make it through the week so that I could crash hard and sleep my way through Saturday.
Tuesday and Wednesday the Drama Club put on their production of "Talk Radio". It was a great show. I was so honored to work with so many talented actors and the show couldn't have gone better. We were all amped about it because it felt like our first real show with a set and everything. We knew our lines, we worked on blocking, we got to run tech for 4 days....it wasn't just some amateur play. We really owned it, and it felt great when I took my bow on stage. I wish we could have done 2 more shows. The staff at the Pullo center rocked (Thanks April and Washy and Sheldon). I couldn't believe the standing ovation we received Wednesday night. The crowd absolutely screamed when Todd took his bow.
Thursday and Friday were a whirlwind of activity. I shopped for supplies for the Halloween Party and spent most of the day on Friday setting up. What a great party! We had some crazy costumes (Hugh Heffner and bunnies, The US Military, Ninja Turtles) and I loved my costume. I went in my wedding dress and added a tiara and went as a Queen. It was so much fun and I was really happy with the turnout. We raised almost $400 for charity.
I'll be honest with you all, though. All these events passing by are lots of fun, but in truth they are all bittersweet. This was my last play performance....my last Halloween party...all pointing to my last semester here. The last few weeks have been filled with "We don't know what we're going to do without you Jess", and "Things are going to be so different with you gone Jess." Quite honestly, I don't know what I'm going to do when I'm gone. I'm going to miss all of my friends. I'm going to miss being in a place I (mostly) understand. I just don't want to see all of my friendships wash away because I'm out of sight out of mind.
Ugh...I'm gettin bummed just thinking about it.

Here's to a less stressful week.

~Jess

My head is about to explode!

2008-10-29T13:10:00.001-04:00

I feel like wacking myself on the head! I have been like a ghost from this blog and I am so ashamed!
Life has been so hectic I can't think straight at times! I am so busy with classes and I'm also working, but that's not that bad because I am a "CA" which is kind of like a "RA"(resident's assistant) in my apartment building. It's nice to not have to spend gas money or to find transportation to get to work. Not only do you save money, but you are normally around people that you hang out with or your friends. But don't get me wrong, we do work! We have to clean and monitor the building and deal with any necessary complaints or problems that may arise. It can get boring at times, but we are allowed to do our homework or read during our shifts.
Just juggling all the school workload and my working hours and all my extracurriculars such as Lion Ambassadors can get frustrating at times.
The open house was this past weekend and it just brought back memories of my first time of visiting Penn State York. I actually ran into an old friend from high school! I didn't expect to see anybody from my area but she just popped out of nowhere! And it made me feel so much better to see a friendly face from home. I talked to her after the open house and apparently she loved the campus and she really wants to go here, so job well done PSY!
The whole apartment situation can get a little too much at times. Six girls living together is not a good combination. And to add to the problems, we are all SO different that we never see eye to eye. Problems can occur and sides will be taken and tension will be created. That is the last thing I want for this apartment because we all have to live together. I've learned that if I'm having a bad day or I'm in not so good of a mood, I just go to my room or separate myself by leaving. It helps to have friends outside of your apartment, even the building. But you have to learn to suck it up and to not sweat the small stuff.
well I'll be back soon! Hope all of you are doing well!
We Are Penn State!

One More Week

2008-10-25T20:10:00.005-04:00

Wow time has gone by quickly, only have 7 days left until election day. I can't believe I've been out campaigning since August.

Big events coming up: Thursday the 30th Ed Rendell will be joining us at the York office for some phone calls and canvassing at 1:00 sounds like it will be loads of fun and meeting important people is always good since I'll be in Harrisburg next semester.

Saturday - Tuesday is Get Out The Vote (GOTV). That effort is going to be pretty amazing, the goal is to attempt to talk to all the Obama supporters four times over the course of those four days. We won't leave anyone alone until they can show us the "I voted" sticker Tuesday.

If you're going to do anything during the campaign, now is the time to get involved. If nothing else be sure to go vote on November 4th. Polls are open from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm (although if you're in line by 8:00 you will get to vote.

Doing My To-Do List

2008-10-21T23:23:00.002-04:00

Sometimes, I add things to my to-do list that I'm actually in the middle of doing. Sometimes, I add things that I've just completed, just so I can have the satisfaction of crossing them off. I'll put these recently completed items in strategic places like the top and middle to amp myself up about "all" that I've accomplished.

Dear God, I'm weird aren't I?

I get this nagging feeling when I'm making a to-do list. The feeling comes from all the things that I said I was going to do, but never did and now have forgotten so I CAN'T ADD THEM TO MY LIST! Inevitably, someone comes to me and asks, "Did you get to finish project XYZ? It's due in a nanosecond," and I say, "Oh well, it's on my to-d --- oh, um, actually I forgot that one." How embarrassing. I can't even organize my organization.

Here's two things to add to YOUR to-do lists this week, dear readers:
1. Come to our production of "Talk Radio", a rated R stage play starring yours truly and ...you know some other fantastic people. It's October 28 & 29 at 7 pm at Penn State York's Pullo Theatre. It's free for Penn State students and only $5 for general admission!
2. Come check out our 2nd annual Halloween Party, October 31st, 7-11 pm. We're asking $3 for students and $5 for general admission at the door, all of which goes to help kids with cancer. (Yeah THON) Free pizza, candy, drinks and snacks, plus a brain vibrating sound system.

See? I give you fun things to do so you can happily cross them off once you complete them. If you're going to come to the party though, you may want to add "Find Halloween Costume"to your list. Well! Stop reading blogs! You have work to do!!

Classes Next Semester

2008-10-12T22:30:00.008-04:00

I can schedule classes in a few days, so I've worked out what I hope to take - just wanted to let you all take a look. Hopefully everything is still available if I schedule at midnight on the 16th. All Political Science/Public policy classes compared to none this semester. It's going to be a lot of fun - albeit a lot of work. I still haven't done my foreign language requirement, so I'm hoping to schedule Spanish over the summer at a community college...I have no interest what so ever in learning a foreign language and am putting it off as long as possible. *Sigh* I hate general education credits. Ah well supposedly going to make me a more well rounded better person. I can't wait for law school!

22 Credits most being upper level courses, we'll see how that goes I might have to drop something to devote extra time to other things, but I'm going to try it. Only have class Monday-Thursday though. Three day weekends!

Public Policy Analysis
Writing in the Social Sciences
Public Administration
The Role of Knowledge in Society (Honors Seminar)
Financial and Managerial Accounting
Engineering – energy and environment
Civil Liberties and Due Process

Stephen

Voter Registration

2008-10-06T16:34:00.002-04:00

Today is the last day to register to vote in PA, so the campaign was out doing registration on campus. I saw one of our field organizers out and decided to jump in and help out. I personally got 7 registrations in about an hour and I know the other two people out doing it got quite a few. Even registered a professor I had last semester (he or she had moved since the last election)!

I have no life until November

2008-09-30T14:19:00.002-04:00

Yes, I'm still alive - Barely have been insanely busy lately.

I just lost my only free day during the week so here's a more accurate copy of my schedule:
http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=sxk444%40gmail.com&ctz=America/New_York

I'm really getting into my honors project though. Have started preparing ideas for my bail reduction motion. Defending a murder case with no legal background to speak of isn't easy. Hopefully knowing how to do legal research will provide a step up on other law school applicants though and it's a lot of fun.

I'll try to get something more elaborate up soon.

Stephen

Recruitment!

2008-09-29T22:21:00.002-04:00

So this past weekend I've been rushing all the sororities and I'm exhausted! I'm going through formal recruitment so I get to meet all 20 sororities and throughout the week I make a list of my favourites and I eventually join one of my top 3. It's a complicated process but I'm loving it so far! Besides that the white out game this weekend was AMAZING lol I was in the student section with Dan, Mandy, and Zach and it was the best ever! I'm so happy that we're ranked number 6...number 1 would be better but hey, it's still early in the season =p I had a lot of fun tailgating before the game, especially since I got to see some friends from home!! It's was great. I still feel pretty overloaded with work but I'm learning how to find time to study. No lie, study groups are the only way I get things done lol It's fun though, it makes the time fly by lol You know what I realized today? I wont be home for a month and a half because of games, recruitment and shows...bummer lol I'm not gonna lie, I miss having my own room. You really take it for granted lol I think it's mainly because my room mate and I don't really see eye-to-eye, that's why I'm really excited to join a sorority lol Hopefully this week will get less hectic!

Wish me luck! =)
Abbie

Busy Is The Theme of The Week

2008-09-26T22:31:00.002-04:00

Seems we've all been busy. And thanks to all of you who have been busy reading our blogs. Keep the comments coming!

So goes the life of the college student. One week you're on top of everything on your to-do list. The next week you're drowning under the weight of your own procrastination. During the summer, I let myself get out of the habit of using my student planner. I lived by that thing last year, and I'm going to have to relearn how to live by it again. The life of the SGA President isn't pretty. I've got meetings out the wazoo, committees, luncheons, plus I *do* occasionally like to just hang out with friends on campus. I've been doing my best to show some love to the night programming crew. (Awesome job Todd and Cliff!!) Not to mention my 13.5 credits (by far the lightest academic load I've taken to date). I keep finding myself saying at 11:30 on a Sunday night, "Oh yeah, THAT homework." I've got to budget my time better. Nothing is more embarrassing than having to apologize for missing a meeting or having to admit in class that you have no idea how to answer that question because you forgot to do the reading that day.

Speaking of meetings, this upcoming week is chock full o'them. I'm meeting with all of the student government senators as well as the Presidents of all our extracurricular clubs and organizations. It gives everyone a chance to get familiar with their responsibilities and it gives me a chance to get to know everyone. Which reminds me loyal readers - Have YOU joined a club yet? Huh? Have ya? You should get on that if you haven't. Go to this website for a complete list of our clubs.

http://www.yk.psu.edu/StudentLife/ClubsAndOrganizations/clubs.htm?cn25

If you want to join any of them, just pop by the Student Affairs office and they can get you contact info for that group and let you know when they meet. Or just email me. I'll be here... working on my annotated bibliography...forever...

With Pride,
Jess

Hectic doesn't even begin to explain it...

2008-09-22T20:38:00.002-04:00

So it's been a while since I last blogged. I've been so busy with everything!! I feel so busy all the time! I have 3 tests this week and they're all in my core classes....bummer. All my time is spent reading and looking over notes lol It sucks. On top of that I have my sorority recruitment session, my THON morale interview and I have 2 meetings I need to go to....talk about stress. Thank goodness for my friends and family...I don't know what I would do without them! I can't wait til the game this weekend, pep rally and a white out under the lights!! Whoot! I'm especially excited for this week to be over!!

Until next week,

Abbie

Changing Campus

2008-09-17T22:05:00.003-04:00

For those of you who don't know - I'm majoring in Political Science and Public Policy at Capital College (Harrisburg), so I'm actually going up there in January for the spring semester. I've been looking into the process of switching campuses recently and all the details associated with that. It's really pretty simple - one short half a page form to fill out and Boom campus change was approved.

Now for the difficult part...making connection up there. I either have or am working on contacting the following people: the head of the political science department, the honors program director, and the director of the learning center.

I really wanted to find an internship somewhere in the state capital working in a legal field, but I'm having trouble networking from here for now. I'm hoping I'll find something through my campaign work or contacts here that will open up...we'll see. Dr. Dzubak from our Nittany has been great. She has former students or members of the tutoring staff that now work up there and she's been trying to find opportunities for me to explore further.

I'm hoping that the Harrisburg Learning Center will waive their one semester at Harrisburg requirement in light of the fact that I have previous tutoring experience and certification from another Penn State Campus. I can definitely understand the necessity of such a requirement for transfer students but don't think it's too relevant in my case.

I'm hoping that I don't have to go through the process of applying to the Harrisburg honors program and that they're reciprocal with York's system, but I haven't gotten that far yet. Bureaucracy annoys me to no end - so far not too bad though.

I'll be living in on campus housing up there hopefully - actually have to work on that soon - next month is when I was told they'd know about availabilities.

The ability to schedule classes opens up in October as well, so I'm keeping that in mind as well. I can actually take political science or public policy classes considering I'm majoring in the field, Yay! I'll try to have a *VERY* tentative schedule up sometime soon for you guys.

This came off as a to do list for me rather than a legitimate blog post but this is what has been on my mind most of the week while I have time to deal with it.

Stephen

Just curious...

2008-09-11T23:00:00.003-04:00

You know, I am just slightly curious if anyone else in our nation notices how bad the media is downright cruel to Sarah Palin (and by publishing this blog, I by no means intend to pursue and state my political ideologies through this post, unless otherwise asked). Personally though, I have noticed a lot of media sources from newspapers, television and even magazine articles that are just hammering Sarah Palin about things that have almost no relevancy to her. Between her daughter's pregnancy and her husbands DUI from 20 years ago; where does any of this have anything to do with her abilities to be able to lead our country? In almost every media source I see speaking of her, all I see is people slamming her with things that don't even pertain to her.

I don't know; I won't rant further but I am just curious to see if anyone else was able to pick up on these things.

God bless,
Matt

I'm in! Finally!

2008-09-10T13:30:00.002-04:00

Hey Guys
I'm so sorry I haven't been on the blog in a really long time. It has been MAJORLY busy trying to get everything sorted out!
I have moved into the 550 lofts, which I think most everyone has heard about!
The problem is we don't have any internet yet, so it's been impossible trying to get on here and to do all my work for my classes! The ISTC Lab is my new hangout spot!
The lofts are really fun though! It has it's ups and downs, but overall I love the setting and all the people. I never feel alone cause most everyone are in my apartment all the time!
I have been accepted into the Lion Ambassador's program! I was really excited because it's an organization that is greatly talked about and it gets rave reviews! So we shall see how that will go!
More to come on the home front!
We are Penn State!

Obama visit Lancaster

2008-09-09T18:52:00.005-04:00

Sorry for not posting this sooner, I've been really busy.

Senator Obama came to visit Lancaster last Thursday, and I got VIP seating because of my involvement in the campaign! I was literally around 10 feet from the podium it was incredible!

Around 15,000 people came many students at Franklin and Marshal and Millersville University. I met one interesting student from Millersville though I shan't talk too much about her without permission.

I haven't gotten around to uploading photos and videos yet but one of our team members has hosted pictures of the event.

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=43127686&albumId=1983284

Senator Obama touched largely on the economy and war in Iraq. Focusing on Iraqi responsibility and their 72 billion dollar surplus! Our country is trillions of dollars in debt and the Iraqi's have that kind of surplus! Madness! They really ought to be moving towards self governance which doesn't seem to be happening at the moment. He also addressed a few of the attacks from the Republican convention that was going on that week.

I was really disgusted by their convention. The whole thing was devoted to personal stories - both Palin's as mayor and McCain's experience in Vietnam. Unfortunately, I didn't learn anything new about the party platform or what they're going to do to solve substantial issues facing the country. Although I suppose that's consistent with McCain's campaign manager, Rick Davis's view that, "This election is not about issues. This election is about a composite view of what people take away from these candidates."

Not about issues?!? We're going to be 10 trillion dollars in debt (roughly $32,000 a person http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/), the economy is tanking, and we're militarily involved in 130+ countries throughout the world. How can we afford to have an election not decided on issues?

Alright, I'm jumping down from my soapbox for now because I've got to run for dinner.

Talk to you all later(i.e I'll continue my rant at some point),

Stephen

Sometimes, A Girl Just Changes Her Mind

2008-09-04T11:23:00.003-04:00

I've always admired people that had a set path, a predetermined goal in mind when they came to college. I had a goal in mind pretty soon after I started, but I was also six years older than the rest of the incoming freshmen. It was all layed out: Get a bacchelor's degree in Letters, Arts, and Sciences, then go on to grad school for physical therapy. Simple.

So I've taken all but a few prerequisites, maintained over a 3.50 GPA, and started shopping around for grad programs. Then it hit me...

I don't know if I want to do this.

I don't like any of these subjects: Chemistry, Physics, Trig...I have the highest respect for people that are good at it and passionate about those subjects. But not me. I struggle with them, even with extra help. I started thinking, if I'm having trouble with these classes, how in the world am I going to survive a graduate program that is based on these subjects? Do I really want to spend the next three years away from my family to pursue something that I may not love? Then I started thinking about the stuff I really love to do. I love being on campus and helping students. I love being president and planning events. I love being able to offer guidance to anyone that asks me. I think I really want to be in higher ed.

Leave it to me to be a SENIOR only SIX credits away from graduation before I decide to make a change. Quite frankly, I freaked. Everything I've done so far has been towards the goal of P.T., and now I'm taking a 180 and headed in a totally different direction. But it turns out I can still use my degree to get into a grad program for Student Affairs. And there are no prerequisite classes for this degree. PLUS, one of the programs has a rolling admission so I can start in January.

Moral of the story is, it's never too late to change your mind. I know I'll be happy with this career.

~Jess

First week

2008-09-03T21:50:00.001-04:00

Well we're into the second week of the semester (sorry I got caught up in Labor day festivities - i.e. the week of action for the Obama campaign, Lol!) The first week was a whole lot of fun - all kinds of great activities such as the intro picnic. Mostly it was great to meet all kinds of new people and make a few new friends.

Classes aren't too intense so far - a lot of reading of course but it's still only the beginning.

Most interesting for myself is an honors project I'm working on for my business law class because I want to go onto law school myself. My professor for that course has agreed to let me work on a project with her and we're meeting this Friday to get down more specific details so I'll keep you posted.

The roughest classes for me, as expected, will be world music and art history. I've never really been good with or enjoyed more creative abstract concepts like that. The art history should be tolerable because I do find the evolution of society and its influence on the art of the time interesting. Various theories about the hunting rituals of primitive painters etc. Music, I'm definitely going to be suffering through. We have a great professor, but I've always had a slight disdain for music that I have to work past.

Details of my internship have been finalized now. I submitted the completed application to the faculty supervisor. I'll still be working with the Southern York County (or SO YO as we affectionately have dubbed it) team on Wednesday nights for team meetings/phone banking and Saturday voter contact activities (canvassing, voter registration, etc). However, I'll also be spending most of Thursday and possibly some Tuesdays in the campaign office working on voter registration and voter protection activities.

Saturday I get to host my first canvass event on my own. Our team coordinator will be working at another event, so I'll be running everybody through the training. Our field organizer is supposed to stop by and help knock on a few doors but has a lot of events to work with and probably can't stay too long. I guarantee that I will defiantly post about this later because it'll be my first attempt at organizing my own event.

Be sure to check out www.mybarackobama.com for campaign updates in your area. We need all the help we can get.

Talk to you guys later,

Stephen

P.S. I love hearing from you guys. Be sure to leave a comment or send me an e-mail. The feedback I've gotten so far is awesome!

First Week!!

2008-09-01T20:43:00.004-04:00

I have officially completed my first week at Penn State and I love it!! Getting around classes can be confusing but I've pretty much got most of them down. I'm not gonna lie, the first couple days I had the worst shin splintz of my life!! So I got a bike lol I still don't get how it works though, but I'm sure I'll figure it out lol Besides the walking, my classes seem pretty cool this semester. My latin prof. is hilarious! haha My nursing classes seem pretty cool too! I just ordered scrubs and I'm super excited to wear them to class!! I finally met my adviser the other day and she seems really nice, and really honest, which I like. I thought I wanted to take a minor in a language, but she explained to me how labels aren't everything. I'm really glad I set up an appointment with her! I didn't realize how many people were at SC until I stopped for lunch in the HUB and had to wait 20 mins to get lunch! It was insane!! I've now since learned to pack a mini lunch lol I guess I should mention something about football weekend lol It was amazing! I had a lot of fun! My friends Dan and Mandy came to visit and we had a blast! My mom came up yesterday and helped me out and I really missed her!! I can't wait til next weekend! Thank goodness next week will be an afternoon game lol I really should go and study because I have a ton of reading to do!!

Peace out!

The hardest part is walking out the door...

2008-08-28T21:38:00.007-04:00

So it all started with one run. One run which had the ability to change his life. One run which would take a young man to be able to race with the rest of the world's greatest runners. This man I speak of is Ryan Hall, a man of pure inspiration and unbelievable dedication to running. But the thing is that he doesn't do it for himself, he does it for God.

Now to me, that is a man with a passion and a drive like nothing else. He resembles exactly what happens when you set yourself to something more than your own ambitions. It resembles a man who knows that life is not all about him.

So simply stating, where does this have any connection to my life? I have started to really study hard in all my classes, get more involved in college, work to get myself onto a respectable financial platform where I don't rely on my parents for everything I need, and last, but surely not least, I have begun to run again. But as I was finishing my run today, I thought to myself what someone asked me the other day, "Why are you running again?". And in that moment of my last few strides, I asked myself, "What am I running for? Why am I doing the things that I do at college? What is my goal right now in life?" But even at this moment the answer hides from me.

So after my run I laid in the pool and relaxed, still thinking about my current goals and aspirations when I came to a basic realization. Ryan Hall knew the answer clear as day. He didn't worry about what the next day brought along. He prayed for guidance and a clear path to follow. He knew there would be walls in his path but he would be granted with the ability to overcome them.

So in the wake of this, I have come to realize that all you have to do is go on that one run. That one daring run can hold the ability to change your life in ways you may have never imagined. If you just set your mind off of yourself, you can have the ability to go far.

God Bless
Matt

PARTY!

2008-08-27T19:09:00.012-04:00

Yes, that's right not done with the first week of school and I'm enjoying MASSIVE parties - over 500 people!

The York Obama campaign threw a massive party at the Yorktowne Hotel Ballroom to watch Senator Obama's acceptance speech. It was AMAZING! Obama said everything that needed to be mentioned. I won't bore everyone with a detail analysis (yet) but be sure to watch it for yourself if you haven't already.

Check it out here: http://www.barackobama.com/tv/

I'll get exact numbers a little later but I know we made thousands of phone calls telling everyone to watch the speech - did anyone get the message? More importantly, we got a HUGE number of volunteers and will likely get tons more over the weekend.

If you want to get involved check out the website: http://www.barackobama.com or send me an e-mail and I'll get you set up with a team in your area.

Love it? Hate it? Let me know! I love to talk and debate.

I'm looking forward to celebrating Senator McCain's 72nd Birthday (August 29th) by helping make 72,000 phone calls across PA for the Obama campaign. McCain will get a little more press, but we're working hard to make our presence known out in the field.

Now that it's past midnight I think I shall go to bed since I have to get up at 6. G'night all.

Stephen

P.S. I promise I'll eventually stop plugging something every post (although every other post is still likely to be about the campaign until November 4th)

Already?

2008-08-24T23:57:00.002-04:00

Wow that week went fast! Here it is, less than 10 hours away from my first class. I gotta stop writing these things at midnight...

I was an orientation leader this past week and had the opportunity to meet some of the incoming students. I hope we sparked some interest in campus activities, but more importantly, I hope we gave them some of the tools they will need to survive their first semester. I didn't last a year the first time I went to college. Too much drama, not enough support system.

Speaking of support system, my awesome friend Todd just left. We were working on some posters for the Luau tomorrow. I really hope that people get more involved this semester. I know student apathy is a huge problem at every university, but it doesn't stop us from trying to fight it. The old saying about "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink" is true. We'll keep leading anyway. I honestly regret spending the first two years in the background. I've met so many fantastic people and I don't know what I'd do without them. They keep me sane when I think I'm losing it, and they keep me smiling even when I don't want to.

Well, guys, I officially announced my intent to graduate in December. My hands were shaking when I hit the button. :) My husband is so proud of me. It's hard to believe that this crazy ride is almost over. What am I going to do when I don't have a billion things on my plate? What's the next leg of my educational journey going to be like? Do I have what it takes?

Til Tomorrow,
Jess

State College

2008-08-24T22:49:00.002-04:00

Hey guys!
So I've finally moved into my dorm and I can't wait until tomorrow. I'm staying in Pollock and I really like it so far. My room mate and I both moved in on Friday and we're finally all settled in. Classes start tomorrow and I'm definitely nervous!! I don't know how to get to any of them lol I'm pretty sure I'm gonna have to ask some one every 20ft to tell me where I need go lol So this weekend has been crazy! Pep rallies, blue band and Joe Pa and it's only been 2 day!! There's always something going on around here and no matter where you go, you get a free t-shirt, my count so far is 6 haha It's pretty cool though. State college is amazing...no lie. Everyone is really friendly and the area is gorgeous, I've already run into three people from my high school...40,000 people and I run into 3 of the 12 people I know from my high school already lol weird. I hate walking everywhere though, I'm pretty sure my ankles are hating my right now and I've finally realized that flip flops were a bad choice haha It's not too bad though, I'll finally be getting some kind of exercise. I will say that I miss my family, Friday night when they left was the worst, I'm pretty sure I wanted to go home that night, but Zach and my mom reassured me that everything was gonna be ok and they were right. I can't wait til football weekend!! We're gonna own!! Ok well I should get some sleep I have a ton of stuff to do tomorrow.

Abbie

Tutoring Staff Meeting

2008-08-22T10:50:00.006-04:00

The staff of the Nittany Success Center (I'm still going to end up referring to it as the Learning Center since that was the name last semester.) met for the first time this Wednesday. We had a lot of fun getting to know each other since there's quite a few new tutors this semester.

Mike returned with his signature yellow hair which he'd dyed for an anime convention. He was nutty as ever so Donna and Dr. Dzubak did their best to keep him in line. He's the craziest most flamboyant person you'll ever meet. Playfully picking on him is lots of fun since he never lets things take too serious a turn.

The actual training itself was a lot of fun too. Returning tutors such as myself took on the role of the student in a mock first tutoring session to work on new tutors skills. It actually gave me an interesting new perspective on some of the things I typically do. Plus we got to frustrate new staff to no end!

Actually two of our staff members had come in previously for tutoring in subjects they had difficulty with, so it was great to hear their insights as well.

Alright, I'll admit it the policies and paperwork section was boring because I knew 99% of the stuff, but it's important to note.

School starts in a few days, Yikes!

Enjoy the last few days of Summer,

Stephen

Any current students can apply for a tutor at no cost. All Services are confidential. Anyone who thinks they might be interested in joining the staff and becoming a tutor can apply at the website or in person by stopping by room 107 in the main classroom building.

http://www2.yk.psu.edu/learncenter/

Another great service directed by Ann Fetterman, a member of the English department faculty, is the online writing lab. You can submit a paper and have a critique back within a couple days. The great thing is you can choose what areas you believe to be weak and receive advice on how to correct them.

http://www2.yk.psu.edu/learncenter/owl.php

Back in action...

2008-08-19T23:30:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone!

So I just got back a couple days ago from an amazing trip to University Park and I feel like I haven't had much of a break since I got home! I have yet to go through all my bags still! But besides life being busy as usual, I am extremely pleased with how much I got out of the Leadership Conference. There was just so much to learn about taking a leadership position! It just keeps me thinking about this semester thats coming up in a week. My goal is just be as prepared as possible and be ready for anything that comes along. Alright, well the hour is long and the night is short so I must bid adieu. Enjoy your last week of "freedom"!

God Bless!
Matt

R.I.P
LeRoi Moore
8/19/2008

Packing....all over again!

2008-08-19T08:50:00.002-04:00

Hey Everyone!
You're probably wondering, "who in the world is this person?!" Well, my name is Parisa, I'm going to be a freshman at PSU York, obviously, and I have been out of the country for the past 6 weeks! I just got back from a long visit to Iran(which is where I'm from,) and eastern Europe.
I don't really have much to say yet, because the whole process of joining the PSU family hasn't started yet.
I'm from McLean, VA, which is about a 2-hour drive from York, so it's not that bad. I'm going to be living at the APEX apartments, so I won't be commuting!
It's funny how I immediately get back from one trip, have to unpack everything from my suitcases, and then immediately pack again into boxes for York! It's so exhausting! I love it!
I'm beyond excited to get to college! I've been ready since my freshman year of high school!
More to come! Hope you all are getting pumped, too!
We are Penn State!
-Parisa

Bleeding Blue and White

2008-08-15T01:38:00.002-04:00

I'm typing this at 1:30 in the morning after our second full day at the aforementioned Summer Leadership Conference. Today was great: our groups participated in a variety of volunteer projects, we had a great guest speaker, I learned what color best represented my personality, and of course the Penn State Pride Dinner was phenomenal. This is my third conference, and my last as I'm graduating in December. It's a little bittersweet. I had a great time with new friends and old, but it's been in the back of my mind that this is my LAST conference and I'll never experience this again.
If you, dear reader, ever get the opportunity to go to this conference, do it. I've learned about so much over the past three summers. I've learned how to be a better leader, how to deal with conflict, how to push myself outside of my comfort zone and how to let go of (most of) my insecurities and just be a proud Penn Stater for the weekend. I've come to realize that the Commonwealth is filled with amazing, motivated, creative, and brilliant people. I've also been honored by the company of the wonderful people that attend York. I now have six other people that I know I can always count on to say hello in the halls. 8^) I wish I could bottle this experience and bring it back to share with all of you. I wish you could feel the incredible amount of love and acceptance and pride that fill these halls. If only we could all find something to be this proud to be a part of....we could change the world.
Get ready guys! School's only a week away and it's going to be a great year. I'm ready to Luau on the 25th!

With Pride,
Jess

Good News: Awesome memories! - Bad News: Summer is ending...

2008-08-12T20:22:00.005-04:00

Hey everyone!

I must say it is pretty sad to see that the summer is slowly but surely coming to an end. I was surely blessed with a wonderful summer thus far and I can be sure to say I did not waste a minute of it. I was fortunate enough to go on a missions trip just a few weeks back to the Gulf Coast where I was able to meet different families who had to live through Hurricane Katrina. It was quite sad to think that it is closing in on it's 3 year anniversary and there is still about 80% of work that still needs to be done. The one families home we got to work on was a rehab project where the father and his two sons have been living in a FEMA trailer for over 2 and half years! It just really makes you think how fortunate we have it up here where storms like that are a very rare occurrence.

Well, to turn to a fortunate note, there is a lot of progress being done and despite the damages, the locals seem to hold a pretty optimistic opinion about when everything will be completed. Some range between another 5-20 years, which is still quite a bit don't get me wrong, but it is better than people thinking it will never get done.

Well I suppose I will leave it at that for now. I still have to pack and get ready for our Leadership Conference at University Park tomorrow!

I hope everyone enjoys the last leg of their summer and I will speak to you all later!

God Bless!
Matt

McCain Town Hall Meeting

2008-08-12T19:46:00.004-04:00

I went to the "Straight Talk" Town Hall meeting at the York Expo center hosted by Senator McCain. It certainly reaffirmed my stance on the upcoming election.

McCain spoke primarily on energy policy (offshore drilling and nuclear power were a big focus) and the recent events in Georgia.

I really had an incredibly fun debate with two pastors from a local church (I won't mention who or which church without their permission) about abortion rights and gay marriage while handing out a couple dozen Obama Pamphlets to people waiting in line - also met a few interesting supporters also outside hold signs/handing out literature etc. I met a couple people on the fence who were coming to get a better idea of McCain's stance on various issues. It's pretty amazing to hear everyone's story and see where they're coming from.

I might write up a longer critique later but this will have to do for now.

Stephen

Canvassing for Obama

2008-08-09T19:36:00.004-04:00

Well today was exhausting but it was a lot of fun. Went out all day canvassing for the Barack Obama campaign. It's amazing to go meet people and hear there stories. I personally knocked at around 100 doors across Shrewsbury over the course of the day. I'm not sure what the total was, but it definitely shows one person active can make a difference.

I'm looking forward to the Wednesday meeting to share the experience with the rest of the team that couldn't make it and those that I didn't see throughout the day.

You can get involved by finding a local group here: http://my.barackobama.com or send me an e-mail and I'd be happy to find out details about your local group meetings.

Hopefully Sara doesn't lynch me for shamelessly promoting my candidate on the blog. Welcome to college - all kinds of opinions held by all kinds of nuts like me.

Agree? Disagree? Let me know

Stephen

It's HOW much?

2008-08-05T16:12:00.002-04:00

Despite the fact that I am on the last leg of my undergraduate degree journey, it never ceases to amaze me just how much my books cost every semester. According to one of the graduate schools I'm applying to, I need to take trigonometry. So not only have I just increased my credit load to 18.5 credits, but I now need to buy a $125 book. Blah. I'm taking Trig, Physics II, and I have to take Chem II up at Harrisburg because it's not offered here in the fall. Math and science books are by far the most expensive to buy, so needless to say it's going to be a pricey semester.

I think I'm crazy to take so much my last semester. But PSY is offering a new 400 level theatre class and I really hate to pass that up. But if I get too overloaded, I still have a ton of drop credits. So no worries. From what I'm hearing from all these graduate programs, I might as well get used to this type of work load. This is exactly what grad school is going to be like. I don't know if I'm more scared or excited to be graduating. There's still a lot of schooling ahead of me, so graduation is less of a finale for me and more of a midway point. :) I just have to keep my eyes on the prize and think of what my paychecks are going to look like when I'm done with all of this. No more Ramen noodles!! LOL

Til Next Week,
Jess

(Insert Witty Title here...or be lazy like me and don't)

2008-08-01T12:58:00.019-04:00

Hey everybody,

I got my drivers license yesterday, so I can actually commute to campus - it's a little weird being one of the few students still having your parents drive you. I attended classes last year full time while enrolled at Susquehannock high school through the dual enrollment program. When classes began I was only 15, so I didn't even have my permit. The fall semester I took evening classes because it was simpler to coordinate scheduling that way. I wanted to take a lot of courses only offered during the day for the spring semester, so dad dropped me off before he went to work which left me stuck there from around 8-7 every day. It'll certainly be nice to be able to leave after my last class for a change.

Haven't given much of a thought to school besides this blog - I still have no clue what I'm going to write for the three weeks leading up to school. I always try to tell people life story just isn't that exciting but somehow get dragged into these things anyways. (^.^)

I guess I'm supposed to pretend that I'm thinking about school starting soon (August 25th) and not the fact that I can drive! Well, I did get the tuition bill taken care of recently and am working on getting books ordered.

I shall leave you with that terribly exciting factoid for now and go enjoy my license for now (did I mention I was excited?). I promise this will get better when I have something to write about - have no clue what I'm going to tell you for three weeks.

Stephen