Icing on the cake

It all paid off, literally. I just received one of the best e-mails of my life this morning, and my heart started pounding when I read the subject line: ISM Scholarship. Of course, when I decided to check my e-mail I was waiting in line at 1855 for my chicken salad panini to cook, so when I read the first word of the e-mail "Congratulations" I screamed with excitement and everyone in 1855 stopped and looked at me. I could not help but smile for the rest of the day, remembering how upset I was last year when I was not chosen, and thinking about how much effort I put into writing a good essay and interviewing for my last chance this year. As I walked into my first and only class for today, everyone knew somehow and congratulated me. Ironically, the second winner of the scholarship is in my same class so we were both beaming with excitement. We were invited to attend an awards dinner on March 22nd at the Elmira Country Club, where we will be recognized for our achievements and awarded $1000.
Before I even finished reading the e-mail, I called my dad and blurted out the news, and then my mom, and they are both very proud and happy for me. It's events like this that make me grateful for the opportunities available here at Elmira College and the constant support I receive from my family. Both of my parents are trying to rearrange their schedules so they can attend the awards dinner with me, for what might be the last time they are in Elmira before I graduate in a couple short months. It all seems surreal, but exciting at the same time, and I am so proud of myself for how much I have been able to accomplish in my three years here at Elmira College.

Good News

Now that we have all returned from our last break before the end of term 2, we are re-energized and prepared to finish our last term of classes strong. I had a wonderful break, I went to visit Niagara Falls, Canada for the first time with my boyfriend and I had a blast. When I returned to campus Sunday afternoon to finally hand in my internship paperwork to be accepted and approved, I arrived to a pile of good news in my mailbox. First, I received information about Commencement preparation which is rapidly approaching. Second, I received news that my essay that I submitted for the ISM scholarship was selected as one of the finalists, and that I have an interview on Thursday to further discuss my interest in pursuing procurement and purchasing as a career. Third, was a notification that I was one of 47 students selected by Elmira College to be a member of the Who's Who national recognition for students that demonstrate academic excellence and leadership abilities. Also, my picture and biography were posted in Harris Hall on the Economics bulletin board for having senior status and studying for a minor in economics. I also got an e-mail about being an overnight host again for a perspective student for Honor Scholars Weekend in March. Today, my group and I presented a huge group project presentation for one of my classes, and the weather is starting to get warmer. Only a few more weeks of my crazy, 6 class schedule and I'm home free!!

Senior Year Courses

I remember one of the things I was worried about the most as a high school senior enrolling in college, was being able to understand, complete, and enjoy college-level coursework. I remember thinking that high school-level course work seemed hard enough, so college-level coursework seemed unmanageable. I thought I would use this entry to describe the work associated with college for all the nervous highschoolers out there, or for anyone who is interested in knowing what kind of schoolwork Elmira College Business Administration majors receive. Ironically, after three years of increasingly difficult classes, I still believe that my freshman year was the most challenging; and I think that is part of the school's strategy. In freshman year, every student is required to take a "Freshman Writing Course," regardless of incoming college-level transfer courses (trust me I tried) in which we write at least two papers a week (most of them with midnight due dates.) There are also Saturday classes for the first term, and a twenty-page paper due at the end of the course, in addition to a mid-term and final. That class, in addition to the required CORE class, Encore (classical theater) requirements, and community service (60 hours), (plus an off campus part-time job I decided to add), freshman year was by far the most difficult to handle. However, at the end of freshman year, after accomplishing all of that, the feeling of relief and pride is so overwhelming, it empowers students and instills confidence in them to complete the remaining years at Elmira College successfully. Now that all of my general degree requirement classes are completed, I finally have the chance to take classes that are challenging, but rewarding and enjoyable. For example, in my Market Planning class (the capstone class for a Marketing specialization) we are assisting a local, non-profit business in writing a marketing plan for their business which they will implement for the year 2013 (I cannot describe more details because I signed a confidentiality form). In my Human Resource Management class, groups of three people are traveling to local business to meet with representatives from Human Resource (HR) departments to discuss their career in HR, ask them what challenges they face, learn about the company they represent, and then report about it at the end of the semester. Recently in my Strategic Advertising class, we watched the Superbowl commercials and analyzed the effectiveness of each one and the elements that make a successful or unsuccessful advertising campaign. Needless to say, the courses get more involved in the transition from underclassman to upperclassman, but they are far more interesting and relevant to future career plans. With only 5 weeks left before my last semester at Elmira College and my trip to Hawaii, I think about how far I have come and how much farther I can go now with everything I have learned these 3 short years of college.

Halfway Point

It is almost the halfway point of term 2, and everyone is feeling the stress of mid-term exam week. With 4 classes in a row on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I'm very fortunate that two of my professors took pity on us, and gave us take-home mid-terms instead to lighten the load. This weekend is the Athletic Alumni Weekend, where a bunch of alumni come to network with current students and answer any questions they might have. Also, my parents are coming this weekend to visit me since my 21st birthday was 2 weeks ago and I haven't seen them yet. I recently applied for a local scholarship offered by the Institute of Supply Chain Management in the Finger Lake Region (ISMFLR). Every year, the ISMFLR holds a fund raiser to collect as much money as possible to give back to the community in the form of scholarships. The criteria to be a candidate for the scholarship is full-time student status, majoring in Business Administration, with an interest in pursuing supply chain management as a possible career. I applied for this scholarship last year, however, they only had enough for 2 $1000 scholarships, and they ranked me third. This year, I have senior status and I am more interested in supply chain management than last year, and hopefully my essay application reflects that. The winners of the scholarship get to attend a supply chain management conference in Baltimore, Maryland in the begninng of May as well. The review the applications after the deadline which is in the beginning of March, so cross your fingers for me!

So close...

I knew coming into this term that my professors were going to give me a run for my money since this is my last semester of classes, and I was definitely right. I would not recommend to anyone else taking 6 classes at a time because it is a lot of work and there is NO free time to do anything but homework. But I, personally would not want it any other way. These past few weeks have flown by, and I am the kind of person who needs to be moving and being productive constantly for my sanity. The thing that keeps me going is the image of walking up stairs in a purple and gold gown to meet Dr. Meier and shake his hand as he hands me a degree in Business Administration, and looking out into the crowd and smiling and waving at my mom and dad and remembering the day that has kept me going since the day I came to Elmira College; the day that my dad hugged me goodbye on the Elmira College lawn with tears in his eyes that he had to let me go and whispered in my ear, "Make me proud, kid." And on my way down the stairs in my purple gown (probably crying out of happiness, sadness, relief, and fear) switching my tassel from one side to the other, smiling from ear to ear, and go back into the crowd to hug my parents for the first time as a college graduate. The support I have had from both my family, friends, and professors has been overwhelming and much appreciated and gives me the motivation and strength to wake up every day and do crazy things like taking 6 upper level classes, blogging, attending club meetings, working part-time, running an online business, and earning two specializations and a minor in three years. I would not be where I am today, or who I am today without my family. The difference between kids who are successful in life and complete college and those who are barely motivated enough to complete high school is the support they get from their family. Thank you Mom, Dad, and Rachel, for everything you have done for me these last 20 years.

Back to the grind

This week marks the beginning of the class of 2012's final major semester of our undergraduate careers. The end is in sight, and there are just 6 classes and a trip to Hawaii standing between me and my degree. I have had all of my classes now except Strategic Advertising, which is a 3 hour Thursday night class and so far the classes seem to have interesting material but are going to be a lot of work. Now that the general degree requirements are out of the way, I can finally take the interesting business classes and learn about the topics that I came to college to pursue. After the past 2 and half years of being an undergraduate business student at Elmira College, I am more convinced than ever that I want a career in business. I remember being a senior in high school and a freshman in college stressing about whether I chose the right college and panicking that I would choose a major that I would end up hating. My advice to high school students, people who are thinking about changing careers, or people who are thinking about enrolling in college is to get as much experience in as many different fields as possible whether its through internships, community service, volunteer work, or part-time jobs if you have any doubt about what you want to pursue as a career. I was one of those kids that went through high school throwing random potential professions around in my head wondering what I wanted to pursue in college. Not knowing what you want is very frustrating, but narrowing it down by process of elimination through gaining experience and knowledge is the best possible solution. In high school, I had finally narrowed my options down to lawyer, veterinarian, or business but I could not make up my mind. In the course of 3 years, I took a summer internship at a local courthouse as a court clerk, worked as a veterinary assistant at an animal hospital, and worked as a shift leader at a dollar store so I could get personal, insider experience in each field to help make up my mind. It was a lot of work on top of school, but it was the best decision that I had ever made, and I would recommend it to anyone who feels unsure about what career they want to pursue. During my experience at Elmira College these past few years, I have noticed that the students who do not succeed are the people who are not motivated to learn the material they decided to pursue because they were not as interested in the field as they originally thought they were and never had a back up plan. There are many events coming up this month including the first Marketing and Management Club meeting for the second term and my 21st birthday, so stay posted for updates!

Holiday Break

It is almost the end of our 3 week long winter break, and many students are eager to get back to school and begin term two classes; myself included. Graduation is finally in sight, and I am excited to get back to school to start my final term of classes in my college education. It is hard to believe that my time as a student at Elmira College is approaching the end already, but starting my life as a college graduate is more exciting than words can explain. Being a student for the majority of my life, imagining life after college is scary and exciting and refreshing all at the same time. I am determined to enjoy every second of the my final semester of Elmira College and learn as much as I can from the amazing business professors who have taught me for the last three years. My classes this term sound interesting and the course content covers all aspects of business that I am interested in. On top of having interesting business classes and projects to look forward to, I have enrolled in the term 3 trip to Hawaii to complete my physical education general degree requirement. Completing my experience at Elmira College with an 11 day camping trip to Hawaii before flying back to graduate is a perfect way to celebrate the conclusion of my time as a student and symbolizes all of the wonderful memories from my college experience and the opportunities that Elmira College has to offer. This upcoming term will be full of new experiences, events, activities, and memories that I can't wait to share...stay tuned!