College is Great, but I'm Trying to Make Money

I have recently learned that I might be able to graduate early, which is fantastic. College is the best time of my life and I understand that I might miss it, but college is also expensive, even though I have tuition remission. I think graduating early might be the best option for me, I will save a few thousand dollars on tuition and books, get to work more hours, and keep up on my bills. A few of my friends have suggested against doing it but I think saving money is the best option in the long run. I would still live in Ada for the last semester, but will not be going to class and will be able to work more often.

Although this is not a definite, there is a real possibility that I can do this. Moving up your life up 6 months is a scary thought. I have always planned to graduate in the Spring of 2019 and would start my life from there, but now, the thought of moving my plan, or lack thereof, up is weird and intimidating. Everybody has to grow up one day though. I'm looking forward to the next part of my life but I love college and almost everything that has to go with it. There are a lot of decisions that need to be made and I think I am ready for the challenge.

Working in Admissions

I have worked in the admissions office at Ohio Northern since the end of my freshman year now. It has been one of the better things that I have done in my college career. Not only do I get paid to work there, but I get to talk to families about the college that I love. There are some drawbacks to the job, like stuffing papers when there are no tours to give or having to wake up early in the morning when I would much rather be sleeping. I really enjoy getting to talk to perspective families and listening to their goals and future while trying to convince them why Ohio Northern may be the best place for them.

Today, the Pharmacy College hosted the interview day and I was tasked with walking potential students from place to place. Getting to talk to kids and allow them to relax before there interviews is what makes my job enjoyable. I also had two kids in my group that I had previously gave a tour. Seeing that they came to the school after I had given them a tour was a great feeling. Working in admissions is definitely the most fulfilling job I've ever had. 

Thanksgiving is Better Than Christmas

Fight me. I will listen to your opinion and you can listen to mine, but I am right. Thanksgiving is better than Christmas! You ask why, I say because Thanksgiving is everything that Christmas should be about, without the commercialization. Christmas is supposed to be about celebrating the birth of Jesus and spending time with your family. Now, in today's society, Christmas is all about gifts and Black Friday sales, feeling obligated to go to church and nothing good. Sure, families get together to "celebrate" but all that people focus on is the gifts. Obviously, not every family is like this, but the large majority are.

Thanksgiving on the other hand, does not get clouded by handing out gifts. In fact, Thanksgiving gets clouded by Black Friday gifts at the end of the day. So, Christmas is ruining another holiday because of its selfishness. Sad! Thanksgiving is purely a time for families to sit around a table and stuff their face with amazing food. To enjoy each other's company and watch football and say what we are thankful for. Thanksgiving is great because it is not about the commercialization of Santa Claus and gifts for all, but the remembrance of everything that we have in life. Granted, the celebration is really about the settling of America, which is not the best history lesson to learn. But, it is still the better celebrated holiday.

Big School Fraternities are Dying, What's That Mean For Mine?

Large campuses are continuing a trend of suspending all fraternities off campus, not allowing any functions to happen. Ohio State is the most recent school to suspend all interfraternal relations indefinitely. Other schools that have done this include, Florida State University, and Penn State have all suspended their fraternities. The University of Michigan has suspended all Greek social events on campus. Why? Well, the death of a pledging member of a fraternity has been the reason at two schools, i.e. Penn State and Florida State. Overwhelming sanctions and university rules infractions have been piling up against multiple chapters at the campuses at Ohio State has led to their suspension.  Unfortunately, these events continue to give Greek organizations a terrible reputation.

Small campus chapters have a very different way of running things within their organization from their big campus counterparts. They are not filled with underground hazing operations that endanger new members, are not fueled by socials that involve copious amounts of alcohol and differ greatly than the campuses that have suspended their fraternities. Unfortunately, we have the same names on our walls. To keep our charters and to continue to be productive members of the university and society, we must continue to meet the standards upheld by our values and mission statements. Work with the university to continue to improve Greek culture. There is a trend in the United States to give a bad reputation to fraternities, all we can do as a small campus chapter is continue to prove our worth.

Being the Front Line of Ohio Northern Admissions

Since spring semester my freshman year, I have been a bear ambassador for Ohio Northern University. Working here, we stuff papers for mailing out information about the university to potential students all across the nation, we answer phones, but most importantly, we give tours to prospective students. That is the most important part of our jobs, whether it be on a regular Thursday afternoon, or during a large preview day for the entire university. Giving a successful tour is one of the most satisfying jobs I have ever had.

There are about fifteen tour guides that works for the admissions office and it is actually an honor to be able to do this. You are one of the first people that a prospective student sees on campus. Of course, there is the admissions counselors and academic meetings that are very important to the process and more important, but the tour guide is important as well. Having the university trust students with giving tours of campus to potentially, hundreds of thousands of dollars coming through the door. I really enjoy seeing the excitement on potential students' face when they see the dorm room or the different aspects of campus that they really like. It is really an awarding experience. I would recommend applying to any student that really has a passion for Ohio Northern. 

Do I Believe Conspiracy Theories?

I am not going to tell you my answer right away, to ensure that you actually read the post. There are many conspiracy theories out there, a few with some validity, some with absolutely none. They are interesting and can be useful to burn hours off your life when your Netflix show ended. There is JFK, the moon landing, Sandy Hook, 9/11, and many more. First, Sandy Hook happened, it is real, do not tell me otherwise. How people can tell me that little kids did not die and were not taken from their family. You are wrong, don't ever tell me that, I will hit you in the mouth. I can understand some people thinking 9/11 was a conspiracy, but there is no dispute that actually happened. I don't believe in the 9/11 conspiracy, either. I like to think all Americans, including George W., are good people and would not do that to their own country.

There are a few that I would not be surprised to be true or at least somewhat true. The moon landing being faked, I'm skeptical on that one. Is it likely that we did actually land on the moon with Mr. Neil Armstrong and company and stick it to the Russians, yes. Is it possible that we faked it with great photography skills, not as likely, but yes. Why have we never been back? These are the questions I need answered. JFK's assassination is pretty sketchy. Lee Harvey pulling that once in a lifetime shot? Very questionable. Multiple gun shots reported within seconds of each other, very skeptical. Definitely not a job he did by himself. 

The one conspiracy I truly believe is that aliens exist. I was told that this may not actually be a conspiracy but just a belief, so I will take it a step further. Aliens exist and the government knows about it. This universe is large, uncomprehendingly large. There is no way that we live by ourselves or even the most advanced life form. I am one hundred percent behind that belief. So do I believe in conspiracy theories? No, not really. I am not one to go searching for YouTube videos for hours and hours on different ones. I think they can be enjoyable at times, but all in all, listen to the facts.   

Which Sport is Truly America's Pastime?

I've talked before about how sports is one thing that can bring people together no matter their walk of life. They can also spark debates and cause people to hate each other, it just depends on how level headed you are or who you root for. One debate that pops up frequently is which sport is America's pastime. Baseball has always been called the national pastime due to it being one of the oldest recognized professional sports in America. Things have changed over the years though. Baseball is no longer the most popular sport in the United States. Football and basketball have caught and surpassed baseball as the most popular sport. There is no way to truly analyze what America's pastime is. We could look at figures of the most views on television or take a poll of the what fans favorite sport is, but America's pastime is different than the most popular sport.

To me, pastimes are what the countries are known for or any region or location. In this discussion, we're only going to deal with sports. Japan and the Caribbean Islands' pastimes are baseball, Europe's is soccer, and Canada's is hockey. Every country has their own pastime, but what is America's. People will say it is baseball, but when people think of an American sport, they think of football. Football has been the most popular sport for a while now and baseball has been declining. I am an avid baseball fan and would like to think baseball is still the most popular sport, but I know that is not true. Football is now the sport that people think of when they think of Americans, so is it considered the pastime? Yes, I believe so. Baseball will always be called the nation's pastime because it has carried the label for so many years, but it really is not. Football is the most popular sport and is not going away any time soon.