On surviving my first full week of college ...
As everyone should know, this past week was the first full week of classes at USC Upstate. As a freshman, I was a little nervous about how much work would be handed out, and just all-around not knowing what to expect.
The outcome? Well, it was a little better than I had first expected. My instructors are really nice, and seem to care about you as a student. The classes/work isn't much harder than what I had in high school (a bit surprising, but well appreciated). I'm looking forward to the next few months in the semester!**
The best part is that after a long, full week of classes, we get a three-day weekend! Happy Labor Day (even if you spell it with a "u").
**This statement may be retracted at any time without prior written acknowledgement.
Buying books is not a fun experience by any means. You have to spend lots of money! What is up with that? In my first experience buying books, I found that it pays off to "shop around."
The Upstate Book Store is a great place to purchase books, however, they have overhead costs for selling the books. You can often find your books online, and cheaper. If you can get the ISBNs of the required books, you are able to enter them into a book store search on Amazon.com or Half.com.
I had a lot of luck with Half.com. A computer science book that cost $61 at the Upstate book store sold for $8.50 on Half.com. Granted, it was a little worn, but perfectly usable.
There are plenty of times that you would need to purchase books at the Upstate Book Store. If you need your books in a hurry, online isn't for you (shipping times can often run into weeks depending on the seller). If you are saving over 50% on your books, you might want to purchase online, otherwise, shop at the book store. Some books are only available at the Upstate Book Store -- this will vary by course.
I attended the July 21-22 O.A.R. (or Orientation, Advisement, and Registration). O.A.R. is an excellent way to meet people that might be in some (if not all) of your classes. While getting up at 6 a.m. isn't all that fun, the whole experience was worth it!
The first day was definitely interesting. The students took a Spanish placement test while the parents went to an information session. After the horrible? fun? Spanish placement test, the students went to the Hodge Gym for an "Icebreaker." We were divided up and placed into categories based on age, eye color, and majors -- this allowed us to learn a little more about our fellow freshmen.
After lunch (and after the power outage*), we met with an advisor who helped us pick classes for the fall semester. The advisors were very nice and made selecting classes easy.
On the second day we took another tour of the campus, went to information sessions on differing topics, finalized our fall class registration, and received our ID cards. Overall, this was the best day as the power didn't go out.
O.A.R. was definitely fun and gave us a full overview of what we needed to know about starting in the fall. If I could do anything over it would have been to "brush up" on my Spanish before attending.
*Yes, there really was a power outage. It was very hot outside too, which didn't help things, but somehow the staff managed to get back on schedule (most of us were even able to be advised).
Hello everyone, my name is Cory Bohon and I will be blogging my first year experiences here at USC Upstate. I will try to keep this updated on a daily to weekly basis, so be sure to visit often (or subscribe via RSS -- link on the left hand side of the page)! I thought that this first post would be a great way to talk a little about myself and my reason for attending Upstate.
*waves*
I currently live in Inman and have been in the Spartanburg area my entire life. I attended high school in Landrum, SC. My major at Upstate is Computer Information Systems (CIS) with an emphasis on computer security. Technology has always been an important part of my life and I currently have a job as a professional blogger for AOL.
On this blog I will talk about student life and different experiences that I encounter throughout my freshman year. I am definitely having mixed feelings of anticipation and also anxiety about starting classes this August; however, I'm sure this is a normal part of starting this new journey. As we go throughout the first and second semesters I will be writing about different challenges that I encounter, as-well-as my experiences throughout my first year.
I am looking forward to what this great journey through higher education will bring me, and I am also looking forward to seeing you all on campus as we go throughout the year.
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