A Gamecock by Nature

On Tuesday night, my business fraternity, Delta Sigma Pi brought in a speaker from the Office of Undergraduate Research.  Her name was Julie and she is the sole person on campus who runs this office.  She is very knowledgeable and willing to work with students. 

She discussed opportunities to apply for research grants.  She mainly focused on the Magellan Scholars program and emphasized that it is never to early to apply.  She discussed the fall and spring deadlines for proposals.  She said the process is not overly complex and about 50% of people who apply receive the grant for up to $3,000.  She also said that there is additional money available for people who are invited to share a project in another place that will cover transportation costs called "The Voyager". 

She said that her review committee would love to see more applicants from a variety of colleges on campus besides the field of science.  She said that the grant can be combined with study abroad.  She said she had a student become a Magellan Scholar who used their grant to go to China and study Wal-Mart.  She also said there are ways to combine internships with the grant money! 

If you are interested in more information, I encourage you to check out www.sc.edu/our 

I hope I can come up with a proposal and apply!  Have a great night!

Posted by Lydia at 11:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm sure you're answer to my title, "Do you like sleep?" is probably "yes".  I find it interesting that as a little kid, you hate to sleep and take naps, yet by the time you reach high school and college, naps are the best part of some people's days.  I personally don't have time everyday to take a nap since I usually fill my afternoon with time at the Strom, but I must say that a large percentage of my friends do.  This is understandable though, when you have people who pull all nighters, not just to study but to wait in line in the freezing cold for a Florida v. USC football ticket.  

Monday morning at 7 am was when the doors opened to disperse tickets to students.  As of midnight the night before the line was already wrapped around Russel House on Greene Street.  Then by the time I walked by at 8 am after the ticket line had begin to move, the line was backed up past Longstreet Theatre at the corner of Greene St. and Sumter.  It was so funny to see so many tents and people wrapped in blankets.

I was honestly hoping my younger brother, who is a freshmen, was going to wait in line and get both of our tickets.  Unfortunately, after seeing how ridiculous the line was he changed his mind.  Luckily for me, my fraternity brother decided to take our carolina cards to see if there was any tickets left at 1 pm.  He said he literally walked up the stair case and got our tickets.  INCREDIBLE!  This was the best news ever, because my favorite match of the year is UF v. USC since a lot of my friends from Tampa go there. 

My word of advice to incoming freshman is to not stress about tickets or camp out for tickets.  Let the chips fall where they may.  If everyone would just go to the ticket room periodically throughout the day, no one would ever have to wait over 3 hours for a ticket.  Have a great night!  Happy Halloween!

Posted by Lydia at 11:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Since Sunday I have voluntarily locked myself in the library to work on Finance.  This year I'm taking Finance 363 which is the required Introduction to Finance class that every business major takes.  After my first test grade, I knew I had to change the way I studied and absorbed the information from class.  I plan to earn an "A" in this course, and I think acing my second test will lead me on the path to achieving my goal. 

I spent easily over 12 hours preparing for one test.  I also went to my professor's office hours and asked him questions about concepts we had covered in class and had him look at my homework before I submitted it through Blackboard.  This fortunately played to my benefit because my professor gave me 10 bonus points for finding a mistake on his homework answer sheet.  Since he calculates everyone's grades using points instead of percentages, 10 points is phenomenal. 

So today, at 2:15 pm I walked into the Belk Auditorium (in the basement of the Moore School of Business) and took a seat with my answer sheet in hand along with my mechanical pencil and financial calculator.  I took the test out from under my seat and got to work. 

I was so proud that I was able to do all of the calculation questions without a doubt.  I think I may have confused two of the conceptual questions, but that would still give me an "A" on the exam.  We find out Sunday night. 

Well that's all for Finance.  The rest of my classes are busy, I have an Operations Management test to prepare for on Monday.  Enjoy your evening!

Posted by Lydia at 08:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The South Carolina State Fair is in town and there was absolutely no way I was going to miss it this year.  My freshmen year was my first time going to any sort of fair in my entire life.  Since I didn't have the time to attend my sophomore year, I made it a point to go yesterday. 

My friend Michael treated my best friend Joanne and I to the entrance fee of $7!  It was so nice of him.  We got inside and we were instantly greated by a huge transformer.  Our eyes wandered though to the group of Silverado trucks off to the side.  We took a few model poses in front of the new trucks and then headed towards the food stands.  We were walking down the main aisle when I spotted huge bags of cotton candy!  They contained clumps of pink, yellow and blue cotton candy and I knew I was meant to have the bag.  While I was eating my cotton candy, Joanne decided to buy a huge turkey leg! 

We continued to walk and look at the attractions.  We all get a kick out of parents that let their kids ride coasters of sorts that were put up in probably a day.  This is probably because our parents never let us ride the rickety rides.  As it was we looked at the booths in the indoor building and listened to a variety of people perform.  Finally, we were suckered into play a few games.  We played the "guess the month" and "guess the color" game.  I played the basketball shooting game on the "non-regulation" rim and was heartbroken.  We also played the "connect 5" game with the bouncing balls.  We didn't win any prizes, but we all had a blast spending a little bit of money.

On the way out Michael treated me to an elephant ear since I forgot to save $5 cash for one.  It was absolutely delicious because I got powdered sugar and bavarian creme on it!  We all sat and listened to a cowboy play the organ and sing while I ate my dessert.  On the way out we looked at the Nascar people present signing autographs and walked through an animal kingdom display. 

It was definitely a successful three hours at the fair!!  Make sure you bring cash when you go and be prepared to have fun!  I've heard it will be a great time after we play Vanderbilt on Saturday since that's the last fair day!

Posted by Lydia at 01:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last year our campus was lucky enough to have a Starbucks attached to the Russel House bookstore.  Starbucks is a great alternative to the library because it offers a large amount of tables and chairs along with comfortable couches.  The great part is you can talk while enjoying your drink and snack of choice.  You can also people watch since it has a wall of windows that faces Greene St.

Starbucks is open until 1 am which is also a great convenience factor.  Last evening, my friend Megan and I were going into Starbucks to use the bathroom when we spotted two of our friends from our International Business class.  We went over to ask them how they were preparing for the class and they invited us to pull up a seat and discuss the cases from class. 

We decided this would be a more fun and beneficial way of studying than sitting in the library.  In just two hours we were able to go through all of our slides from our professor's powerpoint presentations and discuss the readings we had done for homework.  We also had some great laughs about the class and other topics along the way. 

I must say that after taking my written exam today I did feel like we covered each topic well.  There wasn't a single question on the exam we hadn't discussed and come up with examples. 

If you're an infrequent Starbucks "shopper" I recommend the Chai Frappachino and the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup cookie warmed in the microwave.  That probably contains a lot of calories, but it's an amazing combination. 

Well Starbucks hasn't seen the last of me.  I plan to make it one of my top picks for studying places on campus.  Maybe I'll have the pleasure of running into you there one day in the near future!

Posted by Lydia at 06:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This past weekend was Fall Break, which meant I didn't have any classes on Thursday or Friday.  Fall Break is a perfect time (mid-way through the semester) for most students to take a break from classes and see their families for a few days.  Unfortunately, I don't get a chance to fly home for a few days because most plane tickets back to Tampa cost about $200.  I am very fortunate, however, to have my best friend, Joanne and her family close to Columbia. 

On Wednesday evening Joanne and I drove an hour to Fort Mill, South Carolina to sleep in comfortable, large beds and eat at nice restaurants for a few days.  Over the long weekend, her parents also took us to Charlotte to shop, to the YMCA to work out, and to the Greenway to go on a nature walk. 

I was so thankful to have a chance to sleep in and have an opportunity to do homework at a steady pace instead of trying to stay up late into the evening to complete my assignments.  I also was able to watch some television shows along with some sporting events. 

On Saturday, USC played UNC Chapel Hill in football and beat them 21-15.  I am so proud of our players and coaches.  I'm even more thrilled that the next game is a home game! 

Now that it's Sunday night, I'm back in my dorm room getting my belongings together for tomorrow's classes!  After that I'm heading to bed, so have a great night!

Posted by Lydia at 11:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Over the past week or two I have had a test, quiz, or graded assignment in most of my classes.  Some grades I was more satisfied with than others, but no matter what I received I made it a point to go meet with each professor to discuss their class and my recent grades.

From the first day of classes when the syllabi are distributed for each class, you will hear professors reinterate their office hours and their desire to meet everyone in their sections.  I always take note of professors who overemphasize them, because there is oftentimes an incentive for you to take them up on these hours. 

I got a "B" on my first marketing exam and I was unhappy with my grade because I had completed his entire review sheet and reread his notes and handouts.  He appreciated that I went to his office hours and showed him my drive to succeed in his class.  I went over my exam and discussed points of confusion with him.  He took my name down because he said when he goes to give grades, at least I won't be just a name, but rather a name with a face he can associate. 

My Finance professor had a similar reaction.  He didn't necessarily give extra credit for coming to meet with him, but he has learned my name since coming to see him.  He gladly went over my test with me and he even asked me about Delta Sigma Pi (my professional, business fraternity).  Since my Finance professor sees me come to class everyday, sees me come to his extra hours offered on Friday, and he knows I've stopped by during office hours, he knows I care about my grades and how well I perform in his class. 

In all, it's important to meet all of your professors, especially in larger classes where it's not set up like a round table discussion or just a few rows of your peers.  Take an active interest in your education, because college is not like high school.  In a school of 25,000 it's your job to make sure people know who you are.  The university has created programs such as the Out to Lunch Program which enables you to take a professor to any campus dinning facility to eat for free.  Let's just say, you have to eat, so why not make it a date.  Invite your professor, work out a time that works for both of you, and have some conversation that allows you and your teacher to learn more about one another. 

Have a great Saturday!

Posted by Lydia at 07:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

USC's football team has had an incredible season so far.  Every game has been played well and our team has beat the spread or won the game!  It's really exciting that we're contenders for the SEC East right now.  Last week our team played an awesome game against MSU and now we're getting ready to take on the Kentucky Wildcats. 

Football is huge at our school.  Everyone goes to the fairgrounds and the surrounding areas by the stadium to tailgate.  People set up tents and open up the back of their cars to eat food and pass time before the game starts.  The fairgrounds are always flooded with garnet and black! 

I'm so proud we have Steve Spurrier at our school.  He has really done a lot with the athletes.  You can tell that he's doing his job well.  My favorite part about football games is all the chants.  I love yelling "U-S-C, GOOOOOO COCKS".  The band always plays a great job and all the students are really participative. 

I have enjoyed football season even more this year than the past two years though because I have actually met a lot of the players.  Every spring, a lot of the football players enjoy playing pick up basketball.  So I can actually say I've played on the same team as Cory Boyd and Kenny McKinnley.  I've also had the pleasure of meeting Mike Davis, Bobby Wallace, and WEB Brown to name a few.  It makes me think of watching my high school team since it was like just watching a bunch of my friends compete. 

That's all for now.  It's time for me to dodge the rain drops and walk to the stadium!  Go Cocks!!  You can catch us on ESPN tonight at 7:30 pm!  It will definitely be worth your while. 

Posted by Lydia at 01:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Living on campus has its perks in college. By living in university housing, you are within walking distance to everything on campus and places near campus. This is awesome exercise and convenient if you do not have a car.

In Bates West I share my room with another girl and I share my apartment with two other girls. All three girls are random and this has worked out wonderfully. My two housemates are seniors that teach at an elementary school Monday through Friday and my roommate is a transfer from New York. I talked with roommate on the phone before returning back to school and was able to tell her all about the campus and the size of our apartment. This worked out great because neither one of us brought a lot of things so our room is cozy without feeling crowded. We also each brought a television so we could leave one in the room and another in the living room.

On campus housing also makes it easier to stay involved in organizations on campus and go to the gym on a regular basis. I have heard about more people having problems with their off campus situation than their on campus situation. By moving off campus you have to worry about paying your bills every month, you have to worry about the amount of utilities you use, and potential problems that form between friends that decide to live together.

I definitely plan on living on campus as a senior. I think I’m going to apply to live in the French House which is located right across the street from the Business Building near Capstone House.

For incoming freshmen, I definitely recommend you live on campus. I personally loved Capstone as a freshman. The atmosphere is very conducive to meeting new people and becoming an active member of the Carolina community.

Have a great day!

Posted by Morgan at 01:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hello Everyone!

I hope you’re anxious to be a part of my life as a Gamecock at USC! It is so hard to believe how fast the summer flew by and how quickly the semester has begun.

This year I am a junior in the Moore School of Business pursuing International Business and Finance. I am taking my first course towards each of my majors this year as well four other classes! 18 hours of class each week is definitely keeping me busy!

I’m a resident in Bates West this year which is an apartment style living facility for upperclassmen as well as freshmen. It’s about a 15-20 minute walk from the Business building everyday, which keeps me motivated to wake up early so I can read the paper and eat breakfast each morning before my 9 o’clock classes.

My goal for this school year is to spend time in the Career Center in order to find an internship for next summer. I plan to maintain an updated résumé, research internship programs, and meet with on-campus recruiters.

Throughout the week I also pursue a variety of extracurricular activities. I play intramural flag football once a week with a group of friends, I am active with my fraternity, Delta Sigma Pi, and I love to go to the gym on a regular basis to play pick-up basketball with the guys.

I hope ya’ll are looking forward to taking the journey with me semester! Feel free to ask questions about anything and I will gladly respond! GO COCKS!

Posted by Morgan at 01:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)