Top 50 Liberal Arts Colleges

I spent my Fourth of July weekend all over the place. On the Thursday preceding the holiday, my summer roommates and I kicked everything off with a grill out. We had brats, hot dogs and hamburgers. Of course, we engaged in everything American, and I was able to brush up quite a bit on my cornhole game. For those that are unfamiliar, cornhole is a game played predominantly in the Midwest, using two boards and corn-filled bags. It is similar to horseshoes, but a lot easier. Here's a wikipedia link, if you are truly confused.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornhole

Over the weekend I was able to head home to my hometown of Batesville, and spend some time with my family. I was also able to catch a Cincinnati Reds baseball game. Personally I enjoy watching sports and any time I can catch a Pacers or Reds game, I go for it. There have been several times that I've left DePauw University with friends or teammates to catch a Pacers game. It's a short 50-or-so minute drive to downtown Indy from the campus of this liberal arts college.

I made it back to campus on Monday (the Fourth) just in time to catch the city of Greencastle's firework display in Robe-Ann Park. It was a warm, clear night. The park is a two minute walk from the east end of campus. It was full of community members and families eager to catch the fireworks. After watching something such as a fireworks display on the Fourth of July, I really got the sense that people were united. It's patriotism, right? However, after I left the park I realized that people aren't just proud to be Americans, but also identify proudly with their respective cities. After the fireworks were over, there was a loud applause, and families slowly (and almost reluctantly) dispersed back to their homes across town. It's hard to explain, but I really got the sense that everyone there was proud to be a member of the Greencastle community. And after spending six semesters, a summer and two winters on campus here at this private liberal arts college, I can say that I feel some of that pride too.

With the summer almost half way over, I can officially say I am almost ready for life after college. I can’t say I’m not excited for the fall when there are more things to do and more people around the private liberal college campus, but I’m learning some real life skills and starting to realize that graduation may not be the end of the world.

Three of my good friends on campus this summer, as well as some other friends who join in every once and while, have gotten down a good weekday schedule that we stick to fairly regularly. Here’s a typical rundown.

1. Work. I go into work at the DePauw University admission office every day until 5. I get to meet cool people, show off one of the best liberal arts colleges, and work on some paperwork in my down time. It brings together the best of office work and working with people in one convenient location.

2. Run and/or bike (except on our off days). I’ve always thought it would be awesome to run a half marathon, or, in other words, 13.1 miles. So, when I brought this goal up to my friend, Zach, he was more than willing to “train to with me.” While training isn’t really coming along as fast as I would have liked, we are up to six miles and still working up. We started out on the 5K path that the DePauw Republicans group set up for the annual 5K they sponsor. However, we’ve been branching out and now do some loops through town as well as use the trails in the DePauw Nature Park.

3. Cook. After our runs, we are normally famished. Since the Hub doesn’t serve food in the summer very often, we each switch off buying food for dinner and then we all cook together so we learn some cooking skills. Primarily, we’ve been eating a lot of pasta, but we’ve tried some new cuisines like chicken breast and Stromboli’s. It may not be fancy, but every cook has to start out somewhere.

4. Study/Movies. As DePauw is one of the top 50 liberal arts colleges, many students plan to go to medical or graduate school. Similarly, I’m preparing to apply for graduate school in the fall. On nights in which I am feeling motivated, I’ll take out my GRE book and work through some practice problems or take a practice test. Other nights, some of the people in my building will rent a movie and relax or sit around and talk or play games. On nights we’re feeling adventurous, we’ll explore the greater Greencastle area. With a little patience and imagination you can find some pretty cool things to around town.

So, that’s my summer in a nutshell so far. It’s pretty chill, and I’m enjoying the laid-back atmosphere of a small liberal arts school during summer.

    My summer in Greencastle, Indiana is well underway. I decided awhile back that I’d like to spend a summer on the campus of DePauw University, and thus far it’s been everything I’ve expected. That is, except for the hot weather. At one point earlier in June, there were eleven straight days that were above the average high in Indiana, and I could definitely feel it! Hailing from Indiana myself, I’m not all that surprised at what the weather will do. That’s one of the things I really enjoy about my home state:  you get the best of every season.
    Being a member of DePauw’s Varsity cross country and track teams, the heat has definitely posed a challenge to my training. Personally, though, I’d rather run in hot weather than cold. One of my favorite routes to run with my teammates (when they’re on campus) is the “campus loop.” We’ll start from Blackstock Stadium, head east on Hanna Street, turn right at the corner of Julian on to College Avenue, go left on Berry Street and turn left again on to South Locust Street to head back into campus. Locust may be my favorite street on campus, because there’s always a lot going on. Many of DePauw’s Greek houses and residence halls, as well as the Memorial Student Union building are located along Locust. Finally, we’ll turn left at Seminary and run where cars can’t: Burkhart Walk. This takes us past the limestone of Emison, through academic quad and past old East College. From there, it’s a right turn back on to Hanna to end the run, or straight on to College for another loop.
    I love running, and it was a large factor in my college decision. To make a long story short, DePauw was the best liberal arts college both academically and athletically that met the criteria of colleges I was looking at. I looked at a lot of Indiana colleges and universities, but none compared to DePauw. It was one of the top 50 liberal arts colleges, and had a very solid athletic record in all of its 21 varsity sports. Being able to compete for my university has been an honor, and I'm really looking forward to my final year of competition.
   

When I moved into a dorm on campus several weeks ago to start my summer job, I was reminded of freshman move-in day 3 years ago. The wide hallways with lots of wooden doors, the communal showers, some unfamiliar but smiling faces, lugging my suitcase upstairs (half of the contents which I would never wear), and music and TV already blaring from other rooms as other students unpacked and got ready for whatever laid ahead. It was exactly the environment I wanted and expected from one of the top 50 liberal arts colleges.

However, a lot was different about this move-in. For one, I drove myself up; I was familiar with the 2.5 hour drive from home since I’d spent a previous summer at DePauw University. My mom didn’t cry when I left from home this time, I didn’t have to make a stop at the campus bookstore to get school supplies, and I had a single room, so there were no exciting meetings or awkward introductions. No name tags carefully created by the RA’s lined the doors, so I had to do some exploring to find out who had chosen to spend their summer at this private liberal arts college. Luckily, I have some good friends who are on campus, and there are some new faces – this is pretty typical of DePauw University as a private liberal arts college – I always see some new faces, but it’s not hard to find someone I know well or have had class with to eat with or team up with for a round of campus golf or game of ultimate Frisbee.
 
After dinner the first night, I made a stop at the public library to pick up some light summer reading. There’s nothing better than lying in the grass next to the volleyball court reading a good book as the sun goes down, especially when you know you won’t be tested over it the next day. Although, reading in front of my dorm meant that I had to watch out for flying soccer balls and got distracted by some of my friends who stopped for a quick chat which was perfect for a summer night, I now know why I go to indoors to study for classes at this top private university.  

I can already tell this summer is going to be a good one – working during the day, hanging out with friends at night, exercising in the fitness center with the occasional run through the nature park, and spending time on DePauw University’s beautiful campus, occasionally checking out some surrounding fun hot spots nearby. Even with only just over a hundred students on campus this summer compared to the 2400 that normally call Greencastle “home” during the school year, the attitudes are lively and fun, and everyone wants to get to know each other better than we’ve had the chance to in the past. I can’t think of a better way to spend my summer than at one of the top private universities.

 Finally as we enter the last two weeks at DePauw University the warmth has come!! Somehow we seemed to skip over Spring though... it went from freezing to blazing in  a matter of a night!  I am currently wearing shorts and a tank top and sweating like crazy, but it's definitely a nice change from being so cold all the time! 

This past weekend I went to the Beta formal! It was in Illinois, and honestly I didn't quite know what I signed on for... it was a 3.5 hour drive each way, and although it was actually a pretty fun drive it was hard to give up so much time in the car when I needed to be writing a paper!!!
Anywho, we went to Rend Lake in Illinois! It was beautiful! There was a lake, and it was so nice out that everyone was swimming! I personally stayed out of the water because it was a questionable green color... I'm not so sure about that...  but here's a picture after everyone had gotten prettied up! It was an awesome weekend away from our Private Liberal Arts College

This week is the final week before finals start on Saturday.  I've been trying papers like mad, and my first exam is 9 AM on Saturday. Finals are taken very seriously here at our Top Private University, and I know that I will be spending a lot of time in the DePauw University Library these next few days! 

I know everyone around the world has been talking about this (and about 3 BILLION people even watched it on Friday morning!), but I just have to talk about the Royal Wedding. A few good girl friends and I here at DePauw University were all getting really excited about the upcoming nuptials between Kate Middleton and Prince William (now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge), and so we just decided that we were going to have a party! It was soooo much fun: we all went and bought costume rings and tiaras, bubbles to blow once the couple left the church, and nail polish so we could get all dolled up. The only thing that we were missing was the fancy hats! But unfortunately the Greencastle Wal-Mart didn’t carry those….haha oh well! Maybe next time :)

 

So  yes, we all decided that we would be good DePauw students and get together for a study party the night before, after dinner. After all, the wedding was on a Friday morning and we all still had class and homework to turn in! I have to admit, I have never quite seen the amount of intense concentration on all of our faces before, but hey, we needed to get all of our work done before the Royal Wedding! Thankfully we did get everything done, and by that time the pre-coverage of the Wedding was a mere three hours away (the Wedding started at 5 AM Eastern time). Because we were all in such high spirits, we just decided that we needed to prepare a real English breakfast to complement our other accouterments! We ended up making a quiche, beans on toast, scones, coffee bread, and rolls stuffed with brie and apple slices. It was sooo good! And it was so much fun! The wedding was gorgeous, Kate was beautiful, and William was handsome—and we all had some awesome bonding time that I know I will never forget. Because even though we all go to one of the top private liberal arts colleges in the country, and one of the best colleges in Indiana, we all still make time to have fun. This is still college, after all, and part of college is making friends, connections, and memories that will last a lifetime. I just love hearing alumni who come back to campus and share some of their memories of their times at DePauw. Experiences like these really bring the campus, or just a group of friends, together, and you really get to realize how much everyone here is just like a big family: supportive, fun, but also hardworking!

Well, I've been very busy the past two weeks, and very neglectful of my blog. My apologies!

The senior art exhibition at DePauw University was on April 14. All of us senior art majors spent the day practicing our speeches, which had to be about 3 minutes long. Then, at 5:00, we showed up at the gallery in some decent clothes, where we greeted our friends, families, and professors. My parents and brother came from Indianapolis, and my sister drove down all the way from Chicago! A group of my friends also came up from Bloomington. It was great to have so many people I care about there.

Then, we each gave our talks with microphones in hand. I was insanely nervous about giving the talk, and especially because there were at least 100 people in the gallery! I ended up doing fine, although my hand was shaking a bit. :) For such a small liberal arts college, we usually have really great turn-outs at the senior exhibition each year.



That's me giving my talk -- my work is on the left hand side of this image.



Another series of work I included.

Here's a section of my artist statement, which I included in my artist talk in the gallery:

As an artist, I am interested in beautifying banal moments, spaces, and objects through the transformative quality of light. I photograph banal spaces with interesting light sources, and then submit my film to processes that are normally warned against because of their damaging effects. Putting my film through the laundry machine and exposing the undeveloped film to light create unexpected, spontaneous, and nearly uncontrollable results. The outcome of these processes allows me to redefine the banal by abstracting the imagery with unexpected shapes and colors. 




This picture was taken after we all gave our talks. All done! Afterwards, we went out for a celebratory dinner. There was so much anxiety, tension, and stress built up in this show that it feels really strange to have finished the opening. Although I'm relieved to have successfully completed such an enormous project, I have to keep reminding myself that I still have a lot to do this semester -- even in my art seminar.

Tonight, there's a senior showcase in three of DePauw's academic buildings. I'll be in the gallery for half an hour to talk to visitors about senior seminar and the work that's currently in the gallery. The show will be up until graduation on May 22, so I hope many more people will be able to see the show between now and then.

Currently, I'm working on finishing up the last section of my senior writing seminar project, I'm printing and matting a large photograph (about 5.5 feet tall) for a professor who wants to buy it, I'm printing and matting a photo for a show I'll be in at Christopher West Presents in Indianapolis, I still have a lot of work to do for my art seminar (like a critique with the faculty, a presentation to the faculty, another art project, and an artist's portfolio), I need to apply to some jobs and internships, and I want to try to enjoy my last month at this top private university! There are a lot of great events going on in this last month, like fraternity formals and campus events for seniors, so I need to make sure I can balance my academic and social life to get the most out of my last semester in college. 

It feels very surreal to be in my last semester at DePauw University. Although I'm excited to be more independent, travel more, and possibly hold down a job, there are a lot of things I'll miss about being a college student at this top 50 liberal arts college: namely, the awesome professors and my amazing peers. There are so many wonderful resources at this school that I sometimes take for granted -- like the gym, the awesome materials available to us in our art building, the free yoga classes, the campus events, speakers... I could go on and on! Maybe you'll just have to come see this place for yourself. :)

It's hard to believe there is only a month left to the semester.  It's even more difficult to believe that I'm going to be a senior!  The years have flown by.  I've just about figured out my schedule for next semester.  I have everything set, but I still have room for one more class.  I really wanted to take an introductory language course, but they're all offered at the same time, which also has to be the time of my music topics course.  So, only Spanish for me.  But I found two other courses that seem interesting and that fit into the time slot.  Mediterranean Archeology and Political System Today.  Both seem interesting, but for different reasons, obviously.  Starting tomorrow I'm able to make adjustments to next semester's schedule, so I'll figure it out by then.

The Anthropology of Food class that I'm in right now is fantastic.  I honestly can't say enough good things about that class.  I've learned a lot of really interesting (and gross and depressing) things about the American industrial food system.  And I'm a vegeterian now.  I'm pretty sure that if everyone knew how animals are raised and how they're turned into meat products, we would all be vegeterians.  It's that bad.  But I'll spare the details. 

The nice thing about being in the spring semester of my junior year at DePauw University is that a lot of my friends are having their recitals now.  Today I went to two recitals and saw four of my best SOM friends play beautiful music.  

Quite often lately I've thought about how greatful I am that I chose one of the top 50 liberal arts colleges to attend.  There are just a lot of perks that I don't think a larger school would be able to provide.  For anyone out there still deliberating-- choose a private liberal arts college like DePauw.  You won't regret it.

Hello, once again! So the title of this blog is “A Sprint to the Finish Line,” referring to the fact that I am a senior and that I will be graduating very soon. But as you can probably infer from my last few blog posts, I am totally rethinking this whole “sprinting” aspect of graduating from DePauw University. I want to stay! That’s probably a weird reaction to have while I am in the middle of writing my senior thesis for my major, Classical Studies, but I really do love what this university has given me.

 

But speaking of writing a thesis, I should probably say a few things about what a few of you might be looking at four years from now. As part of the liberal arts curriculum at DePauw University, most majors are required to complete a major project of some kind. I know there is some talk among the faculty about creating a standard “capstone” project, but for right now there are some differences among the majors. For instance, if you are an Economics or Biochemistry major (and I know there’s one more, but I forget), then you have to take comprehensive exams in order to graduate. These exams cover what you should have learned over the past four years, but you only need something like a 70% to pass. Some of my friends in those majors were studying hard for comps, but no worries, they all passed! I think having a major senior project or something similar is one of the best components here—although it may seem stressful. But really, the senior project is important because it keeps every student on track and focused, and it also makes us one of the best colleges in Indiana. Even when graduation is looming around the corner, it is important that people still stay focused on the academics they have in front of them. I know it’s common to hear that seniors just “slide in Spring,” but what is the use of that? Why waste your money and your time for four months just to slide?

But other than taking a test, most majors write a thesis--like me! The thesis can be quite large, anywhere from 25-60 pages long. Yep, I know it sounds daunting, and I have to admit sometimes it can be. But trust me, by the time you get to your senior year, your professors will have prepared you for this along the way so that yes, you can do it! Plus, you can have anywhere from a year to a whole semester to write it!

 

But that’s why DePauw is awesome, and one of the top private universities around. They keep your mind sharp so that when you are ready to go out into the “real world,” you are still on top of your game.

 

Now, back to thesis writing for me! Roy O is calling me....better get a fresh cup of coffee :)

 So, this past weekend at DePauw University was one of the biggest social weekends of the school year. Little 5 is our annual bike race! Each fraternity and sorority has a team, and there are women's races, men's races, and even alumni races! I saw so many people that have graduated from our Private Liberal Arts College that I haven't seen in so long! It was an awesome weekend! 
Even better news is that my sorority did SO WELL. 
Here's a pic of our team. Chrissy, (third one from the left) won the street sprints on Friday and also dominated the lengthier race on Saturday! It was an amazing weekend for all!!!













On another note, this coming weekend is going to be an eventful one for myself.  Although Kappa Kappa Gamma has their formal this weekend, I will not be attending. Instead, I will be going to a Wine and Cheese event with one of my best guy friends! I am so excited!! Also, on Saturday I'm going to Indianapolis for a formal of another fraternity!! I can't wait. 

The campus is looking better than ever. With accepted students weekend taking place this weekend as well, there has been some construction going on all over campus! New sidewalks are being put in to get the walkways in tip-top shape!! It is also my favorite time of year because the tulips are in bloom!! DePauw University always has such beautiful flowers during different seasons, but the Spring tulips are definitely my favorite. =)

Here are some pictures from around campus!!




Tulips out front of North Quad!! BEAUTIFUL!















Lovely KKG gardening =)

So just when I'm comfortable in my routine and things start to get hectic, I get sick.  Story of my life.  I was looking forward to having a productive, yet fun week, and instead, I ended up on the couch for most of the weekend, using what little energy I had to work on my thesis.  I did manage to spend a few hours on Friday filming for the comedy group's show, but that was the extent of my activities out of my house.

On Wednesday, my mom came to visit.  She came with me to buy my cap and gown as well as some graduation announcements and a frame for my diploma.  It still hasn't hit me that I'm graduating, though.  It probably won't til at least April.  I'm okay with that.  On top of purchasing my cap and gown for me, she brought me some groceries from home.  I love it when my mom does that; one, because it keeps me from having to buy groceries, and two, because she buys the good brands that I wouldn't buy even if I did buy groceries.  To any moms out there reading this, please buy your son or daughter groceries every now and then.  The gesture will not be forgotten.  Thanks mom :)

Wednesday, however, is when I started feeling sick.  I couldn't get up for gym class that morning.  That's the problem with taking a gym class that works to improve your sprinting abilities; you have to be in perfect health for it to be worthwhile.  I can go to most other classes feeling slightly ill, but not speed improvement.  So, my apologies Coach Hreha, but I simply could not sprint that morning.

On Thursday, I felt really achy but still managed to go to my classes and play rehearsal.  I spent the rest of the day in bed.  Regarding the play, it's going along really well.  I'm finally starting to get a grasp on my character.  This is certainly the trickiest role I've had to play while at DePauw University.  There seem to be a lot of different ways to interpret him, but I need to determine my interpretation based on what everyone else is doing.  I finally found a personality for him this week and am ready to have fun with it.  Everyone else seems to be doing fine with their characters as well.  I'm getting increasingly more excited for this play.

On Friday, I felt a little better and managed to get little filming done for the comedy group's TV show.  We still have a lot more to do, but the shots we got so far look really good.  I know the script is funny, but I hope the humor translates onto the footage.  We're all putting a lot of work into this.  At the very least, I'm thankful we can even do something for our TV station.  It just another thing that makes me feel grateful that I go to a small liberal arts college.

On Saturday, I felt a little worse than on Friday but not as bad as I did on Thursday.  I spent most of the day slowly working on my thesis.  There were of course a few interruptions.  Knocked Up was on TV.  I wanted to play a little guitar.  I got some writing done, though, and most importantly, I was proud of it.  That night, I tried to go see the play "At the Diner," which was written by a friend of mine who goes to DePauw.  I was actually in the class in which she wrote it.  The play was sold out, though, so I just went back to my futon and continued working and resting.  I heard good things about it, and although I'm upset I didn't get to see it, I'm glad that play was so successful.  

Sunday looked a lot like Saturday except I didn't try to go see the play.  I had my own play rehearsal instead. 

By the way, I'm trying to grow a beard again.  It looks okay.  Could be better.

We've got a week left before spring break at DePauw University -- and it's going to be a really busy week for me. I have an all faculty critique in my studio art seminar on Tuesday. During that time, we're gong to make decisions about what to include in our senior show, what belongs in our artist statement, and what direction we're going to take overall. We'll have to start selecting pieces to include soon, and I have to determine how big I want my images to be, and then we have to go through all of the preparatory work required for a gallery show: matting, framing, installing, and writing the information that will be included in the gallery.


 This is one of the photos I'm considering putting in my senior show.

On Tuesday, I also have a workshop in my senior writing seminar. At this liberal arts college, writing classes employ workshops to give feedback to the writers; basically, everyone goes around the room and offers helpful tips about content, style, language, tone, and characterization. It's really helpful to hear what students and the professor have to say about the piece, and discuss possible solutions to problems we might be having. For my senior thesis, I'm writing a long piece (about 50 pages) about my mom coming to America from Germany, and I'm going to weave in memoir scenes about my life growing up with a German mom and an American father. It's an exciting project, but also a huge undertaking! 

Since I have so much work to do, I'm going to stay on campus for most of spring break. I'll make a visit home, and I might visit some friends in Bloomington for a weekend too.

We also just had a really great opening at the Low Road Gallery on Friday. We had an artist from Indianapolis, one from Bloomington, and a DePauw University fifth year intern. We had an awesome turn out. You can check out our upcoming spring schedule here. You can also find links to podcasts there, too. 

Things are going to get pretty hectic at this small liberal arts college after spring break. We'll all have to really plunge into our final projects -- but there will also be a ton of great events going on around campus. Little 5 is a miniature version of IU's Little 5, and this year it's taking place on the streets around campus, which I think will be a ton of fun. Student Arts Council is in the works of putting together a huge multimedia gala with visual art, student performed music, poetry readings, drinks, and snacks. There will be a lot of thesis presentations in the last half of the semester, as well as lots of events and parties for seniors. It's still surreal to think that I'll be leaving this place soon...

I've been watching the Graduate a lot lately, and I can only hope that my post-graduate experience is better than Ben's!



Have a great week! It looks like spring weather is finally on its way.

I can hardly believe the weather we've had this week! The warmth has practically turned one of the top private universities into a playground -- and although I may not be able to get all of my work done, I do love the transformation of DePauw University after a long, cold winter. Just seeing people walking around, roller skating, long boarding, and running across campus changes the entire atmosphere here, and the energy is awesome. One of my friends lives in a house with a huge porch that faces East College and the Emison Art Museum; I'm going to camp out there as long as I can to soak up the rays!




East College and Emison Art Museum on this liberal arts college's sunny campus.

A couple of weeks ago, I was honored to attend a dinner at President Brian Casey's house. He invited all of the seniors who have applied for national awards and fellowships. It was really great to see his house (it's beautiful!), talk with professors in a casual location, and eat awesome food alongside some really intelligent people. 

President Casey is also hosting a silent auction for the Putnam County Art Museum. I was asked to donate a piece, and I happily obliged! It has been really exciting to participate more with the local artists and art lovers in Greencastle during the last semester of my senior year. 

...And speaking of which, it still hasn't totally sunken in that this is my last semester at this wonderful private liberal arts college. It's really surreal to plan out my senior art show and plot out my last creative story to finish my studio art and English writing majors. Even though I'm excited to start another journey, move to a big city, and meet new people, I'm never going to live in a small community like this again, where almost every person I want to see lives within a 10 minute walk from my house. DePauw University has really taught me a lot, nurtured me and challenged me, and provided me with so many wonderful, invigorating experiences. 

Can I stay another semester??

What’s one thing that sets DePauw University apart from the other top private liberal arts college in the nation? (Apart from the stellar academics, that is J) It’s our awesome Greek life, of course!

 

Last week wrapped up the last tidbits of formal recruitment here on campus, and some last minute “open bids” are still taking place. Greek life on campus is pretty amazing, actually. You want to join an organization that’s completely student run, including everything from formals and parties to paying the housing bills? Join a Greek house. (For full disclosure to you guys out there, I’m not in a traditional Greek sorority with one of the large white houses surrounding campus. I’m a member of the only local sorority on campus, Psi Lambda Xi—but more on that later.)

 

So what does a Greek house look like at DePauw University? It’s a group of roughly hundred students who join together because they all feel a common sisterly or brotherly bond with each other. Recruitment to join these houses occurs during the weekend before spring semester and the first weekend of the semester. The methods for recruitment for women’s and men’s rush are quite different, but the end goal is the same: get to know some great people at DePauw who share similar qualities with you and the rest of your house. There are three rounds or visits that take place over these two weekends, and they houses are looking for great people just as you are looking for a house that fits your needs. The most important thing to know about rush? Be yourself! That advice can be applied the second you walk on this campus, because there will always be a place or a house or a club where you belong. And in the long run, you will be so much happier with the choices you make when you are yourself.

 

Once you receive and accept a bid to a house, the next three and half years are filled with fun but also responsibilities. Houses typically push their members to do well in school and to be involved with the house philanthropy—all great things. But there are also other events too, like formals (big dances) and informals (like a house trip ice-skating or paintballing) that are great times all around. Houses usually really look out for and support their members, such as going to a member’s event or showing up their games. Houses become your community within the larger DePauw community.

 

But that doesn’t mean that joining a Greek house becomes your life! Greek houses all join in for all-campus events all the time. After all, DePauw is a pretty tight knit community to begin with, and for the most part we all like each other. Greek life is just another way to get involved while your on campus!

Well, our first week of full classes here at DePauw University has been a crazy one! But I couldn't be happier with how the week turned out, and now I'm basking in my own glory... putting off my homework...

On Thursday, Peeler Art Center hosted its annual juried show. The juror was a painting professor at Herron School of Art in Indianapolis, and he picked honorable mention, second place, and first place prizes for the 2D, 3D, and 4D work that had been chosen for the show. He picked a series of my polaroids for second place! I was so excited, and I got a cash prize on top of it.


This is a polaroid from a series I submitted called "In the Absence of." I made the images by taking the polaroids out of the cartridge, pushing up the chemicals, and drawing over them with crayons.

The juried show at this liberal arts college is always a wonderful opportunity to see what your classmates have been working on lately.

Last night, I had a show at the Low Road Gallery in Greencastle with my friends Rita Klofta and Carolyn Tubekis called "Another Way." A TON of people came, including family, friends, professors, and yoga instructors. Each of the artists had to give a talk about our work, and mine went better than I could have expected. We're going to have a podcast soon from all of the talks, so I'll put a link up here once it's out! All in all, the show was awesome, I got a ton of compliments, was asked a lot of challenging questions, and then I got to celebrate with my closest friends and family.



This is an image from my series "Laundered Film," which I showed at the Low Road last night. The show will be up until March 4th, so if you didn't make it to the opening, you can still come see the show! You can find our daily hours on our website.

And now I need to spend the weekend catching up on homework and assignments. I'm a double major in studio art and English writing, and I have both of my senior seminars this semester -- which means a LOT of work! The senior art majors at this small liberal arts college are already planning and mapping out our senior show in April, and I need to start thinking about my final piece for my writing seminar too. Phew! At least I have my two art shows behind me now.

Well, it's been a while since I've written my last blog post! DePauw University is back in session now, which means a return to classes, homework, meetings, and of course, blogging. It's actually really refreshing to have a schedule and assignments again; I spent a very relaxing winter term on campus. I finished all of my winter term requirements my junior year, so I got to take this one off. It was really laid back, and I got to work on my art and cook a lot of awesome food with my good friend Rita, who stayed with me for the month. And while I had a great month, it's nice to be productive and active again!

 A wintery walk with my dog, Nico, in Indianapolis.


A delicious quiche that Rita and I made on a lazy winter term morning.


Film I ran through my laundry machine -- part of my winter term art production.

The first week of classes at this top private university was CRAZY though; we had a huge ice storm and two days of classes were cancelled! The entire campus looked like an ice skating rink, and everything was coated in a thick layer of pristine ice. Although walking around was really dangerous, (we were even asked not to leave our residencies unless we had to) the campus was absolutely gorgeous.


Here's a glimpse of our ice-covered campus at this Top 50 Liberal Arts College.

And that brings us to today: one (sort of) week into classes, and I'm already really, really busy. I was accepted into the Peeler Juried Art show, and need to re-matte some of my photos for exhibition; I'm also in a show at the Low Road Gallery here in Greencastle, where I'm showing with my friends Rita Klofta and Carolyn Tubekis. Along with my regular class assignments, I've got my work cut off for me -- but I couldn't be happier that I'm participating in two shows in one week. I'll let you guys know how they go next week!