I just finished my first test (BELS).  With that under my belt I finally feel like a full-fledged student.  All I will say about the test is that it was so LEGIT it would even challenge someone who managed to memorize the textbook (and if there is someone like that, I’m jealous of their talent).  With that, I don’t mean to off-put anyone.  Mines is tough.  That’s as much a fact of life as gravity.  Mines is also hectic and beautiful and A LOT OF FUN.

To say that this place has an amazing dynamic is the understatement of the year.  This school has a student fellowship that I have never experienced anywhere else.   By unspoken rule every Sunday is a campus wide study party…and by party I mean bury your nose in your book and work your butt off until the wee hours, breaking only for late night specialty pizza and a few laughs with friends at Digger Den.  Everyone is willing to help with homework questions, and if the people on your floor aren’t working on the same problems or don’t have the same class, it’s a sure thing that someone else in your hall is and is more than willing to help.  On more than one occasion I have visited other floors and gone door to door looking for help, and found it (I promise I’m not the only one who utilizes this tactic).  This week, with the first round of tests rolling in, has been especially productive.  I’ve met so many new people who have come around to talk over class material and study various subjects.  We’re all in the same boat, facing the same obstacles, and that makes it so much easier to draw connections and make friends.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking everyone here is a schoolaholic.  Mines kids know very well how to have fun.  It could even be said that Mines kids know how to have fun better than the students at any other college because here fun and relaxation is a precious resource.  With the pressure from homework and studying, we simply have to take every opportunity to unwind and laugh it up.  Whether that means going to the “Club Dub” dance party in Weaver Towers, playing a raging game of Ultimate on Kafadar Commons, or hitting up Randall Basement for a fierce board game competition – all of which I highly recommend.  Tonight, I’m going to unwind with MAC in the Green Center – they’re screening “The Hangover: 2” and I could use a good laugh.  After that I may come back to the residence halls and work on my first quant-lab report… or maybe organize a cheering section with the other girls for the football game this Saturday.

That's it :)

-Jessica

           Chemistry class just went up in (purple) smoke.