Getaway Study Spots

During this hectic midterm and paper writing season, it's hard to find a good nook in Gelman without feeling like that skinny vanilla latte someone else is drinking is about to end up all over your laptop. Yes, it can feel crammed on campus when everyone is actively doing homework- but remember- you are free to roam the city! Check out these great off campus options for you adventurous studiers out there:

Bourbon Coffee (21st and L)- This is my personal favorite. As long as you get there early, you can grab a comfy spot among the tables and couches. I recommend the Mexican Hot Chocolate to get you through.. and with Bruegger's Bagels next door, you're set for several hours. 

Caribou Coffee (17th and Penn)- A bit hectic in the morning, things calm down here and there are lots of plugs among the log-cabin atmosphere of wooden tables and chairs. They even have a microwave and toaster.. so bring your own snacks but definitely indulge in a hot Apple Blast or Mocha.

Barnes and Nobles (30th and M)- In the heart of Georgetown, you can snuggle up in a nice corner. This is always a good choice if you want to catch up on reading alongside the chic residents of Georgetown.

Library of Congress (101 Independence Ave. SE)- The ultimate off campus study spot is the LOC Reading Room!! This elegant room is a motivating place to study as well as the best possible place to try and find that book you've been frantically searching for. Get here as soon as possible- linked is how to get a reader card!

Look at that! Even I'm inspired to do homework here...

Questions? Need more places to come do homework at GW or want to know why I actually enjoy homework? I know, it's rare! marisaw@gwmail.gwu.edu.

- Marisa

A Blog About Blogging

I've been doing this blog for close to a year now, so I'm surprised that I hadn't come up with this topic yet: how I became a GW admissions blogger!

Image from HuffPo's "Kanye West's Tweets Matched with New Yorker Cartoons"--Super funny.

Really, I don't know how I became a blogger!  That is, I know the process, but I'm surprised I was even considered good enough.  As I constantly remind you, even though you can clearly see it for yourself, my writing style is very casual.  I didn't think I was up to par, but I figured it was worth applying anyway.  And poof!  I got the job!

If you're interested in becoming a blogger, inquire with the admissions office!  I believe we're set with new bloggers for this year, but we'll certainly need newbies once our senior bloggers leave in May.  Or if you feel your particular situation isn't already represented on our blog (international student, study abroad-er, transfer, anything else applicable!), let us know!  We just might find room for ya!  :)

Admissions office email: gwadm@gwu.edu

My email:  ShireenS@gwmail.gwu.edu

Ask me questions!

~~~Shireen

WBC in DC--This is not a drill, folks!

"---George Washington University in Washington, DC    November 11, 2010  7:55 AM - 8:35 AM

WBC will picket George Washington University to remind this nation that this next generation of young people have been raised for the devil himself. From their youth, the current generation of college students have been taught to disobey God and serve the lusts of their flesh. The parents and teachers, including college professors, are responsible for raising a generation of God-hating heathens. Because these rebels neglected to do their Deuteronomy 6 duty to their children, God pours out His wrath on doomed america.

Deuteronomy 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6  And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:7  And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.---"

Seems crazy?  Yeah, it pretty much is.  I copied and pasted this directly from the Westboro Baptist Church website.  If you haven't heard of them, the main gist is that they hate EVERYONE.  Mostly homosexuals, and Jews are high on the list, but they really just hate everyone.  They're the guys that picket the funerals and memorial services of fallen soldiers.  So you can already tell they're a bunch of shining gems of human beings.

But you don't think GW kids will just sit back and take smack talk like that, do you?  On OUR turf?  Oh, no way.  So there's a rather large Facebook Event to counter-protest the picketers.  The protest first came to students' attention through The GW Patriot, a politics and culture journal.  I just hope they're getting a permit to assemble, we'll definitely need it with all the people who plan on attending!  


I'll surely keep you posted on how all this pans out!
Email me.  ShireenS@gwmail.gwu.
<3 Shireen

Office Hours? Do People Go To Those?

It is recommended over and over.. go visit your teachers when they offer themselves up for office hours! So what exactly are office hours? Professors and TAs (teaching assistants) schedule time outside of normal class hours to meet with students. This is a great time to ask questions or clarify something from discussion, ask for extra help, talk about something that interested you particularly, or.. (this one is weird) get to know your professor!! The professor expects you to come in and lead the meeting in the direction you want to take it.

I have found that GW professors and TAs are always grateful to have students come and ask them additional questions during their office hours. My biology lab teaching assistant is a graduate student working on his own projects in the lab, and makes himself available Friday mornings. He informed me last Friday when I went to ask him questions about homework that I was the first visitor he had to office hours! IT'S THE MIDDLE OF OCTOBER! I suppose Friday mornings are not the best time to expect students to be awake... but seriously? Here is a teacher who I can engage with one on one and assist me in getting a better grade on my lab report? I can't pass that up! After speaking with him, I had a much better idea of what he was expecting from our homework.

Particularly in English classes, it is to your benefit to visit office hours. Professors are always willing to help you formulate a strong thesis or review a rough draft. My experience with professors here is that they are unwilling to help you unless you make the first step of meeting with them. Do not email them with a rough draft, asking them to edit it, unless you have previously talked about it in person.

Tips To Take Away:
1. GW professors and TAs are very approachable!
2. They are lonely in their office hours without you.
3. Usually they have comfy chairs. Always a bonus.
4. Think of office hours almost as free tutoring.. from the person who matters most!

I am determined to always have pictures in my blogs.. here are some ideas of what office hours look like!

As always.. questions? Want me to write about something next? Email me at marisaw@gwmail.gwu.edu.

- Marisa

That little slice of hell known as midterms

Yep.  It's that dreaded time of year again.  It's a time to sit and really think about what matters--SURVIVAL.

To me, midterms are even worse than finals.  While more is riding on finals (usually), you have the impending sweet release of winter/summer break after final exams.  After midterms... it's just more work!  And usually worse work!

Here's my deal:  I hate exams in general.  I would take 5 papers over one test ANY DAY.  You can probably tell because I do this, but I love to write.  However--asking me to recall trivial or specific information at the drop of a hat?  No thanks.  I would much prefer to sit around for a few hours, hash it, re-hash it, print it out and mark up the pages with a purple pen, then finally crank out a solid essay.

But I won't bore you with my rant about hating exams.  Instead, I will explore the positive aspects of midterm season!  Yes, they do exist.

1)  Halloween is soon!  Fun for everyone!

2)  The Rally to Restore Sanity/March to Keep Fear Alive is soon-ER!  So exciting.

3)  Barack Obama was here on Tuesday!  Yeah, I know he lives a few blocks away, but everyone still goes crazy when he's on campus.

4)  I saw Transformers 3 being filmed yesterday!  I didn't even seek it out, we just stumbled upon it, really.  I saw Louis Stevens!  (Shia Labeouf... on Even Stevens... Remember?!?)

5)  It's autumn!  My favorite season.  I love the colors and the crisp air, it's just gorgeous.

Those are really the only plusses i can think of, at least for now.  But it's helping me get through the grueling work!

I love emails!  They help me procrastinate!  ShireenS@gwmail.gwu.edu

~~~Shireen

We're BACK!!!!

At long last I have returned from the deep dark recesses of the Mount Vernon campus (but only for a few minutes, I enjoy deep dark recesses) to bring you the gift of a blog. Here are some details about my semester so far:

    What a morning on the Mount Vernon Campus might look like.

I live on Mount Vernon, which I personally think is a cross between a country club and Narnia. No joke. First of all it's beautiful, there's so much open space, the air is clean, and small woodland creatures roam the outer corners of the campus. I'll have to make a video of it to show ya'll soon. But seriously. Maybe you haven't heard about the awesomeness that is West Hall (the new dorm), but it has a 24-hour recording studio, which is enough reason for me to never leave campus. It also has a new gym, a dining hall (the food still sucks, stick to ordering from the grill), and a lot of study space, which is nice because I never feel the need to go to the library or anywhere to compete for space to do work. You can also hear yourself think on the Vern.

Classes:

Soc 101- *Sigh*
Voice and Diction- A really good class that I recommend to everyone, especially incoming freshman
African-American Lit Studies (185)- Awesome topic, great books, great teacher
Intermediate Poetry-
Latin Jazz- I'm really excited because we'll be performing at the Kennedy Center next semester!!!
Voice Lessons- My voice teacher Prof. Millicent Scarlett IS the music department. So this is awesome.

All my classes are pretty awesome except for Soc, but I won't hold it against anybody.

This semester, I'm having to make some tough decisions about what to do next. Some things on my mind right now as possible options are Teach for America or another teaching program, Peace Corps (or a similar program abroad), Law School (which is a very big and scary concept for me at the moment). I'll be letting you know how I go about making these decisions so we can celebrate together once things start to fall into place.

'Til next time

Easy E

Questions/Comments/Suggestions: magalae@gmail.com

A Long Awaited Reunion

This weekend is going to be a lot of fun!!!  It is Colonials Weekend which means there are lots of visitors coming to GW.  Parents, siblings, grandparents, and many other family members come to GW generally to see their student for the first time since the end of summer.

While my family will not be coming in for Colonials Weekend, I do have some friends coming to visit.  4 people I studied abroad with are heading to DC!  And with three of us already at GW, our reunion of 7 is going to be great!  I have not seen some of these friends since we left Australia in December of 2009 and I am so excited to catch up and bring back the memories!

Our plan is to wing the weekend.  I am sure, if the weather is nice, we will head down to the mall and go to a few museums or monuments, but who knows! We are spontaneous! haha

I will be sure to share all of our crazy times with you, and trust me, with the seven of us together again there are sure to be some crazy times!

Be sure to email me if you have any questions! KWOLLNER@GWU.EDU

International Spy Museum!

As the title suggests, I went to the International Spy Museum!  But guess what?  I went TODAY!  This is probably the soonest I've posted after an event.  That just shows how much I loved that place, I had to tell all of you!

The museum is in the Metro Center/Chinatown area, on 9th and F.  You can really get off at either stop because it's super close to both.  Admission is $18 but it's worth every penny.  (As is the Museum of Crime & Punishment!  Check that out too!!!)  Actually, I shouldn't lie--I didn't pay the full ticket price for this one.  I had a coupon so it was only ten bucks!  I'll write a separate post on coupon sites sometime soon, because I absolutely adore them and I think that everyone should subscribe.  But more on that later!

Also like the Crime & Punishment Museum, this museum is VERY interactive.  It really puts you into the realm of a spy (the cheesey Bond-esque spy with absurd gadgets and weird lighting and disembodied voices giving you directions)--but that's what's so fun about it!  You can even pick a "cover" identity and test your spy skills, being tested periodically on your alibi.  And it's one of those educational excursions you can make a day out of that is just so fun you don't even know you're learning!

I'm taking Sociology of Terrorism, and a whole lot of what I learned in class is somehow applicable to the exhibits.  This lead me to be one of those nerdy jerks who adds their own fun facts while walking through any given exhibit.  Luckily my friends didn't mind!  I hope...

The one drawback of this museum is that they don't allow photography!  Otherwise I would have taken oodles and oodles of pictures to share with y'all.  The Crime & Punishment Museum actually ENCOURAGES photos, if that sways you in favor of one or the other.

So check them out!  I've decided I'm going to be more of a museumophile this year than I previously was, so prepare for more educational yet amusing blogs!

And keep those emails coming!  ShireenS@gwmail.gwu.edu  I have an inflated sense of importance that NEEDS to be fed!
<3 Shireen

Studying Abroad- Not Only for Juniors

I figured I would attempt to give you all a little story from my summer. I traveled to Gaborone, Botswana (located above South Africa) for the summer after freshman year to study abroad. Yes, I know- it seems early to study abroad- but there is no set good time to go! I decided that it would be a good use of my summer. I signed up for a Community Public Health study abroad program through CIEE to see if it would be something I was interested in. I always find that I learn the most about what I like when I am doing it… so why not try out working in a clinic and taking public health classes to see if I should continue that focus at GWU?!

I was surprised (maybe even impressed) with myself because I jumped into this adventure without reservation. I am usually a worrier, a stresser; I boarded a plane alone without knowing who I was meeting up with and, to tell you the truth, without knowing enough about this country. I had not had a breakdown or crisis of any sort until a night late into my first week, which I credit to a buildup of frustrations with bad transportation, lack of hot showers, irritation with my new professors who lack syllabi, and yes of course finally some homesickness.

Some highlights from my summer include...

Victoria Falls!

USA vs. Ghana World Cup Game 

Safari in the north of Botswana

Working at a soup kitchen for orphans

While I enjoyed my time abroad for the summer, it was only a temporary quenching of my thirst to live abroad. I am considering going abroad for a whole semester the fall of my junior year. I would like to do the GW Study Program in Latin America, as I have experienced Sub-Saharan Africa and would like the experience of another developing country. GW also runs GW Study Programs in Madrid, London, and England. I will keep you all updated with my search as I want to in the fall! 

Let me know if you have any questions about study abroad and I’ll do my best to answer them.. Otherwise, talk to the Office of Study Abroad- they are super helpful! There are about 300 programs currently and they are always adding new programs. You can even petition a program if they don't have something you like! And financially, lots of scholarships are available to help you out.

Questions? As always, email me at marisaw@gwmail.gwu.edu!

-Marisa

A different kind of "Class Struggle"

Well, it's mid-October again, and that means it's time for midterms. There's no centralized regulation within or between the different colleges here about when or how how many significant tests can be given in a semester. While this is obviously a good thing from the perspective of learning, the upside is that midterms basically last all the way until finals. The reason for this is that some courses, especially survey or introductory ones with a great breath of topics to cover, have to test three or four times in a semester.

Here's the script for tests, which goes something like this for the stereotypical "big freshman lecture" everyone fears attending:
1. Come to class. Notice that people who never come actually showed!
2. Wait for five minutes in trepidation and frenzied last-minute review.
3. Get suitably irritated as your personal space is impinged on by an unexpectedly-full row of chairs.
4. Do the test.
5. Submit the test in a mob anxious to escape the lecture hall.

This kind of class is definitely memorable, but the vast majority of mine haven't been this way. Most of the time, I've been in much smaller courses of 25-30 people. The more advanced coursework I take, the smaller the classes get-- the average for this semester is probably around 20 people.

Right now, I'm enrolled in a graduate-level course, and I'm one of four people. My "midterm" is a ten-page paper, due this coming Saturday, way better in my opinion than the multiple-choice packets and essay handouts of my freshman year. The subject is the Political Economy of Japan, or how different elements of that country's institutions have combined to produce certain political, economic and social arrangements since the end of the Second World War. Each week, a different student gives the lecture, based on the syllabus our professor wrote and developed; this is great because we get to develop presentation skills as well as draw our own critical conclusions at every stage of learning (rather than questioning what we're taught after the fact).

There are a lot of opportunities here to engage in this kind of innovative learning. I think this is probably because of the real-world backgrounds that most of our faculty have. Academics are great, and the vast majority of faculty have Ph.D.s, but getting professors with life experience is just as important. For example, my professor in the graduate course was an aide to the famous Japanese politician Ichiro Ozawa; the professor in a national-security course I'm taking worked for years as an aide to Sen. Joe Lieberman. The strength of GW's faculty shouldn't be underestimated, particularly in the political science, economics and international affairs fields in which the school excels. If you play your cards right and get a quality teaching experience (not too hard to do here) the "class struggle" doesn't have to be so much of one.

Well, if everyone's clear on what we just covered I guess we can let out early today. Send me any questions at ash1290@gwmail.gwu.edu.

Adam

Next time: My G-Dubs Jobyssey continues in a new direction as I discover the meaning of business casual vs. business conservative, share tie-tying tips, and whatever else occurs to me.