Classic Bev

It’s official: my sister Caroline had her baby this afternoon, David Ethan. I’m way excited (one might say, too excited to focus on my exams). But alas, I must. I only have two classes besides IS (I got a Good on it, by the way, which is a step below honors) so I only have to deal with a paper due tomorrow at noon and an exam Thursday night. In the middle, I have lots of studying and hanging out to do, especially with my FYS on Wednesday, we’re having a reunion. It’s strange, some of those people I see and spend time with every day and some I haven’t seen since the end of first semester freshman year. It’ll be fun, though, I’m really looking forward to it. I also have a goodbye party at work on Friday and then I fly out for my sister’s graduation. We’re having quite the crazy weekend, I fly out of Cleveland Friday night to Little Rock, watch Amanda graduate, and then fly back and hit Wooster LATE on Saturday night. My two sisters and my mom will travel on Sunday to get here and then drive to Wooster on Monday to see me graduate. Oh, the confusion.

I finally have some solid summer plans: I’m going to continue working here over the summer and live on campus while I look for a job. It’ll be a nice way to make some money, spend time with friends before we all leave, and avoid some serious boredom. Plus, I love my coworkers, there’s never a dull moment (and if there is one, we do something about it pretty quickly). I’m applying for Admissions jobs all over the place, so we’ll see what happens. Right now, I need to focus on finishing this paper about the Arch of Constantine (which is super interesting, I swear, just not quite what I want to be focusing on at the moment…)

I have to tell you, I didn’t quite know what to expect this past weekend for President Cornwell’s Inauguration, but I was SO impressed. I was monster focused on my presentation, which went really well (or at least I thought it did). Friday was the “Movable Feast of Undergraduate Research” so there was food from local restaurants all over campus along with all of the IS presentations. I was in the room “Women and the World” with my friends Lizzie and Elisabeth. I think I sat through seven or eight presentations in total, venturing over to Severance (Chemistry) to see my friend Lauren’s IS poster and to partake in TJ’s outstanding mint brownies. I also went with my advisor, Dr. Shaya, to the presentation of my fellow Classicist, Alex. He also worked on Cicero but instead looked at the six months of Cicero’s life where he tried to deify his deceased daughter Tullia. I found it really interesting, especially since the room he was in was “Religion, Science, and Society,” so I also listened to my friend Christina’s presentation. A Philosophy major, Christina looked at the substantial and moral harm associated with pornography. Each presentation I watched was thorough, well-done, and well-attended. Mine was standing room only and that was the case with a lot of them.

Saturday morning was the Inauguration itself and I actually really enjoyed myself. I thought the Student Ambassadors stole the show, each presenting President Cornwell with a gift from their country along with a lot of humor (Sheldon, a fellow intern from Jamaica, remarked that he and President Cornwell have a lot in common: they’re both tall, dark, and handsome ). President Cornwell also got the chance to discuss his ideas on research at a liberal institution, which is obviously of interest to all of us, since we just finished IS!

That night was the Inaugural Gala and I went just because I love any excuse to get dressed up. It was Latin-themed (though not my kind of Latin. Bad joke. Moving on…) and so there was a live band and dance instruction and the most random mix of administrators, students, alumni, and trustees. It was a blast though, I had so much fun, especially when my friends and I busted out some trusty dance moves (Lawn Mower? Shopping Cart? YOU BET). Plus, there was free dessert, and if there’s anything you’ve hopefully learned about me, it’s that I do not turn down anything free.

Now it’s the last week of classes and it is SO surreal. I have a paper due tomorrow that I need to “polish” (you all know what that means from my last post) as well as needing to do some serious laundry and organize everything for the Eta Sigma Phi BBQ on Thursday. Just as a heads up, if I haven’t mentioned it, I get my IS grade on Friday…AHHH!!

PS, I may have gone to Gap again yesterday. It’s an addiction, okay? Admitting it is the first step…

So after my jam-packed weekend of Wooster sports (and my brief shopping excursion to Akron for all things Gap-related…I have an addiction), I have settled down to focus on the next few days. This week has been insane, there is SO much to get done! Tuesday, I went to Oberlin with five other Classics majors and minors to see one of my former professors give a lecture on Tibullus and Horace’s Satires. Not only was it incredibly interesting, but it was also a lot of fun and great to see Dr. McGowan again. We drove him back to Wooster and we all went out to dinner and then I took him to the airport Wednesday morning. It’s funny how no one here blinks twice when I say that too–I think I’m about the third or fourth person to have taken McGowan to the airport, plus my feeling about professors and students here is that we’re all very close. I know so many people who babysit or dogsit for professors, have dinner at their homes, etc. I think it’s just the culture here.

Now I’m just trying to focus on the tasks at hand. I have my IS presentation for the President’s Inauguration tomorrow that I need to polish (and by polish, I mean start writing…come on, I’m not shy about my procrastination), plus I have work tonight AND my mom is coming into town to take me out to dinner. I’m really excited to see my mom, plus we’re going to South Market Bistro, which is the nicest restaurant in town. I’ve never been there, so I am PUMPED. Then tomorrow I’ve got class, a panel for the last visit day, my presentation, and then Senior Farewell for the Peanuts, where we all dress up and tell stories about our time here and basically just cry a lot.

And on top of all of this, I have started applying for jobs!! I think seeing McGowan motivated me, because after dinner with him, I realized that I still don’t have an answer for every senior’s least favorite question: what are you doing after college? So I sent out seven resumes/cover letters/applications/bribes (just kidding on the last one…) that night. We’ll see what happens from there.

This whole time right now is about waiting. Waiting to see who calls back for a job, waiting for my IS grade, waiting for the next two and a half weeks that lead to Commencement. It’s a strange place to be in right now, one full of concurrent excitement and sadness. Every senior I’ve talked to feels exactly the same, though, so it’s good to know we’re all in the same boat. Right now, I think I’m just going to focus on checking my mailbox like a fiend and writing this IS presentation. I’ll keep everyone informed as I continue to get updates…

So due to some technical difficulties (aka, I have no idea what happened), one of my posts got deleted. So I’ll recap for everyone the past two weeks. I had my oral defense Friday a week ago and I passed! I got my questions beforehand and prepared well and it really wasn’t scary at all. I was nervous for a minute, but I think I was more excited than anything else. It’s funny how you’re never truly done with IS though. I still find myself randomly researching Clinton’s speeches or trying to find a source on media as propaganda in ancient Rome. It is quite the relief to be done though. Now it’s just a waiting game on my grade…I’ll find out in a few weeks.

Saturday was the MS Walk, so we traveled to the Youngstown area to walk with Katie’s family and friends. It was chilly (and early, we left Woo at 7) but we had such a good time. It was great to be a part of something like that and like I said, we’re big fans of walking. As I type, I’m recovering from my Relay for Life shift. Relay is a blast too, there are bands throughout the night, I left during a fried chicken eating contest, there are prizes and games. Plus, this year, Relay coincided with our big outdoor concert and fair, SpringFest. There was a mechanical bull, funnel cakes, and all sorts of booths and food and activities. We also had two music groups, Fiery Furnaces and The Cool Kids, perform and the speakers are set up so that you can hear it all over campus.

This week was also Greek Week, so we were super busy: long Lip Sync practices, Powder Puff football on Sunday, Faculty/Staff Reception in Lowry on Tuesday, and Wednesday was Lip Sync. Our routine had ribbon dancing, jump roping, and all out BRILLIANCE. We tied for first (I don’t know if that’s ever happened before) and we WON Greek Week! So exciting, plus I finally got to sleep and not have to worry about dancing the next day. We’re all exhausted and sore and bruised, but it was an absolute blast and I’m sad it’s my last one. At least we went out on a high note!

Last night, a HUGE group of Wooster students went to the Cleveland Indians game. Wooster Activities Crew organized the trip, but this wasn’t your typical game (and not only because my baseball boyfriend Ryan Garko hit a two run homer and we won 11-1). The Betas organized an event called the 60 Mile Pitch where they left Wooster at 8am the day of the game, literally ran a baseball up to Progressive Field (which I will forever call the Jake) and one of them threw out the first pitch. They raised almost $5000 for the Jimmy V Foundation, which funds cancer research. There were at least 100 Wooster students at the game to cheer for Aaron, who threw out the first pitch. This was on top of the fact that our tickets were only 5 bucks and thus, totally worth it. I also finally bought a Ryan Garko jersey, a silly side note that’s pretty exciting to me.

Tomorrow, I’m going to the Wooster baseball game, the women’s lacrosse game and the men’s lacrosse game. All of the teams are doing incredibly well this season and I’m excited to go out and see all of them. It’s funny, I’m always asked by prospective students if I ever get bored on campus or have trouble finding stuff to do, but if this week has been any indication, I usually have the opposite problem. I have a feeling it’ll be quite the packed weekend. Good thing I’m done with IS…

So this weekend was my last weekend with nothing to do. I loafed around, had a bonding session with some friends, watched way too many movies and episodes of “The Office,” and ate A LOT of food. This upcoming weekend, however, is the MS Walk that the Peanuts have done for four years now. One of our girls’ moms has multiple sclerosis, so we walk with their team and get to do service, work out a little, and spend some good quality time together. The weekend after that is Relay for Life (which benefits the American Cancer Society), so needless to say, I’m going to be doing a good deal of walking in the next few weeks. I did a lot of community service in high school and one of the reasons I joined a club on campus was so that I could continue that work. I volunteer at the Humane Society as well (though socializing kittens never feels like service, it’s more therapeutic for me); Wooster is incredibly service oriented campus, which is one of the many things that drew me here. In late September, Wooster students, professors, alumni, and even community members gather in cities all over to serve their communities (from here in Ohio to Boston to Phoenix…this year, there was even a project in London!). It’s a great way to make connections and meet new people.

I got my oral defense date: this upcoming Friday at 3pm. Needless to say, I’m excited and terrified at the same time. I’m not necessarily worried, I’m just anxious. I’ll get questions beforehand though, and like I’ve said before, I’ve had a ton of practice talking about my IS to other people, so I think I’m just a little nervous. It’ll melt, I’m sure of it.

I have a Roman Archaeology and Art exam to study for and a panel tomorrow morning right afterwards (plus two meetings, work, and lip sync practice), so needless to say, it’s going to be a long 24 hours. The upside? I have a massage scheduled at the Wellness Center for tomorrow afternoon. I’ve never gotten one before and I cannot even say how much I’m looking forward to it. I’ll report back on that too

So I’ve decided to be a little adventurous (well, for me anyway). Jackie wants to go the ballroom dancing classes that are offered to students and faculty and I can’t believe this, but I agreed to go with her. It’s going to be fun, but oh…the embarrassment. I love that I have this opportunity though, I’ve been trying to renew some of the things I used to do in high school. I danced tap and ballet for 13 years before I got to college and I really miss it. That’s why Lip Sync is so fun too. Greek Week is coming up and during the week (in addition to faculty receptions, an all Greek kickball game, and a huge BBQ) we have a Lip Sync competition. It’s always really ridiculous and fun; choreographing and dancing are what make it so great for me. Now, we’ve come in second the past two years and to say that the Peanuts are bitter would be an understatement. We’re bringing out the big guns this year. I can’t necessarily say what they are yet…but I’ll keep you updated. I added a picture from last year’s performance. That’s us doing Superfreak by Rick James, we did all of the choreography from Little Miss Sunshine, complete with tie and ridiculousness. I’m the one in the dead center front (since you can’t tell from the front, haha)

IS Monday is still a blur, it all happened so fast!!! The march was probably the best part, there was so much electricity and energy. Once the pipers started playing, the crowd went nuts. Dean Garg, our Dean of Faculty, led us around campus in her full academic regalia holding a Tootsie Roll banner and followed by the bag pipers. The best part? Everyone lining the walkways. It was the most surreal experience of my life. All of my friends were there, my professors, all of my coworkers, the entire student body cheering and waving signs…::sigh:: it was amazing. Greatest rush of my life. We walk through Kauke Arch to the south end of the mall and then loop around on our way to Kittridge, which is where the IS pizza party is held. The administration is there, a good number of faculty, plus free pizza, which is always a plus. After that, I’ll be honest, I went to sleep. Most seniors don’t make it past about 8:00pm, the sheer fatigue from working so hard on IS and finally turning it in does most of us in. I woke up at 9 the next morning, so yeah…I was tired. Well-rested now though!

So as I look back to Monday, I can’t even really believe I’m still done. I’m actually in DC right now visiting my sister and brother-in-law with Gump (she’s visiting a Peanut alum). My sister is due in early May so I’m the family ambassador to her baby shower, which was so much fun. I wouldn’t have been able to go if IS had been due this Monday, but with IS over, I’m as free as a bird! (Not quite, but I certainly feel that way) Everyone is getting their assignment dates for oral defenses; I haven’t gotten mine yet, but it’s pretty simple since I only have two professors in my department. The way IS works after you turn it in is that you’re assigned a second reader, who ultimately gives your grade. Most people are getting their assignments now because each department has to sort out second readers and get on top of all of their majors. Classics, on the other hand, only has three seniors and two professors, so it’s a lot easier.

I heard at work that they had an IS celebration here in DC on Monday. I think that’s so cool, I love that IS continues to be a meaningful experience. I was talking to a coworker who is a Wooster alum who said that when he and his college friends get together, they still talk about IS. I hope that’s me in a few years—I loved my IS topic so much and I actually can’t wait to defend it. I know that sounds weird, but oral defense is the part of IS that makes me the least nervous. I love speaking in front of people, I love my topic, and I know it inside out.

In Wooster, they had a big spirit weekend to celebrate IS. There was a huge bonfire on Friday night where seniors got to throw in all of their drafts and any other random IS-related materials. Last night was the Mr. Wooster pageant, our first year for the event and a huge success from what I hear. My friend Alex got first runner-up, so I’m pretty sure there’s some free Chipotle in that prize somewhere. I’ll have to investigate…

I’m off to pack up and drive back to Wooster, there’s a huge admitted students visit day tomorrow and I’m sitting on one of the panels. I hope I get to meet a good number of them, these visit days are how I decided on Wooster. I went to the overnight one during the middle of April and literally sent in my check the next day. Four years later…pretty happy I did

I waited outside the Registrar’s Office like I was getting tickets to an NSYNC concert or something, I was there a solid 40 minutes before it opened, was first in line, and got 164. I think it’s a pretty solid number: it’s below 200, it’s even, and it sounds good. You know what sounds better?! I DID IT. I’ll update even more soon, but right now? Sleep.

So I’ve really bunkered down and spent the last few days on IS solely, stopping only for runs to McDonalds and Starbucks for coffee (yes, I love capitalism. And caffeine. My ulcer Larry enjoys neither of those things. ). So here I sit, Friday night (well, Saturday morning, really) and I think I may be done. 80 pages of pure brilliance, haha. Not quite brilliance, but I don’t think I would change anything about it, unless my sister Caroline or my brother in law Daniel tell me to, in which case I totally will. I sent it off to them and I’m a little terrified of their critique. Caroline was a political science major in college and Daniel’s a classicist, so they are the perfect people to be reading my IS. I hope they like it…and I hope they read this post, so they know to be gentle, haha.

I got a call from my friend Jackie the other night, she was having trouble writing her acknowledgements page because she was getting too emotional. I talked her through it and couldn’t really imagine reacting that way…until I wrote mine a few hours later. Welcome to the waterworks. This project has been such a rollercoaster (which is still not over) and I’m towards the end of the ride, which means I’m excited, tired, and a little nauseated, haha.

UPDATE, SATURDAY, 4:40pm—I just came back from the bookstore from having my IS copies bound. Two go to the Registrar, one is mine, one goes to my mom, and one goes to my grandfather. They’re sitting neatly in a bag on my bed and I don’t even know what to do with myself now. I met some proud parents in the bookstore whose son graduated last year and whose other son is a sophomore right now and they were so excited for me. I love the spirit of IS around campus, you hit such a strange mix of people on the Saturday before IS Monday. Some of us are excited and delirious; others haven’t shaved in days and do not foresee sleeping any time soon. But that’s what makes IS Monday so great—we’re all equals that day and we all celebrate the same. I’ll update to let everyone know what number I got, I’m shooting for below 200…

Hooray for low key birthdays! I went out to dinner with my twin sister Amanda and my mom, spoke with friends and family on the phone, and that was it. It was a much needed break from campus and it was only a day and a half long! Now I’m just finishing up some work, continuing to revise my IS, and watching The Office (one of my many TV obsessions) and random foreign films. Seniors are starting to come back in full force, which I think will do nothing but help me focus on finishing IS (or so I like to tell myself).

PS, I sent out my first resume on Friday as well…real world, here I come!!