Month: March 2017

Once You Have Signed Your Letter of Intent.

Chad Boltz / / Chad Boltz

So you have been accepted and have decided to attend THE Furman University. Congrats! Give yourself a pat on the back. You certainly deserve it! You are probably super excited and posting your acceptance letter on Instagram and Twitter with #FurmanBound and the purple heart emoticon. Once that adrenaline dies down, you probably have a lot of questions on what is to come.

Once you sign your letter of intent, you will be getting an email from the wonderful Jessica Berkey. She is the Director of Student Activities and oversees the Furman Orientation Program (also she is an overall fantastic human being and you should follow her dog on Instagram @purty_gertie). Anyways, that email will give you a breakdown of Summer Orientation. It starts in June and there are several sessions that you can attend. Once you pick a date, sit back and relax and get pumped for Orientation.


Orientation is an overnight process; so make sure to bring an extra pack of clothes and your toiletries. You will arrive at Furman on your Orientation date and head to South Housing, If you have no clue where South Housing (SOHO) is, do not fret. There are 25+ O-Staffers planted around Furman to make sure you need to get where you need to be. Once you check in an O-Staffer will lead you to your temporary dorm and hand you a linen pack so you do not need to bring bedding from home. You will check in your stuff, meet your roommate (and before you ask, this will not be your roommate during the school year) and then head to your first session.

In your first session, you will meet your pair of super friendly O-Staffers that will lead you through your sessions. They are there to help you with whatever you need. During your session, you will be meeting a ton of cool new people, who may or may not be your best friends in your four years at Furman. No pressure, though, I did not meet some of my closest friends till mid-way through the Fall Semester. You will be learning a lot about Furman during these sessions. You will get to pick classes, understand how to graduate on time, learn where various resources are on campus and have a good time to make sure you feel comfortable at your Furman Home.


It is kind of a marathon for around 36 hours, but I know you can survive it.  If you have any questions, Summer Orientation is the perfect time for them. The whole point of the program is to get both you and your families comfortable with your transition to college. It can be difficult, but Furman definitely provides the tools to make sure you succeed. Oh! There is also Fall Orientation, but that is for another blog.

So You’re in a Triple: Rooming 101

Emily Pruitt / / Emily Pruitt, Uncategorized

Whenever I tell someone I’m in a triple, they all have the same reaction.  There face becomes contorted and they remark “ooh…how is that going?” like it’s a bad thing. However, living in a triple for me has been a great experience this past year.

When I first read my rooming assignment and saw that I was going to rooming with two other people when I had only asked for one, I was not pleased to say the least.  I considered everything that could go wrong: lack of space, being closer to one roommate than the other, and much more.  I thought it would be a disaster.  Turns out, I was pleasantly surprised.

For me, the rooming survey worked out great, I have two roommates Haley and Claire, and while we don’t always hang out that much outside of the room, we coexist great.  We really haven’t thought at all about anything this whole year.  They are more like my sisters than roommates, and it’s always great to run threw our days together at night. So if you’re worried about the rooming horror stories becoming a reality, I advise you not to sweat it, because while those things could happen, it’s usually pretty rare.

Also, living on the hall with a bunch of other freshman girls has made my freshman year here at Furman.  I think the bonding activities at the beginning of the year really helped us grow together as a family, something really unique to Furman that most schools don’t do.  My hall is full of amazing girls, and is home to some of my best friends.  We are all such a close knit group, and frequently will grab meals, watch movies, or just chill in a room together chatting for hours.  At the beginning of the year, our whole hall had a talent show.  Now that’s not something that happens everywhere you know.

All in all, my rooming experience has been great.  Just make sure to fill out your survey as truthfully as you can, and you will be a-okay.  Even if you do end up in a triple, they happen to be rather spacious, and that’s just two more best friends you’ll make. Try not to dwell on your rooming situation even doesn’t go very well, you don’t have to be best friends with them, all you gotta do is sleep at night and go on your separate things during the day.

This is an exciting time, get pumped for new friends and exciting experiences this upcoming year!

Why I took ANOTHER organic chemistry class

aagakidou / / Uncategorized

I promise I am not crazy. Yes, I am an optimist, but not way too optimistic to the point of delusion. No, I did not enjoy taking organic chemistry, and I wouldn’t call myself a masochist for taking yet another organic chemistry class. Here’s the thing: I am going to graduate school, and from the moment I set that as my goal (last summer) I realized that no one will take time out of their day wherever I end up to teach me elementary organic chemistry. I am owning up to my mistakes right now; I did not put nearly as much time as I needed to put towards studying for my organic chemistry class.

In fall 2014 I was starting my sophomore year, with a job as a FRAD* , starting my career as a Furman Admission Ambassador, and getting to help with organizing a TEDx conference from scratch for the first time. I made the terrible mistake of taking 2 hard classes, Organic Chem and Calculus II. I overestimated my ability to study and balance everything perfectly. Besides that, I was taking a class on Buddhism which I was 100% unfamiliar with, and a history class which I ended up loving, but at the time it was just another massive thing for me because for all I knew, history was my least favorite subject in school (you would hate it too if you had to memorize thousands of years of Greek history, politics, culture, and weird names since 1st grade). So yes, I did not study as much as I needed to for organic chemistry, and my foundation was weak solely because of my decisions and choices, and I didn’t realize how much help I could have gotten from Dr Springsteen who made himself available every day for us. I am so mad at sophomore fall Danai for being so irresponsible and not realizing the importance of this class. Because it was required for my major, I took another organic chemistry class (bio-organic) a year later, and it was so much harder for me because of my weak basis, and my lack of studying skills for organic chemistry. I found the lectures fascinating and I wanted to learn more about organic chemistry.

This past summer I went over my grade report with my advisor and we realized that my only weak grades were from my 2 organic classes, so like any other reasonable being, I decided to take an advanced organic class with Dr Goess (famous for being an amazing lecturer, but hard professor) in my senior spring semester. Two weeks ago I finished the class, and I feel so much more confident in my chemical knowledge. This class only lasted half the semester, and functioned like a graduate level class, so a lot of the teaching had to occur out of the classroom, and this time I knew how to do it. I knew how much time I had to put into it and I no longer saw the class as something intimidating, but rather something really endearing, that would help me get through graduate school. Of course, I do not feel like I know everything I am supposed to know about organic chemistry, but I’ve covered so many of the gaps in my knowledge, that I can now do the rest of the teaching at my own time. And I know that people called me crazy for taking another organic class, but just like Bio-organic, I never wanted to miss any lectures, and I felt like I was actually learning something important.

 

Besides all of this, I think that my advisor, Dr Wagenknecht, was also very confused but somehow also happy that I was taking this class. He told me that it speaks volumes about my character that I am willingly putting myself through another hard class in order to learn. And I don’t like to brag about this, but I don’t think many people would challenge themselves this much normally if they saw themselves almost failing similar classes twice. However, I do think that Furman has many students with a similar mindset as mine. You will find a lot of students that choose taking classes that are slightly easier for them, but you’ll find an equal amount of students that will willingly put themselves on the line, challenge their views and abilities, and take the “harder” classes.

 

PS: I am 99% sure that this decision of taking this class made my advisor’s recommendation letter a thousand times stronger and that’s the only reason I’m going to grad school, but I will never see that letter, so I guess I’ll never know. I can only guess (or Goess, LOL)…

 

*FRAD: freshman advisor, which is a position for sophomores or older students to work in housing and live in a freshman residence hall

7 Things You Need to Have in Your Dorm

Courtney Thomas / / Guest Blogs

Welcome to college, and even more importantly, welcome to Furman. At Furman, you will be spending your next four years living and learning in the same place— on campus! During your first two years you’ll be living in a residence hall, and while they are spacious, keeping them organized without your mom there to let you know it’s time to do laundry is a real struggle. Coming from someone who over packed, and was an unorganized mess freshman year, here’s is a list of 7 things you should bring with you to college, as well as some helpful life hacks to make your living transition as smooth as possible.

1. Stackable Plastic Drawers

These drawers will be essential in organizing your room. Whether you use them as storage space for your clothes, shoes, desk materials, or toiletries they are easy to store. You can slide them under your bed or in your closet. They stack nicely so they are perfect for creating more space. You can buy these at Target or Walmart in a variety of colors. If you want to get really fancy, you can use scrapbook paper to decorate the face of the boxes.

2. A Curtain for Your Closet

Whether you make this curtain yourself, or you buy a window curtain from Target, putting a curtain over your closet keeps everything looking nice and neat. While you are at Furman, you will find that your wardrobe expands (TSHIRTS FOR DAYS) and your closet begins to look cluttered, this covers it up. You can also hide your dirty socks in the laundry basket there too. Even if you are super organized, having a curtain over your closet is an easy decoration.

3. Collapsible Hangers

If you’re anything like me, you probably own more clothing than any person should ever wear, and you don’t want to get rid of it, I am sure. To create more space in your closet, I suggest these collapsible hangers. If you don’t want to buy them, you can make them yourself by using soda can tabs to connect multiple hangers to one another.

4. Tupperware

Tupperware is nice to have, especially since we have microfridges in all of the dorms at Furman. It’s perfect for storing leftovers, but it is even better for stealing things from the DH. Milk, cereal, bagels, bread, sandwich meats, you name it, are all available in the DH and it is so much cheaper to refill those Tupperware containers on your all you can eat swipe than on your credit card at the grocery store.

5. Command Strips

Command strips were my first best friend at college. They are perfect for hanging anything you want to hang on the walls. They don’t tear off the paint, so they are allowed in the Residence Halls, even better! You can hang canvases, pictures, bulletin boards, white boards, a calendar, or even your super crafty DIY headboard! If you aren’t super into hanging décor, you can use command hooks to hang your curtain rod, towels, keys, etc.

6. Bedside Storage

Having some type of table or shelf right beside your bed is a must. You can choose to have a night stand, or just a small shelf you attach to the bed. It’s nice to put you phone, a book, a lamp, a glass of water, or really anything you don’t want to get out of bed for in the middle of the night. This is so necessary if you live on the top bunk or your bed is lofted!  

7. A Brita Water Pitcher

Having a small Brita Pitcher to keep in your fridge may seem frivolous, but it is so useful. Having cold, filtered water right there make filling up that Keurig at 7AM or just getting a sip of water late at night that much more convenient. And even better, the smallest Brita will fit right in the door of the refrigerator.  

 

Whether you plan on going Pinterest crazy in your dorm, or if you just need a nice place to sleep, you want your dorm to be as homey as possible. Finding the right balance of storage, functionality, and décor will make your freshman dorm one to remember.

 

-Allie Able ’18

Wait, Furman Students Plan T-Pain Concerts?

Chad Boltz / / Chad Boltz, Uncategorized

I have lived in the Greenville community for the past 10 years of my life. I grew up hearing about all the concerts that Furman has brought in the past few years. From Ed Sheeran to Drake, I could not believe the type of acts that Furman was bringing to the Greenville Area. I always thought that these acts were brought by hired Furman staff, but when I learned Furman students actually plan and bring these acts, I was stunned.

Furman has excellent programming boards on campus. Our Residential Life Council, Furman Creative Collaborative, and Student Alumni Council all bring great programming to our campus, but I have had the privilege of working with Furman University Student Activity Board. We are a group of 55 quirky individuals that all have a passion for event planning. We are split into five different committees:

1. Annual- Shockingly, this committee plans events that happen annually. They help plan our Homecoming festivities, conduct a campus-wide game of tag, and throw a giant bash on the last day of class (LDOC).

2. Off Campus- This committee does everything that does not occur on Furman’s campus. They have events like Harry Potter Yule Balls to having a swanky evening at a restaurant and a show at the Peace Center. My favorite Off-Campus event is a yearly trip to the Biltmore in December. Everyone dresses up really nice and there is great food and the Biltmore is so nicely decorated.

3. Concert- This committee plans concerts. Who would have thunk? They have brought artists like Sam Hunt, Moon Taxi, Borns, T-Pain, Waka Flocka Flame, and like I said before Drake and Ed Sheeran. They also hold a Battle of the Bands Competition.

4. Special- Any event that does not fall into the above three categories is conducted by the Special Committee. From Dodgeball Tournaments to Haunted Trails to DIY Bouquet Stations to Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre, this committee only limitation is their imagination. About once a year they bring a comedian to campus. We have seen Seth Myers, Keenan Thompson, Bo Burnham, and Zach Galifianakis.

5. Marketing- This group has a special place in my heart since I am the chair of this committee. This group is in charge of advertising the other committee’s events in unique and quirky ways. From dressing up in flashy costumes and creating a commercial to designing and creating stickers.

This board is just an event planning club, it is a family. My closest and best friends all come from this board. Not only have I had a pleasant experience within this group, but I have learned SOOOOO many important life skills.  Leading a committee has been a challenge, but so has been learning graphic design. This group continues to impress me more and more each year, and if you come to Furman I would encourage you to come to our events or even apply to be on the board!

Chillin by the Lake- a playlist by Kat Denney

Katherine Denney / / Uncategorized

It’s a Saturday, the sun is out, and you are chillin’ by the lake in your Eno. Here’s a laid back Indie playlist for when you’re hanging out (ha puns!)

  1. Monday Loop// Tomppabeats — To kick things off is a recommendation from my good pal Chriss! this is why he loves it:

2. Holocene // Bon Iver — the most chill indie musician out there, perfect for zoning out and staring at the swans.

3. Punks and Poets // Elliot Root — I recently discovered Elliot Root and freaking love him! He is also a good listen for late night drives and road trips.

4. Vacation // Florist — it’s peppy and perky but chill at the same time, the banjo really brings it all together in my opinion. Plus, I’m just a sucker for a good banjo.

5. Jarmin in the Dark// Young Monks — this song gives you good vibes and a perfect atmosphere for swinging in the breeze by the lake.

6. Sunday Candy // Donnie Trumpet, The Social Experiment, & Chance the Rapper — no good playlist is complete without Chance.

7. Someone New // Hozier — As you watch people and their dogs walk along the lake you will find yourself falling in love with every single dog which is kinda what Hozier is talking about in this song.

8. first day of my life// gnash & Goody Grace — cute, simple, and perfect for cuddling 😉

9. Secret // Flearoy — this one is kinda groovy and I dig it!

10. Washing Dishes // Jack Johnson — Jack Johnson is the love of my life and absolutely perfect for any time or place but especially fitting for your chill time.

11. Brazil // Declan Mckenna — this kid Declan is the cutest and his music is super catchy. Brazil, in particular, is fun but yet laid back, go check out some of his other stuff!

12. Flowers in Your Hair // The Lumineers — How could you not put the Lumineers on an indie chill playlist?! And yet again, the banjo just gets me every time!

13. Stay Alive // José González — I first heard this song on the soundtrack of “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” and instantly downloaded it. It makes you really motivated and inspired!

14. Who Says // John Mayer — Other than Jack Johnson, John Mayer is the love my life!

15. Shakey Ground // Freedom Fry — There is also a remix of this song which is fantastic if you want something with more beats but this is the chill Eno version.

16. A Summer Song // Conner Youngblood — A perfect blend between traditional indie style and a little bit of Hip Hop influences sprinkled in.

17. Woodlands // The Paper Kites — a recommendation from Anna!: 

18. Pale Blue Eyes // The Velvet Underground — and to wrap things up is yet another recommendation from Jared, our local expert of Indie Chill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click here to listen to the full playlist on Spotify! Let us know what you think and if you have any songs you would’ve added!