Advice from a College Student: April 2014

Greetings! I am just about finished with my freshman year of college; I can hardly believe it! It feels like just yesterday I was doing my schoolwork at home, sitting around in my PJs, and checking facebook between subjects. Oh. That's probably because it was just yesterday that I was doing all those things! For some reason, people make college out to be so much harder than it actually is. "Spend 2 hours studying for every 1 hour you're in class" is the rule of thumb I was taught upon entering college, but to be honest, I hardly spend that much time and I've still got a 4.0. Now I'm not saying that college is something that you can just breeze by in, but I'm just telling you that it's really not as bad as people try to make it out to be. At least, it isn't that bad for me.

I have learned so much about myself this year. I'm not going to bore you with all of my discoveries, but I do want to point out that college is a place to discover, even define, yourself. In high school you're dictated by what subjects you have to study, but in college you get to pick your courses. Of course you have to take the basics (which seems totally unfair to me; I mean, what use does an English major like me have for math?) but you still get to explore a wide variety of electives. Who knows? You might enter college thinking that you want to study nursing but realize that you have a passion for Script Writing. It might not seem likely, but it is possible.

I'm not going to pretend like I'm an expert on all things college (I'm learning something called "humility" which is really taking a toll on my superior attitude!) but I will acknowledge that I know more about college now than when I was just finishing high school. I'm going to assume that I'm not totally different than everyone else, so I'm going to impart some of my wisdom so that you high school students (or your high school kids) can get the 411 on college from a legitimate college student (is it weird that I like the sound of that? "Legitimate college student." Makes me sound... legit ;) )

***I'm taking a brief side note to acknowledge that I blog so much differently than I write my papers. Although I'm not sure my professors would appreciate such a snarky tone, and this blog is just a place for me to get out my thoughts, so I guess it makes sense. It's just weird to write something so informal after writing academically for about 6 months now.... Alright, side note over!

Here is the advice topic I have today: Community Colleges

I'm not proud to admit it, but I'll do it anyways for the sake of honesty: whenever I would hear the term "community college" I would think of a place where students who couldn't get in anywhere else went. I feel so bad about that, and I have no idea where I even got that idea. Community colleges are not a place of rejects. Not at all. Community colleges are places that want to help students get their feet under them before they head out into the "real world." There is a diversity of students who attend community colleges, ranging from high schoolers to high school dropouts trying to earn a degree some twenty years later to just your average college student trying to earn a degree on a bargain. I am very sorry for all of my misconceptions. Very sorry.

But the point of this is not to make myself look like an awful person who doesn't understand the world. Actually, my point is to correct anyone who might have the same misconceptions. In fact, community colleges are probably the best bet for any high school student, no matter their GPA. Unless you can get a pretty good scholarship to some prestigious university (and I don't mean a couple thousand dollars; I mean something to pay for at least three quarters of your tuition) I highly recommend starting out at a community college, especially if you live close enough to commute. The college does not employ wannabe instructors: the professors actually know their stuff, and plenty of them have their Ph.D.s. Both of my psych professors have taught at four year universities, and they teach the exact same stuff at all of the schools. They don't "dumb it down" for the community college students, as my one professor put it. Community colleges are legitimate colleges where you can get a legitimate degree at the fraction of the cost you would have to pay at a four-year university.

I'm going to take a minute to talk about myself, and I promise I'm not bragging. I'm still trying to make a point:

I have an ACT composite score of 28. I got a 32 on the English portion of the test. I scored higher than 90% of the test takers in the country. I graduated high school with a GPA of 3.769 (and I remember the exact number because it makes me so mad that I just missed a 3.77). I graduated in the top 10% of my class. I am smart and I attend Stark State Community College.

The previous paragraph was not to brag about myself, as I stated above. It was to point out that I'm not a reject. Smart people attend community colleges. I'm a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society, and there are quite a few Stark State students who are members so I know for a fact I'm not a one in a million kind of student.

So my advice today is that if you have an opportunity to attend a community college, go for it! (As long as it saves you money.) And it's not like you won't have the opportunity to attend a four-year university; community colleges are typically only two years. Just earn your associate degree and then transfer. Think about it: everyone needs to take the same basic courses before getting into the degree specific ones. Wouldn't you rather spend $500 on a College Algebra class rather than $2500? (Unless you're into wasting money. If that's the case, you're an awful person. Don't you know there are starving children in Africa??)

I can't make anyone go to a community college and save thousands of dollars. I just hope that you will consider it. I don't know about you, but I have no intentions of ending up hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt upon graduating college. But of course, to each his own :)

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau Book Review

Looking for a new dystopian novel to add to your collection? The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau combines all the classic components of dystopian novels (corrupt government, some catastrophic event that destroyed the world, survival of the fittest mindset) as well as elements that are uniquely her own. I don't think anyone can disagree that the most popular books at the moment are the dystopians, and because there are so many of them right now it's hard to find one that actually stands out. Ms. Charbonneau creates a strong character with a voice that refuses to be ignored and a future world that is completely believable. It took me a little bit to actually get into the book (as it usually does for me) but once I made it past the first couple chapters I was hooked! This is definitely going on my Christmas wish-list (*hint hint, Mother*)

After all the nations of the world are destroyed by the Seven Stages War, what's left of the United States picks itself up and builds itself back up with whatever is left over (I must admit, authors have a lot more faith in the American people than I do, even though it always ends in a corrupt government. If you ask me, we're all just going to die. Why yes, I do see the glass half empty. Why do you ask?) Obviously the smartest step to take is enlisting those with special talents in areas where they will be the most useful. Even those who don't stand out are used to help rejuvenate the land. But just because no one is useless, not everyone is cut out for higher up positions. Those who show promise will be sorted out through their high school grades, and those who are cut out for the University will be sorted out through The Testing.

It has always been Cia Vale's dream to follow her father's footsteps and be accepted for The Testing - not to mention that her sector of the United Commonwealth hasn't had a Testing candidate in so many years. But even though her sector is small, it's not like there aren't geniuses around. One of Cia's brothers is probably the smartest person she knows, and she was sure he would have been chosen for The Testing... but he wasn't. And when the time comes, he isn't even acknowledged as having a huge part in one of the most important rejuvenation projects. It isn't until she's already in too deep that Cia realizes that maybe someone had deliberately kept them from being recognized by the United Commonwealth. Because no one ever remembers their Testing - their memories are wiped afterwards - and the candidates never see their families again.

But Cia's father thinks he remembers bits and pieces from his Testing. And what he remembers isn't what any of them are expecting, or prepared for.

The Hunger Games had a love triangle, but it wasn't the focus of the books. Divergent has a stand-alone plot, but there's also a strong love interest. The Testing falls somewhere between the books when concerned with love: although there is a love interest, it isn't the focus of the book. And I think that is what I liked the most about it. When you're faced with life or death situations, your first thought isn't "Oh my goodness, that boy is cute!" But the idea isn't completely lost in this book, and love is what motivates some, if not most, of Cia's decisions.

I think I'll give The Testing 4.5 out of 5 stars.

And again, if you love dystopians: Read it. You'll thank me.

Prodigy by Marie Lu Book Review

I must say, I enjoyed Marie Lu's debut novel Legend enough that I took the time to read its sequel, Prodigy. I've found myself becoming pickier and pickier with the books I'm reading - what with school and writing my own books and keeping up a social life - so I haven't picked up a genuine YA novel in a while. I was reading Life of Pi when I decided I was in the mood for something else. I think I was actually looking up another novel's release date when I remembered "Oh yeah, wasn't Prodigy supposed to come out around now?" So I got on my library's website, searched for the title, and put the book on hold. I think I finished it in about four days.

Legend wasn't one of my favorite books, but it held my interest enough that I wanted to know what happened next. Remember how I said I haven't read anything for a while? Well reading Prodigy in four days was a feat for me, so take my word that it held my attention.

Marie Lu stays true to her writing style by switching point of view every other chapter. First you're in June's head, then Day's. The novel picks up basically where we last left off, and our protagonists are both on a Las Vegas-bound train. Circumstances don't leave them with many options, so they must rely -again- on the people that Day swore he would never join: the Patriots. Soon they find themselves enlisted in an assassination attempt on the Elector. But it's not the Elector Primo that we were introduced to in the first novel - that Elector has died. In his place is his son, Anden.

To carry out the plan, June and Day must be separated for the time being with no contact. During that time Day finds himself enjoying his new position with the Patriots, and June feels her loyalty for the Republic begin to renew. Day has sworn that he will be the one to kill the Elector and start the revolution, but June cannot help but feel that this new Elector is not like his father and that he may be the one to bring about the revolution.

Everything works out in the end, obviously. I just won't tell you in which way. Do the Patriots succeed, or does June convince Day that Anden is their only hope?

I'm kinda bummed. One of my favorite characters dies.

Oh, and the last couple chapters will have you gaping at the pages. Just a warning.

If you love dystopians, Legend and Prodigy are books for you.

I give this novel three and a half stars.

Slammed by Colleen Hoover Book Review

Here's a little back story for you: I've been homeschooled my entire life, up until this year. This is my senior year and I decided to do an online school this year. This is the first year that I've actually had teachers. My teachers are awesome. And the book that I'm reviewing in this post was recommended to me by one of these awesome teachers. Typically I don't like to read things suggested by others - a "conditioned response" according to my psych class, but why it's a conditioned response is another story entirely. I decided to read Slammed for several reasons: my teacher is awesome; I had nothing else to read; the book actually sounded interesting; I needed a break from all the vampires/werewolves/fallen angels/questions concerning a fence.

Layken "Lake" Cohen has been "slammed" with so many challenges and obstacles: first, her father's death. Second, a move across the country due to "financial strains." Third, a sneaking suspicion that there's a different reason that her mother moved them from Texas to Michigan. Fourth, a sudden halt to the relationship with Will, her new neighbor from across the street, the only thing that might have made the move bearable for Lake. Fifth, a revelation that threatens to tear her family - and her life - apart.

A girl just can't catch a break, can she?

Slammed is pretty easy to read: I read it in about a week, as opposed to about the three weeks that I usually take when I'm busy. It was short, to the point, didn't bother with non-essentials and the characters were easy to get along with (in my language that means their actions and words were justified). The only thing that I had a hard time grasping was the relationship between Lake and Will. It came upon them suddenly, ended even more quickly, and began a certain roller coaster ride that may have made it more believable, while at the same time not so much so.

The strength of this book, I believe, is in its characters and their relations to each other. Slammed will open yours eyes to reality, make you question what it really means to be a family, and put you in a perspective to put the emphasis on life rather on death - the one thing in life that is inevitable.

I give this book three stars out of five.

Now let's see if I can get some extra credit out of this review ;)

On a side note (cuz ya'll know I always need something random in my posts)... my best friend is trying to come up with some words that describe one of her book characters. She has large, intimidating, and brawny. Her character is pirate-y like. Anyone wanna help out? (And if the only thing you can come up with is "scurvey," don't bother; she needs his physical appearance described.)

Happy New Year! (2013)

It is now officially 2013. A lot of people will be making their New Year's resolutions: spend more time with family, spend less money, lose weight. I don't exactly make New Year's resolutions, because the things that people usually resolve to do are things that can and should be done at any point during the previous year; they shouldn't wait until the start of a new year to begin. But I decided this year my "resolution" will be more of a mindset upon entering the new year. I "resolve" the enter the year 2013 not knowing what is going to happen, but holding on to the hope that inspires my dreams, having faith that my future is in God's hands, and trusting that everything will work out for the better in the end. Because if there's one thing I've learned from life, it's that you never really know anything: you only have faith.

Here are some quotes that I've found inspiring in the last year:

"Seeing is not always believing, but also sometimes deceiving."

"Unless you believe, you will never understand."

"Faith, trust, and pixie dust."

I can honestly say that 2012 was a successful year for me, as well as a trying time for me. I had to take plenty of leaps of faith and learn to trust others (including God himself). There were times when I was pushed to my breaking point and beyond: sometimes I didn't even get a chance to restart before I was pushed further and further past my breaking point. So I've learned two things about myself this year: I am a lot stronger than I think, and I have a lot more patience than I ever thought I would ever have (I give God credit for both).

I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again because it is something that we could all do to be reminded of: if there is one thing that we have, it is faith. We might not all have it in the same things, but we all have faith. We never know anything. Here's an example that I like to use: We don't know that we're going to wake up in the morning; we just have faith. There are a lot of things we all have faith in, but maybe we don't notice it. So I challenge you to take a minute to sit back right now and think: what do I have faith in? Is it God? Is it yourself? Is it your family or friends? What do YOU have faith in?

I think we all need to be reminded of simple things every once in a while. Because they're so simple, we forget to remind ourselves and others of them. So here you go, to start off the new year.

Life always offers second chances; it's called tomorrow.

Never give up. You never know what's around the next bend. Always remember that miracles happen; hold on tight, because one might be headed your way.

It is never too late to change.

Change happens when you make it.

Your past does not define you; nothing defines you except you. YOU define you.

Don't look at how far you have to go still; look at how far you've come.

Quitting is for losers. Remember that the defining point for you between "Loser" and "Winner" is that point where you just want to give up. Are you going to give up or are you going to give it all you've got?

This is your life. Do what you want to do with it.

If you're not happy, then you're probably doing something wrong.

You can't expect anyone to respect you if you don't respect yourself first.

You are loved. You are not alone. Your existence counts.

Just because things aren't working out for you right now doesn't mean they won't work out in the end.

Just because today was a bad day doesn't mean tomorrow won't be the best day of your life. You've just got to get there.

I hope you all have a wonderful year! And remember: You were blessed to be a blessing.

God bless!

Molly Maurer

It's the end of the world as we know it...

...and I feel fine! No, actually, that's a lie. I feel rather sick and (again) I blame my mother. (Don't know what I'm talking about? Refer back to my very first blog post.) I'm a bit stuffy and I have a sore throat and I couldn't sleep last night so I'm also tired, plus I've got PMS. So maybe the world will end, and I'll be the one to bring it about.

"Titus, that's what you get for not apologizing! I warned you I'd press the button!" <- unless your name is Titus Maroonda you will have no idea what I mean by that. Or if you're my best friend Sabrina, then you should know what I'm talking about, too.

*Sneezes* Ugh.

Anyways.

I thought it would be fun to write a blog post on the day that the world is supposedly ending. You know, for the apparent "last day of the world existing" I've done just about nothing today. Also, there's quite a lot of people at Walmart. AREN'T YOU PEOPLE SUPPOSED TO BE STOCK PILING WEAPONS FOR YOUR DEFENSE AGAINST THE ZOMBIES?? I swear I was terrified that my mom would ask me to do just that because she wasn't feeling well enough to do it herself yesterday...

I could write an entire post about what I would do if the world really was ending. But I figured no one would be interested in reading that. So instead, I've decided to write a post listing things that I will NOT be doing on this day that the world ends.

1. Stocking up on weapons to defend my family against the zombies, as stated above.
2. Eating 8 things of Betty Crocker's frosting: 3 cans of cream cheese frosting, 2 cans of milk chocolate frosting, 2 cans of triple fudge chip frosting, and 1 can of coconut pecan frosting.
3. Streaking in the downtown streets of my city. I mean, come on. It's snowing.
4. Getting my tongue pierced. I have enough trouble with the single piercings in my ears.
5. Skydiving
6. Swimming with sharks
7. Trying to tame a Tasmanian devil. Does anyone even know where I could get one of those?
8. Reading all the books in the world that I could ever want to read. And I really would like to do that. Unfortunately, I just don't have the time. *sigh*
9. Rounding up a pride of lions while bare-back riding a giraffe.
10. Getting his and her tattoos. Who wants a tattoo that says "His and her"?
11. Learning how to knit
12. Learning how to crochet anything except a long string
13. Getting my skin bleached. I'm pale enough as it is.
14. Going to a Justin Bieber concert
15. I guess I should also mention that I'm not going to a One Direction concert, either. And I wouldn't mind seeing that.
16. I guess I should also mention that I'm not seeing any concerts today...
17. Getting anything productive done today
18. Getting a job
19. Saving the polar bears
20. Finally getting rid of the scum bag slime ball who broke my best friend's heart. Why should he get the easy way out? He's gonna have to suffer the rains of fire along with us.
21. Learning to speak Tagalog
22. Paying back my student loans. Just kidding! I don't have any students loans. I'm still in high school, unlike the losers who have loans to pay back! mwahahahaha
23. Watching "Keeping up with the Kardashians."
24. Finally finishing watching Smallville
And last but not least...
25. Learning the lyrics to the opening song of "The Lion King."

Have a safe end of the world day! And remember: it's OK to round up a pride of lions while riding a saddled giraffe; just not a bare-back giraffe. I hope my post brought you some amount of joy on this very depressing day. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to learn how to play "Stayin Alive" on my harmonica.

Oh look! I came up with three more.

26. Buying a hermonica.
27. Learning how to play a hermonica.
28. Learning how to play "Staying Alive" on a harmonica.

Ain't nobody got time for all that stuff!

Peace!

Molly Maurer

Hush, Hush saga by Becca Fitzpatrick [compilation] Book Review

Normally I do one review per book, but for this particular saga I am compiling all four books into one review. Get ready! And I will try not to include any spoilers... however, I recommend only reading up to the book you are at/interested in.

When I began Hush, Hush I was about the age of fourteen or fifteen. I'd just gotten into reading and I was after a particular genre (one word: Twilight). I thought Hush, Hush sounded interesting and so I requested it from the library. *ahem* Let's just say that it was a bit more... mature... than I was looking for.

Don't get me wrong, no one was doing the do. But there were plenty of innuendos that I wasn't used to, and the writing seemed to be leading up to a more sensual theme. Being me, I couldn't put the book down until I was finished. Now eighteen years of age, I place this book under my "runner-up-to-favorites" book list on Goodreads.com.

The first place we see Nora Gray (obviously, the main character) is in her biology class, staring at the words "Welcome to human reproduction (sex)" written on the blackboard. If that's not enough to make one uncomfortable, Nora suddenly finds her lab partner switched from her best friend since childhood to the gorgeous new transfer. To make matters even more awkward, the gorgeous new transfer is a guy. And to make matters even more awkward, the gorgeous new transfer seems to know more about Nora than he could possibly perceive by sitting behind her the entire year. What's more, he refuses to tell her anything about himself besides his name -Patch- and his phone number.

Before she knows it, Nora is swept up in the mystery that is Patch. She is intent on learning who he is, even after their project is turned in. The mystery that intrigues her the most is what are the scars on his back, how did he get them, and what do they symbolize? Also, why can't she shake the feeling that he's after her, and not just in the normal hormonal teenage-obsession way?

This book gets 3.5 stars out of 5 from me.

For the same reason I couldn't put Hush, Hush down I picked Crescendo up. The first book wasn't terrible, and I kinda really wanted to know what was in store for Nora and Patch next. So I requested the sequel from the library. 

The most frustrating out of the entire series, in my opinion. Nora has overcome death and gained a guardian angel. All good, right? But things take an unexpected turn when archangels get involved. Soon Nora must put her wants and desires on the back-burner to keep everyone she loves safe. And, before she knows it, she's back in the line of fire, this time threatened by the same man who killed her father so many years ago.

Now the question is: who is the Black Hand, and how is he linked to both her father and the conflict between fallen angels and nephilim?

I think this was the book that initiated the love-hate relationship that I have with the saga. I wanted to yell and scream at the characters, while at the same time cry for their grievances. I found that I could relate to Crescendo more than I had Hush, Hush, so naturally I was more intrigued by this book. Needless to say, I did not put it down. And I really wanted to scream at the end. So of course I needed to read the next one.

This book gets 4 stars out of 5 from me.

The love-hate relationship that I had with the saga continued with the release of Silence. There was a lot of screaming, hair-pulling, book-putting-down (that book was lucky not to get thrown at the wall) while I read (or attempted to read) through to the end. I mean, REALLY? Can I just say how much I loathe Hank Miller? Major plot twists, some of which I was still trying to cope with when I went on to read Finale.

Just rip my heart out, stab it with a serrated blade, put it through a meat grinder, and dip it in acid, why don't you?

And that is all I will write about this book for fear that I will reveal key elements to readers of this post. Aww you should know me by now. No spoilers!

Because this book frustrated me so much, it gets 3.5 stars out of 5. That's right, you lose .5 stars for all the almost heart attacks you gave me, you stupid book! ( I love you!)

Oh, I guess I can leave you with this: by the end of the book Nora is smack dab in the middle of a war.

Because I love to torture myself.

What's a girl practically on death row supposed to do?

Trust the ex-right hand man to the Black Hand, that's what. Nora is a vulnerable girl caught in a brutal war between fallen angels and the Nephilim. Obviously she cannot match either side in strength, and it seems unlikely that she can equal their mental prowess. Even Nora's emotional stability is threatened when she must pretend to break up with the love of her life in order to appease the armies. And how long can she and Patch keep up the charade before it becomes a reality? 

Then a weapon comes into play that was previously thought to have gone straight to hell: Devilcraft. Nora starts on an addiction that she can barely admit she has, let alone cure. The only good thing that comes from Devilcraft is that it evens out the playing field, and Nora's hope at surviving. But just how long before the powers of hell become a problem rather than a long, sought-after miracle?

Of course this book was just as aggravating as the preceding ones. Since it was the final book in the series I obviously had to finish it. I did not force myself through the other three books just to stop at the conclusion. Finale contained just as many emotional roller coasters as the others (although I must say Silence was the most nerve-wracking for me) and it took me about a week or two of picking it up, putting it down, picking it back up... to finish. I do think that Ms. Fitzpatrick did a wonderful job wrapping up her series; I am even more impressed that she stayed true to her writing style throughout all four books. Even if that writing style did make me want to set the books on fire. Kidding! (Sorta...)

I must admit: I am very disappointed that after so many years of following Nora and Patch's story there's not another book to look forward to/dread. This was definitely a series that takes you at "Hello" and clings to you even after "Goodbye." I must applaud you, Ms. Fitzpatrick. I truly underestimated you in the beginning.

Finale gets 4 out of 5 stars from me.

Now they better freaking not mess up the movie adaptation!