Shopping Period

This is a post from my google blog.

Hey all...
Although I haven't posted in awhile, I'm sure you understand. It really is such a busy time no matter how cliche that might seem. I did get those pictures up finally though!

We here at Yale are coming upon the close of shopping period which means everyone is stresses about choosing classes and subsequently choosing majors and future grades. I, myself, have chose to take my Life course (see first entry) Credit/D/Fail as the professor is famous for draconian grading as well as his ethics expertise. No really, google "Shelly Kagan grading" and you'll understand. I think at least 8 of the 18 people in the class are taking it Credit/D/Fail as well. Basically all that means is Pass/Fail only Yale throws the D in so you can't totally slack and still get the Credit.

In addition to that philosophy course, I have given up my math major and pushed math off in order to take a class called Intro to Cognitive Science. It's an amazing course about an up and coming field of study of the mind which combines Psychology, Philosophy, Neuroscience, Linguistics, and Computer Science. Every class I come out loving it more. The professor is amazing and the coursework in sooo interesting. Even though it is a big lecture course, it's fun and interesting and enthralling and I could go on forever!

I am also taking General Chemistry with a lab... The lab hasn't started yet, but I hear that as long as you keep up with the work you're OK. Chemistry is giving me the same problems it did when I took AP in high school so I'm not really enjoying it too much right now. At least I won't have to teach it to myself because I'm out of school! My professor is really great though. He makes the huge lecture class seem much more interactive than it is. I hope the discussion sections help me absorb the material better than high school. I also hope that the labs are interesting enough to compensate for the insane amount of work put into write ups...

My fourth class is an English writing seminar. It's title is "The Mind and the World". We get to watch The Matrix and write our papers on consciousness and stuff! Although I feel under prepared compared to the other students in the class, my professor is really great. She works at the Writing Center which is the writing tutor resource here and is always willing to help if we have questions. Our first paper draft is due on Thursday as well as my first paper for my Philosophy course... I hope I do OK on them...

On a more fun note, I attended my first Master's Tea which is when the Master or head of a residential college brings in a speaker from outside campus. Our speaker was the United Nations correspondent on the issue of embryonic stem cell research, Art Caplan. He has been on CNN and all sorts of new shows too! He was a very great and entertaining speaker and I am probably going to hell for agreeing with much of what he had to say.

I also had my first meeting for the music magazine I want to write for, "gunsliger. ". I told them I was interested in doing an interview or review of the upcoming Yo La Tengo concert at Toad's Place venue and they told me to go to the website and see if could find a press contact. I didn't, but I did find an email address at the bottom of one of the pages. I emailed saying I was a writer for Yale music magazine and I was hoping to get an interview and to my huge surprise I got a reply! I only have to let them know when my deadline is and then I will be able to get an interview. They also set me up with a photo pass for the show so my roommate Lea, who has the digital Rebel, and I are going to go and get some shots from the show! I am so excited! We intend on doing a feature article on Yo La Tengo in a late issue so one of the more seasoned writers is going to help me with the interview! I am so grateful since I have NO idea what I'm doing.

This is getting kind of long, but I have more to say so bear with me. Plus, I want to procrastinate some more! I am still continuing with the rush process for both a cappella and sororities. I should know by the end of next weekend which things I have gotten tapped for... For a cappella we have had auditions, rush meals which are meals you eat with a few members of the group to get to know each other, and singing desserts where they give the rushees a concert and feed us yummy desserts! It's really fun. For sororities, we had some getting to know you barbecues and nights and a local pizza place. Registration is tomorrow for rush and then we have two nights of parties where we go to each house for about 45 minutes and party and hang out. A cappella groups then sometimes have callbacks and culminate in tap night! Tap night is a crazy night where all rushees stay in there rooms and the a cappella groups run around campus trying to get the rushees they want to join THEIR groups. I am hoping to get tapped for one, but I only tried out for three so it's unlikely. Sororities have what's called preference night where we state which one we prefer and they do the same then they match us up and let us know which sorority, if any, you are invited to join. That should be exciting, too. There's really only one sorority I want to join because it is the least "sorority-ish" of all of them.

The last thing I have to talk about is the most exciting! Over the summer all admitted students were asked to nominate a teacher or counselor that we thought did a superior job if we had one. I, of course, nominated Mrs. Ring. I received an email from her saying that she had received a notice, complete with a nice desk set, that she had been one of the teachers that won the Yale Teaching Award through the Yale Educator Recognition Program! I am so excited for her! She totally deserves it!

I should probably go and do some work, but feel free to give me a call sometime as I have been finding myself a bit homesick every once in awhile... Also, if anyone's bored, they can send letters! I will answer any that are sent, of course.
(608) 790 0615
PO Box 201789
New Haven, CT 06520

I'll try to update more often so they aren't so long...
Miss you all!
Hayley