I'm eager to learn more about wheat and it's role in feeding the world. I'll keep you updated with what I'm learning over the summer. Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Wordless Wednesday: Wheat Harvest 2015
Growing up in Southeast Iowa, the only commodity crops I've had much exposure to are corn and soybeans. This summer, living in Indiana and interning in the marketing department for Beck's Hybrids, I've learned a tons about wheat in a short time. I still don't know enough to write a blog post about it yet, but I encourage you to check out information from my fellow ag blogger, Jenny (aka Prairie Californian). Meanwhile, enjoy these beautiful photos of #wheatharvest15!
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Confessions of a Bargain Lover
When I started this blog, I had no idea it would morph into what it is today. At that time the Roots journey was just a few wild dreams mixed with a crazy guess or two. Since then, it's become an outlet for me to write about the things I'm passionate about, and opened the door to some great relationships. The exciting part is, when it comes to what it looks like next year, just my imagination (...and time) is the limit. That's why, starting today, I'm blogging about another part of my "roots."
My mother has always been a bargain shopper. As I grew up, she was lovingly known as the "return queen" for making end of the season clothing hauls, letting us kids pick out a few of our favorites that fit, and returning the rest. I'm sure the shopping at home gig was much easier than dragging 3 small children to the store. Plus, as a kid I loved the surprise of what she'd bring home. When I did go to the store with her, I quickly learned to make a beeline for the clearance rack. Before we ever covered it in school, I learned to calculate 10, 20, and 50% off!
However, my love for a good deal goes even deeper than that. At Christmas, my Grandma would show up with neatly wrapped presents overflowing from the car. The treasures of her outlet mall adventures would fill the living room as we excitedly opened our presents on Christmas morning. Even when it wasn't Christmas, each time my grandparents visited, there would be a new book, doll clothes, or a truck she'd "just picked up for a quarter." When my brother and I would go stay with Opa and Grandma, a morning of garage sales was always on the agenda. Someone would give us a buck or two, and we'd spend hours strategizing the best way to stretch our little budget. Our parents were never as thrilled with the bang for our buck we were so proud of when it was time to pack and head back to Iowa.
They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, and I suppose in my case this is true. You see, I'm a bargain lover too. After a crummy day on campus, I love to take some me time and head to the Goodwill a couple blocks from my house. I feel so much better after finding a cute shirt with the tags still on it, even if I did fail my pop quiz or struggled to stay awake during lecture. Until this past weekend, Ames was the best Goodwill I'd ever been to. I swear mothers send their kids to college with brand new dress pants, sweaters, you name it! Kids' styles change, mom doesn't get what's cool anymore, or they won't need dress up clothes (which is the biggest lie ever)... I don't know, but somehow it all ends up two blocks from my house, brand-spankin-new just the way mom dropped it off, calling my name.
I didn't know Goodwill could get any better than that, but this week it did! In case you haven't read on the Roots Facebook page, I'm interning at Beck's Hybrids in Atlanta, Indiana. It's just north of Indianapolis, and I'm staying in a beautiful old farmhouse with four other girls. This past weekend, in celebration of payday, three of us decided to venture to the big city to see what the 50% off Saturday at Goodwill was all about. Boy, did we hit the jackpot! I got 15 items for a grand total of ....drumroll...please... $35.19! Sunday afternoon was spent doing laundry to get our purchases washed up just in time for the work week.
Yesterday, it took forever to pick out what to wear, but I finally settled on this:
My mother has always been a bargain shopper. As I grew up, she was lovingly known as the "return queen" for making end of the season clothing hauls, letting us kids pick out a few of our favorites that fit, and returning the rest. I'm sure the shopping at home gig was much easier than dragging 3 small children to the store. Plus, as a kid I loved the surprise of what she'd bring home. When I did go to the store with her, I quickly learned to make a beeline for the clearance rack. Before we ever covered it in school, I learned to calculate 10, 20, and 50% off!
However, my love for a good deal goes even deeper than that. At Christmas, my Grandma would show up with neatly wrapped presents overflowing from the car. The treasures of her outlet mall adventures would fill the living room as we excitedly opened our presents on Christmas morning. Even when it wasn't Christmas, each time my grandparents visited, there would be a new book, doll clothes, or a truck she'd "just picked up for a quarter." When my brother and I would go stay with Opa and Grandma, a morning of garage sales was always on the agenda. Someone would give us a buck or two, and we'd spend hours strategizing the best way to stretch our little budget. Our parents were never as thrilled with the bang for our buck we were so proud of when it was time to pack and head back to Iowa.
They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, and I suppose in my case this is true. You see, I'm a bargain lover too. After a crummy day on campus, I love to take some me time and head to the Goodwill a couple blocks from my house. I feel so much better after finding a cute shirt with the tags still on it, even if I did fail my pop quiz or struggled to stay awake during lecture. Until this past weekend, Ames was the best Goodwill I'd ever been to. I swear mothers send their kids to college with brand new dress pants, sweaters, you name it! Kids' styles change, mom doesn't get what's cool anymore, or they won't need dress up clothes (which is the biggest lie ever)... I don't know, but somehow it all ends up two blocks from my house, brand-spankin-new just the way mom dropped it off, calling my name.
I didn't know Goodwill could get any better than that, but this week it did! In case you haven't read on the Roots Facebook page, I'm interning at Beck's Hybrids in Atlanta, Indiana. It's just north of Indianapolis, and I'm staying in a beautiful old farmhouse with four other girls. This past weekend, in celebration of payday, three of us decided to venture to the big city to see what the 50% off Saturday at Goodwill was all about. Boy, did we hit the jackpot! I got 15 items for a grand total of ....drumroll...please... $35.19! Sunday afternoon was spent doing laundry to get our purchases washed up just in time for the work week.
Yesterday, it took forever to pick out what to wear, but I finally settled on this:
Don't mind the already worn look as this blog post was a post-dressed-daydream! And I promise I'll learn to take better outfit pictures! :)
Following in the steps of my mother and grandmother, I paid regular price for nothing. Just for fun, I decided to break down the cost of a few of my favorite outfits just to see how thrifty I really am. Here's yesterday's breakdown:
- Dark Red American Eagle Skinny Jeans: $3.15 - These were one of my weekend Goodwill finds. They fit well and are a bold color that I can wear with my large cardigan collection (...more on that later)
- White Target T-shirt (new): $8.00 - Just ask my mom, I love a fresh, bright white t-shirt! Come to think of it, I wear this with cardigans a lot too!
- Black and Gray Target 3/4 Sleeve Cardigan: $3.48 - This was one of my Ames Goodwill finds that still had the store tag on it! It's super soft and perfect for the chilly air conditioned office.
- Black Target Flats (new): $17ish - I got these shoes at Target last summer when I was working at the Iowa State Fair and needed a pair of cute flats that had some cushion. Their so comfortable I went back and got a brown pair too! They've gotten plenty of love!
- Black Leather Aeropostale Belt (new): <$5.00 - I remember this one of my first clothing purchases for myself way back in middle school when it was sooo cool to buy my own clothes. Ha! See, I was in to bargains even then!
- Silver Vanity Cross Necklace (new): $1.98 - These days I get all my cheap, faddy jewelry at Vanity after I wait for it to get to their lowest clearance price, $1.98. I don't feel as bad when I don't wear it much, it breaks, or it disappears after lending it to a friend if I only paid a couple bucks.
Grand Total: $38.91
That's right! Head to toe, my outfit cost less than $40! The best part is, this $38.91 was used to create job opportunities for individuals with disabilities or facing other barriers for employment. Stay tuned for the breakdown of more of my favorite outfits and tips for making the most of your thrifting trip. Thanks for reading!
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Eeeek... All the Things I Should be Blogging About!
Sometimes it's really hard to keep up with all the things I should be blogging about. I get to attend so many amazing events through the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, that it's hard to catch a breath to write my thoughts down in between. Here's a summary of some of the things I've been wanting to share with you! (some for months...eeek!)
Back in February, I attended the National Farmers Union College Conference on Cooperatives in Minneapolis, MN. You may have seen my social media posts using #CCOC15 and wondered what I was up to. Maybe I'm just nerdy, but this conference was truly life changing. I've always known I'm motivated by my passions and interests in the community rather than huge profits or sales statistics, but didn't know how that perspective fit in the business world until this event. It was great to hear other people with similar thoughts talk about their successful organizations. This experience certainly has made me consider the business structure I want in a future employer. Over the course of the conference I got to hear speakers from Peace Coffee, Aynah, and the National Farmers Union. We even took a little field trip and visited a housing cooperative, REI, and Steward Coop. You can read more about the weekend here.
One of the highlights of being involved in extracurricular clubs, is packing your bags and heading out to learn about some place new. (...minus the packing part!) Earlier this semester I went on my 3rd NAMA industry tour. We headed up to Wisconsin and stopped to visit four awesome companies. First things first, we visited New Glarus Brewing Co. and learned how different varieties of grains are selected for their products. Their beer is only sold in Wisconsin, so as a marketing team, we were interested in their unique approach. Next up, we visited marketing agencies Bader Rutter and Morgan Myers, who both have several agricultural accounts. I've never had the chance to work for a marketing agency, but talking to them really made me want to try agency life. Finally, we met with CASE IH marketing folks. They shared a lot of interesting information, but there were a few thing that really surprised me. Did you know, it is someone's job to look at all the photos the company publishes to make sure all the equipment is the perfect shade of red?? I plan to write an entire post about the trip, but in the mean time, you can check out our club's Facebook page for photos.
Water has been a big issue lately here in Iowa, and a court case has a lot of people talking about farmer's nutrient management practices. The Iowa State University Corn Growers Association had expert, Ben Gleason come speak at our monthly meeting to explain what's going on. That night I learned a lot about cover crops, bio-reactors, reduced tillage, and buffer strips. I've taken agronomy classes for years, but it still amazes me how many different things farmers are doing to control the nitrogen and phosphorus on their farms. I really should write a blog post on that meeting too, it was pretty neat. Check out this website if you're interested in learning more.
The Ag Business Club also goes on an industry tour each fall and spring. You can read more about the fall trip here. Our spring trip is shorter and just a day trip to a few businesses in Iowa. This year we visited OSI, a company that makes processed meat and such, and AGP, a soybean processing facility. At OSI we saw how bacon and hot dogs are made, and got to taste several of their products! I learned OSI supplies most of the meat to McDonalds. At AGP we learned more about marketing grain, logistics, and processing soybeans. We ate dinner with several company representatives and they all had wisdom and stories to share with us students.
The most recent industry tour I attended was the AgEI trip. The Agricultural Entrepreneurship Initiative is one of my favorite organizations on campus, so I couldn't miss the opportunity. Our stops included Jasper Winery, La Quercia, Capital City Fruit, and Stine Seed. Each stop shared great advice for us as students, and I absolutely love listening to the stories of how each business began. I learned so much about wine and enjoyed a few samples at Jasper Winery. The whole time I was at La Quercia, all I could think about is how my Papa Tony would have loved to meet the owners and taste their prosciutto. The logistics and labels at Capital City Fruit blew my mind and Harry Stine is one of the most inspiring supporters of the program I have ever met. There will be a post about this trip too, eventually, but in the mean time stop by their Facebook pages to learn more.
Another great event the AgEI program hosts is Entrepreneurship Roundtable. Each semester, students get to sign up for a free meal and networking with 5 or 6 entrepreneurs. The business people share their stories and opportunities for student involvement and students ask questions and share their entrepreneurial dreams. I've met so many inspiring people at this event over the last three years. You can look forward to a post about Kinosol, a student business building mobile food dehydrators for third world countries, and the other guests soon. You can learn more about the Kinosol team, their travels, and progress on their website.
Just a few weeks ago, I toured the Dean's Gallery in Curtiss Hall with 3 other students and the Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Wendy Wintersteen. I had always been intimidated by the hallway that holds so much beautiful artwork, because there are so many important offices in that wing. Dean Wintersteen took the time to explain several of the art pieces, including the Native American maiden cast for the fountain outside the Memorial Union. I'll post more about that experience this summer when the article comes out in STORIES, the Iowa State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences alumni magazine.
One of the biggest highlights of this semester has been traveling to Kansas City, MO for the NAMA National Conference. Iowa State took a competitive marketing team and I was able to serve on the Farm Credit Social Media Corps. It was the Corp's job to keep up conversation about the meetings on social media and promote each of the sessions. You may have noticed my social media blowing up with #NAMA15. While I was walking around doing my job, I met Texas Farm Girl, ran into the team I'll be working for at Beck's, and made lots of new friends from schools across the country. I even had the chance to sneak away and see the plaza with a friend. I can't wait to share the rest of the story in a later blog.
Finally, last week Iowa State University Corn Growers Association and Iowa State University Student Federation for Agriculture hosted a Farmland Screening and Panel complete with popcorn, a red carpet, and Captain Corn. We showed the documentary, Farmland, that tells the story of six young farmers and the trials and triumphs of their operations. Each featured farmer raises a different crop: corn and soybeans, poultry, pigs, cattle, vegetables, and organic crops. If you've never seen it, it's worth checking out on Netflix! After the film was over, six Iowa farmers came down to answer questions and share their ag stories. They each had such a unique perspective, but all of their comments fit together so perfectly. I'm working on a video summary of the night right now. Here's how you can learn more about the Iowa panelists:
Back in February, I attended the National Farmers Union College Conference on Cooperatives in Minneapolis, MN. You may have seen my social media posts using #CCOC15 and wondered what I was up to. Maybe I'm just nerdy, but this conference was truly life changing. I've always known I'm motivated by my passions and interests in the community rather than huge profits or sales statistics, but didn't know how that perspective fit in the business world until this event. It was great to hear other people with similar thoughts talk about their successful organizations. This experience certainly has made me consider the business structure I want in a future employer. Over the course of the conference I got to hear speakers from Peace Coffee, Aynah, and the National Farmers Union. We even took a little field trip and visited a housing cooperative, REI, and Steward Coop. You can read more about the weekend here.One of the highlights of being involved in extracurricular clubs, is packing your bags and heading out to learn about some place new. (...minus the packing part!) Earlier this semester I went on my 3rd NAMA industry tour. We headed up to Wisconsin and stopped to visit four awesome companies. First things first, we visited New Glarus Brewing Co. and learned how different varieties of grains are selected for their products. Their beer is only sold in Wisconsin, so as a marketing team, we were interested in their unique approach. Next up, we visited marketing agencies Bader Rutter and Morgan Myers, who both have several agricultural accounts. I've never had the chance to work for a marketing agency, but talking to them really made me want to try agency life. Finally, we met with CASE IH marketing folks. They shared a lot of interesting information, but there were a few thing that really surprised me. Did you know, it is someone's job to look at all the photos the company publishes to make sure all the equipment is the perfect shade of red?? I plan to write an entire post about the trip, but in the mean time, you can check out our club's Facebook page for photos.
The most recent industry tour I attended was the AgEI trip. The Agricultural Entrepreneurship Initiative is one of my favorite organizations on campus, so I couldn't miss the opportunity. Our stops included Jasper Winery, La Quercia, Capital City Fruit, and Stine Seed. Each stop shared great advice for us as students, and I absolutely love listening to the stories of how each business began. I learned so much about wine and enjoyed a few samples at Jasper Winery. The whole time I was at La Quercia, all I could think about is how my Papa Tony would have loved to meet the owners and taste their prosciutto. The logistics and labels at Capital City Fruit blew my mind and Harry Stine is one of the most inspiring supporters of the program I have ever met. There will be a post about this trip too, eventually, but in the mean time stop by their Facebook pages to learn more.Another great event the AgEI program hosts is Entrepreneurship Roundtable. Each semester, students get to sign up for a free meal and networking with 5 or 6 entrepreneurs. The business people share their stories and opportunities for student involvement and students ask questions and share their entrepreneurial dreams. I've met so many inspiring people at this event over the last three years. You can look forward to a post about Kinosol, a student business building mobile food dehydrators for third world countries, and the other guests soon. You can learn more about the Kinosol team, their travels, and progress on their website.
Just a few weeks ago, I toured the Dean's Gallery in Curtiss Hall with 3 other students and the Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Wendy Wintersteen. I had always been intimidated by the hallway that holds so much beautiful artwork, because there are so many important offices in that wing. Dean Wintersteen took the time to explain several of the art pieces, including the Native American maiden cast for the fountain outside the Memorial Union. I'll post more about that experience this summer when the article comes out in STORIES, the Iowa State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences alumni magazine.
One of the biggest highlights of this semester has been traveling to Kansas City, MO for the NAMA National Conference. Iowa State took a competitive marketing team and I was able to serve on the Farm Credit Social Media Corps. It was the Corp's job to keep up conversation about the meetings on social media and promote each of the sessions. You may have noticed my social media blowing up with #NAMA15. While I was walking around doing my job, I met Texas Farm Girl, ran into the team I'll be working for at Beck's, and made lots of new friends from schools across the country. I even had the chance to sneak away and see the plaza with a friend. I can't wait to share the rest of the story in a later blog.
- Larry Sailer - Iowa Pig Farmer - Blog: Musings of a Pig Farmer
- Bill Couser - Iowa Cattle Farmer - Article 1, Article 2, Article 3
- Katie Olthoff - Iowa Turkey Farmer - Blog: On the Banks of Squaw Creek
- Mitchell Roush - Iowa Produce Farmer - Facebook: Roush Produce
- Andrew Pittz - Iowa Organic Farmer - Website: Sawmill Hollow Family Farm
- Mark Kenney - Iowa Corn & Soybean Farmer - Article 1, Blog: Farm Eats, City Streets
Stay tuned for all the upcoming full length posts! Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Wordless Wednesday: NAMA 2015
I'm on the road again, hanging out in Kansas City at the National Agri-Marketing Association National Conference this week. It's a great event, and I'm so inspired by the student and professional creativity on display. This year, I am blessed with the opportunity to serve on the Social Media Corps. Along with about 8 other young social media enthusiasts, I am using #NAMA15 across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to keep people in the loop with all the exciting contests, awards, and speaker sessions. This was my first day on the team, but I had a great opportunity to snap a few shots, which made for great timing on Wordless Wednesday.
I'm looking forward to tomorrow's events, especially the finals of the Student Marketing Competition. Follow #NAMA15 to keep up with all we're up to! Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
10 Things I Wish I Knew Sooner as an Iowa State Student
Like I posted earlier this week on the Root's Facebook page (which you should go "Like" right now if you haven't) I just can't believe we're talking about finals already! The spring semester just started! In only a few short weeks, it will be time to say "see ya later" to so many dear friends who are graduating and starting their big kid jobs. That being said, I think it gives me the right to post a sappy-student-advice-and-reflection post! (And include random fun photos from my college career thus far).
Here are 10 things I wish I'd known sooner (or advice I wish I had actually listened to earlier) in my career so far at Iowa State.
1. Be comfortable in your own skin... errr clothers... to a degree: There is always someone prettier than you. It took me 3 full years to completely come to terms with this, BUT if it's hot, wear shorts. Even if your legs are white. You'll be more comfortable and be more productive. There's certainly a line here, and I'm not saying if you're tired wear your PJs. However, there's always going to be some one more fit, with nicer shoes, and more pairs of blingy jeans. Get over it. Be you. You're awesome.
2. You don't need a car as a freshman: I may be biased, but I met some of my best friends because I didn't have a car when I lived in the dorms. Here's five good reasons you don't need a car as a freshman:
a. Not having a car forces you to carpool. Need to go to Wal-Mart? Someone else on your floor probably could use a trip too (or at least a study break). I still regularly carpool to the store with a friend from freshman year, and it's actually a good time. You'd be surprised how much fun sleep deprived 20 somethings can have at 1am in Wal-Mart on a weeknight. Try it.
b. It keeps you in Ames and forces you to try new things. Sure there are exceptional cases, and people who need to go home every weekend, but when you go home, you miss out. Stay in town. Meet people. Branch out. Try new things here. There's a lot to do.
c. Ames has an awesome bus system. You can read more about my love for Cyride in this blog post, but seriously, learn to take public transportation. It's part of growing up. It's a life skill.
d. It's green. The less you drive, and the more you take the bus, walk, or bike the more you help the environment. It's the little things that count.
Maybe this is turning into a rant of its own, but one more point...
e. Fight the "Freshman 15". Iowa State's campus is compact enough you can walk/bike/jog/long board/scooter/etc. across campus in 15 minutes or less. Stay fit while you get where you're going.
3. Go to office hours: You'll get more of your money's worth. Maximize those darn tuition dollars. Plus, you'll find out quickly, your profs are people too. They like to know you care about their class and pay attention enough to ask intelligent questions. Plus, you never know what kind of cool projects they may introduce you to.
4. Learn how you learn: Do you need to read something to understand it? Hear it? Touch it? Study at night? Get up early? I have to write it and talk about it. Learning hands on works for me. Learn how you learn sooner rather than later, it'll make your life easier.
5. Learn the art of illegally parking on campus: This is one of those bits of advice that your mother (and mine) would frown upon. When you finally get a car, after following #2, learn how to park on campus and avoid parking tickets. They add up! We all have those days you missed your last bus, have a lot to carry, or need to go out of town immediately after an on campus activity. I can't really give you any tips here, and I'm certainly not going to reveal my secret spots, but I'm just saying it can be done most of the time. ;) Avoid the little white pick up trucks, and if you notice a chalk line on your tire, you better move. They're timing your stay and will give you a ticket the next lap around.
6. Look beyond stereotypes: Welcome to campus. There's blue hair, skinny jeans to bell bottoms, western boots to heels and pajama pants in class. You're going to work with people that have a different skin color, religion, political affiliation, sexual orientation, and any other label our society likes to put on people, than you. Embrace it. It's the real world. I may be tagged as a country, white, nerd, that wears boring jeans, t-shirts and a messy bun everyday. Some of my best friends are city-slickers, design majors, atheists, Asian, and look hip all the time. That's one of the beautiful things about a University. Don't judge a book by it's cover.
I'm embarrassed to say, I learned this advice the hard way. I distinctly remember doing my first load of laundry in the Towers and watching an "Asian, city-boy" with big hipster glasses and Sperrys take 10 minutes to fold a shirt, neatly creasing each fold, and thinking "Ha! OCD!! Probably not gonna talk to that guy." A semester later, this kid was friends with all my friends and he quickly became one of mine. Now, we have plans to hang out this weekend and always have a good time laughing about our countless memories. We spent the last real VEISHEA together. He took me to my first Imagine Dragons concert. Because of him, I experienced "real BBQ". When I didn't have internet at my house, he let me crash on his couch so I could keep up with homework. He showed me all over Kansas City, the great shopping, and joked about my boring taste in fashion. I took him to the Iowa State Fair, and explained halters on the livestock and why not all cows are milked. It makes me sick to think I almost missed out on all this just because of some dumb stereotypes.
7. Be independent: My mom would probably be the first to tell you I've got this down (to an extreme). I was pretty quick to learn "I do it!" as a little girl. But really, don't be afraid to try something new, even if you have to do it on your own. I walked into the AgEI office alone to claim my free t-shirt (a blog post for another day), and it was life changing. When I started this blog, it wasn't because all my friends were doing it. Do your own thing and be proud of it.
8. Use help rooms: There are these great rooms they don't show you on college visits called help rooms. They are all over campus in almost every subject. Inside, grad students wait to answer your homework questions and explain things a little more simply than your professor. Suck up your pride, walk in and get help. You're paying for it anyway and you'll be better off than sitting in your dorm room crying over your homework.
9. SMILE!: Be a happy face walking around campus. You never know when you'll be the person walking out of a lecture hall after just failing a test and a friendly smile will pull you back from the brink of tears. Plus, you're happier if you're encouraging people rather than grumbling about the crummy weather, upcoming test, or a boring lecture. (I'm still working at this bit.)
10. Make a plan: This advice probably sounds a lot like what your mom has been telling you since college visits Junior year of high school. Pick a major, try it out. If it's not for you, fine. Move on, and explore things that do trip your trigger. Four years is enough time to figure out who you are and what you like, but not enough to fail Econ 101 six times or ignore your degree requirements and hope they give you a diploma by the time you're tired of studying. Be responsible with your time here. Different people's plans look different, and if exploring is your plan, go for it! But don't wander aimlessly through the experience. Set, modify and achieve goals.
And this just wouldn't be as much fun if I only did 10 things, so BONUS...
11. Don't buy your textbooks: Wow! Yeah, this is another one of those bits that will get Mom's attention... and advice I wish I would have followed my first semester. Don't buy your books until the first day of classes. If you haven't noticed, textbooks are crazy expensive! A lot of them you never, or rarely use anyway. You're better off finding this out from friends who have taken the class or testing it out the first week. If you do end up needing the book, go to one of the zillions of used textbook sites, like Amazon, or the swap page on social media. You can't read the words of the page, so there's nothing important about having a brand spankin new book, and used books are tons cheaper.
Before buying though, double check the library. Many times teachers put a copy or two on "reserve". This means you can go check it out for 2 hours if you stay in the building. I like this because when I know I only have a couple hours to get my reading done, I'm less distracted by social media. To me, this is the best option because it's free, saves your back from lugging around an extra 800 pages, and encourages time management. See Mom, not all that bad! ;)
Thanks for reading!
Here are 10 things I wish I'd known sooner (or advice I wish I had actually listened to earlier) in my career so far at Iowa State.
1. Be comfortable in your own skin... errr clothers... to a degree: There is always someone prettier than you. It took me 3 full years to completely come to terms with this, BUT if it's hot, wear shorts. Even if your legs are white. You'll be more comfortable and be more productive. There's certainly a line here, and I'm not saying if you're tired wear your PJs. However, there's always going to be some one more fit, with nicer shoes, and more pairs of blingy jeans. Get over it. Be you. You're awesome.
2. You don't need a car as a freshman: I may be biased, but I met some of my best friends because I didn't have a car when I lived in the dorms. Here's five good reasons you don't need a car as a freshman:
a. Not having a car forces you to carpool. Need to go to Wal-Mart? Someone else on your floor probably could use a trip too (or at least a study break). I still regularly carpool to the store with a friend from freshman year, and it's actually a good time. You'd be surprised how much fun sleep deprived 20 somethings can have at 1am in Wal-Mart on a weeknight. Try it.
b. It keeps you in Ames and forces you to try new things. Sure there are exceptional cases, and people who need to go home every weekend, but when you go home, you miss out. Stay in town. Meet people. Branch out. Try new things here. There's a lot to do.
c. Ames has an awesome bus system. You can read more about my love for Cyride in this blog post, but seriously, learn to take public transportation. It's part of growing up. It's a life skill.
d. It's green. The less you drive, and the more you take the bus, walk, or bike the more you help the environment. It's the little things that count.
Maybe this is turning into a rant of its own, but one more point...
e. Fight the "Freshman 15". Iowa State's campus is compact enough you can walk/bike/jog/long board/scooter/etc. across campus in 15 minutes or less. Stay fit while you get where you're going.
3. Go to office hours: You'll get more of your money's worth. Maximize those darn tuition dollars. Plus, you'll find out quickly, your profs are people too. They like to know you care about their class and pay attention enough to ask intelligent questions. Plus, you never know what kind of cool projects they may introduce you to.
4. Learn how you learn: Do you need to read something to understand it? Hear it? Touch it? Study at night? Get up early? I have to write it and talk about it. Learning hands on works for me. Learn how you learn sooner rather than later, it'll make your life easier.
5. Learn the art of illegally parking on campus: This is one of those bits of advice that your mother (and mine) would frown upon. When you finally get a car, after following #2, learn how to park on campus and avoid parking tickets. They add up! We all have those days you missed your last bus, have a lot to carry, or need to go out of town immediately after an on campus activity. I can't really give you any tips here, and I'm certainly not going to reveal my secret spots, but I'm just saying it can be done most of the time. ;) Avoid the little white pick up trucks, and if you notice a chalk line on your tire, you better move. They're timing your stay and will give you a ticket the next lap around.
6. Look beyond stereotypes: Welcome to campus. There's blue hair, skinny jeans to bell bottoms, western boots to heels and pajama pants in class. You're going to work with people that have a different skin color, religion, political affiliation, sexual orientation, and any other label our society likes to put on people, than you. Embrace it. It's the real world. I may be tagged as a country, white, nerd, that wears boring jeans, t-shirts and a messy bun everyday. Some of my best friends are city-slickers, design majors, atheists, Asian, and look hip all the time. That's one of the beautiful things about a University. Don't judge a book by it's cover.
I'm embarrassed to say, I learned this advice the hard way. I distinctly remember doing my first load of laundry in the Towers and watching an "Asian, city-boy" with big hipster glasses and Sperrys take 10 minutes to fold a shirt, neatly creasing each fold, and thinking "Ha! OCD!! Probably not gonna talk to that guy." A semester later, this kid was friends with all my friends and he quickly became one of mine. Now, we have plans to hang out this weekend and always have a good time laughing about our countless memories. We spent the last real VEISHEA together. He took me to my first Imagine Dragons concert. Because of him, I experienced "real BBQ". When I didn't have internet at my house, he let me crash on his couch so I could keep up with homework. He showed me all over Kansas City, the great shopping, and joked about my boring taste in fashion. I took him to the Iowa State Fair, and explained halters on the livestock and why not all cows are milked. It makes me sick to think I almost missed out on all this just because of some dumb stereotypes.
7. Be independent: My mom would probably be the first to tell you I've got this down (to an extreme). I was pretty quick to learn "I do it!" as a little girl. But really, don't be afraid to try something new, even if you have to do it on your own. I walked into the AgEI office alone to claim my free t-shirt (a blog post for another day), and it was life changing. When I started this blog, it wasn't because all my friends were doing it. Do your own thing and be proud of it.
8. Use help rooms: There are these great rooms they don't show you on college visits called help rooms. They are all over campus in almost every subject. Inside, grad students wait to answer your homework questions and explain things a little more simply than your professor. Suck up your pride, walk in and get help. You're paying for it anyway and you'll be better off than sitting in your dorm room crying over your homework.
9. SMILE!: Be a happy face walking around campus. You never know when you'll be the person walking out of a lecture hall after just failing a test and a friendly smile will pull you back from the brink of tears. Plus, you're happier if you're encouraging people rather than grumbling about the crummy weather, upcoming test, or a boring lecture. (I'm still working at this bit.)
10. Make a plan: This advice probably sounds a lot like what your mom has been telling you since college visits Junior year of high school. Pick a major, try it out. If it's not for you, fine. Move on, and explore things that do trip your trigger. Four years is enough time to figure out who you are and what you like, but not enough to fail Econ 101 six times or ignore your degree requirements and hope they give you a diploma by the time you're tired of studying. Be responsible with your time here. Different people's plans look different, and if exploring is your plan, go for it! But don't wander aimlessly through the experience. Set, modify and achieve goals.
And this just wouldn't be as much fun if I only did 10 things, so BONUS...
11. Don't buy your textbooks: Wow! Yeah, this is another one of those bits that will get Mom's attention... and advice I wish I would have followed my first semester. Don't buy your books until the first day of classes. If you haven't noticed, textbooks are crazy expensive! A lot of them you never, or rarely use anyway. You're better off finding this out from friends who have taken the class or testing it out the first week. If you do end up needing the book, go to one of the zillions of used textbook sites, like Amazon, or the swap page on social media. You can't read the words of the page, so there's nothing important about having a brand spankin new book, and used books are tons cheaper.
Before buying though, double check the library. Many times teachers put a copy or two on "reserve". This means you can go check it out for 2 hours if you stay in the building. I like this because when I know I only have a couple hours to get my reading done, I'm less distracted by social media. To me, this is the best option because it's free, saves your back from lugging around an extra 800 pages, and encourages time management. See Mom, not all that bad! ;)
Thanks for reading!
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