Fishbowl

Anna Noyes '10 and Kate Hermanns '10 got a fish for their room in the Art House. There was much debate over his name last weekend, but at last check, nothing was settled upon. Suggestions ranged from the Biblical to Julep (derrived from paint chip for their wall color). It's important to match your fish to your room. Anyway, I terrorized him with my camera while "Flight of the Conchords" was getting set up on Anna's laptop. Now the fish is in the bowl and in this blog. Welcome to the campus community, Nemo!

A secret about BC Admissions Blogs: if we're posting pictures of our friends new fish, chances are we're a bit overwhelmed. I'm trying to figure out if I want to start planning another semester abroad, if I want to double major in French & Creative Writing (or just choose one!), and how to make an academic plan that incorporates all of this into the next five semesters.

It's not that there isn't a ton of support on campus to help me work this out, it is the number of waking hours in the day and my own indecision. I picked Beloit so I would be in a place where I could get help planning out my education. It's a matter of using my resources. So, I'm setting up appointments to make sure I get into office hours with my advisors. I'm running at next week and midterms stocked up on Vitamen C. I'm just trying to keep up with my laundry.

Spending those few lazy minutes in the sun between classes is doing wonders for my mental health, but that fall feeling is creeping up. Time to break out the fleece jackets, kiddos. Stay warm!

The Parents Day Orphan (Who Wasn't)

Ok. So, maybe this title is inappropriate, but it only means to refer to those Beloit students like myself whose families are too far out of range, or those unable to get a flight thanks to the Chicago Marathon to make Parents Weekend. Thank you, runners of Boston and your want for direct flights.
I was bummed not to show my family Beloit in the fall. I was sad they couldn't go to the Farmer's Market with me. I was devastated I couldn't make use of their rental car for a trip to the Apple Hut. Most of all, I wanted to get some use out of my cribbage board. I guess I'll have to settle for sending them pictures of fall in Wisconsin (or the lawn in front of Middle College, as pictured above). Beloit is scenic in an entirely different way than the Green Mountains, but there is something to be said for 80 degrees on the last day of September.

I actually spent most of my Sunday down at Pleasant Street Coffee House. I had a stack of work to get done, but I also happened to have my digital camera. So, being the be creep that I am, I decided to take pictures of all the people I knew as they walked through with their parents. Wierdly, none of these students are men. We are not by any means an all-female institution. It just so happens that between the hours of 1PM and 4PM only women brought their parents out onto the patio. Go figure. Here's my montage of parents with their students, looking freshly caffeinated and probably a little harrassed:

Above: Megan Armstrong '10 and her mother were waiting for coffee on a bench by the river when I approached with my camera.

Above: Briana Berkowitz '11 and her dad hanging out by the Rock River. I'll shamefully confess that I don't know too many first years, but Briana's twin sister was my prospie last spring when they came to visit so I've formally made her acquaintence. Thank you, Gold Key.

Above: Rachel Berzon '08 and her whole family got in on this shot. They were also kind enough to inform me that Rachel's brother never smiles. That wasn't my fault.

Above: Emma Holt-Sawyer '11 and her mom posed for me. Like I said, I don't know many first year students outside those in my classes or those who stayed with me as prospective students. In any case, I don't know Emma. I got a little help ID-ing her for the blog, but this was the first picture I took. I'll admit that I got a bit excited about my "orphan" idea, so when I recognized the first Beloit student-parent duo on the patio (note the name badge), I asked them to mug.

I'm a monster.

Everyone was a great sport about it and taking pictures seemed like a fine excuse to meet some of my friends' parents. All I can say for myself is that if Krista hadn't done such a great job covering Apple Fest, this sorry post never would have happened. And now, it is done.