Tomorrow is the start of...

[sallyandsnowx]

...A whole new chapter in my life. I'm moving into college!!

I'm attending Delaware Valley College, which is an agricultural school in Doylestown, PA. I am SUPER excited. I'm like bouncing off the walls, hehe. I have such mixed feelings about this. As I said, I am looking forward to it. Everyone says it's such a different world and I'm very grateful that I get to experience that. BUT I'm going to miss all my family and friends back home. I live in Philadelphia so Doylestown isn't too far; maybe about an hour drive. I feel like I'm moving halfway across the country and I won't be able to see them again. Typical me, always overreacting.

I'm majoring in equine science and management since my goal is to become a vet. I start classes on Monday, which I'm excited/nervous about! I have to take six classes overall this semester: english, college algebra, biology, chemistry, and stable management. I'm worried mostly about biology and chemistry. I'm good at science and I passed both of those classes in high school with high 90s, but I've heard college science classes are on such a different level than they were in high school. Yikes. But I am going to keep a positive mindset! There's always tutoring available, and lots and lots and lots of hours in the day to study. I just finished packing and I already loaded up the car so I'm all ready to go tomorrow morning at 7 AM! I also get to meet my roommate tomorrow as well, finally! I don't know that much about her, as we just got matched up as roommates last week (there were problems with my friend who I was going to room with.) We've texted a couple times. She seems really nice! I found out she is from Ohio, which is pretty neat, and she is majoring in large animal science.

I'm going to have to show you guys some pictures of DelVal when I move in. The campus is absolutely gorgeous! It's very small, I think there's only 2,000 undergrad students. It's very country-like as well. I remember the speech the president of the college gave at the open house, he said "This college is very special. You get the best of both worlds: on one side of campus it looks like a normal college, but then the other side looks like 500 acres of farmland in Kansas." They have horses, cows, sheep, pigs, dogs, cats, etc. It's just amazing.

I'll be sure to keep you updated on my move in and take pictures. Also, any advice for college would be greatly appreciated!

[Karen]

Hey, we once had a Pet Talk gathering there! Send a PM to jenluckenbach - that's her college!

[Alysser]

Have fun!

My advice as a current college student, WORK YOUR BUTT OFF, it sucks but it pays off in the end. You could wind up doing way better than you did in high school and wind up with a 3.8 GPA and get into an honor society Well, that's what happened to me anyhow. Winter Break is AWESOME, and so is summer break. I'll take five months off school more often Good luck.

[phesina]

Congratulations and best wishes! What a wonderful adventure!

[catnapper]

Thats a wonderful school! I used to work down the street from there -- the big old empty factory that is now all weedy and an eye sore. I spent many days in Doylestown. Its a great town -- just stay home when it snows because they can't plow for anything!

Jen Luckenbach on here is an alumni. Maybe you might want to PM her for some insiders tips on the school.

Good luck with your 4 years there. I'm sure you'll love it.

[pomtzu]

Congratulations. You're entering a whole new and exciting world, which may seem rather strange and foreign and even a bit scary at first, but I'm certain you'll soon adapt to this new way of life. And as for advice - stay focused, don't get discouraged (and you will at times), and work hard with your ultimate goal always in mind. When my granddaughter started college in north Jersey 2 years ago she absolutely hated it - the area in general in spite of the beautiful campus, the people, the way of life, and after a couple of months was ready to transfer to a school back home in Delaware. But she stuck with it because she was in a great program (5 years for her Masters), made a lot of friends, stayed away from sororities, joined a couple of social clubs (an Outdoor club and another that does volunteer work), and she found herself actually liking it. She starts her junior year on Sept 4th, and has kept a 4.0 GPA, is in several honor societies, has been appointed as a teaching assistant - among other things. She can't wait to get back this year to an apartment 1 block off the beach that she will share with 3 of her girlfriends - no dorms anymore - and to friends that she hasn't seen much of since May. I can't wait to see what she will accomplish this year. She's a psychology major and biology minor.

So I wish all the best to you. Your college years will be as successful as you choose to make them.

[happylabs]

Congrats! Go for it! An hour drive is not bad at all. It is an adjustment but you will get used to it. I never went away to college but both of my kids have graduated, one just this past May. They are both glad they did it.

Have fun! I think you will do great!

[sallyandsnowx]

Thanks everyone! Today was my first day of classes. I can already tell its going to be hard work. I had stable management lab and lecture as well as college algebra. Stable management... I absolutely love everything about it! The barn is really nice, there's a total of 25 horses including stallions, mares, yearlings and foals. We are mostly going to work with the yearlings. All the horses are absolutely gorgeous. Our job as the equine science majors is to care for the barn and the horses. Our professor set us in groups of 12 and each group has two weeks to complete all jobs that are needed. It should be really fun, just like owning your own stable. As for college algebra, our teacher is a nut. I feel really bad saying it, but he is a horrible teacher. He'll write the problem on the board, while facing the board he'll explain it quickly, then erase it and start a new problem. Tutoring center here I come!

Other than stable management class, today was not my day at all. My first class was at 8 at the barn. Not only is it about a 20 minute walk, but it down poured. My umbrella broke half way there so I ended up soaked. I got to class found all my books wet, and my phone drenched. My phone is now sitting in dry rice to hopefully cure the water damage. My biology professor decided he wanted to switch all the textbooks we are using this semester so now the two that I bought prior I now do not need and I wasted a good couple hundred on them. Now I need to buy three new ones that'll cost me a decent amount of money too. How could this get any worse you may ask? WELL, I go to dinner, they swipe my card and my card is now broken. So I have to go to security to fix it.

UGH. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

[Karen]

I am sure tomorrow will be better. Ask the school bookstore what their return policy is, you may be able to get some of the money refunded on the one you do not need after all!

[mrspunkysmom]

Sorry the first day was part bummer. It was also part good I hope too. I'll bet the horses were the best part.

As for the professor changing the text. You should be able to trade them out. I hope they were not also water damaged. You might be able to say something to one of the Deans.

Good luck and keep us posted.