Picking a major

Hello Bloomsburg University Class of 2018,

I know you’re all so excited to get here and start a new chapter in your life but there might be one big question in everyone’s mind: how do I decide what I want to do with the rest of my life? You’re not alone! Everyone has these concerns as they enter college, as it’s something you didn’t have to think about until just now. But don’t worry - whether you’ve decided your major or not, you’re not in any rush at this moment.

To clear up any confusion, being ‘undecided’ means you’ll be attending the university without a set track of what you want to do. A lot of people at the university, even sophomores, are undecided. Most majors at the university require that you take a considerable amount of general education (or gen-ed) courses regardless. This is a great thing for those who are undecided, because it allows you to experience a variety of classes in different majors and it can really help you see what you like best.

If you are coming into Bloomsburg with a major you have already been accepted into, that’s great too! This will help you get a necessary class or two pertaining to your major first semester, which will get you right on track. This is also a great opportunity because you can still experience what you like and dislike about your major or other majors.

When I first came to Bloomsburg, I was accepted as a Medical Imaging major. I loved science in high school and always took extra science classes as electives. I was sure this was the major for me, however when I got here it turned out I really did not enjoy it as much as I thought. It just wasn’t for me. I took an Intro to Business gen-ed my second semester and absolutely loved it. I then switched to a double major in Marketing and Management and I have never been happier.

Be aware that not all majors require you to take a large amount of gen-eds, as they are on stricter schedules. There are not many of these majors, but you can always look up the course requirements to any major.

An example of some of these stricter majors include: ASL, Speech Pathology, Accounting, Nursing and Medical Imaging. This list is not exhaustive and it is always important to research requirements for each major. If you wish to be in these types of majors, it is always best to decide that sooner than later.

Don’t worry too much about your major at this point, it is always something you can change. Not everyone knows exactly what they want to do when they get to school or even if they do, it’s always something you can change - just like I did. I’m confident each and every one of you will find your place here in Bloomsburg academically, even if it takes some searching!

If for some reason you found that you got off track during your time at school, don't be discouraged. It's ALWAYS worth the extra time to get your dream job. That's what we are here for anyways, right?

Best of luck and see you soon!

— Sierra Kern, Class of 2015 #FutureHusky

A unique play and literacy resource center

The BU Toy Library exists to support the academic and professional development of undergraduate and graduate students across departments and programs. It gives them access to hundreds of literacy and play resources that support and expand their interactions with individuals of all developmental ages and abilities.

The BU Toy Library is unique among other toy lending libraries insofar as it serves as a vehicle for mobilizing an entire community of scholars in service to others through outreach initiatives and volunteer work.

The BU Toy Library is a resource, training, outreach, and research center. Our resources are available for students and professionals involved in teaching, practicum, internship, clinic work, course projects, and volunteer work.

As a training center, we provide online tutorials, guidebooks, classroom presentations, and professional conference workshops. As an outreach center, many professionals within the community use our resources. This semester we are implementing the “Say Yes! Program” which is Youth Engaged in Service to teach youth volunteerism using our established “Y.O.O Rock Columbia County” Guide. The BU Toy Library is also research center where students and faculty alike can develop, implement, and assess innovative resources and programs.

Check out our biannual newsletter to see all the different ways that the BU Toy Library has served our campus and our community!

Feedback from toy library members includes:

• “I wanted to thank you for the amazing resource of the Toy Library and how much it has supported our program.” –Speech Pathology Graduate Student
• “The children loved the magnetic board animal habitat, they wanted to play with it the entire session!” –Speech Pathology Graduate Student
• “Children and parents loved the play-food we used [for a healthy eating Educational Expo]!” –Community Elementary School Teacher
• “The puppets were very popular and well received” –Early Childhood Education Student
• “Elephant and Piggie books along with puppets were used and the children absolutely adored them!” –Early Childhood Education Student

Give us a call at 570-389-3915, send us an email at butoylibrary@bloomu.edu, or stop by MCHS 3213 for a visit or to learn more about the BU Toy Library. We’re open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. Membership is free!

— Emily Haines is an intern with BU Toy Library.

#CollaborativeLearning

On my way to becoming a physician

From the very first day I decided to dedicate myself to the pre-medical path to submitting my deposit for medical school, I have been challenged, encouraged, and genuinely supported by the faculty and my peers.

Bloomsburg University's chemistry program provides an experience that is unlike any other for its students. I have been required to practice critical thinking and problem solving not only in the classroom, but also in the laboratory and on exams. From the laboratory assignments to the rigorous course load, I have learned how rewarding hard work and persistence can be for a chemistry major.

The small student-to-faculty ratio allows students to develop relationships that promote learning outside of the classroom setting. In addition, the research opportunities within the chemistry department have been so valuable to me as a pre-medical student.

Participating in a research project has developed a sense of pride, responsibility, and independence that I could not achieve in the classroom alone.

Being a chemistry/biochemistry major has instilled in me efficient study habits, laboratory skills, but most of all it has provided me with the confidence to pursue a career in medicine at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

— ​Brooke Shannon is a chemistry major with a pre-medical studies concentration.

#FutureHusky #HuskyUnleashed

No longer a newbie

Classes are well underway for my second semester here at Bloomsburg. The atmosphere arriving back at campus was slightly different for the spring semester as opposed to the fall.

In the fall I was a new student trying to make friends and find my place on campus, but now coming back for the second semester feels a little different. There were people on campus that I missed not seeing over break and moving back into the dorm was a family reunion opposed to the awkward few days of the fall semester.

Personally, the new spring semester has raised the difficulty in my classes. For the spring semester I scheduled my own classes, in contrast with my fall semester being scheduled for me. I am nearly done with my general education requirements due to AP classes in high school, which allowed me to take more advanced classes for my major.

The AP classes are a blessing and a curse. They are a blessing because I have more flexibility in my schedule, but they have the drawback of placing me in more difficult classes more quickly. Other than class difficulty, not much has changed for the spring semester. As stated previously, the initial transition back to campus is smoother but nearly the same people surround me and my same support system remains. I quickly immersed myself back into the clubs and organizations that I was involved with last semester.

The fall semester was the transition time. The time to learn how to balance friends, clubs, classwork and importantly, sleep. The routine was more or less established over last semester and the spring semester was like getting back on a bike after not riding for a while. After about a week, I was back in the same routine just this time needed to add a little more study time to succeed in more difficult classes.

This semester I am volunteering at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville. I wanted to volunteer last semester, as I am on a pre-medical track, but I needed time to get used to college. I am glad that I waited a semester to try to volunteer, for the days that I volunteer are a little more hectic than I am used to.

The gradual transition period is in my opinion the best way to ensure success. As incoming freshman for the Fall 2014 semester at Bloomsburg, I would begin prepare first for the entrance exams. Review topics in math and English. The placement exams determine if you need to take review classes once you arrive on campus. The review classes will take us credits that could be used for general education or even classes in your major. They may not seem like they have much effect at first, but they may decrease the flexibility of your schedule.

Additionally I know being a science major, the math sequence is important and a person wants to place as high in math as they possibly can in order to stay on track with the math sequence. Another thing to consider is the foreign language placement exam.

If you took a foreign language in high school and are not interested in pursuing the language further, take the language exam. It will give a sense of accomplishment coming into college with part of your general education fulfilled! Even if you want to continue studying a language, still take the placement exam so that you are not placed in class that is below your current language level. Other than that enjoy the time before you arrive on campus!

Do not stress about meeting people or searching the website for the clubs that you want to join, all of that will fall into place once you arrive on campus.

— Morgan Lewis is a biochemistry major with a pre-medical studies concentration.

#FutureHusky #HuskyUnleashed

March Madness? Well, welcome to Roommate Madness

Greetings BU Class of 2019! As you may have noticed, the roommate madness is slowly beginning. This is a very exciting moment in your college career and you should cherish every moment of it. As far as picking a roommate goes, there is no better time to start looking than right now. 

The most resourceful place you can look is the Bloomsburg University Class of 2019 Facebook group page. Here you will find an abundance of your classmates also searching for their first roommate. 

Talk to as many people as you can and try your best to get to know each person. Even if they don’t end up becoming your roomie, it is your first times to begin networking, something very important in college. I guarantee this page will help you not only find your roommate, but also some friends you’ll have upon arrival on campus.

So what do you do when you finally find a person you connect with? If you mutually agree you want to live together you can sign onto MyHousing, found the Bloomsburg website, and request each other. Compatibility is automatically checked and then you are able to select eachother. Official roommates and your dorms are released the first week of August.

Note, there is no way to choose your dorm, but what’s the fun in that anyways! Please remember that freshman have a tendency of getting tripled. This means you will have two roommates instead of 1 and will have three beds in your room, three desks and two dressers. Don’t fret, it’s not permanent.

All students are given the opportunity to de-triple in the order in which your deposits to the university were received. It can take as long as two weeks or two months, but coming from a student who was tripled at first, it’s not bad at all. When else in life will you have three people living in one room, make the best of it!

Get excited - this is the beginning of your journey throughout college! Dorm living is such a great experience, it helped me in so many ways my freshman year. I met almost all of my best friends in the dorms and I know for a fact they will be my best friends long after college.

Not only is the social aspect a great aspect of dorm living, but the activities going on in the dorms keep it interesting every day. They have everything from karaoke to Zumba to free pizza. Does it get any better than free food? I promise dorm living will never leave you bored. Remember to start your search and we will see you in August!

— Sierra Kern, Class of 2015 #FutureHusky

Despite the snow, campus is really starting to "Bloom"

This is a busy time of year, as I am reading applications and making admissions decisions on the applicants hoping to join BU’s Class of 2018. For the seniors who have already been accepted to BU or who are awaiting a decision, the best advice I can give you is this: VISIT our campus if you have not already done so. 

I think the college visit is one of the most important factors in helping a student decide where to attend. Visiting the campus can bring to life everything viewed online or in university literature. Further, it gives prospective students the opportunity get a true sense of the campus community – and if it is a good fit for them! Prospective students can visit Monday through Friday as well as a few Saturday visits this semester. We are also having a special day for accepted seniors – Admitted Students Day.

My next piece of advice for accepted students is to file your FAFSA! If you are planning to receive financial aid, you must complete a FAFSA. If you and your parents are going through the college process for the first time, consult your guidance counselor or attend a college fair/financial aid workshop for assistance. If you have applied more than four weeks ago and have yet to receive a decision from BU, please check your student status by logging into your Husky Account to make sure we haven’t requested additional information from you (i.e. first marking period or midyear grades, senior SAT/ACT scores, etc.).

The last piece of advice I can give you, whether you have been accepted or not, is this: start saving your money! College is expensive, especially textbooks. If your parents and family have given you money for birthdays, holidays or if you are working a part-time job, you should definitely set some money aside so you can pay for the things you will need in college. I hope you find this information helpful…until next time!

— Cerick Austin, Assistant Director of Admissions #FutureHusky

Every journey begins with a single step

After a short flight, we arrived in Dammam. Dammam is located on the Persian Gulf and is a hub for the oil industry in Saudi Arabia. Here, we visited the Jabail industrial city that was a planned city for different corporations to come and place their operations in. It also is equipped for housing all the workers that have and will be coming to work at these various companies. The city is located on the Gulf, so of course, we had to take a photo op.

The next day we went to the Kind Fahd Causeway, which links Saudi Arabia to Bahrain. We could not go all the way to Bahrain but we did go to the little island between them (as far as we were allowed to go). The views of Bahrain waaaaaaay in the distance and Saudi Arabia behind us were pretty breathtaking.

My trip to Saudi Arabia had truly been a blessing. I am going to be sad to go home.

Conclusion

I learned many things during my short visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. First and foremost, the people of KSA aren’t so different from me. I had more in common with the people I met than I thought I would. The people I met in Saudi Arabia were some of the nicest, most welcoming people I have ever met. I’ve made many friends (we keep in touch on Facebook) who I hope to see again someday. Second, Saudi women aren’t shy creatures being held back by men.

The women I met during my time in KSA inspired, and continue to inspire me everyday. Despite restrictions and other obstacles, they are following their dreams and achieving their goals. They are also extremely optimistic and are always positive about the future for women in the Kingdom.

Lastly, I learned that no matter where you come from, where you live, or what your background is, we are all human. This was a life changing experience and I have come back to BU a changed person.

I would like to thank the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations and the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Higher Education for arranging this trip. I would also like to thank Nawal Bonomo who has been my MAL advisor and who nominated me for this experience. I can’t thank you enough!!!!

I would also like to thank my family and friends for putting up with “I’M GOING TO SAUDI ARABIA!!!!!” for about three months straight! And lastly, I would like to thank my parents for supporting me every step of the way.

xoxo Maddy

P.S. GO HUSKIES!!!!!!

— Madalyn Goss is a junior political science major with a Middle Eastern Studies minor.

#BUAbroad #HuskyUnleashed #CoCurricularLearning