Well, friends, summer is upon us! Where did this semester go? It seems just yesterday I was staring at my 19-credit-hour schedule (in case you aren’t aware, that’s more credits than any sane person would take) wondering if I would make it out alive.

Finals haven’t started yet, so it’s too soon to tell. But I’d say my chances are pretty good.

With my third year of college coming to a stressful/relieving close, I’m excited for the relative ease of summer. What, pray tell, am I doing this summer?

I’ll be spending the first half of summer taking the intensive Arabic language course here at NC State. I only started taking Arabic last fall, which is a somewhat late start for a college-level foreign language. I fell in love immediately. I’ve always loved studying language, but Arabic has been quite the rewarding adventure, and I’m sure will continue to entertain me throughout the summer. The class is five weeks, six hours a day, five days a week. I will be eating, breathing, and dreaming Arabic – which is perfection in my book!

NC State offers a wide variety of foreign languages, which is awesome for any fellow linguaphiles. These languages are: French, German, Spanish (my high school language), Urdu, Italian, Japanese, Chinese (my first college language), Farsi, Portuguese, Russian, and Arabic. Majors are available in French, German, and Spanish. Minors are available in all the others.

Taking a foreign language is required for most NC State students. Depending on your major, you may have to take as many as 5 classes, even if you aren’t majoring in a language! We have excellent instructors, and relatively tight-knit programs, meaning that you are likely to establish a relationship with the instructors that lasts throughout your language study – or even study abroad, which is a great way to get foreign language credit!

One day, fellow intern Tony and I were exploring our awesome new Hunt Library. We stumbled upon a whiteboard and markers, and employing our language skills, managed to write, “We Love the new library!” in Arabic (me), Chinese (me), Japanese (Tony), and Spanish (both of us plus Google). A few weeks later, we found this picture on the Hunt Library website.

Students had contributed their own translations in many different languages, all saying, “We love the new library!” Tony and I were thrilled. That summarizes the incredible diversity here at NC State – the very soul of why I love this university.

I look forward to returning to Admissions in the fall. In the meantime, have a wonderful summer!

As high school seniors begin the grueling process of deciding which university to place their future and money in, I thought it might be nice to answer the question I get weekly: Why did I, coming from Utah, decide on NC State? I suppose my story is compelling, particularly for out-of-staters who just can’t be sure what sets NC State apart from any other out-of-state school. Allow me to dispel the mists of uncertainty.

When my acceptances (and, yes, rejections) came rolling in, I had a lot to consider. My parents were surprisingly unhelpful. They have always encouraged me to make my own decisions carefully, and then they offer guidance where necessary. It was impossible to read them. I knew they were probably nervous about out-of-state tuition, but I also knew that my mom wanted me to have the opportunities to grow and learn that she thought I couldn’t have where I lived. I was offered a partial scholarship to one school and a full-ride to another, but I didn’t feel that either offered exactly what I wanted. Actually, if I’m honest, I didn’t know enough to know what I wanted from a university!

It came down to two schools. One was a couple hours from my home. The other was NC State. The day before the commitment deadline, I still hadn’t decided. I had visited and enjoyed Raleigh, but it was an awfully big commitment to move so far!

I finally sat my parents down and told them my decision. I was going to go to NC State. When I told them, I felt this intense confidence in my decision. My parents asked me what had made me decide. I told them all the reasons that I had weighed in my head.

1. Raleigh is a fabulous city. It’s not so big that you can get lost, but it’s big enough that there’s always something to do. Downtown is fabulous. Unlike so many downtown’s, there is always somewhere to park! There are restaurants, clubs, and museums aplenty. And right up the road, there’s a huge farmer’s market!
2. The Raleigh-Cary-Durham area is one of the most educated regions in the country. If I truly hoped to become an intelligent human being, it was a good idea to surround myself with intelligent people!
3. After speaking with people in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, where I would be as an English major, I was confident that there was a huge range of opportunities available to me – minors and internships and various programs.
4. I love the brick-y, collegiate feeling of NC State’s campus! I love the buildings, and Hillsborough Street, and the Belltower.

Now, in my third year here, I can comfortably say that choosing NC State was the best decision I’ve made because it has opened so many doors for me and given me so many good friends. When making your decision, remember that high risk = high reward!

In today’s world, going to college is not enough when it comes to getting a job. Employers expect you to have experience, too. You can get that experience through jobs and internships. At NC State, there are many options for getting experience while you’re still in school.

The Career Development Center on campus has trained staff that can help you with your resume and job hunt as you seek experience. These services are free to NC State students and recent graduates. In fact, even if you’re brand new at NC State, you can go to the Career Development Center for career counseling – that is, anything from deciding “what you want to be when you grow up” to picking a major to help you get there!

The Career Development Center also puts together career fairs so students can visit with potential employers and learn what that company might be looking for. Career fairs can be a great place to make connections that could help you get jobs later on! There are usually 2 fairs each year, one in fall and one in spring, for each college – so there’s an Engineering Career Fair, or a Management Career Fair, etc. There are also Graduate School Fairs so students can explore their post-undergrad education options.

NC State doesn’t give us an education then leave us out to dry – it offers us experience that carries us through undergrad and beyond!

This morning, I missed my first two classes because I was visiting prison.

How is that for an excuse?

I spent the early morning fretting about what one should wear to prison and what I’d do if I got lost trying to find it. I felt fishy looking up driving directions the night before. I figured if I was ever headed to prison, someone else would be driving and I’d be in handcuffs! Even worse than my fear of getting lost trying to find it was my fear about getting lost in the prison, then losing my ID, then I couldn’t convince them that I was not meant to be there… I’ve seen too many Leonardo DiCaprio movies.

You’re probably wondering what I was “in for.” As you might guess from my picture, I’m not exactly a hardened criminal but I am in a class for news and article writing. My professor, Dr. K, wanted to get us in a setting that was completely unfamiliar to us so we could practice our observation skills. None of us had ever been to prison before, and we were all excited. Well, excited and nervous. College field trips are so cool.

I would have taken pictures, but pictures are strictly prohibited, so just imagine with me: Tall, barbed wire fences interspersed with the thick, stone wall that was originally built by prisoners in the 1800s; corrections officers (who are very specifically not to be called “guards”) parole the perimeter; a cloudy, overcast sky showering us with light rain – and this was all before we even went inside!

As it turns out, prison is pretty much like most state-owned and operated facilities, except with thicker doors. I don’t know whether it’s designed to be confusing, but I certainly couldn’t have found my way around without the help of our guide! We saw inmates working out and cleaning floors and watching TV and eating in the “chow hall.” Interesting fact: North Carolina is the only state that still allows death row inmates to eat with the rest of the inmates.

All in all, it was an eye-opening experience. I have my professor to thank for that. Here at NC State, professors are focused on giving you an education that extends beyond the classroom. Those out-of-classroom experiences have been some of the most rewarding of my life. You incoming freshman: you have a lot to look forward to! Play your cards right, and you might even get a trip to the slammer!

Prison: It reminded me a little bit of high school.

Anyone who follows my NC State Twitter account (@NCSU_CSizzle) knows I talk about the weather a lot. I mean, A LOT. I think it started during my childhood… Growing up in Utah, the weather is a serious issue. I heard it best explained the following way… Utah has four seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and allergy season.

North Carolina has far more moderate weather, which makes things like going outside that much more exciting for me! My favorite place near campus, and the subject of this blog post, is Lake Johnson.

Here you see the bridge where people fish and some pedal boats are available to rent.

Lake Johnson is a mere 3 miles from campus. The Lake Johnson Park features a 150+ acre lake and nearly 5.5 miles of trail.  It’s a perfect place to go walking, running, biking, canoeing, fishing, picnicking or goose-chasing. You can rent a Jon boat, pedal boat, canoe, or kayak from the boathouse on the Avent Ferry Road trail at a low hourly rate. You can check out those rates at the Raleigh Parks and Rec website. Some boats are available to rent year around. Others are only available in the warmer months.

This goose chased me after I took its picture. It apparently did not want to be featured on this blog.

Avent Ferry Road divides the lake. On one side, the trail is paved. That’s where you see the most cyclists and runners. I am only sharing this next part because I’m so nice… the other side is way better for adventuring. My fellow intern Sharon and I decided to check it out during a run a couple months ago and found ourselves on unpaved dirt trails that required some hiking skills!

Here you see my friend Assir running on the Lake Johnson trail.

I dislike cold days. But it’s nice to look forward to warm days I can spend jogging or walking around Lake Johnson! Lake Johnson is my favorite place close to campus to clear my head and get moving. Maybe it’ll become your favorite place, too!

Hanging out on the trail!

My friend’s little sister was recently thrilled to learn she was admitted to NC State. I’ve been offering all the wisdom I possess about what to expect her freshman year, and as I’ve done so, I’ve been remembering the best parts of my freshman year!

1. A lot of students are nervous about moving away from home. Well, nervous and excited. My mom and I drove more than 2,000 miles so she could drop me off at college! She acted all tough about seeing me go, but the day before she left, she got a little teary-eyed. You should expect some waterworks when your parents drop you off!

This is my mom and me in the car driving across the country. You can see she's consoling herself about my departure to college with a Diet Coke.

2. I didn’t know a single other student at NC State. The Housing people assigned me my roommate. We were a little awkward at first, but we became fast friends. Some freshman seem apprehensive about living with someone they don’t know, but my advice is: DO IT! Freshman year is all about making new friends and meeting new people.

This is the first picture my roommate and I took together the day we moved in!

3. Speaking of making new friends and meeting new people. I lived in suite-style Bowen Hall, which meant I automatically had a group of new, close friends! We went to every activity for the first few weeks. We would get lost, we would get excited about eating in the dining hall, and we would take a hundred pictures of ourselves on campus. I’m sure the sophomores, juniors, and seniors looked at us and thought, “Yep, they’re freshmen.”

Taking silly pictures with new friends the first week of classes

These are all the girls in my freshman year suite crowded onto my roommate's bed. These girls are pretty dang awesome!

4. I was not expecting college to be so hard! It took me a while to figure out what I had to do to succeed academically. I tell all the prospective high school students I talk to that they should expect to work a lot harder for good grades in college than they did in high school.

I loved freshman year. I’m so excited for my friend’s sister and all the incoming freshman to have the adventures I had, and many more!

At the end of a long Fall Semester when our work is done and our classes complete, students often return to their hometowns for a long period of well-deserved hibernation. Others fill their break with fun activities like skiing, visiting friends and family, or catching up on all the TV they missed while studying. Regardless of how they plan to spend it, students are undoubtedly excited for Winter Break! The interns here in North Carolina State University’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions are no different, and we have awesome plans for the break as well!  We will all be taking a break from blogging to enjoy winter break but blogs will be posted regularly again starting at the beginning of the spring semester.  Don’t forget to check back!

tony hankerson
@ncsu_tony

After a long and arduous semester, I plan on doing nothing but relaxing during my winter break. I think I may spend a bit of time rock wall climbing with friends, because I haven’t done it in a while and I’m sure I improved since the last time I’ve done it. I’m also organizing a family event for my younger cousins and siblings called “Camp Cousins”, which will be filled with a bunch of fun little activities and outings for them to enjoy. I’m most excited to take the little ones to an indoor water park near my home in Concord (even if I can’t swim, watching them try will be enjoyable). Other than that, I have a few personal comic book projects that I want to finish writing and drawing, so I’ll probably do some of that too. I’ve also been missing a lot of Monday evening cartoons, so I think I’ll get caught back up on those as well. Oh, and I’ll be sleeping. I’ll be doing a LOT of sleeping.

andrew jordan
@NCSU_AJJ

For winter break I will be in Raleigh working on the calling campaign with Admissions up until December 21st. During Christmas I will be home with my family in North Raleigh and after Christmas I will be going to Gastonia for a Debutante Ball. Over New Years I plan to be at the beach with friends.

john taylor
@NCSU_john

Hello blog readers! This winter break I will be working with Admissions until the 21st, then I will be off to the North Pole to ensure that Santa’s Sleigh is in tip top shape on the 24th. Once that task is complete I will be helping Dick Clark’s replacement in Times Square as his(or her) personal water boy. I’ve got a packed break, should be fun!

michelle hunt
@ncsu_michelle

Wow I can’t believe Winter break is here already! I am super excited because Christmas is my most favorite time of the year. During the break I will be going back home to The Bahamas. Summer was the last time I was home so I am very eager to return. I’m hoping the weather is warm so that I can spend a good amount of my time lying on the beach. I also plan to catch up on sleep and enjoy home cooked meals from my mummy J. Season greetings to you all and I hope you have a great Winter break!

brittney garcia
@NCSU_brittney

Words cannot describe how excited I am that break is finally here!! For the first few days, I will be disappearing off the face of the earth to catch up on sleep (I know, sounds a bit dramatic but let’s be real, it’s college). Reality is, I am not sure what I am doing for Christmas Day. I’ll either be in Asheville or Orlando but either way, I will be celebrating with family. After that (drumroll please), I will be off on a snowboarding adventure with some awesome friends from State! The week after that, my family is having a huge reunion so let’s just say, I am extremely excited about all of my holiday plans. It doesn’t get better than this! To get more updates on how my holiday break is going, just follow me on Twitter: @NCSU_brittney — oh and of course, GO PACK!!

sharon nye

Two days after my last final exam, my mom and I will be flying to Boston, MA for a short visit and some quality mother/daughter time. I don’t have too many exciting plans for this coming break after our trip to Boston, I will be moving home for next semester to complete my final internship in Richmond, VA. I will probably spend a large amount of time over break moving back into my room at home and readjusting to living away from Raleigh and my friends. Hopefully the break will be full of good food, sleep, and visiting with friends and family I haven’t seen in a while. I hope you all have a safe and enjoyable holiday season, see you in 2013!

marcus spruill

Winter break is almost here. It’s about that time to head home and be with family, but there is always something I need to do to keep myself busy. Usually the Boys and Girls club near my house needs some help for a few days so I will volunteer when I can. Stay busy and Have a great break!

jimmy schiemann
@ncsu_Jimmynho

Winter break? More like GRE-Break. I will use the free time to focus on preparing myself to take the GRE (a standardized test that is required to apply to a Master’s program). It will be hard, especially considering I am Graduating on December 15th…
so it will be weird to be studying afterwards, especially with Christmas and New Year’s coming up and all the side effects of it (too much food, too much of a vacation feeling and too much family time). So studying for the GRE will be particularly challenging, but I expect my commitment to be strong. I wish you all a very good Winter break, and hopefully you will receive good news from NC State right before the holidays!

jasmine roscoe
@NCSU_Jasmine
Winter break is one of the few times during the year I get to go home. Other than spending time with family and friends, I will be volunteering at a middle school in my hometown. This will be my second time visiting this middle school to tutor the children and get them started thinking about college. This has been a very eventful semester for me and I am excited to share my accomplishments and to see their progress in school.

caitlin boyce
@NCSU_CSizzle
I’m so excited to be spending the holiday break wearing colorful sweaters and working at the mall! I love the decorations and frazzled shoppers. Santa’s there nearly all the time, too! Nothing says “Christmas” like a mall pretzel!

taylor springs
@ncsu_TaylorS

Winter Break is a time of family bonding, holiday shopping, house decorating, random visits from long lost relatives, last minute scholarship applications,  NO CLASSES, and pure joy and happiness—at least for me it is! This wonderful winter break  I will not only survive December 21st, 2012 but I will get to visit my sorority sisters down in PEMBROKE for Secret Santa! Utterly excited for my sisterhood bonding! But it is not all fun and games! I will dedicate a majority of time applying for scholarships (,because I will never turn down free money), securing my internship for this summer, and planning for upcoming events for my student organizations (Spring 2013 is going to memorable for sure).  I can not wait to see what occurs over the course of Winter Break 2012!

taylor cashdan

@NCSU_Taylor

This break could not come any sooner. Not only is it a break from constant course work for me, but its a chance for my friends and I to just sit back and enjoy where we’ve been and how far we’ve come. My group has a camping and hunting trip planned, we also want to spend some time around the bonfire (like we used to do in high school), and just catch up with each other. If you went to Wakefield High School, you’d know the Starbucks tradition: for the most part on any average night you could drive up to the Starbucks up the street from school and see about 20 kids just hanging out there, drinking coffee, conversing, or playing cards. On breaks from school when everyone comes home, we like to reignite that tradition and just waste time together.

Well, there you have it! The NCSU Undergraduate Admissions Interns have a lot of plans for the break. Though we will miss this beautiful campus, as well as the wonderful people who inhabit it, it’s time to kick back, relax, and recharge!

NC State’s DH Hill Library is a treasure trove of fabulous study spots and high-tech revelry. My fellow intern Sharon and I took a field trip there to document some of the best spaces to study. Of course, first we had to stop at DH Hill’s coffee shop, Hill of Beans, for a hot cup of coffee.

Hill of Beans, conveniently located on the ground level of the library.

On the first floor of the library, you’ll find a circulation desk that offers laptops, iPads, recording equipment, headphones, and many other items for check-out. This service is free to students, and students use it! On top of the laptops for check-out at the circulation desk, there are hundreds of desktop computers set up on the first few floors of the library for student use. I cannot emphasize enough how helpful the Circulation Desk has been when I’ve forgotten things. Remember your laptop but forgot the charger? They’ve got that. Did your calculator’s batteries die? They’ve got that, too. Need a video camera to record a class project? The Circulation Desk would be happy to help you.

These are two of the many options for studying on the first floor of the library.

Once you have all the learning tools you need, you can make your way up with either the stairs or elevator to the eight floors of bookshelves where you can find the most delightful study nooks you can imagine. Or, if you’re working with a group, you can use the library’s website to reserve a study room! Each floor has two study rooms. Each study room has a table, set of chairs, two television screens to hook up to your computer, and a wall meant for dry erase markers. I use the dry erase wall to diagram sentences or outline papers for English classes. Some people use it to work out complicated mathematics problems. Whatever you use it for, it’s a wonderful learning tool.

DH Hill has eight floors of distraction-free study space.

Each floor has study stations lining the walls. If you’re the kind of person who gets easily distracted, there are some with walls around them. But if you’re like me and you need a view to get your creative juices flowing, you can find a desk in front of a window and get a beautiful view of campus or Downtown.

The DH Hill library is sure to accommodate whatever your needs may be.

Two beautiful window views from the seventh floor!

This is Justin Smith Morrill, the Vermont representative who introduced the Morrill Act to Congress. Picture is courtesy of the NC State Library Archives.

Many, many years ago (150 to be exact), President Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Land-Grant Act (1862), providing 30,000 acres of land to each state to create a college for the education of people in the area of agricultural, mechanics and technology, and military tactics.

The United States was in the midst of the terrible Civil War, so when Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Act into law, he also ensured that the Confederate States would not be granted the same privilege. North Carolina, one of those states, therefore did not receive the benefits of the Act until the conclusion of the Civil War in 1865. Ultimately, 70 colleges and universities came from the Morrill Act. Among these are a handful of historically black schools, created as a response to the Second Morrill Act of 1890, which demanded that race could not be a criterion for admission into the schools — but when some southern states rebelled, an allowance was made so that an alternative school for African Americans could be created instead.

North Carolina State University was founded 25 years after the original passage of the Morrill Act. Its original name was the North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, which reflected the intentions of the land-grant schools.

The effects of the Morrill Act range from minor changes in the way education was approached to major shifts in the availability of higher education for the people. Prior to these land-grant colleges, higher education was a luxury afforded only to the higher rungs of society, and the main focus was the liberal arts — languages, literature, and other subjects in the humanities. The object of the Morrill Act was to provide what was termed “practical” education — agriculture, engineering, and other skills that were important with the rise of the Industrial Revolution.

This is NC State's first graduating class with the president of the school, Mr. Holladay. Picture is courtesy of the NC State Library Archives.

These days, NC State offers degrees across a wide range of subjects, still building from the original intent of the Morrill Act but expanding across the entire spectrum of academic pursuits. As the University celebrates its 125th Anniversary, we remember our roots and the Act that made it all possible.

If you ask any student at NC State their favorite spots on campus, they will all likely mention The Court of North Carolina. It’s located on North Campus near the Belltower and a perfect place to unwind between classes.  Besides The Court of North Carolina there are many other places to relax on campus as well.

Mary Yarbrough Court

Mary Yarbrough Court, named after the first woman graduate of NC State, is one of my favorite places on campus. Sandwiched between Peele Hall and Watagua Residence Hall, this area is covered by trees and thus cooler during the hot summer months. It has a beautiful fountain in the middle, as well. It’s usually empty, so it’s nice to kick back on one of the benches to study.

Behind Park Shops

If The Court of North Carolina ever feels too crowded, there’s a nice alternative nearby. Between Park Shops and SAS Hall, there’s an open space with many benches and tables for students to study and talk to each other. The best part is that it’s right outside of Port City Java, so you can pop in there if you need a pick-me-up before settling into one of the tables outside.

Behind Kampoefner

Just a hop, skip, and jump away from there is Kampoefner Hall, which sits in front of another nice place to sit and relax. Surrounded by the Design buildings, the area is scattered with interesting and beautiful sculptures.

There’s another courtyard on the other side of campus outside the Fox Science Lab. It’s a large grassy area — perfect for a nap or picnic in the fall or spring!

These are only a few of the most relaxing places on NC State’s campus. In between all the hustle and bustle of classes and socializing, it’s nice to have somewhere to take it easy. Feel free to explore and find your own special place!

Outside of Fox Science Labs