Erin's Georgia State Blog
Major: Psychology/Pre-Med
Hometown: Dacula, GA
Graduation Year: 2008
Hobbies: reading, traveling, studying
Erin's Recent Entries
The Finale
Last night it started to hit me. As I looked around my almost empty apartment in the Lofts, I began to realize that I really am leaving. And this time I won’t move back in a few weeks.
I can’t even begin to explain this feeling. It’s so strange to think that tomorrow is my last day at Georgia State University. Even more strange is the thought that in about 24 hours, I won’t be a student anymore. I can’t remember a time in my life when I wasn’t in some kind of school. I started preschool when I was two - that was 20 years ago! For 20 years, nearly my entire life, I have been a student. And tomorrow… tomorrow I won’t be a student anymore.
Ok, I give up. Unless you’re graduating from college or you’ve already graduated, there’s no way I can make you understand this weirdness. On to more concrete matters… like, say, employment after graduation.
You know, all through school I had this picture of myself with a job after I graduated. It’s interesting that I never really considered how that job came to be; it was always just there in this picture in my head. And now I find myself in the midst of trying to make it appear. Yes, folks, tomorrow I will not only be a non-student, I will also be job-less. Currently I am trying to find a position in the arena of non-profits in Northwest Georgia. I started substitute teaching in a high school in the area after my Nepalese debacle and I absolutely fell in love with the people and the students. And I’ve gotten a few very positive responses to my resumes: things along the lines of “We’re very interested in working with you,” or “We were all so excited by your resume.” The only problem is all these positive remarks are followed shortly by the words, “We’re restructuring later in the summer and hope to have a place for you then.” Later in the summer? Maybe I could write something similar on my insurance bills - “I’m waiting while some restructuring takes place. I hope to have some money for you later in the summer.” Yeah, I’m sure they’d love that.
Anyway, all that to say, I encourage those of you who still have a few semesters to go to start looking for possible jobs now. And never hesitate to send out a cover letter and resume, even if there isn’t a job posted. You never know, maybe your dream complany is just doing some restructuring. They may have a place for you when you graduate. 
Alright, folks, that’s all. It’s been grand. Thanks for reading!
Erin H.
Georgia State University ALUM!
Nepalese Misadventure
Hello Everyone!
Wow! I can’t believe it’s been over a year since I posted my last blog. So much has happened in that time, and I am excited to tell everyone about it.
I suppose the most exciting and educational event in the past year was my “study abroad” trip. All of you who are thinking of studying abroad during your college years, please read on and learn from my mistakes. In the Spring of 2007, I decided to spend part of my Fall 2007 semester interning abroad. You hear so many stories of students going to Europe and South American, and I wanted to do something I had never heard of before. So, I did some research and contacted a company known as World Endeavors to enroll in an internship program in Nepal. (I had been to Third World Asia before and I loved the culture. I was also considering a tour in the Peace Corps at the time, and I thought a couple of months in Nepal would be a great preview.)
The World Endeavors program sounded great! The internship promised a personal placement tailored to the interests and skills of the applicants in which students would work alongside professionals in either government programs or NGO’s (non-governmental organizations). The company also touted a two-week intensive orientation program designed to acquaint new interns with the local culture, language, and daily life. There seemed to be a great deal of in-country support from the World Endeavors organization: a World Endeavors project coordinator would be available 24/7, there was a 24/7 stateside hotline for emergencies, and even a personal airport pick-up. The only aspect of the program I wasn’t so stoked about was the homestay with a local Nepali family. I’m a pretty private person, and I tend to be a bit uncomfortable just staying in friends’ homes overnight. However, World Endeavors was one of the only programs I could find in which the homestay was not the principle form of housing; in the World Endeavors program, the homestay was a two-week experience built into the longer program (in my case 2 months). So, I convinced myself I could do it!
After a couple months of preparation and frequent communication with the World Endeavors staff in the US, I was excited and ready for a great experience when I flew out of Atlanta on September 6, 2008. Thirty-nine hours later, on September 8, I landed at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal. Within the next couple of hours, after being accosted at the airport cab driver who was supposed to pick me up but had my name spelled all kinds of wrong and spoke only Nepali, I arrived at the hotel where I would spend the next two nights and met my “project coordinator.” A very sweet Nepali woman, my project coordinator did little more than say hi and show me to my room. Within less than 15 minutes, I was left completely alone in a very crazy, very frightening foreign city halfway around the world. God gathered up my nerves and helped me go outside for a few minutes, but with no guide, no group, and no map, I was terrified of getting lost in the maze of unmarked streets that is Thamel, so I went back to my hotel and managed to get a couple of hours sleep.
The next day, all my expectations were shattered. My project coordinator picked me up at my hotel and we walked to her office to begin my “intensive orientation” program. When we arrived at the office, after winding through a complicated maze of dangerous streets, the project coordinator informed me that she was not actually affiliated in any way with World Endeavors. She was an administrator in an organization of Nepali women who bring international VOLUNTEERS into the country to teach English. After a few probing questions, I discovered the truth of the program I had so excitedly entered: when I called World Endeavors and asked to become an intern in public health in Nepal, they called the women’s organization and informed them that they had a volunteer who wanted to come teach English. This organization then contacted a host family and offered them payment to allow me to stay with them for two months while I taught English at the local school. I was expected to begin teaching 6 classes of English a day, 6 days a week to Nepali children ages 3 to 14. In fact, everyone at the school seemed to have been informed that I was actually a teacher! (I’m a psychology major!)
Needless to say, things only got worse from there. After I realized that the program I signed up for didn’t exist, I made every effort to remain in the country and continue with the women’s organization, but after a week it became clear that this just would not be possible. I bought the last Thai Airways seat leaving Nepal in September, and I landed back in Atlanta on September 15, 2007. That week in Nepal was the longest 2 months of my life!
It may sound like the entire Nepal trip was a waste of time and money (which I cannot get refunded, by the way), but I learned more in that week than I could have learned in months at home.
So, what advice would I give to students considering spending time abroad? Firstly, I would suggest you plan your first study abroad experience with a program associated with an accredited college or university system in the US. These programs are usually designed for groups of students rather than a single individual, which creates a built-in network of support within the country. Secondly, especially if you decide to go with a non-university program, find out (in detail) how your money will be allocated within the program. If I had asked the World Endeavors representatives to explain how my money would be used, I would have realized that their organization did not actually operate the program they advertised. And finally, I would advise students to demand a detailed description of all aspects of the program. Even if the program literature provides these descriptions, check them with actual representatives. For example, if I had just said, “Tell me about the homestay portion of the program,” it would have been clear that I was signing up for two months in a stranger’s home, rather than two weeks.
Let me end this ridiculously long blog (kudos to those who read this far) by saying this: SO NOT BE AFRAID TO STUDY ABROAD. Even my own awful experience taught me things about myself and the world around me that I could never have learned otherwise. In fact, I actually plan to return to Nepal next year. Just be wise, patient, and thorough in selecting your study abroad program. Seek out advice wherever you can, and select a program that suits you. Trust me, it’s the experience of a lifetime and, even if things don’t go as planned, studying abroad is an experience you won’t regret.
College Craziness
Wow! I cannot believe it’s already the second week of February. And I cannot believe I haven’t posted a blog in so long. My deepest apologies to all the blog readers.
However, I would like to take this opportunity to point out a well known fact of college life: the first few weeks of a semester are always insane. The first week goes by so calmly - classes aren’t in full gear yet, no exams to worry about - and then the second week hits and you feel like a hamster in a wheel (you know, running as fast as you can to stay in the same place). Although this in no way excuses my blogging procrastination, I do hope all you prospective student readers can learn from my plight and prepare yourselves for the inevitable insanity.
As I’m “saying” this, I can imagine that many of you may feel discouraged thinking that college is going to be hard and crazy all the time. Well, chins up, folks. Once the middle of the semester (i.e. right about now) settles in, things calm down and start to fall into a nice routine. Trust me, if I (Queen Procrastinator) can do this, you can too.
Alright, enough about the negative. On a seriously positive note, I have received the grade for my first Organic Chemistry exam and… (drum roll please)… I made an 89!!!! I understand that a few of you out there may be whizzes at O. Chem and think that 89% is completely scoffable, but for those of you in vast majority of students (the majority consumed by violent nightmares about carbon rings) I invite you to share my rejoicing. Chemistry is not my forte. So, once again, if I can do it so can you.
On another cheerful note, while all of Atlanta’s happy couples are making nauseously cute plans (Can you tell I’m single?) for Wednesday, the rest of Georgia State is planning for Homecoming, which is this week. In fact, tomorrow the judging committe will start ranking all the door and office decorations that have been put up around the school. I did the decorations for the Welcome Center this year. The theme is “What Makes You True Blue?” And I put each staff member’s bio and picture on a panther paw print and hung them on our windows and doors. It’s actually very cute, if I do say so myself. I’ll try to take some photos tomorrow and post them here so you guys can all see the overflow of school spirit on campus this week.
Well, it’s getting close to time for me to turn in (yes, I’m an old fuddy-duddy), and I still have to do a quick review for my Cell Biology quiz in the morning. Thanks again for reading!
P.S. I wanted to stick in a quick shout-out to everyone at the South Gwinnett START meeting last Thursday! You guys were awesome!
Back in Session
Well, it looks like school is back in session. As of 11:30 this morning, my 6th semester here at Georgia State will have begun. And this semester starts with a bang: the only class I have today is Organic Chemistry, and I’m already sweating it.
I’m a psychology major with a pre-med concentration, which means I get to take tons of psychology courses while I’m satisfying the science-based requirements of the pre-medical track. And that works out perfectly for me. I love science, but the courses are definitely stressful, so I mix in the psychology courses to keep myself sane-ish. Unfortunately, I’ve satisfied nearly my entire psychology requirement and I still have most of my pre-med requirement to complete. That means this semester is all science: organic chemistry, physics, animal biology, molecular and cell biology, and not a single psychology course.
Of course, I’ve got a friend moving into town and my (awesome!) roommate Tamara is back in the apartment. Classes are going to be tough, but we’re going to have a blast hanging out in the evenings. I got Scene It the DVD game and an iPod (yes, I think I am the last person in the city to get one) for Christmas, so we’ll have plenty to do. Not to mention, my friend is new to the city and it’ll be fun seeing getting him acclimated and touring all the sights.
Well, it’s time for me to head out to work. Hopefully I’ll have some pictures up here soon of all the first week fun! Thanks for stopping by, and come back soon!
First Blog!
Wow! The very first blog! I’ve thought quite a bit about how to introduce myself to everyone, and I’ve decided to just start typing and we’ll all get to know each other as we go along. So, thank you all so much for visiting the blog, and I hope you continue to come back and visit as the year progresses.
In this first blog, I’ve been asked to talk about why I chose to attend Georgia State University, and honestly, it wasn’t my first choice. I grew up in a smallish town about 45 minutes from downtown Atlanta, and I came to the city maybe two or three times each year. I had always dreamed of attending a small private school in a rural setting, and when I first moved to Georgia State I was the complete antithesis of a city girl. In fact, I was terrified. So, what made me come? In February of my senior year in high school I was offered a full scholarship to Georgia State University, and with aspirations of attending medical school, a free undergraduate education was an offer I couldn’t pass up. But, that’s not the end of the story.
As terrified as I was to be attending a large urban university in the heart of downtown Atlanta, I soon realized that I was exactly where I needed to be. At Georgia State I have had the opportunity to be a proactive participant in my development. When I think of the person I was at my high school graduation I can hardly believe how much I have changed over the past two and a half years. At Georgia State I have met so many people from backgrounds I had never even heard about, I have had the opportunity to network with faculty members in many offices on campus and have made some great connections that I know will help me in the future, and I have learned more about myself in the past two years at this urban institution in the heart of the city than I could ever have learned about myself in a small, rural setting that never stretched my comfort zone or challenged my narrow ideals.
In addition, attending Georgia State has given me the chance to participate in the changes that are continuously taking place on campus. One of my favorite aspects of the University is its dynamic nature: Georgia State is always looking for new ways to improve or expand, and students are encouraged to take part in these changes every step of the way, from picking out the furniture for the new University Commons to sitting on the Branding Strategy Steering Committee and voicing their views on how to change the public face of the University.
So, yes, my scholarship drew me to Georgia State. And, yes, I was hesitant about being here at first. But, ultimately, Georgia State University has provided for me a foundation for growth and learning beyond anything I could have imagined, and I cannot wait to see what I will learn here during my last three semesters.
Coming Soon…
Coming Soon…