Not Just Your Average Wednesday Night

Most Wednesdays are full of classes, studying, and club meetings, but this past Wednesday was certainly memorable!  FUSAB (Furman University Student Activities Board) brought in country singer Brett Elredge for the fall concert at the Outdoor Amphitheater on campus!  FUSAB is a student organization that plans fun activities from small raffles to big concerts for Furman students.  Up and coming country star Brett Elredge gave a fantastic performance on Wednesday!  He sang his own songs such as "Don't Ya" and "Raymond" as well as some country classics like George Strait's "Check Yes or No."  Tickets were only $5 and seeing a concert in the middle of the week with perfect fall weather and your best friends was certainly a treat! 

Some girls from my hall before the concert

 

Brett singing his heart out

Brett came into the crowd for the final song, his hit single, "Don't Ya"

All the stood in between Brett and me was a body guard!

PS:  I took this picture of the Bell Tower at sunset on my walk from Blackwell to the Amphitheater.  I'm so lucky to live in such a beautiful place!

Until next time,
Laura
laurawoodside@furman.edu

Academic Success

Furman is known for its academic rigor.  This can be exciting and slightly terrifying as an incoming freshman.  And six weeks into the school year, with a few tests and a paper under my belt, I can confidently say that Furman academics are doable.  My classes are certainly challenging and demanding, but they are not impossible.  The biggest difference between high school and Furman is the amount of work outside of class.  With classes meeting 2 or 3 days a week, a lot of reading and preparation takes place outside of class.  This work outside of class can be a little daunting, but at the same time, having such a flexible schedule is so liberating.  Studying can be in the library if I'm feeling really studious, or by Furman lake if it's a beautiful day, or at a quaint coffee shop off campus if I need a change of scenery. 

Another great aspect about Furman academics is the availability of academic help, which I have taken advantage of in my few weeks here.  Before my calculus test, I took all the questions about concepts that I didn't fully understand to the Math Help Lab.  The Math Help Lab is open the afternoons and evenings Sunday through Thursday and is staffed by math majors ready to answer your questions.  Thanks to the Math Help Lab and lots of studying, I made an A on my first calculus test!  Furman also has a Writing Lab whose staff proofread my paper and helped me work through some awkward sentence structures and suggested stronger verbs. 

My professors have also been extremely helpful during their office hours, answering my questions and re-explaining things I didn't understand in class.  None of my professors are intimidating, and they genuinely want to get know me.  That's certainly a plus to a small college!

And now, I have to go study for my chemistry test! 

As always if you have any questions, email me at laura.woodside@furman.edu!

Taking It Easy

Every college student, no matter how close or far away from home they may go, fears the day when they get sick at school.  Thankfully, no flu or stomach bug for me, but waking up with a sore throat was enough to make me a tad homesick.  After talking to my mom on the phone, I decided to head to the Furman infirmary to get my throat checked out.  I was greeted by a smiling staff, and I waited less than 5 minutes to see a nurse.  The nurse took my temperature, looked at my swollen tonsils, and said to my relief, "You don't a fever or strep throat.  It's probably a virus or allergies."  She gave me some cough drops and decongestion medicine while instructing me to rest and take it easy for a few days.

"Taking it easy," is easier said than done at Furman, where school work, clubs, and activities are more than plentiful.  I admit I probably am not getting as much sleep as I should at college!  However, now I'm doing my best not to overexert myself, and I already feel a little better by catching up on some sleep!

Questions or just want to talk?  Please email me at laura.woodside@furman.edu, I would love to hear from you!

My Tie and Other Festivities

Even though Furman did not have a home football game this past weekend- there was still plenty of things to do to keep us busy!   We started the weekend with My Tie on Friday night.  My Tie was a RLC (Residential Life Council) sponsored event where you selected a colored tie and ate dinner with people from your hall and brother hall who had the same tie color.  My tie group (checkered red and white ties) ate at Mr. Salsa, a Mexican restaurant not far from campus with the orange tie group, and then headed to the Younts Conference Center on campus for a dance.  I absolutely love to dance, so My Tie was a blast for me!

Hall girls before My Tie




Roomies with the Bell Tower

My Tie Group outside of Mr. Salsa



Saturday morning, my roommate, Lacey, and I headed to downtown Greenville.  We started at the Farmers Market, which is open every Saturday during the warm months, where local farmers come to sell their goods on Main Street.  Even though I've grown up in Greenville my whole life- I had never been the Farmers Market!  I love exploring new things within my town as a college student- Greenville may be a small city, but it sure does have a lot to offer!  We grabbed a quick bite to eat at Grill Marks- a delicious hamburger restaurant on Main Street.  Then, we moved onto the Indie Craft Parade, which was a trade show of jewelry, art, and other goods from all around the South.  This was Greenville's fourth annual Indie Craft Parade, but it was the first for me!  All the goods were so unique! 

During the afternoon,  I squeezed in some time for studying.  Check out my view while studying:

The view from the back patio of the DH overlooking the lake

Saturday night, some friends and I cheered on our Paladins at the men's soccer game against the College of Charleston.  We won 1-0 in overtime!  Go Paladins!

The view from the soccer stadium

Paladin Soccer celebrating their win!

On Sunday, my roommate and I headed 45 minutes northwest of Furman to Lake Keowee, SC where my family has a lake house.  It was such a beautiful day to be out on the water!  The weather was absolutely perfect- not too hot and not too humid!  We took a boat ride and relaxed


The beauty of Lake Keowee


In other news, I had my first Chemistry quiz last week and was assigned my first college paper. Looks like I will be spending a lot of time in the library!

Feel free to contact me at laura.woodside@furman.edu!



FUPO

Most Furman students probably would not want a visit from the Furman University Police, affectionately called FUPO.  However, for me and my dead car in the South Housing Parking Lot, FUPO was a welcomed sight!

On Saturday night, my friends and I were going to get a quick dinner off campus, and I offered to drive because I know (for the most part) my way around Greenville.  Once we were at my car in the SoHo Parking Lot, it would not unlock with the remote on my keys.  "That's strange," I said.  After manually unlocking the driver's side door with the key, my car wouldn't start.  It didn't even make a noise.  Needless to say, I didn't drive to dinner that night or to church the next day.  Luckily, some of my friends also had cars- ones that would actually start! 

Finally on Monday, I figured I should deal with my dead car.  At the FUPO office, I was greeted by a smiling officer who offered to drive me to the SoHo Parking Lot and jump my car.  So yes, I have now ridden in a cop car- cross that off the bucket list!  Once the jumper cables were hooked up from FUPO's car to mine, my car alarm started going off.   That's definitely not a pleasant noise!  Thankfully, the FUPO officer knew how to stop that horrendous noise and get my car to start!

Once my car started, I realized that I'd accidentally left an interior light on when I parked my car the previous Tuesday.  Whoops!

So a word to the wise- don't leave a light on in your car.  But if you do, and you are lucky enough to be on Furman's campus, call FUPO.

Until next time,
Laura

PS:  My email is laura.woodside@furman.edu if you have any questions for me!

The Beginning

Hello!  My name is Laura Woodside, and I am a native of Greenville, SC!  You might be thinking, "Why would she want to go to college in her hometown?"  The truth is, I can't help that the best university is just 30 minutes away from my childhood home!

Good Ole B-Well

In early July, I found out who my random roommate was and where we would be calling home for the next year. My roommate, Lacey, and I were a little surprised to be in the "Dreaded Blackwell" because it was last on our list of preferred residence halls.  In Blackwell, beds are bunked, the floors are tile instead of carpet, and the rooms are smaller.  However, we decided to make the best of Blackwell, and have been pleasantly surprised by a few things.  First, the bathrooms.   The other SoHo (South Housing) residence halls may have bigger carpeted rooms, but our hall bathrooms are far superior to their hall bathrooms.  Our sinks are brand new, our showers are nicer, and our bathrooms are just bigger in general.  As much as you probably want to see a picture of the bathroom, I will refrain because my hall-mates might not approve of me posting pictures of our bathroom on the internet!  Second, the storage space.  While Blackwell dorms are smaller, they are an incredibly efficient in their use of storage space.  I love having the shelves above my desk to display photographs, store books, and use bins to make my clutter disappear.  Third, everything about the "Blackwell community" is true.  It is often said that Blackwell residents form awesome friendships simply because the small rooms force you keep your door wide open for new friends to pop in and say hello.  In just the short week we have been on campus, the girls on my hall and I have already formed wonderful friendships!  It is no longer the "Dreaded Blackwell," now it's the "Good Ole B-Well."

The cars are packed!



Lacey and I in our new room!

Look at all that storage space!

The bunk beds- they really aren't that bad!



My hall girls!



Move-In Day

While most move-in days seem to be full stress and emotions, ours was surprisingly easy!  A swarm of upperclassmen surrounded my car and grabbed all the boxes and bags and carried them to my room.  It took them less than twelve minutes for them to completely unload the two full cars of stuff I brought and delivered it to my dorm room!  (Yes, I did time them, because I was so impressed!)

O-Week

It's hard to describe everything we did during O-Week, but the O-Staff certainly kept us busy and entertained!  One of my favorite activities was the Carnival.  O-Staff transformed the parking lot next to Chapel into a Carnival, complete with funnel cakes, a Ferris Wheel, a swing ride, blow-up slides and obstacle courses, and other fun activities!

Not my finest photography skills, but you can see all of the rides in the background

First Day of Classes
None of my classes were as intimidating as I thought they would be! I'm taking Chemistry, Spanish, Calculus, and my freshman seminar, Management Literacy. I'm sure I will be studying a lot this semester!

All smiles for the first day of school!





My morning commute... I could get used to this!