Exciting start to Fall!

Hi everyone!

This is Joel. I'm back and I'm so excited to begin blogging again here at PLU! For this week's blog, I will specifically talk about the first day of school, and some fun things that the new international students did on their first day!

The day started off perfectly. Morning classes were canceled for the opening convocation of fall semester. This meant that I had only one class for the day, and it was my Behavior in Organizations class (BUSA 305). I wanted to attend the opening convocation but at the same time, I needed sleep and also needed to prepare for the start of the school year.

The highlight of the day was definitely when some of the new international students decided to play soccer later in the evening! Soccer's my favorite sport, I love watching and playing soccer. But before that, I offered to take a few Danish students shopping for soccer gear!

Us at Dick's Sporting Goods (L to R: Lars, Jesper, Flemming and myself)

After that was done, we headed back to school and prepared for the big event, the soccer match itself. We had a great turnout, 12 people showed up and 9 of them were new international students. The students were mainly from Norway and Denmark, but we also had a Saudi Arabian, myself, from Malaysia and my coworker, Pape, from Senegal.

Us at half-time!

We spent a fun-filled 2 hours playing soccer, making new friends and most importantly, exercising. As a new student in a new environment, it's always great and important to stay fit and healthy. Playing a sport and having fun at the same time is an awesome way to do it. Here are some more pictures of the game! Photo credits go to Vilde Bonsak! This is my blog post for this week and I hope you had fun reading it. See you soon :)

Sincerely,

Joel Goh

Surprise! I'm Back!

I'm back at PLU once again after deciding to get a Masters Degree at the PLU School of Business! This is the first year that PLU will be offering a Masters of Science in Marketing Research, a rapidly growing field as companies struggle with the masses of "big data" they have been able to collect as technology advances. As the first cohort my classmates and I will be undergoing an intensive 10-month program before walking across the Tacoma Dome stage once again in June.

www.plu.edu

If you had asked me a year ago today about my plans for after graduation I would not be able to tell you. I was pursuing a BA in Psychology with a Business minor and was very unsure of what course I wanted to choose next, let alone if I wanted to stay in the USA or go back to Norway after graduation. When I heard about the program I was intrigued and applied right away through the Fast Track Admission option provided for current undergraduate PLU students and was accepted a month later.

A happy Madeleine & Co. after Graduation 2015

Today was my first day as a graduate student and it feels quite a bit different than undergrad so far. The great thing is that I know the professors I will be having from classes in my undergrad or research projects and several of my classmates have been group partners previously or co-workers. I am even taking a class with my professor from sophomore year, which I thought would be really strange. However, the people in my classes come from so many different areas of study (including computer science/information technology, economics, psychology, communication and religion) and can bring so many good qualities and experiences to the class as a whole and I am really looking forward to the next 10-months with the sixteen of us.

@brekkemo

I will keep you posted on how the next few months go and if I am able to keep up with the new program! If you have any questions for me please do not hesitate to leave them in the comment section below and I can try to answer them to the best of my ability!

Best,
Madeleine

Preparing for the New School Year

Hi, I hope everyone is enjoying the last couple of weeks they have of summer break before classes start at PLU. I got to go hiking on Mt. Rainier for the first time a few weeks ago, and it was absolutely great! If you're an incoming student, I recommend you try it out once you get here before it starts to cool down.

From my hike on Mt. Rainier!

As classes are starting in a couple of weeks, you might have forgotten to prepare for the new school year. Well no worries! Here is a list of things you might need to do before you start classes on September 8th (yes, this is when classes start if you already didn't know!).

1. Buy textbooks
Make sure you have all your textbooks for the semester. Textbook listings are available on the Garfield Book Company website. What I usually like to do is check the prices of books on the Garfield Bookstore website and compare prices with other companies such as Amazon or Chegg. Sometimes the used books on these websites tend to be a little cheaper, but not always so make sure to check the price before you buy your textbooks.

2. Buy school supplies
Make a trip to Target or Walmart to make sure you have enough school supplies such as pencils, pens, erasers, sticky notes, etc. It's always better to have extra, so that you don't run out when you least expect it.

3. New Student Living On-Campus? Contact your roommate.
If you are a student who is going to be living with a roommate they've never met, it's important you contact them so that you can communicate about things you may need to do before move-in. When I first moved into Ordal Hall, my residence hall my first year, my roommate and I talked about buying a mini-fridge and TV before moving in. It's also nice to get to know your roommate a little before meeting them, because it is very likely that you will be living with them for the whole year!

4. Chart out your classes and schedule on your Google Calendar
Gcal is a wonderful tool to have, especially if you know that you are going to be juggling several things during the school year. Since PLU has already provided you with a campus email address, you can use Gcal very easily through your Google email address provided by the school. I personally use it to schedule classes, work shifts, meetings with supervisors and professors, and sometimes even my time for relaxing! It's also convenient if you have a smartphone, because you can link your calendar to your smartphone so that it gives you notifications 40 minutes before you need to be somewhere.

5. Check your PLU email
Have you been having a little too much fun this summer? Maybe you haven't checked your PLU email for the last three months! It's important that you check your email before classes start, so that you are not missing important information before September 8th. Sometimes professors will contact you through your PLU email before classes start with some important things you may need to do for the class before you walk in for your first day.

6. Make sure you have access to Sakai and Banner
It's important that you confirm before the first day of classes that you have access to Sakai and Banner. Both of these will be necessary during the semester, so it's important to double-check that your accounts for these sites are working before you start class. Furthermore, your professor may also use Sakai to communicate with you. Many professors post important information or the syllabus for the class before classes start, so it's important to double-check and make sure you're prepared before you walk into that class.
 You also want to make sure that you have access to Banner. Make sure you have no holds on your account before the semester starts, and if you do take care of those right away so that you don't have to worry about those when you're busy writing papers or taking exams!
If you are having trouble accessing your account on these sites, make sure you contact the PLU Help Desk. They are located in the library, and are always willing to help you.

Looking forward to seeing everyone in a couple of weeks, and stay safe!
 Loana

Hiking in Washington for the First Time

I hope everybody is having an awesome summer! We've had beautiful weather in Tacoma so far, and some days have been extremely hot!

People are always surprised that even though I have lived in the Pacific Northwest for the last three years, I've never been hiking in Washington. One reason is because I'm absolutely terrified of heights, and even though there have be many opportunities to go on a trip through PLU Outdoor Recreation , I have been too scared to try it out. Since this is going to be my last summer as an undergraduate student, I decided that I wanted to at least give it a try this summer and hike up an easier trail.

I went with a friend, and we decided that morning to try the North Lake Trail, which is a hike in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest (Here is the trail if you would like to check it out!). This trail also included two lakes, so it was extremely scenic. We passed by our first lake, Independence Lake within the first hour of our hike, and ended the first half of our hike with the second lake, North Lake before we headed down the mountain. We started our hike around 12 PM, and luckily it wasn't too hot that day! As the first half was mostly an upward hike, I got to enjoy the plant-life and nature the mountain had to offer. Although we got lost trying to find North Lake, it was worth the extra time spent looking for the trail leading up to the lake. Even though the hike was a little more challenging than I anticipated, overall I would say that I enjoyed hiking in Washington and would definitely want to do it again. If you have any hikes you would recommend I try out, please let me know!

I hope everyone enjoys their summer!

Loana

Approaching North Lake from the mountain!

Taking a break by North Lake before hiking back.

Adventures in the City and in Nature

I hope everyone is having a good summer! I went home to Japan for three weeks, and now I'm back in Washington for the rest of the summer working in the Admissions Office. Since this is my last summer as a student not working full-time, I wanted to take advantage of this summer and go on adventures in Washington. Though I came back from Japan with no plans, I have already been able to go on a few adventures; whether it's going to an event in downtown Seattle and trying new food, or going to the lake for the day with friends. Here are a few things I have been up to this summer:

1. Seattle Pride Parade
Seattle Pride Parade is an event that happens every year at the end of June. This year's parade was especially awesome, since it was the weekend after the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage and many people were very excited. It was a great opportunity to explore downtown Seattle as well, and whether or not you've been to Pride in other cities, I encourage you to go next summer!

 

 

2. Trip to a Lake



One of the coolest thing about Washington is that there are a lot of lakes in the area that are accessible to the public. It's nice to just take a day (or maybe just a couple of hours) to go for a swim in the lake. Even though they get a little crowded during the weekends especially when it's hot, it's still gives you an opportunity to enjoy nature and cool down!

 

These are a couple of things that I have been doing this summer! I've also never been hiking in Washington or camping, so I'm hoping to cross those off my list. Let me know if you have any questions or want any recommendations on things to do close to PLU!