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Elizabeth Cupp
Roberta, GA
Nursing
I chose GSW because
it reminded me of home without being at home. I wanted to come here
for the family atmosphere. A big factor in choosing Southwestern was
the fact that they have one of the best nursing programs in the
state and I have only heard great things about it. I cannot wait to
spend the next year of living and learning at Southwestern.
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Freshmen
Year...
Final Blog
May 5th, 2010
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“I remember the
way love felt in freshman year” Brantley Gilbert
That song is a
simple reflection of my freshman year. I remember balling my
eyes out when my parents left me by myself in my dorm room.
As I waved good-bye to my best friend from high school, I
stood there staring at the building that would house my life
for next year. I can’t believe that year is over. It seems
like yesterday I was sitting in the hall meeting… getting to
know the girls living on the hall with me. And now, I am
packing stuff up and will be leaving Americus in only a few
hours. I cannot begin to reflect on my nights spent here. I
will say this… live every moment to the limits. I have
experienced love from my family, friends, sorority sisters,
and even random strangers. I have done things that were not
exactly that smart but I would not change one thing about my
freshman year. Here are my words of wisdom to any incoming
freshman:
1. Go to
the park and swing on the swings at 3am when you need a
study break. It is exhilarating.
2. Pick
on campus safety; everyone knows they take their job way too
seriously.
3. Love
everyone.
4. Live
life with no regrets.
5. Don’t
be afraid to try new things.
6. Do
not eat food that has mold already growing on it just to see
if it is still good.
7. Make
new friends.
8. Make
a good friend with someone of the opposite sex, that way you
have someone to protect you from the random people in the
lobby.
9. It
is possible to fall off of a lofted bed!!!
10. Change
your sheets once every two weeks or at least when they start
to smell.
11. Bring
lots of towels and cups cause every college kid hates
washing clothes and dishes.
12. Instead
of complaining about the rain, (cause it happens a lot)
dance in it with rain boots while “singing in the rain”.
13. Make
the best of every bad situation; don’t hesitate to ask for
help, older people love to know that someone needs them.
14. GET
INVOLVED!!! Whether it is with your major, the campus, or
Greek life… that is one way to get your name out there and
make friends with people that share the same interest as
you.
15. Attend
at least one sporting event game and sumo wrestle a complete
stranger at half time. It is a good stress reliever.
Enjoy every
minute because it will fly by faster than your senior year
did. I wish you best of luck in all your endeavors. If you
see me on campus say Hey!!! I love to talk. Ask me any
questions? Find me on Facebook. But for now my classes are
done, I have had my fun. My room I must clear but don’t
worry… I will be back next year.
Kaitlyn,
KD sister and fellow
College Life Blogger at White
Rose, our sorority's spring formal. Bring a few dresses
ladies.
Anna and
me and the formal.
Scary
road trip... just ignore the caution tape on the window in
the background.
Me, some
friends, and my sister hanging out, she's on her way to
senior Prom.
My family.
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Finals...
Time to Study
April
16th, 2010
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These white
walls will be the death of me. As I sit here with my laptop
up against the wall of this small little box of a room, I
wonder what I am doing with my life. J I am such a nerd. I
am in the library. And writing this blog is a much needed
study break!! It feels like I have spent more time in here
this month than I have in my dorm room. Just last week I
spent 6 hours one day and 8 hours the next day in here
studying for a biology test and I ended up only making an
85. I was disappointed in myself, then I found out only 4
people in my 80 person class made A’s and 6 made B’s, I am
pretty proud of that B. If I have learned one thing this
semester it is to give every assignment my all and be happy
with the grade I make. I can beat myself up nonstop for
making that 85 instead of an A, or I can realize that I did
my best and the class is hard.
My sorority is
keeping me on my toes. I love it… always having something
to do letting me get out of my dorm or in most cases the
library and have a break. Don’t worry though all the events
are not mandatory so I can study and miss a few of them and
that is okay.
Things are
winding down this semester, this weekend I will be taking
home most of my winter clothes so that it is less for me to
take home when I move out. I am not taking summer classes
but I will have a heavy load next fall. (But I will talk
about that more in my end of the year blog) Well it is time
for me to get back to studying I have my finals to study
for… especially my big one next week in Biology Lab!!
By the way, I
saw where you can sign up to write these blogs next year… DO
IT!! I hate English and I hate writing but me being able to
tell others all about my life helps me to really see what I
am doing and what I need to be doing. It is only once a
month and Mr. Jonathan Scott (the man who coordinates it) is
a great resource and friend to have.
Fun on
the Front Lawn of Southwestern.
Raising
money with Kappa Delta for the Prevention of Child Abuse.
Yes... my
family had an Easter Egg toss.
Night out
with the girls.
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Be Thankful
March
17th, 2010
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Read, Read,
Read!! I never read in high school and this stuff is
ridiculous! I am given a test over four huge chapters and
although I go to class and take notes, I still can’t pass
the test unless I read all the chapters and remember the
information. I have had to come up with ways to stay up and
read and stay focus on my studies during the day. Studying
used to be something that I rarely did, but for my 4 midterm
tests I had to really crack down. Even classes that are
supposed to be easy require as much study time as those that
are the hardest classes. After doing really good on all but
one of my midterms it was nice to say hello to SPRING BREAK!
Instead of the
typical college spring break I choose to pack my things up
and go home! That right… I spent my first college spring
break at home and it was perfectly okay! I did not spend a
dime of my money and I actually got groceries, home cooked
meals, clothes, and more. The best part about spring break
was spending it with my family and friends. I got to see
most of my friends from high school and spend a whole day
with my grandmother (something that I have been missing). I
just found out I will be working at the GA FFA/FCCLA Center
in Covington, GA this summer as a camp staff member. I am so
ecstatic but I know that this means less time with my family
so it was great to be able to spend at least this week with
them.
In my sorority,
we are preparing for Shamrock. Shamrock is our fundraiser
for our philanthropy (a non-profit group that we raise money
for) Prevent Child Abuse America. We are hosting a golf
tournament this Saturday. It has been crazy to get together
but the young lady in charge is doing a great job!! I know
that it will all pay off in the end.
I feel as
though I should give advice every time I write one of these…
that way no matter what, you’ll at least get something
useful out of it. My Words of Wisdom: be thankful for
everything you have. Last week I was watching Extreme
Makeover Home Edition and I lost it crying. The only thing
this man had was a wife and kid with barely a roof over his
head, yet he was out there helping them build a house for
someone else. All he wanted was a job so that he could keep
his house and not have to eat every meal at the homeless
shelter. When the man was presented with a job opportunity
as a local security guard that only paid $8.00 an hour he
could not thank them enough. Sometimes I complain when I
don’t have enough money to go out to eat or to buy that new
dress. I have to remember to be thankful for what I have
because some day that may all be gone. I love my parents
very much and I cannot thank them enough for everything that
they have given me.
Wow that was a
long blog!! Now off to the Gym!!!
Working with
the Girl Scouts, one of the KD's
philanthropies.
Out
playing in the south Georgia Snow Storm...
Little
slippery though...
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What I Wish
I had Known...
February 5, 2010
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I was
thinking the other day about what I would have liked to
known coming to Southwestern. So I composed a list so you
know before you get here!
1.
In the words of Hannah Montana, “Everybody makes mistakes,
everybody has those days” Someday you may forget to do your
homework or read for that pop quiz, it is not the end of the
world.
2. In
your time at school, you will probably fail at something! My
Failure = my 1st Biology II test. I cried, ate
some cookies, and got over it. Over-reaction… yeah maybe,
but I have not failed a test since God knows when! I may
have failed, but I did not let it get to my head, I am
studying more now than ever.
3. Make
a To Do List! That way you know what you need to do before
class and it will save you some stress!
4. In
the Oaks Residence Hall, when you switch the thermostat to
heat… the smoke alarm WILL go off and smell really bad. It
is just it burning off the dust. DO NOT PANIC!
5. Get
out of your comfort zone! I just recently played intramural
basketball. I never watched a basketball game till I came to
college! After running up and down the court till I thought
I was dying, I made a basket!!! It may have been one point
but that is one thing that I have never done before!!
6. Campus
Safety does not play with parking tickets!!
7. Online
classes are only good if you are self disciplined and
somewhat computer literate.
8. Don’t
wait till Sunday to do your laundry! Everyone will be doing
it then!!!!
9. In
Americus, like everywhere these days, rain boots and an
umbrella are a smart investment!
Friends...
they're easy to find at Southwestern.
All dressed up
for the ball!
I think we look
better in this picture then the one above... what you do you
think? On the way to an 80's party.
Eating at La
Hacienda, our Mexican restaurant, try it if you come to
Americus.
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I Already
have Homework!!!
January 11, 2010
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The end of my first semester was great because I took the
time to study early… I was able to exempt my biology final
which took a heavy burden off of me. I was able to focus my
time on studying for my other two tests. If I had to give
advice to someone attending college for their first semester
I would say live, love, and laugh. Live every moment
even if that means pulling all-nighters because you want to
get to the next level in a video game. Love... find
friends that love you for who you are, not who you pretend
to be. And know that it is okay to have two different sets
of friends that are completely different. Laugh…
never be too proud to drop three dollars in quarters at taco
bell because you had to eat something other than the
cafeteria food. In four years I plan to be living the life
of a working woman, but right now I am enjoying life. I have
my whole life to go to bed early and read educating books,
but instead I pull random all-nighters because I want to
watch a whole season of Friends.
I enjoyed spending quality time with my friends and family.
No matter what, I know they will always be there for me. I
think about them everyday and I am glad that they read this
blog to keep track of my life.
So far my first semester has been going great! Only been
back here a week, made new friends, attended the basketball
games, and I already have homework!!
My
sisters and I with "Surge" at the basketball game.
My KD
family...
My
birthday cake... cookie...
The
perfect present for a college student!
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I Want to be
Your Tour Guide
November
3, 2009
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Today has been a hectic day. We registered for classes for the upcoming spring semester. Luckily I was not completely alone. I had to meet with my advisor in order to be able to even be cleared to register. My Advisor helped me to pick out the classes I wanted at the times I wanted. I woke up this morning at 6:30am, the earliest I have woken up all year. I then had to log onto my computer and register for classes starting at 7. Something for any future college students to know… don’t wait till later in the day to register because all the good classes will be gone. Only one of the 7 classes I am taking next semester is still open.
This weekend I will be officially initiated into Kappa Delta. This means that I am finally a full member, a sister in Kappa Delta for life. With all the KD events going on, I never have a bored moment. I have learned though, that sometimes you have to pass up the fun things to make good grades. My midterm grades were not as great as I wanted them to be, and although they were all passing by far, I still want to improve a few of them.
I am also officially a GSW Zephyr… What does that mean? Zephry’s show future students what it is like to be a Southwestern Hurricane. We do tours of campus and help to run Preview Day. If you come to Southwestern’s Preview Day, I might be your tour guide! If you are unable to attend a Preview Day, call the Office of Admissions and set up a personal tour. You can even request me to be your tour guide, if you like. Come visit GSW, I hope to see you here. Also, let me know if you read my blog, it is always nice to know that I am not writing this to hear myself talk.
Preview Day and Campus Visit Info
Guess who I
was for Halloween?
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Derby Days
October
10, 2009
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Over the past few weeks many people have asked me “How do you like school?” My answer is simple. I love it! Since accepting my bid for Kappa Delta, I have been busy filling my time doing fun things with my sisters. I have painted sheets to hang up around campus. The Sigma Chi fraternity had what they call “Derby Days” two weeks ago. Derby days are a fundraiser for their philanthropy,
Children’s Miracle Network. All week the two sororities competed against each other for points in fun filled events. We decorated the Sigma Chi house on Sunday night to kick the events off. The Theme for the week was Oktober Fest, which is very hard to decorate for. Other events that took place that week were the Sigma Chi New Member Auction, field game, scavenger hunt, money wars, wiffle ball game, and so much more. Every night there was a small party that allowed me time to bond with my sisters and members of my new member class. That week was awesome but was brought altogether with a band party on Saturday night. During the break of the band we found out the winner for Derby Days 2009 was …. Kappa Delta, but the true winner was the kids. They raised lots of money for the
Children’s Miracle Network.
College has not been all fun and games though… I spend countless hours and late nights up studying. Grades always come first. After all we are here to get an education and a degree. I have had three midterms and a fourth one to come this week. They are nothing to play with. Unlike high school, which I breezed through hardly ever studying, you HAVE to study to pass most of your classes. You have to keep your grades up. I am trying to get into the nursing program which is a very competitive program here. I have to have good grades along with the extracurricular activities. College is fun, but it requires you to be dedicated to whatever you under take.
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Sorority RUSH
September 22, 2009
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The week of
September 8th was one of the most stressful weeks
of my life. This week was Sorority Rush. Rush is defined by
Webster as to move forward, progress, or act with haste or
eagerness or without preparation. And that is exactly what
we did.
On the first
night we were given the rundown of how the week would go by
our Rho Gammas. Rho Gammas are sorority sisters that
disaffiliate with their chapter so that they can guide us in
the recruitment process. We were told that throughout the
week we would attend parties by each chapter where we get to
meet each of the chapter’s girls and get to talk to them. On
Wednesday, I went to my first parties I won’t talk about the
parties because I believe that those were all great and
something that you should personally experience not just
through my eyes. I attended both parties all three nights.
Going to
those parties was a great experience. On Friday night we
attended Preference Night. This night is when we all wore
black dresses and the sisters talked about how much there
sorority meant to them. Tears were shed and emotions
exposed. It was nice to see that a sisterhood is more than
just a name, there is meaning behind it. I chose that night
the sorority I wanted to be a part of and spent all night
hoping that they would chose me to.
The next
morning I woke up really early and went to the Student
Success Center to get my bid. A bid is a card that comes
from a sorority inviting you to become a new member. I
received a bid from ΚΔ, Kappa Delta. Since then, the best
has just gotten better. I love my new friends and future
sisters. I would love to talk to you more about my
sisterhood but I have an essay to write and I am
procrastinating.J
I will include more about what happens after I accepted my
bid in my next blog.
Recruitment Week, waiting on the first night to begin.
Me and my
new member class on bid day.
The KD's
hanging out on our sorority floor.
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Where Have My Hands Been...
September 7, 2009
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As I reflect
over my past few weeks here at GSW, I keep thinking about my
hands. With a few cases of the flu around everyone is
encouraging us to wash our hands constantly. But where have
my hands been to get contaminated? Maybe it was touching my
pen as I write pages of notes in my biology lab or maybe on
the yoga mats where I learned that I’m not as flexible as I
thought. It could have been all that time I spent holding my
English book as I read 50 something pages of boring nothing.
It is a possibility that with all the people I have met and
hands I have shook some germs could have been transferred.
Maybe it occurred when I held up like a million outfits to
my roommate to see which one I wanted to wear to a college
party. The source could be right in front of me… after all
I am on my laptop checking my email, GeorgiaVeiw (a way
teachers communicate to students ex. Cancelled classes), or
my RAIN account (check my financial aid) constantly hoping
that at some point I will get an email or message saying
class is cancelled. My hands could have become contaminated
from holding my umbrella up way to long as my friends and I
cheered the Lady Canes Soccer Team to their second win of
the season. At the Graffiti party I did use a lot of other
people’s highlighters to write on my shirt. Could that be
the culprit? Well whatever it is it was well worth it. I am
glad that I chose to come to school here and very proud to
be a Hurricane.
Kick
Boxing Class with my friend, Danielle
Graffiti
Party at the Pi Kappa Phi house
More
graffiti...
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They Actually Care about Me
August 20, 2009
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Where to
start???? Hmmm….. Well I guess I will start with move in
day. Most people show up and never know who their roommate
is going to be, lucky for me I met mine before and actually
handpicked her. She lived down the road from me and we went
to church together way back when we were little. So when we
got here we had already been shopping for all of our
bathroom stuff. I got the Private Suite and I love it.
Without it I would not have the privacy like I am accustomed
to back home. We got here and things were very organized I
went and got my key and ID and moved everything into my room
and got it organized within like 2 and ½ hours. After a long
day my parents, my aunt, and my best friend left about 4.
That night we had a few RA (resident assistant) meetings,
Saturday Night Live, and a pool party. They definitely made
sure that we had a good evening.
On Sunday I
went walking around the campus and had to go to session
things from 1-5ish. I then hung out with my friend from
orientation, Ruthie. We had fun and went out on the town for
a little while. When we got back we attended a campus wide
Casino Night where I won an under the bed shoe organizer. I
enjoyed mainly getting to meet new people and meeting up
with the Greek organizations. On Tuesday I started my first
class at the 3:30 in the afternoon, it was Human Growth and
Development and I really like teacher and all the other ones
that I had that night. To date, all of my professors are
nice and unlike what I thought they would be like. They
actually care about me. They want me to succeed and
graduate. All of them encouraged me to come by their offices
anytime if I ever needed help with what I was doing.
Wednesday night I went out to eat with 4 friends to the
Roman Oven. For our first time, it was really good. Kind of
like a small CiCi’s Pizza but with better pizza. Although
some of my friends had loads of home work, I did not really
have much because I tackled it as soon as I got it. That
gave me so much more free time.
My
student Email is
ecupp@radar.gsw.edu.
I encourage you to email me if you have any questions. Trust
me, no question is stupid. I wish I would have had the
opportunity that you have; to read what student life was
like before I started. So far I love it here, people are
nice, and the food is better than what I ate in high school
but it is not 5 star.
Unpacking is
fun
My room
The view from
my friend's room
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I am Elizabeth Cupp
August 14, 2009
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Hello
my name is Elizabeth Danielle Cupp and I am from
Roberta, GA. I plan for my first year at GSW to be full
of fun. I want to attend as many sporting events as
possible. I was involved in several clubs and watched
just about every baseball, softball, and football game.
I enjoyed these sporting events in high school and I
don’t want that to change with my transition into
college. I would also love to become a member of a
sorority and participate in all of their community
events.
I chose
GSW because it reminded me of home without being at home. I
wanted to come here for the family atmosphere. A big factor
in choosing Southwestern was the fact that they have one of
the best nursing programs in the state and I have only heard
great things about it. I cannot wait to spend the next year
of living and learning at Southwestern.
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