I know that this final blog is pretty late, which is the first time for me, but I decided to say what ought to be said. I have enjoyed coming to Converse very much. The Orientation week was a big help to me in that it was full of fun and activity, which made me feel a little less shy and self-conscious about doing things. I was able to bond with some people during that time. Music classes and Student Success Seminar put me with a whole new and special group of people whom I grew to value and love. I appreciate all of them very much, and the little things they have taught me. "Suffering" together drew us together, and it made me reach out to them more than I would have if I had gone to a big public college comprised of ten thousand students. Through Converse, I have learned what the real world is like, and what the different kinds of people in the world are. I have also learned to mind what I say, to analyze it and see whether it might be harmful or misconstrued. Also, I have tried to think of others more, and not let them down or refuse them. I have made mistakes, but I have attempted to learn from them and not repeat them. My experiences at Converse have been invaluable, and I will always treasure them.

Reviving an Old Converse Tradition

There was once this old Converse tradition that lasted until boys were permitted to be escorts of the Converse girls and come to dances in the 1930s. Dances were often held, but the girls were not allowed to bring boys to them. The tall girls had to dress up as men and be the dance partners of the shorter girls who wore their fine dresses. That sounds rather fun to me. It is definitely all right to have dances to which men can be brought sometimes, but dances could be held a lot more often if boys were not "required" to come to them. It would be a rather fun and interesting tradition to revive, were the college to hold dances once every two weeks, for example, and have the tall girls be the dance partners of the shorter ones. Yes, the 1889 Dance and the Peppermint Ball should still be held, by all means, but it is refreshing to have dances often because they relieve stress (which can build up when there is no upcoming holiday or special event to look forward to.)

Music--It Need Not Cause Stress

I have found classical music and country music to be my two favorite types of genres. I love classical because I am always playing it, so loving it seems to be a must. Plus, whenever I am listening to a classical song and am able to correctly identify that song, that always makes me feel good. I cannot really explain why, but it gives a good feeling to know that I have some knowledge of music, even if I cannot recall exactly what the frequency of a note is. Country music can either make you feel cheerful or rather melancholy, and it is so true to life. The words in many of the songs make a person feel as though they can relate to it. At least, I feel that way. For instance, there is a song which deals with the things that women are always talking about, and it seems so realistic, because women often do talk about their work, their friends, the places they've been, their clothes, their dreams, the men they like, their brains, and their medical charts. Country songs bring images clearly into my mind, images of small towns, farms, woods, and the way men and women act.
There are four songs that I find particularly uplifting when I feel down and out or overwhelmed are the theme song from the movie "Chariots of Fire," "Me and God" (a country song), "I Like It, I Love It", and the song "Solitude" from the album "Homespun Songs of the Great Smoky Mountains." The "Chariots of Fire" theme song sounds so uplifting because the movie is about facing challenges and overcoming them triumphantly. School work is very challenging sometimes and so is playing music for me, so when I listen to this song, it makes me feel as though I can meet these challenges and come out smiling. It makes me feel as though I can do anything and do it well. "Me and God" is kind of like a hymn, but an upbeat, rollicking sort of hymn. I have constantly found the words to be spiritually uplifting and encouraging, as well as hopeful.
"There ain't nothing that can't be done by me and God,
Ain't nobody gonna come between me and God.
One day we'll live together where the angels trod,
Me and God."
Not the best grammar, I admit, but its message is heartening and inspiring. "I Like It, I Love It" is about a man who is hooked by a particular girl, and he sings about all the effects she has on him. It makes me want to feel love the way the singer does, and I like to think that I could have the same effects on a man that the girl in the song does. Plus, the music is very cheerful and quick, and it kind of makes me want to dance, which is a good desire to have if you are currently feeling rather low spirited. The song "Solitude" belongs to the genre of folk. It is a very soothing song, and I like solitude, as well, so the title appeals to me. The music gives the impression that solitude is a very lovely thing, that solitude is a kind of therapy for the troubled soul. The song is quite pretty. There are many more songs that I find cheering and inspiring, but I have merely confined myself to four, so that I would not bore readers.

Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered?

Should the drinking age be lowered? There are many who believe that it should be, but there are many who support the maintenance of the present drinking age. It is difficult to decide on which side of the issue to stand, for there are a lot of good reasons that support both. However, it is probably best to take a stand on the side of keeping the drinking age at its present level. There are several reasons and statistics which would support keeping where it is, even though lowering it could be helpful.
One reason for maintaining 21 as the legal drinking age is that the human brain is not fully developed until that age. Many of the chemicals in alcohol could therefore be quite harmful to undeveloped, adolescent brains. Plus, teenagers can be quite irresponsible, foolish, and reckless sometimes, so their judgment and obedience to rules often cannot be trusted.While it is true, that after Congress passed the law in 1984 that prohibited people under 21 from drinking, teenage deaths due to the consumption of alcohol and its dangerous consequences began to soar, that means that teenagers rebelled against that law and did not bother to abide by it. Some teenagers drink just to flout the law and disrespect it because they simply do not care. When they turn 21, however, many people become more careful and moderate drinkers all of a sudden. Another reason to keep 21 as the drinking age is that the younger people are when they start drinking, the more likely they are to get drunk more quickly than older, more mature people and to become alcoholics (which can definitely have evil effects on their bodies).
One of the reasons people cite when they are calling for the lowering of the drinking age is that if people become legal adults when they are 18, if they are able to vote, join the military, and buy lottery tickets and cigarettes, then why should they not be permitted to buy and consume alcohol? That is a very good point which they bring up, but alcohol can be deadly, even if a person has only been on one drinking bout. Joining the military is an act of patriotism, but it is coupled with the knowledge of the possibility of dying. However, 18-year-old people are intellectually mature enough to decide whether they want to actually lay their lives on the line or not. Voting at 18 is all right because teenagers are hopefully intelligent enough to know what is best for their country, what political issues could mean for them, and who the most trustworthy and helpful government representatives should be. Smoking is not a good practice, but it does not affect the mind. People are allowed to smoke at 18 mainly because one is finished growing at that age (smoking interferes with and stunts one's bodily growth). Drinking alcohol, on the other hand, is very serious, but a lot of people just do not realize it or refuse to realize it. Everyone has to drink some sort of liquid some time, so there are those who just decide that drinking a little alcohol would not hurt. They drink some and then decide that a little more could not hurt, or else they are too engaged to something else to pay attention to the fact that they just automatically consume more and more drinks. Pretty soon, they become addicted to the alcohol they are drinking and have to have more of it because that is what alcohol can do. Drink more than two or three, and you can become a lost cause, no matter how strong a head or constitution you think you have. It is a very dangerous practice even if  teenagers make good resolutions to be careful.
This is not a disparagement against teenagers and youth rights. I am only trying to consider what is best for teenagers, both for their mental and bodily health and welfare. Smoking a lot can cause death, but one has time to stop, and stopping can save a person's life. Underage drinking can prove to be fatal the very first time. For example, a person is lurching unsteadily down the street, misses his footing and falls into the road where a car is unable to stop in time to prevent a terrible calamity. As I said before, there a lot of really good and convincing arguments to sway people in favor of lowering the drinking age, but it just does not seem safe. Teenagers are often rash and want to be cool, and the fact that they drink despite knowing that doing so is illegal and unsafe for them proves it. Preventing them from drinking until they really are mature adults seems to be a secure policy. It may save a person from rashly drinking one beer and finding himself becoming addicted to it and from conducting himself unsafely and getting himself killed.

Futurizing the Flock

    Let me tell you about some of my experiences during my first year at Converse College. One thing that surprised me when I arrived at Converse to move in, after deciding that this school was a perfect fit for me, was how polite the people were and how eager they were to help. So many people said to me, "If there's ever anything you need or want to talk about, you can come see me." The knowledge that a lot of folks would be there for me if I ever had trouble or needed help made me feel right at home. I found myself thinking that "people really are good at heart," as Anne Frank stated in her famous diary. Thinking along those lines was a great source of encouragement for me. Another thing that was surprising for me was the fact that it really was very easy to make friends. I was home schooled for thirteen years and had not had much contact with other people my age. I often wondered whether I would fit in at all or be accepted by anyone, but it turned out that I need not have worried. All I had to do was act naturally and always say kind, friendly things to everyone. So do not be afraid that you will not make any friends or fit in. The people at Converse really do their best to help you settle in and integrate yourself into the Converse experience.
    One big challenge that I found myself facing was finding time to practice my instrument. I actually found that I practiced less when I began college than I had when I was at home. I was always getting tied up doing homework, which had a way of piling up if I neglected it for more than an hour. I began forcing myself to make time to practice and made myself do it even if I felt like sleeping or reading instead. Believe me, it was very hard to force myself to do something that was very tiresome, but practice definitely pays off. If you put off practicing and end up not doing it for long periods of time, then you run the risk of failing your jury. If that happens, that could be an end to a career as a professional musician. It does not matter what kind of music major you are because you still have to perform for professors at the end of a semester, and if you fail, that would be very humiliating and crushing. So my message for the freshmen music majors is to practice as often and as intensively as you can, so you will not fail when your musical abilities are put to the test. Another challenge I faced was getting enough sleep to get through all the long college days. During the very first months of school, I found myself sleeping less than 6 hours on many nights. That is not good for the body or the mind. I forgot a lot of things very easily and felt very sluggish on many days when I had not allowed myself much sleep. Also, keep in mind that it can be rather embarassing to fall asleep when you are in class because it is rather rude. It is if you are showing that what the teacher says is boring, unimportant, and not worth your while. So to avoid that, try to get as much sleep as possible at night (not during the day because the human body is oriented to sleep at night and works in cycles. If you mess up the cycle of your bodily functions, that can cause problems.) There will be nights when you feel weighed down by homework and are haunted by the need to get some of it out of the way before you allow yourself time to sleep. That is very understandable, but do not spend too much time on it. You will not be able to think clearly in the morning if you do not let your body and mind rest.
   There are so many things that can be learned in classrooms, and many are actually very interesting. It is true that you can expect classes and homework to be nothing but a burden and a bore, but if you open your minds to learning and allow yourselves to enjoy and absorb what you learn, you will find that you look forward to classes and to gleaning vast stores of information from them. One fact I learned outside the classroom, which I considered to be valuable, was that you have to always be considerate of others. Be careful what you say to anyone and everyone, try to say things that are neutral and non-controversial until you know people better. Once you understand their mindsets and their worldviews, then you will know just how to treat them, but until then treat each person as though they were valuable pieces of china. I definitely did not want to alienate anyone I knew by saying things that would prevent them from being my friends. It is very painful and regrettable to have to contemplate the fact that you lost a friend because of a careless remark you made.
    My advice for freshmen music majors is to practice often, concentrate on all your work, remember to sleep, and do not ever despair. There will be days when failure seems to stare you in the face and you feel that you are completely swamped and that there is no way to overcome your workload. I repeat, do not despair. Remain calm and prioritize what work needs to be attended to first, then do it in order of importance. Even if a deadline is almost upon you, do not panic and lose your head. If you do, you will do poorly on your work and get a bad grade, which no one wants. Stay optimistic and do your best!

SSS Time Management Challenges

I actually have two big time management challenges that are difficult for me to overcome. They are oversleeping and getting tied up with little details. Often, I stay up late at night trying to focus on reading a required book or doing some type of homework and end up dozing off. I try very hard to stay focused and not let my attention wander, but my mind starts to roam, and my eyes begin to close in sheer weariness. I lose my train of original thought and end up having to read the same sentence three or four times before I finally grasp its meaning. I eventually decide to give it up and go to sleep. If I do not get it, I am very unfocused, uncomprehending, prone to fall into a trance, and forget things very easily. It is a very troublesome and disturbing problem. Then there are the nitty-gritty details that I get caught up in and feel obliged to complete. All these little tasks and personal matters that I feel I must do right away. I consider that all these small things will hold me up from doing bigger, more important tasks if I do not attend to them immediately. Unfortunately, all these combined tasks end up making me lose quite a bit of time and feel loaded down with work.

SSS Questions

Why did I decide to go to college?
I decided to come to college because my parents and I both felt that my education would be incomplete without going to a college and graduating with some sort of degree or honors. They considered that I was smart enough to go to a rigorous and demanding college where I could choose a major that I would enjoy and one that I could pass and maybe go on to graduate school or choose a career for myself. Also, since I was home schooled, I never experienced the fellowship and community that high schools and colleges have, so I wanted to see what that would be like. I had a great desire to meet and know a lot of new, diverse people. Although there were days when I disliked doing schoolwork intensely, for the most part I enjoyed it and often felt that summer was a boring and empty time because there was no school for me to do. So when 12th grade was over, I knew that I would feel rather empty and lost without some sort of schoolwork to do when September came around. What I really wanted and dreamed of throughout high school was to get a high degree in some subject and do really well academically at a top-notch college. Because of that ambition, I knew that, in order to get what I longed for, I have to come to college and start working to get it.

Why did I decide to come to Converse?
When I was deciding what colleges to visit and apply to, I was not keen on Converse because I considered it to be a tiny, unimportant, shabby, girls' school. I very much wanted to be a member of a big, well-known, high-ranking, co-ed school (I did not want to be shut off from the boys). My parents, however, thought that I at least ought to visit Converse and see what it was like. They were in favor of me attending Converse for the following reasons: (1) I would fit in and adapt better to a small college since I was a homeschooler and preferred being treated as an individual than as a number, (2) Converse was not far away from our home, so I would not have to go far to get home if I got homesick, and (3) in an all-girls school, I would have less chance of getting into trouble with boys and more chance of making friends with girls than I would if boys were around (because girls always act artificial and jealous when there are males present). Anyway, I consented to visit Converse, and I found that all the people, professors and students alike, were so nice and friendly. It made me feel as though I could fit in, build up self-confidence, and make a difference. After my visit, I decided that I would apply, and I did. Only two days after I mailed my application, I got a call from the admissions to say that I had been accepted like lightning. In addition to all of this, the fact that the school offered me quite a bit of money if I came helped sway my decision. In the end, I was torn between coming to Converse and coming to Furman University because Furman had all the assets that I had initially hoped to find in my ideal college. I finally chose Converse over Furman because the students were so much nicer than they were at Furman,  so much more unpretentious and caring. I felt that I would be loved and looked after by the people at Converse ever so much more than I would be by the Furman folks. So far, I have not been proven wrong on that score, for the people who make up Converse are very sweet and easy to get along with and know.

Why did I decide to study music in college at Converse?
I decided to study music here at Converse because its greatest reputation and chief attraction for me was its music school. From the very beginning, I was determined to go to a college that had a good music program because I had been playing the violin for eleven years and did not want to just let all that practicing and hard work of mine go to waste. When I learned that Converse had a pretty good music school, I decided that it would be worth my while to consider Converse as a possible college home for me. I really wanted to keep on playing the violin and work my way up to becoming a professional musician, so I felt that getting a college education in the field of music was just the ticket for me.

If I had to give up either sandwiches or cereal for the rest of my life, which would it be?
I believe that I would give up cereal, simply because I do not normally eat cereal, and therefore, it would not be a sore trial for me to give it up permanently. Plus, I love sandwiches, so I could not possibly give those up for the rest of my life. :)