Dear reader,
Now that the May 1st deadline has come and passed, it's time for me to hang up the towel (mixed metaphor for the win) as student blogger. But before I leave my tearful goodbye, I'd like to just *quickly* mention an awesome event on campus I went to over the weekend, which was the annual conference of the Center for China-U.S. Cooperation (CCUSC), which is headed by Sam Suisheng Zhao, a professor over at the Korbel School. Basically, the two-day conference consisted of four panels, with various academics/experts talking about issues related to security and international relations issues facing China, its neighbors, and the United States. We also had a very special guest, Ambassador James R. Keith, who spoke at a dinner Friday night. His talk was probably the most intriguing part of the night. All in all, though, the conference was truly eye-opening, and I walked away from it with a wealth of knowledge about the region I'll be visiting next fall. :-)
In any case, it's about time for me to sign off. But before I go I'd like to just sum up a few of the awesome things I got to do this year as a result of my being a student at DU. If you're coming here next fall, maybe you can use this as something to brainstorm with.
Let's see...
- I went to seven concerts this year, including TV On The Radio and M83, as well as a sold-out show by a local band named Churchill that I got to go to for free as a result of my being Entertainment Editor at the Clarion.
- Got to see the Avengers for free in 3D for the same reason!
- Saw Madeleine Albright speak on campus.
- Have been taking a class taught by a former ambassador.
- Saw General George Casey speak multiple times on campus.
- Applied for, and was accepted into, a study abroad program IN CHINA next fall.
- Discovered several fantastic new local restaurants, including: Cowbobas, Sunlight Donuts, The Market, and, my personal favorite, Las Tortas (NOTE: IF YOU GO TO DU, YOU HAVE TO GO TO LAS TORTAS. I COMMAND YOU)
- Got to see Shakespeare for free as part of the Honors Program.
- Got to see Swan Lake for free as part of the Honors Program.
- Got super-discounted tickets to the Lion King.
- Saw tons of awesome independent movies (including Oscar-nominated animated and live-action shorts) at the amazing indpendent theatres nearby campus.
- Saw some amazing DU hockey games!
- Saw President Obama speak near campus.
- Got to go to the National Ice Core Lab (and stand in negative 36-degree Celsius temperature!)
- Got to campout for season hockey tickets :-)
- And a lot more stuff that I'm probably forgetting right now.
The long and the short of it is, I've had an amazing sophomore year. I've still got a few weeks left in classes, but things are sorta winding down, and it's gonna be tough to leave this one behind.
If you've committed to DU, I'd like to formally welcome you to our campus. I won't be here next fall to officially welcome you (as I'll be a few thousand miles away), but just know that I hope to see you around campus when I return! And if you've decided to go elsewhere, I'd like to wish you an amazing time there as well.
AND IF YOU READ ONE THING FROM MY BLOG THE ENTIRE YEAR, LET IT BE THIS:
I had a pretty rough time the first few months of college. So rough, in fact, that it led me to transfer back to a school closer to home (hence, how I ended up at DU). And while I wouldn't change my decision for anything, and while I've made some truly amazing friends, and had some incredible classes at DU that I'd never want to forget, I would hate for anyone to feel quite as low as I did that first semester of freshman year and have to make the same decision I made. So, if you get to campus, and college seems a bit overwhelming, just know: you're not the only one. College is a tough transition for many, many freshman. I know the hardest part of it all for me was feeling alone in my, well, lack of enjoyment of college. In reality, it's a big transition, and a lot of people have trouble adjusting. So just know, that no matter what you may feel those first few weeks (or months), others have felt, and are feeling, the same way. I know that one mistake I made was just not getting involved with campus groups, and meeting people that way. So do your best to get involved, be open with people, and just know that every transition gets a little easier the more time you give it.
And if you come to campus, and you love college immediately, then prepare to have the time of your life. DU, CU, NYU, Harvard, wherever – I wish you the absolute best.
Thank you for reading my blog this year!
Sincerely,
Christian Allen
Sophomore, University of Denver