Take The Time To Thank Your Parents

The title says it all: be sure to thank your parents for everything they've done.

College is a time of independence. It is that point in your life where you are "leaving the nest" and moving out into the real world. I'm sure a lot of us were the ones who couldn't wait to get out of the house and leave the parental units. I know I was! But it did not really occur to me until recently how much I had actually learned from them. I have seen many people already completely wasted and blacking out and finding themselves on the beach the next morning, people getting arrested for stupid acts, and even people having to go the hospital to get their stomach pumped! I look at these people with amazement. I feel a little bit sorry for them, but moreover it makes me thankful that my parents raised me to be the person I am now.

It's true, we have all fought with our parents, said things we did not mean, do things we regretted later, but when you look at the big picture, it was these experiences and learning from your mistakes that helped shape you to be the person you are today. And who helped us every step of the way? Our parents.

So if you have not already, thank your parents. They might not be perfect, but they sure as hell helped get you to where you are today, especially since we are the fortunate ones to have been able to go to college and get into this university.

Thanks Kevin Pham for the inspiration to write this.

The Way College Is vs. The Way Most People Perceive It

I figured it would be good to go into detail of what to expect out of my blogs for this semester for English 100 and why I chose this topic:

Very scarcely have I seen anyone ever talk about what college life is really like, and more specifically, fraternities. It's interesting, because when I talk to a lot of people who are either in college or have recently graduated, they tell me that it is nothing like their elders have told them it's like. The reason for this is simple: the times, they are-a changin'.  Simply put, things have changed.

So why does any of this matter, Ross? What is the point to all of this?

The reason I chose to write about this is because there needs to be a new "College Survival Guide" type blog, one that is up to date with my generation in mind. Granted, I am a freshman, but there is something I learn every week that is different from what I have been told in my lifetime. Also, for those of you who don't know, I'm currently pledging the Kappa Sigma fraternity, so my plan is to blog about what really happens in a fraternity, to either prove true or break the stereotype.

I would love to hear from everyone on what your opinions are!

College Parties Are Overrated

I realize that the title of this post might make it seem that I am completely opposed to parties, but quite the opposite, in some odd contradictory way. Honestly, what college kid has never been to a college party? It is basically included in the college experience package. Back on topic, the purpose of this post is to raise the question of why exactly college parties have so much hype. Sure, they are fun to go to, you get to meet new people, be social, and if you're one of those people, have a few drinks. But it appears that a lot more people are getting in to the hard partying: drinking until they black out, doing drugs, trying to get lucky, etc. Personally, I find remembering last night much better than waking up the next morning hungover and not remembering why you have loser written on your forehead (cliche, I know). So what is it exactly that drives these kinds of people to go to these extremes? Is there some aspect to partying that I do not understand? This is why I find, in conclusion, most college parties overrated, not just a fun social gathering.