So, in talking to a recruit about what she thought the pros and cons were of joining ROTC, I discovered that most of the cons had nothing to do with her--they were mostly the result of the people around her.
Having never experienced an adversity to my being in ROTC from my friends or family, I was pretty shocked by this.
Her friends had their misgivings, and her roommates were especially wary. How is her joining going to affect them?
Well, simply, it's not.
The only changes that they'll see in their lives are these:

1. They might catch a glimpse of some uniforms hanging up in her closet/see her in uniform sometimes
2. They might hear her alarm clock go off a little earlier in the morning, at which point they could just roll over and go back to sleep while she heads out to PT.

And that's the extent of it. Many people in ROTC have roommates who have nothing to do with the military and it's not a big deal at all. My roommate doesn't care one iota (in fact, she thinks it pretty cool because she can learn about it).

Her roommates were also concerned that it was also going to be a lot easier for her (and them, by extension) to get into trouble.
No.
It's not like there's a drill sergeant who follows cadets around all day; first and foremost, we are students--especially those on scholarship!
And if a cadet were to get in trouble somehow, why on earth would ROTC punish his or her roommate/s?

Finally, they were worried that, by joining ROTC, she was somehow going to be changed.
Ok, maybe people get a little more organized or develop better time-management skills, but we're not a bunch of robots. I would even go so far as to say that we're one of the most dynamic groups on campus; so many different people with varying interests, majors, ages, backgrounds, and more join.
To get an outside perspective, I called up my friends from home and asked them if I was any different now that I'm in ROTC. Frankly, they couldn't figure out where I had gotten such a strange notion from and told me that the answer was, obviously, "No."
Besides, it's not like we're void of fun in ROTC.

This Sunday, in fact, everyone's attending a promotion party for one of the cadre. It'll be held in McPhail's here on campus, and he's going to be promoted during half-time of the Super Bowl!
It's going to be really fun and everyone's looking forward to it!

Then, on February 16th, is the military ball!
But more to come on that gala later...
:)

Posted by Elizabeth McNamara at 1:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So PC is pretty big on giving its students a well-rounded, inter-disciplinary education. If you're unaccostumed to relating your subjects to each other, it can be a strange thing to wrap your head around. I find it pretty interesting, however, and it happens to me several times a day--even outside of civ.

A few examples:

I started my theology class about Thomas Aquinas last week and began delving into his history and beliefs. At the same time, we began to read The Discarded Image, by C.S. Lewis, in Civ. Wouldn't you know that Aquinas is discussed in the book, as is his great teacher, Albertus Magnus (and, to add to this, one of the buildings here on campus is named after Albertus Magnus).

The text also spoke of the difference between a faith-based belief and a scientific explanation. This was a comparison I had just finished making for homework for my political science class, Empirical Analysis.

There are more, but it's lunch time...

Posted by Elizabeth McNamara at 1:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hey, everyone! Long time no blogging! I was very busy enjoying my first Christmas, college break! I hope all of your holidays went very well, too!

Well, I'm crazy enough to be taking five classes this semester (as opposed to the four that nearly every freshman takes first semester), and I've already filled out my god-send of a planner with many notes!
The really good news, though, is that all five classes are located in one of two buildings--the two directly behind my dorm!
As you can imagine, this is extremely conveniant, and even just three days into classes here, I am enjoying it!

During this vacation, I enjoyed the ease of living nearby. Classes resumed on Tuesday, so most people moved back in on Monday. I, however, simply gathered together my essentials (it's not like I can't go back if I've forgotton something), dropped them off quickly, and went out with my friends, who are still home. Even with the snow storm that came blowing through, I was able to swing by quickly and didn't have to worry about much. Many people had to change their travel plans to accomodate the weather (while I sat home drinking hot chocolate).

I have also found other advantages. My friends from other schools are still on vacation, but being so close to home, I can still enjoy seeing them while I'm at school. So I'm on a semi-vacation for another week, I guess you could say.
At first they were thrilled to have won the unspoken "who's vacation goes the latest?" contest, but we can still hang out (and they get to meet all my PC friends!), and we'll see who's won come Easter when I have several days off and they don't!
And how about the fact that my last day of classes is May 1st?

Back on subject, however, I didn't miss homework this vacation, but I am thrilled to see everyone here at PC again and I'm happy to be getting back into the swing of things.

I know I boasted a lot this post but I'm feeling particularly fortunate and I wanted to share all the benefits of going to school close to home (and of PC's vacation schedule!). When I first applied to college, I thought I was comitting some faux pas for not "getting out," but this school fits me perfectly and I'm really enjoying myself. That's what counts and that's why I'm back for another semester!

Posted by Elizabeth McNamara at 1:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)