And......WE ARE BACK! This week is the last day of the first day of school for me and WOW! I really can't believe that it is my last semester. It just feels like yesterday where I was just a freshman here and starting classes for the first time. Looking back I've realized so many things have changed when I came here. Not only did I did, I got to see how the University of Scranton evolved over the past 4 years. From Gunster Student Center being knocked down, DeNaples being built, new dormitories (Condron Hall), and experiencing new things. It's so crazy but that's what college does to you over the past years. It has been an amazing ride so far and I plan to leave the University of Scranton with the best memories of my life.
So besides that I hope everyone had an enjoyable break. I sure did! Well, when you have just about 2 months off you need to find something to do to help pass the time but also it gives you some time to relax as well. As I wrote in my previous posts my cousins from Singapore came and that was so much fun seeing them again! They actually have plans on moving here to the United States and that got me even more excited because it will be the first family (besides mine) that will be moving to the United States. They plan on moving very close to my home in New Jersey so it will be great to have more family right around the corner. Besides spending time with my family I did another Internship at Quest Diagnostics, it was actually my third one, but I got to work with a different department. I always feel like its good to explore different interests and when you really want to experience something else you have to go for it. So I decided to pursue my interests in Clinical Trials and learn more about the business and what Quest Diagnostics offers to the Clinical Trials business. My project consisted of developing a wireframe for their Intranet website and let me just say it was as challenge. With the short time that I had I needed to gather all the information from each department and write about how the departments contribute to the business growth. I got my project accomplished and my boss was very pleased with what I did. I'm excited that I got to learn about this business and the team working for Quest Diagnostics because I learned new things and of course added new knowledge to my education about the Health Care industry.
This semester will be a little bit easier for me as I am only taking 12 credits rather than the typical 18 that I usually take. It is great that I my schedule is lighter and I plan on doing more things with the Health Administration Society and working hard to accomplish what I need to accomplish this semester. I hope everyone has a great week! I will let you know how my first week goes in the next post!
Take care!
- Pattie Vongsoasup
Yes you heard me! SNOW!! Of course, we had to get snow on the last week here on campus during finals week. Crazy right? Finally the snow is here and I am pretty excited because I LOVE snow, but I really hope I don't have to drive home in it on Thursday. The last thing I need driving back to New Jersey is a ton of snow and me getting stuck in it because I have very good tendencies to get stuck in snow with my car and I have an SUV. Comes to show what kind of driver I am right? Well I'm not bad but when it comes to snow I always have some sort of problem with it when I drive haha. Other than that we are in the middle of finals week and for me it is not that bad actually because I only had two finals and one of them was a take home paper and the other is an open book online exam. However, those finals seem pretty easy, it actually wasn't. I haven't taken my online exam yet, but my take home paper was very difficult.
Even though the paper was really hard I enjoyed writing it because it made me think a lot. The paper was actually on medical ethics, which is a class I am required to take for my major. I absolutely LOVED this class because it makes you think about different situations and how you would approach them. My professor, Father Ron is such a good professor and if any current student looking for a great Philosophy professor definitely take Father Ron because he is awesome. then again all my Philosophy professors that I took were great. This is one of things I love about going to a Jesuit University is that we are required to take Philosophy classes, but you know it really does make a different to your education. I'm really going to miss this class as it was my favorite along with my Health Administration Cultural Diversity course. Keep in mind future students who are interested in the University for Royal Nights which is next semester you actually get to sit in on a couple classes so you get to experience what it is like to be a Scranton student. I totally recommend doing the Royal Nights if you are interested in going to the U.
Winter is finally here and I am ready for a break and to hit the mountains since I haven't been snowboarding for a year! Also I will be interning again for Quest Diagnostics so that should be exciting and I start Monday! I'm going to be working on a Clinical Trial project as well as some Human Resources assignments. Well it is getting cold as well so keep warm and good luck with finals everyone!
Take Care!
- Pattie Vongsoasup
Hey everyone!! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving break! I know I did! I got to spend a lot of time with my parents and sister and we had a small Thanksgiving meal with family friends. It was great because we always do a traditional/Asian Thanksgiving so we have a combination of both. Instead of pumpkin pie this year my mom decided to make a pumpkin Thai dessert that involves coconut milk and pieces of pumpkin which is so yummy. Overall I was stuffed for the rest of the night and I had a hard time sleeping, but that's ok because of Black Friday!!
Usually for Black Friday me and my best friend go at 4 AM in the morning, but this year I actually didn't wake up in time because I actually didn't have anything in mind to purchase so I decided to get some sleep and go with my friend later. I went around 1:00PM and surprisingly it wasn't as crowded as I thought it would be so I got some pretty good deals! Not to bad right?
So this week is Dead Week, or the week before finals as we call it, but its Dead Week because there are no Exams administered this week. However, dead week isn't as dead as you think because that is when projects and papers are due so I am piled up with presentations and papers, but the one tip I always give students is to make sure you are on top of things and to work together with your group because doing a group project alone can get tough. Deadlines are always difficult but as long as you have strong time management skills you will be fine and organized! Next week is finals, but for the first time I actually don't have many because a lot of my classes had huge group projects as our finals so it's actually nice for once to not have so many finals back to back. I'm looking forward to winter break because I may be interning with Quest Diagnostics again for the Corporate Human Resources department and help them out with some projects that involve diversity and recruitment so I'm looking forward to that. Also, since I was abroad last semester (WOW it's been almost a year since I first left for Singapore!) I wasn't able to go snowboarding,but during the break I was able to find some new snowboarding gear and my cousins from Singapore should be coming so we are going to go to the slopes! I'm pretty excited and in about a month I will be 22! So much is going to happen in the next couple months and I am really excited! AHHH!! One more semester and I am done! Well now it is getting chilly out so stay warm and good luck on finals Scranton!
Take Care!
- Pattie Vongsoasup
AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! This is by far my most busiest semester EVER! I would never think that I would be so so so so busy but since Thanksgiving break is coming right around the corner it would be a bit busy, but not this busy! I have 2 projects, 2 exams, and had 3 writing papers due all within this week. I still have my 2 exams today and tomorrow and one last paper due Friday but I feel like I have no time in the day to do all of this. On top of that I have the Health Administration Society annual Christmas decorating party on Friday to organize so I have all these things to do within the next few days! AHHHH!!!!
I'm really excited for Friday because that's when a lot of my chaos is dwindling down. I'm really excited for the Christmas Party just because its a tradition that the students do for the Health Administration department. However, this year we are inviting more people and different clubs to come join. We invited the SHRM - Student Chapter Human Resources club and also ACHE which is the Graduate Health Administration club. We should have a huge turnout which is great because I think it would be a good opportunity to meet new students also we are all in the same wing of the building so it would be nice to have it all Christmas decorated. Also its good because being a HR minor helps so I can introduce all the HR students I know to the HADM students. Lets hope this will be a success!
I can't wait to go home for Thanksgiving break to see my family and friends. Since my parents are finally back from Thailand we can hang out and also spend some time together. Also I got some presents as well so that is always a plus right? I can't wait to also go shopping for Black Friday. There are some things that I actually want but I don't have to worry about getting too hassled because I am looking for some new Snowboard gear and a lot of people don't really snowboard...well at least to my knowledge. That's another thing I am excited for is snowboarding this season since I missed out all of last year from being abroad. I have a few friends at Scranton who snowboard so it is going to be a good time when we all come back from Winter Break. My cousins are also going to be here for the Winter holidays so that makes me even more excited because I get to see them again this year! On top of that I may be working at Quest Diagnostics during the winter to help out a little bit with some of the workload which is going to be great for experience!
WOW I can't believe how much is going to happen in the next few months, I really can't keep track. All I know is that it is going to be really fun and quite adventurous! Well off to study, I have an exam at 6:30PM! YIKES! Wish me luck!
Take Care & have a good week! :)
- Pattie Vongsoasup
Hello everyone! I hope you all are having a good week. This week isn't too bad for me, but I have a lot of work to do because of deadlines! A lot of projects, presentations, and exams are next week so I will have to prepare for all of this because it will hit me all at once and the last thing anyone wants is stress. I've learned in the past 3 years being at the University to prioritize my work and also work ahead of time. It helps avoid the stress and the pile up of work. So the number one tip of advice I give to prospective students is to make sure they have good time management because it is one of the most important things you need to have (besides the smarts!) to survive in college. In high-school I had to do a lot of time management because of all the sports I played, lessons, music, and everything! As long as you hvae time management you will be able to accomplish all the tasks you need to do :)
So next week is Open-Mic night at the DeNaples Student Center. My friend Kevin is hosting the event and he has asked people if they wanted to do Open-Mic night. Me and my friend Rob (he is the president of the Urban Beats Dance Crew! Such a good group by the way) will be doing a couple of songs. Rob is awesome at the guitar so we are so excited to do a second performance at the University. Freshman year we performed for Apollo Night so we think it would be cool to go out as seniors with one last performance! I am really excited and nervous at the same time because I don't want to mess up. I don't think I am the best singer, but I am some what decent so if you are around the area come check out all the performances!
This past Sunday was the 2nd and my last Open House! It was very successful and I was happy to see another student from West Orange High School! I love seeing people from my high school come because not many people from every class come here. I hope you all enjoyed the open house if you came! If you did come to my platform in DeNaples (near Starbucks) that was me! It was great to talk about the University but it was so hard to pick the right things to talk about in 5 minutes.
I hope everyone has a good week! Next week is THANKSGIVING BREAK!!
Take care :)
- Pattie Vongsoasup
Hello everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween and enjoyed the extra hour of sleeping because of day lights savings time. I know I did! I always enjoy my sleep so an extra hour was great. Halloween weekend was great! On Thursday the 29th the Health Administration Society delivered the pumpkins and it was so successful thanks to everyone's help. I really want to thank the help of the Graduate Health Administration students for taking time out of their night to come help us out. It really does show that the graduate and undergraduate program are dedicated and want to help each other out whether it be with different club events (the graduate students are apart of ACHE - American College of Healthcare Executives and the undergraduates the Health Administration Society). In a record breaking time we delivered all 135 pumpkins in 30 minutes. I remember it taking a couple hours but 30 minutes was just crazy! Thank you for all that helped out and this fundraiser would not have been a success without it!
Then it was Halloween weekend. It was such a fun Halloween as me and roommates dressed up as the Seasons (I was summer) and also we did a Boxing Theme another night. I also got to see other people dressed up as well and let me just say that there are were many creative costumes. A lot of people were Jon & Kate Plus 8 (which was so cute may I add) and also my other roommate was Gonzo the Muppet which was also really awesome. My house was also decorated very Halloween-ish thanks to my roommate who loves Halloween. He really knows how to create a Halloween theme house and he made it so creepy it was scary and awesome at the same time. I have to say that this Halloween has been the best out of all of the 4 here at the University. It was fun & I am sad to say it is my last Halloween in college.
Now November is here and that means it is a month and a half away from winter break! I can't believe it at all because around this time last year I was getting all my paper work finished for Study Abroad and preparing all my necessary documents and arrangements for my semester in Singapore. I can't believe how fast time flies and it makes me remember the amazing times abroad! Now that I am working in the Study Abroad office this year I am going to help the students who are going abroad next semester with any questions they have and also prepare them for what is yet to come while they are abroad. If I could, I would so go with them, but its my senior year so I do not want to miss out on it! It's crazy how fast time flies when you are in college. All I can say to the freshman and sophomores in college is to make the best of it because when junior and senior year comes it just flies right before your eyes. Now its time for job hunting or going to graduate school and I don't know what to do. I am waiting for my acceptance/non acceptance letter for the graduate school here and that will help me determine what I am going to do once I graduate.
I hope you all have a great week! I highly suggest that you come to the 2nd Open House on campus this Sunday (I will be standing on my podium in DeNaples talking about the University!) I was suppose to go to Penn State to watch the Ohio State game but all the tickets were sold out! So I am going to the Indiana game the week after! Stay warm it is getting cold out now. Take care!
- Pattie Vongsoasup
Hello everyone! So, this blog is my 20th blog ever since I started! Exciting right? Hopefully I can make this blog interesting to read, but the past week has been fun and was very very busy because of Mid Terms and homework assignments. Other than that, I had the Safe Trick or Treat on Sunday and also Judo again this week as well.
On Sunday the Safe Trick or Treat occurred in the DeNaples Ball Room and that was so much fun! Clubs at the University can volunteer to have a table with games and activities for the local Scranton kids that they can play and before they come and play games they go trick or treating in the dorms. Last year our table had games that were a little bit too easy for the kids (they told us themselves) and to improve from last year we decided to go a different way and do some fun games. We decided to do a Candy Corn Toss and also Pumpkin Bowling. It was very successful because the kids loved it (of all ages) and some kids even came back more than once. We made a poster for our booth and also decorated our table to make it more festive for the occasion. I was very happy with all the help that we got from the club members because this week a lot of people had Mid Terms and assignments due. In the next week we have our Pumpkin Fundraiser delivery and so far we have 120 pumpkin orders! That is more than double than what we had last year and we still have one more week until we go pick up the pumpkins! I am so excited that we have raised this much money so far and I hope we can reach a goal of 150 pumpkins! One problem, how are we going to pick up 150 pumpkins?! Haha, me and the officers have been trying to figure this out but we are going to talk to our adviser to see if what we can do because 150 pumpkins is a lot and my car definitely won't fit all of those!
Besides the Pumpkin Fundraiser, I've been training twice a week in Judo to get ready for my promotional in November. I need to learn a few more throws and I need to compete and earn 3 points to get my green belt but hopefully I can do that. I don't have much confidence in myself with competing because I feel like I am not ready enough but Sensei thinks I am ready for it. I will just have to gain some confidence and try as hard as I can. I really like Judo and I hope to improve in it in the next few weeks so I can get my next belt. I never thought I could, but we will see in promotional!
The weather AGAIN keeps changing!! This week it is a lot warmer and it is driving me crazy with all the change! Either stay warm or stay cold or somewhere in the middle. I rather somewhere in the middle where its not too warm or too cold but I am sure most people would prefer the warm weather. Have a good week everyone!
Take Care!
- Pattie Vongsoasup
Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't written a blog in a couple weeks. Since break last week, I have lost track of time and my dates are off! Last week, I left for fall break on Thursday and I had a lot of papers due before I left as well. What I didn't realize was that fall break also marks the half way point through the semester so I am halfway done to one more semester of my college career! How crazy is that? I always say "how crazy is that?" but I can't help it. It honestly does feel like I just entered college 3 years ago, and now I am going to graduate. I also found out graduation is May 30th!
Besides thinking about graduating in May, I had a great Fall Break! I got to spend time with my parents and my sister because I haven't seen them since I have been at school. My parents are leaving to go back to Thailand and Singapore for vacation and since I won't see them while I am at school, it was good to spend time with them. Also,I got to do some shopping, see some of my friends from high school and also people from work. It was good to catch up with friends from home because we don't get to see each other very often since we all go to different Universities and Colleges. The next break is actually Thanksgiving so I hope to see everyone when I go back! I may go back home a couple times, but I do plan on visiting Rutgers and Penn State this semester to see my friends! So excited! This month is going to be so hectic, so lets hope I can handle it!
The Health Administration Society Pumpkin Fundraiser is going so well! We have been receiving so many letters that I was so shocked to see how much we got. So far we have about 70 letters and there are still 2 more weeks before we start delivering the pumpkins to the freshman! I am so excited that we are doing so well and this fundraiser will definitely benefit for club events and our trips to different health care facilities! Thank you so much for all the support for the club and all of the officers and members who are making the fundraiser so successful.
The weather this week has been so crazy! Cold rain and the Weather Channel said that Scranton has a winter advisory and that it will snow from Thursday - Saturday. Oh crazy weather please don't make us sick and more cold! It is way too early don't you think? Stay warm everyone have a good weekend!
Take Care!
- Pattie Vongsoasup
It is October 1st everyone! That means fall is officially here and so are pumpkins! This week the weather has been changing from warm to cold, so that means I have to bring out my warm UGG boots, scarfs, and north face jacket! For all the freshman, I hope you know that it will get colder than this in the next few weeks so bundle up! October is one of my favorite months of the year because my dad's birthday is this month, the pumpkin fundraiser, the leaves start to fall and change color, and of course Halloween! Well, I am not the biggest Halloween fan, but I love to decorate pumpkins and make jack-o-laterns. One of my housemates LOVES Halloween. He is such a fanatic that he's actually going to Universal Studios for a weekend to go through all the haunted houses and everything. Those type of things I'm not so fond of. Not really a haunted house type of girl, but hey we plan on going on a haunted hay ride so I don't know what to expect, nor do I really want to know what I am going to get myself into! I'm sure it will be fun, but knowing me I will probably get scared.
This month is going to be really crazy because of all the activities I am going to do and also exams and midterms! I didn't really have any exams yet, but next week I have a quiz, 2 papers and a case study due. Hmm.. seems like now all the work is piling up but I'm used to it and that's what you learn in college is time management. On top of those, I have to prepare the Pumpkin Fundraiser for the Health Administration Society because I am the President and I have to make sure everything is organized. The other officers in the club are awesome and we work so well together. Today we finally sent out the letters to the families of the freshman class so I am hoping we will have a successful fundraiser and raise some money for our trips next semester! Also, I am planning a candy cane fundraiser for the Christmas time so we can have more funds in our account.
Besides all the class work and everything, I am doing a lot of fun activities on the side. I was able to audition to sing the National Anthem at some of the Home Games for the Varsity Sports and they liked me to enough that I can sing at the games! This Saturday at the Boy's Soccer game against Susquehanna will be the first game I sing the National Anthem at! Come and watch me sing! Haha, you don't have to but hey it would be cool right? Otherwise I am training for Judo and working in Study Abroad and as Tour Guide for Admissions. For all of the students interested in The University of Scranton sign up for tours! I give them out on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday in the afternoon!
Bundle up and I will have some pics up in my next post! Have a good week everyone!
Take care!
- Pattie Vongsoasup
As I am writing this blog, I notice that today is September 23rd. It is practically a month since school started! I can't believe it because it only feels like a couple weeks since we started. Soon it is almost October and then it will be November, soon enough May will come along and I will graduate. Time flies when you are in college!
My week has been going well so far. Last week I started Judo again! One of the many new things I picked up since freshman year. I recommend anyone interested trying a new sport or something new in general to try it. I didn't know what Judo was freshman year and I decided to take it as a gym class. Ever since, I have gone every semester since spring of freshman year to Judo because it was something that was so much fun! I didn't think I would get too serious about it, but I did get my yellow belt and I am thinking about going for my green belt (if I have the time to train!). Even in Singapore I learned some great Judo moves from very good Judo athletes. I miss the Judo club over there because they were really good athletes and they were more than open to letting me train with them! If you are interested in trying a new sport I totally recommend it. For the past 3 years I did Women's Crew & Judo! Two sports that weren't really popular as I grew up, but when I came here to the University of Scranton I got exposed to it, I tried it, and I LOVED it! Unfortunately, since my schedule is so hectic this semester I am unable to do Crew as I need to concentrate on my academics. I miss rowing!
Otherwise, being back is wonderful! I am working also at the Study Abroad office and I have met some of the International Students who are here which is so great! I love meeting new people and its always great to learn about other cultures as well! Well I am off to my International Business class (funny I'm talking about international right?). Have a good weekend everyone!
Take Care!
- Pattie Vongsoasup
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