I know that I keep talking about "being back" and "getting back," but now, I'm "back back." By that, I mean that I've survived through my first week of classes, 17 freshmen boys invading my floor, and scheduling all of my projects, assignments, and exams. The snow in Scranton has begun to melt, which is a sign for me that this is going to be a great last semester!

Classes have been interesting so far. I've decided to take a lighter course load this semester. Although classes are my number one priority, a few other things have crept to the top of my list as well.

Grad School
For the past year, I really haven't made any strict decisions on graduate school, other than the fact that I want it to happen within the next two years. My goal is to get my master's degree in school counseling. For a long time now, I have been working with students, specifically high school students. After graduating from my high school, I was hired by the NYCDOE to work at my alma mater in the College Office. I worked there for a little over a year, helping seniors decide where they wanted to go to college and helping them get the paperwork done. When I transferred to The U, I begin to work at Admissions, where I speak to high school students all the time. So, as you may have guessed, I'm looking to work as a counselor with high school students. At least, that's the plan!

Full-Time Job
This is my immediate goal. I've been sending out resumes for the past few months in search of a job in three fields: Admissions, ResLife, or education. Undoubtedly, I'd like to continue my work with students, and these three fields would definitely give me that opportunity. I have diversified experiences in all three fields, so I feel pretty confident in my ability to do well in whichever field that happens to call me back. With whatever job I get, though, graduate school will stay at the top of the list as a priority. Working full-time and attending grad school classes in the evenings will be tough, but my experiences at The U have prepared me for those tough times. As it is now, I begin my days early and don't get back to my apartment until the evening most days. I'm sure that this new routine would take some getting used to, but my passion for what I'll be doing will definitely keep me going.

So yes, there is a lot to think about here. Like I said, I'm still giving my all to classes, but I'm working on these other priorities in the foreground as well. As my mom always tells me, time management is key, and I've done a pretty good job at learning to manage my time. In college, I suppose you really don't have much of a choice.

On a lighter note, Saturday is Valentine's Day. Yes, I'm working for a few hours, but Liz and I are heading out to Cafe Classico for a nice dinner. And who knows...there might even be a surprise in there for her.

RA interviews are continuing at a steady pace. In a couple of weeks, all of the candidates will be coming together for the group portion of the interview process. That means that there are going to be a lot of very energetic people in one place. (If you ever wonder what RAs are like, take a look----->http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUJniTi9kLY)

Well, I'm looking forward to lunch in a few hours. Monday is one of the few days Liz's schedule aligns with mine so that we're able to get lunch together. And, of course, Heroes is on tonight. It's always a good ending to my longest day of the week.

Later days!

~Rob

PS--Congratulations to all of you who have been accepted to The U! I hope to see you around campus for one of our Royal Nights and Preview Day! (BTW...coming to The University of Scranton = one of the best choices you might make...ever. Doubt me? Take a peek here...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDQZJjMVyVE and here...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttdOoDJqtiY)