Finals Week in Madison...

So as finals are coming up, Madison is gearing up for coffee, late nights, and study sessions. In all honesty, the academic scene at Madison is extremely different from DePaul. So of course, finals week (and I include the week before finals in the "finals week" category), is entirely different. Study groups, special exam reviews, and study reviews are basically non-existent at DePaul. Class sizes at DePaul are AT THE MOST 50 kids, so the average class size is below 20 kids--individual attention is readily available. There is 10x less studying at DePaul than at Madison. Not to mention that DePaul's finals before break are BEFORE Thanksgiving break (they are on quarters). All in all, DePaul doesn't experience half as many all-nighters as in Madison (testament to this is that even during finals week, DePaul's ONE library is open till 1:00--an extended period from the usual 11:00 closing time). All in all, finals at Madison are much more stressful and time consuming.

Christmas Time!

The thing I probably miss the most about Chicago is the city during Christmas time--the lights, the shopping, the food, ect. are all amazing in the city this time of year. Ice skating at Millennium Park is one of best things to do during the holiday season (the skating park stays open until March-ish though). Lights on Michigan Ave. are amazing! While the shopping deals are amazing, its always so crowded no matter what time you go. The food of course is great all year round in Chicago (making it one of the fattest cities in America), but during the holidays the restaurants bring out their best dishes. While Madison is beautiful during the holiday season, nothing replaces Chicago food, lights, and shopping!

Winter Madison Style

Coming from Chicago, I absolutely know horrible winter weather. However, all my friends up here kept telling me to prepare for the worst--that it was going to be unlike any other winter I had ever experienced and it was going to last forever. I know that snow has only been on the ground for about a week, and the worst parts of winter are in January and February. I can say however, that Madison winter is starting out much calmer than Chicago's. In Chicago the wind is blowing like crazy 24/7, with absolutely NO relief. In Madison though, I noticed I only get serious wind problems when walking down University. Over break, while I was back in the Chicago suburbs, we got around 6-7in of snow--a lot compared to what WI got. I've just got to guess that Chicago has the worse winters--so I guess this winter won't be so bad compared to my last winter in Chicago!

Wiki Article

Here is my wiki article! I added a description of the apartment complex Lucky, along with two links to websites that offer more detailed information on the apartment building. 

Halloween-Madison Style

So this weekend was obviously Halloween weekend and I participated in the infamous Madison Halloween activities. Everyone knows that Madison is known for its Halloween festivities--I've heard stories since I was a kid from my parents and their friends about how crazy it was. So how was a first-timers Halloween in Madison? Well I found out, as most people told me, State Street is a bit overrated. Waiting in line for 30min to go the the bathroom/ get a drink at a bar was not a favorite weekend experience. While it was pretty cool to see all the different costumes, I didn't like the crowds of people wobbling around mixed with the hoards of visitors. The intense security didn't help things either (although I get why it was needed...) Obviously the Halloween parties were the highlight/ most fun--although I still am a little disappointed that State Street wasn't as fun as I thought it'd be--older people say it was much better when security wasn't so tight. All in all a great weekend--I see where Madison gets its reputation. 

Harry Potter!

Here is the link to my Harry Potter forum--I ended up changing it because the other Harry Potter forum never accepted my registration email=(

Visiting Chicago Ago

Two weeks ago I took a trip back home to Chicago (Chicago suburbs actually). After spending a month in Madison, there are actually a few things I miss about the Windy City...

1. The most amazing food--> Chicago is known as like third fattest city in America!

2. Better entertainment--> I actually went home because my mom got tickets to the Kathy Griffin show. While Madison does offer good entertainment, you can't beat the entertainment in Chicago (unless your in New York City that is...)

3. The shopping is amazing, not that I can afford most of it

While I do miss some of the highlights of the city, it's better for vacationing/ visiting when your in college in my opinion.

Badgers vs Demons

One of the great things about Wisco is it's football--the OSU game was last Saturday (and what a horrible ending). Now, going to school in Chicago, my college didn't even have a football team--only a basketball team. Differences include...

1. One doesn't need to drive 45min to the nearest sports arena to watch your team play

2. There are 50 kids at the basketball game compared to thousands at Wisco

3. And most importantly, pregaming doesn't start 5-7 hours before the game actually starts

Needless to say, Wisco football beats DePaul basketball any day of the week!

Book Review #2- Hard Time

Here is the second review for Hard Time! (Post is on the right column!)

Book Review #1- Barefoot

Here is the first book review for the book Barefoot! (Post is on the right hand side of the page!)

Transfer Student

As a transfer student to Madison from Chicago Ihave an interesting perspective. In my first month here, I have learned a lot about Madison--and how it differs so much from Chicago.

1. The lakes here are not often shut down due to pollution and disease as Lake Michigan's beaches in Chicago are

2. Late night food is not a McDonald's--rather, I find Gin's Chicken and Insomniac Cookies to be a popular items and 10 times better than a smashed McDonald's quarter-pounder

3. As a Packer fan I am not often stared down in the streets up here when wearing my jersey--huge improvement

As my time here in Madison grows on, I'm sure there will be many more differences to discuss!

Wordle: Pretty Cool AND Can Be Used as a Literary Tool

Wordle can be used as a literary tool to make sure the words that are appearing most often in your paper are the words that are key to the theme or purpose of the paper. Interestingly, "Bear" and "Sticky" are big words in my paper. You wouldn't think "Bear" and "Sticky" to be main words in a paper describing how someone learned to write or use a literary technology. Just to clear the air "Sticky Bear" was the name of the computer program that I learned to type on--I didn't have any scaring experiences as a six year old. Plus, Wordle looks pretty cool as well. 

Green Bay Packers 1-0

As a Packer fan (ironically I am from Chicago), I was thrilled with last night's victory (as I am sure many of you were). I found a really great site for all things Packers. Great blogs, and great references to news sources. 

First Post!

This is easy.