[thesooietlife]

I will be attending Uark starting fall 2018!! I'm super excited about it. What are some tips you can give me or things I should know before going in? -thanks(:

Hey Hey!! That’s so exciting! Being a freshman is literally so fun! Everything is new and exciting and you have so much in front of you!! 

My advice is to take every opportunity available to you that you’re interested in.  Take classes that you’re passionate about, even if they not part of your major or join a club even if you don’t know anyone in it.  If you have the ability (and UARK makes it pretty accessible) study abroad.  It has changed my life in so many ways.  SOOOOOO many ways.  Also: write a thank you note to all your professors at the end of the semester and mail it to their office.  It’s a small gesture, but there’s a good chance that you may have them as a professor again or need a recommendation letter, and they will definitely remember you if you drop them a note thanking them for the semester.  

Don’t be afraid to be cheesy and do all the typical stuff around Fayetteville. Climb the cross on Mt. Sequoyah.  Walk around the farmer’s market on a Saturday morning.  Stand in line for four hours on game day.  Do what makes you happy and enjoy every minute of it.  

I also really recommend surrounding yourself with people who will be there for you when college doesn’t seem so fun.  These people help when things get tough and are vital for having a positive experience.  

The time really does fly so please please please enjoy it. 

Sorry it took me so long to respond to this, and sorry this is all over the board.  I hope it was helpful. 

Go Hogs and Woo Pig.  

[thesooietlife]

your blog is amazing! quick question what are you majoring in & how difficult has it been?

Hi thank you so much!! I major in international studies and communication. International studies is the more difficult of the two, thematically, but I love them both so much so it never feels like they're too much or that I hate them. Even when it feels like a lot of work I know that it will be beneficial to my future career. Have a good day and go hogs!

[axi0m]

Cannot get over how perfect this campus is.

[muchadoaboutmusicals]

Assassins the Musical

Uark Theatre, University of Arkansas

[thesooietlife]

Arkansas students are: Creative.

[thesooietlife]

Your blog is a wonderful realistic glimpse into student life! It makes me excited to attend UofA in the fall :)

wow thank you!! I’m so glad you like it! And welcome to the family! You’re going to love life on the hill. Wish I posted more often but alas, school gets a little more demanding the farther you go along (still fun though, and still with it). Woo pig.

[thesooietlife]

Hey, so I sent you a message a few months ago about dorms, and I have a follow up question knowing that you used to live in Hotz. So, I'm going to be in Hotz next year, and I'd love to avoid a lofted bed situation that requires me to scale up the side because that's just not my thing, and I was wondering if that is possible in Hotz? I've seen floor plans for the rooms and the furniture in it, but I don't know if it's ever been done before where the desk isn't under the bed.

Hiiiiiiiiiii! YAY Hotz is literally the best. love it so much.  

Lofted was not my thing either-- too much work just to go to bed at night lol.  I had my bed set up so that it was just tall enough for my dresser to slide under and then my desk was next to it so that it doubled as a nightstand.  In fact, niether me nor my roommate lofted our beds all the way.  My room was actually a little smaller than most of the other rooms in Hotz and I still felt like I had plenty of space.  I’ll attach a couple of pics so you can see my layout.  

I hope this helps!! Definitely let me know if you’re wondering about anything else!! 

[thesooietlife]

College is the coolest time ever because people will literally pay you to live and learn in another country. It’s so cool! As I prepare for my second study abroad, I can’t help but feel fortunate that my trip is fully funded.  I thought that I would take this opportunity to give you guys some tips on applying for scholarships so that you too can spend an entire four months gaining career experience and learning about another culture (and eating great food!).

1. Know when to go: Because I’m heading oversees during fall semester rather than summer or intercession, I am able to apply my traditional scholarships to my study abroad program. Right there is $9,000! Check with your university financial aid office if you normal scholarships can be applied to a study abroad program! Depending on your current funding, that could be all that you need! 

2. Prepare Early: One scholarship that I received (in the amount of $4,000!!) was from my university, and I applied for it more than a year before my program started! I hadn’t even applied for my program yet! By paying attention to university deadlines I was able to get my application in and was lucky to be a recipient! If you want to study abroad fully funded I recommend starting researching and applying for scholarships a year before your program begins.  

3. Choose your program wisely: My study abroad program costs about $30,000 before airfare and personal expenses.  That’s nuts.  That’s about 7 semesters at my home university.  But, my program has several different scholarships that I was able to apply for (even more if you’re racially diverse or a first gen college student) plus they will match my pell grant.  That doesn’t take a huge amount off of my program cost, but every bit counts! 

4. Apply even if you’re not a good candidate: My largest scholarship (a $15,500 fellowship!!!!!!) is designed for graduate students doing independent research, but because my program includes an independent research element, I went ahead and applied for the fellowship and got it! If the application is open put your name in the hat.  You can’t win if you don’t try.  Apply! 

5. Know what the scholarship wants: When applying for any scholarship, read up about the donors behind it and what it is intended for.  Research grant? Highlight how you’ll be researching.  Cultural experience scholarship? Talk about how the country that you’ll be visiting is different from your own and what you expect to learn.  What ever you do, just don’t turn in the same essay or personal statement for every application.  That’s a sure way to make sure that you won’t win.  

These are my general tips for applying for study abroad grants, scholarships,, and fellowships! Best of luck, get out there, and keep it sooiet! 

[thesooietlife]

When it’s 4:30 a.m., your paper is due in a couple of hours, you haven’t even read the book you’re writing about, and then this lil beauty falls out from between the pages.  

[thesooietlife]

Finals Week Tip No.68

Are tables in the library and local coffee shops full and you can’t find a good place to study? @ihop and @dennys’s are the place to go. Big tables, free wifi, open 24 hours, and unlimited coffee is like three dollars. Plus the awesome wait staff will bring the coffee and the hashbrowns to you.  

[black-to-the-bones-deactivated2]

[thesooietlife]

Hi I'm currently figuring out where I want to attend and I've narrowed it down to two: Arkansas and Ole Miss. I was wondering if you could give me some more information about why you chose Arkansas? I'm majoring in biology so I just want to know as much as possible. Thank you!!

Hello! Thanks for reaching out! I chose Arkansas for a lot of reasons.  

1. Fayetteville is gorgeous and has such a funky culture. Every season is amazingly beautiful at the University of Arkansas. Most people really love the fall and all the colors on old main lawn, but I love the spring and all the budding flowers around the agricultural building and the chemistry center.  The vibe put off by Fayetteville  is unmatched anywhere else in the SEC.  There’s a huge coffee shop culture and so many cool niche stores to check out (stationary, milk and cookies, odd gifts, old arcade machines, etc).  The outdoor scene is totally amazing as well-- awesome hiking, mountain biking and floating.There’s a reason it’s called Fayettechill.  The campus is SO BEAUTIFUL and pretty much once a week I find a new cool spot to hang out or do homework or people watch (for all of these activities I highly recommend the balcony on the architecture building).

2. Arkansas is affordable and gave me GREAT scholarships.  If you’re an out of state student they can waive up to 90% of out of state tuition. There are tons of great scholarship programs within Arkansas which has led to me going to school (and studying abroad (twice!)) totally for free.  

3. The academics really are top-notch.  I have been challenged and pushed in so many of my classes.  They have taught me things and made me smarter, but also made me more intelligent. 

4. Community has made it a home.  This may not be what drew me here but it certainly has kept me here.  I have found such a cool network of friends here through becoming involved and invested in organizations, and all these friends have really helped to make Fayetteville what it is for me.  

Hope all this helps! definitely let me know if you have any more questions or want me to be more specific!! 

Go Hogs!

[nolivingdudeami]

walk into the club like

wait a second this is not the library

[thesooietlife]

Caution UARK students. Other clubs are not like Club Mullins.

[thesooietlife]

Pros and Cons on LLC?

We talking about Living Learning Communities? Honestly I've never met someone who lived in one unless they were in the ROTC, so I don't have a lot of info. If your trying to choose a dorm I would look at room/bathroom style, location, and dorm amenities before I made a decision based solely on if it's a LLC. Unless the dorms have seriously changed in the last semester, LLC's are not a huge deal at Arkansas. Let me know if you have any other questions!! Go hogs!

[goth-gary]

The most beautiful street in Fayetteville.

[sugadooga]

YOU of A.

[thesooietlife]

Hey! I just found your blog from the post about your dorm room. I am looking at U of A as a college option and I was wondering what dorm you thought would be the best for a freshman. I am looking at Founders but also Hotz because I will be in the Honors College. Thanks!

Hey hello! I loooooved living in Hotz my freshman year. It was such a fun community and it's only for freshman honors students so everyone in the building is going through the exact same thing as you, which is great. Some of my favorite things about Hotz were: 1. Movie theater room that was so good for mid day naps. 2. 24/7 gym only for residents. 3. Super nice. One of the most recently renovated and the bathrooms are soooo nice for community style. 4. Honors college kids are so fun and unique and you meet people with so many cool perspectives. For Founders, the location cannot be beat. SUCH A GOOD LOCATION. Also it is the newest dorm on campus, so it's pretty quality. The rooms are quite large and there's a sink in the rooms, which is more useful than you can imagine. Obviously I'm a little biased, but both dorms are great. I always say, it's not where you live, it's how you live. Even if you end up living in your last choice dorm your dorm experience can be amazing if you choose every day to enjoy the experience and the people around you. Hope this helps and I hope to see you at Arkansas one day!! Go hogs!

[thesooietlife]

Mood. Happy finals week, UARK.