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Freshman Class Spotlight
We want to know how you found out about your acceptance to USF and what you're most looking forward to! Tell us your story and we may feature you on our Freshman Class Spotlight!
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May 31, 2011
It is to my great pleasure that upon coming to Tampa I have been able to rekindle my love of skateboarding. I remember when I was in elementary and middle school, all I cared about was riding around with my friends and having a good time. Once I started high school it became a constant juggle between work, school and running. Skating not only fell down on the list, it basically fell off. Occasionally I would ride barefoot down to the mailbox but that was it.
The summer after senior year I decided to buy a new deck. Nothing special; just enough of a change on my ride to spice things up. I went with a blank old school bullet shaped style. The nose came to a point and was flat, but the tail was square and just what I was looking for. Cruising to class on this setup was smooth and easy. An upgrade to larger wheels did happen later in the first semester, though only because I hadn’t gotten new ones since eighth grade and was getting caught up on even the slightest cracks in the sidewalk. I made sure not to chose a set too heavy also anticipating the impedance a soft wheel would be to future aspirations in the flip-trick department. Snagging four Powell Bombers, medium in diameter while having a harder urethane formula for durability, off Amazon was easy and I picked them up days later in the Andros mailroom.
It really only took a couple weeks for me to be completely familiar with the board under my feet and that’s when I was able to start doing fun things again. Working my way up to six steps (ollieing down that is) I became limited by the short board and lack of a concaved nose. It became obvious that I would need a more functional deck to progress past that point.
I found a FLIP board for forty bucks and kept my allegiance to the company from which I had bought my very first deck. Only days after I could kick flip again and simple one-eighties and pop-shuvits. Having more control over my board shortened the time it took to get to and from class even more. I couldn’t have been happier.
Then, someone told me about the Bro Bowl. Constructed in the seventies, the concrete bowl sports a colorful collage of graffiti and tags and is located just off the highway downtown. It’s free and there are no waivers to sign or helmet requirements, it sounded like just my kind of place. So, my friend Patrick and I took the No. 5 HART bus from campus and rode downtown. A short skate from the transfer station and we were there.
I had seen, and been to, similar parks but this place just had a special feel to it. For a park that didn’t seem to have any actual rules or maintenance, the pavement was remarkably smooth and there weren’t any major cracks. To top it off, the entire left side is lined with trees that provided perfect shade late in the afternoon for a majority of the bowl. A handful of younger kids were there skating, rowdy as any, along with some BMX riders. Everyone was friendly and well mannered with respect to riding and letting others ride.
I could have stayed there for hours, and I will in the future, no doubt, but as the evening approached, it was probably not the best place to be after dark. A local gem for sure, I cannot wait to be back in the fall spending plenty of Saturdays carving the turns and transitions.
What would a trip to the Bro Bowl be without a little home-shot footage? Enjoy!
-Jonah
April 15, 2011
Tonight marks the start of Humans Versus Zombies weekend. You may be familiar with the game already, or this could be the first you hear of it. Either way, this is the second semester I will be playing and I am more than excited! It is really just a large game of tag where everyone other than the original zombies starts as humans and tries not to get tagged by the growing zombie horde. If you are playing you must wear a bandana one of two ways. If you are a zombie, or get tagged by one, then you wear it on your head. Humans wear the bandana tied around their arm.
Humans, of course, must defend themselves to survive. The chosen armory for combating an undead army is the best part. On certain parts of campus you can only stun a zombie with a balled up sock, mainly residence hall areas. No play is conducted inside any buildings but once you are outside it is fair game. Nerf guns are also used in the game, unfortunately only outside residence areas. Nerf guns are necessary to use when the infestation begins to outnumber the resistance. Traveling with roommates is also an important strategy to employ if you decide to play. Always watching your back, I have hade multiple instances where I turned around at the last second to sock a charging zombie.
Some people may think the game is childish or dumb, but it is really fun because people just go out to have fun. It may seem kind of silly but it is the next best thing to a real zombie apocalypse. My friends and I like to keep track of how many zombies we stun and compare at the end to size up who we think was best. The ultimate goal is always survival. Even the best zombie record falls short of the last person alive. If you accept the challenge, as I highly recommend you do, you will have a good time and a ton of fun.
http://usfhvz.org/ : a link to the official page for more information.
I’ll throw some pictures up after the weekend, too.
-Jonah
April 8, 2011
One of my biggest worries starting the year was how I would take to the meal plan. Having been consistently active in sports year round in high school, my appetite was constant and insatiable. With a meal plan that limits the number of times you can eat per week, snacks become a necessity. Stocking up on cheap packaged junk food may seem like the way to go but you are actually spending more than you need to, while at a cost to your health. Then, I found the perfect fit, a snack that was not only free (in a sense) but also healthy.
Each time I leave the dining hall I make an effort to take two pieces of fruit. These will be enough to eat between then and the next time you go. I like to have at least an apple every day, mostly green ones because I feel like the red apples here are too waxy. Bananas are great to take especially when you can grab three in one bunch. Apples and bananas are filling, healthy and can be eaten anywhere. On the way to class? Both are biodegradable so you can feel good about throwing it in a bush. I would take more oranges if I had a juicer. I get frustrated with hard-to-peel oranges and those seem to be all I get in the café.
It may be tempting to get chips or soda at the convenience store, but when it comes to a snack the best thing is fruit. I treat myself to a pint of ice cream once in a while but, as with everything, in moderation. You also can take milk or soymilk in the to-go coffee cups if you need more protein for your daily routine.
Healthy eating habits start with the snacks you have regularly. It could not be any easier. On your way out of the dining hall just grab an apple and a banana. Later, when you feel hungry just slice up or peel whichever you prefer. The bananas make a great addition to cereal in the morning and the apple slices with peanut butter sandwich is a perfect late afternoon filler. If you can get your hands on a blender or juicer, then you will have unlimited possibilities from workout smoothies to vegetable blends (whole vegetable produce is actually available in the dining halls too). These alternatives, you will find, are unparalleled. There is no more beneficial snack, healthy foods taste good and provide energy-rich nutrients vital to the hardworking scholar. A sharp mind is so only as allowed by the condition of the body on which it depends and through which it acts.
-Jonah
April 5, 2011
A decision many freshmen will have to make is whether to room with someone you already know or play the roommate lottery and get one assigned. I believe every situation to be unique; there is no clear-cut answer to this question for anyone and no sure fit for all scenarios.
The first aspect to be considered when deciding to live with a friend or not is the length and nature of the friendship. If the extent to which you know your potential roommate is a shared class last year and you used to sit together at lunch, then you will be more likely to run into disputes. If, instead, you have been in the same English class as your friend for the last five years, played on the same teams, and have known each other for extensive amounts of time, your chances of a successful symbiotic roommate-ship is much more likely. The main point being, the less you know about a person the more often you will find yourselves in dispute.
After analyzing the possible success rating of your proposed roommate, you have one of two paths. If you are leaning toward living with your friend, the next step would be to get together and negotiate preliminary terms of interest. Things like average room temperature, lights out times (though in many of the dorms, the desk area is separate from the room so this is not a huge problem), musical preference and volume, and a deal breaker--dirty dishes. This process will allow you to discover any bumps early on and make a more informed decision.
If the thought of leaving your friend is saddening, fear not. You can still request the same buildings. You may even find this better for keeping the friend, rather than losing them through conflicts often resulting from living in close quarters. A huge benefit of this strategy is you both can meet new people and introduce your friends to these new friends. This also will improve the community relations in your buildings.
If you choose to live with your friend take some of my advice on planning your room rules. If you decide to live separately, take advantage of the new opportunity to expand your horizons. Make the most of whatever situation you choose.
-Jonah
March 29, 2011
My name is Jonah and this is my second semester studying philosophy at the University of South Florida. Originally from New Hampshire, I moved just outside of Orlando at the start of ninth grade. With out of state tuition beyond affordable, and Bright Futures too good to pass-up, I landed at USF. One thing I really like about the campus is all of the trees. Compared to the concrete jungle of UCF, South Florida felt much more relaxed.
Some of my most favorite activities include running, playing any form of Frisbee, swimming, biking, going to local shows with my friends, reading (though fiction does little to hold my interest), skateboarding, and snowboarding when I can make it back up to N.H. My favorite music is a mix between punk and ska and I almost always have some sort of music playing around me, even if it’s just me tapping a pencil or whistling.
My aim for this blog is to provide as much useful information to you, the incoming freshman, as possible. If at least one person takes away something they felt to be helpful then I will have considered this time well spent. Good luck in the coming months as senior year winds down, and don’t forget to check out all of the other entries in the meantime!