Weathering the Ups & Downs

I honestly cannot believe this is my final blog for the semester, and freshman year has certainly been quite a ride!  That being said, it's pretty hard to wrap my brain around just how much I have learned since starting South.  From navigating a new campus to learning about types of precipitation in Introduction to Meteorology, if there is one thing that I have enjoyed learning about the most since this semester started, it would honestly have to be weather balloons.  Long story short, a weather balloon looks like this:

Meteorologists send these balloons into the atmosphere, and instruments attached to the balloons record weather information (temperature, wind speeds, etc.) as the balloon ascends.  The data collected is then used to help with forecasting and research purposes.  This semester, I was actually fortunate enough to help launch a few weather balloons because South's Meteorology program participated in a research project called Vortex Southeast, which is dedicated to tornado research.  Even though I was only able to help out with a few launches, it was still a lot of fun, and the experience was completely worth it!

Advice for High School Me

I honestly cannot believe that my freshman year of college is winding down, and it has definitely been a wild ride!  However, I have had time to think about what I could have done differently this time last year when I was still a senior in high school.  In the end, if there is one piece of advice I wish I could have given myself a year ago, it's this: go on a campus tour (or at least explore campus more) before Orientation.  It may sound a little weird, but I actually never went on an official campus tour before I started classes at South.  Even though I had visited South three times before my Orientation, I didn't explore campus much.  I was familiar with the Mitchell Center and the Coastal Weather Research Center, and that was about it!  While I was able to find my way around campus pretty quickly once I actually moved into my room and started classes, I wish I had taken time to explore a little more, but you live and you learn, right?

Top 5 Tips for Preparing for College

I have to admit that I can't believe this semester is almost over!  While I've definitely had a lot of fun times this semester, I am honestly ready for summer!  However, I do remember when I was a senior in high school this time last year.  I couldn't wait for graduation, and I was excited and nervous about moving to Mobile for college.  That being said, I do want to give y'all some tips that can help you prepare for your first semester here at South.

1) If you plan to live on campus, review the list of "Banned Items."
-I do honestly feel as if this one is looked over a little bit because it does seem pretty easy to assume that if you have something at home, then you can bring it with you to a college dorm room.  However, that is not necessarily the case.  A couple of examples of items that students are not allowed to have in South's residence halls are candles and extension cords.

2) If you plan to live on campus, check the dimensions of items in your room.
-Depending on which residence hall you live in, you may have either a Twin XL bed or a Full XL bed.  Window and shower dimensions can also vary depending on which room you have, so checking what is included in your room can help you avoid buying, say, Twin XL bedding only to realize that your room has a Full XL-sized bed!

3) At Orientation, do not be afraid to ask questions about anything.
-I know it sounds a little silly, but I'm sure we all know that asking questions when you are in an Orientation group (especially ones that may seem ridiculous) can be a little awkward.  However, someone may have the same question you do, so it never hurts to ask!

4) Before Orientation, make sure you have submitted your immunization forms.
-The Student Health Center here at South takes those immunization forms very seriously, and if you don't submit them through the Student Health Portal, you may be blocked from registering for your classes.  You do not want that!

5) When registering for classes, be mindful of how many credit hours you are taking.
-Again, I know this may seem a little ridiculous, but it can actually be very easy to lose track of how many credit hours each class is worth (at least, I lose track fairly easily!).  While about 15 credit hours a semester is fairly normal, adding just one class can potentially put you at 18 or even 19 credit hours, so you do want to watch out for that.