Paula's Blog

Okay, Betsyj2008, First I'm soooo sorry to get back to you so late! 2nd, Congrats on your acceptance!! yeah! And I love that your questions are girly, that's my specialty ;) I would definitely recommend that you go through recruitment. It's a wonderful experience where you get to meet tons of people and have a great time. And if you find out that greek life isn't for you, you aren't obligated to anything. And I know that you might be thinking that you won't have time to focus on your classes, but trust me, you will! It's all about time management, I mean I can name girls from every sorority that are in the nursing program, which is rigorous, going pre-med, pre-law, etc. and they still have time to do things with their sisters!
2nd question: Honestly, don't bring too much clothes! it's such a hassle to load back! But something that I wish I would've brought from home was my yoga mat...especially when it's rainy out and you don't want to walk to the trec!
3rd question: All the clubs/orgs here at UT are amazing, so you really can't go wrong, it's really up to your preferences. But some of the orgs that I've really enjoyed are of course those associated with going Greek, TeamVOLS-which is an amazing program if you want to get involved with volunteering, and Orange Pride-which is where you show your enthusiasm about UT to potential football recruits and tell their families your experiences with the school! I hope this helped, and thanks for the comment ;)
Elyse,
That's so awesome that you're already thinking about doing your tour this summer! I also am from what used to be a really small town, so I definitely can relate to wanting to know all the answers to the questions you were asking! The great thing about UT is that the campus is filled with diversity and there isn't just one 'type' of person, but when we are all gathered in Neyland Stadium or in the arena, we all share one thing in common: we all bleed orange!
As for the social aspect of UT, we have the strip where a lot of people go, we have Old City and Market Square where people hang out also, and for a lot of graduate students we have things that are more off campus.
The nursing program here is pretty amazing! I know girls that are in it, and I give them praise everyday for what they had to do to get into the program, and what they have to do to now that they're in nursing school. Our nursing program is one of the best and from what I can gather, everyone seems to enjoy it!
I definitely suggest going through recruitment and seeing if Greek Life's for you. Like I told Betsy, you aren't obligated to anything, but it's a wonderful experience that I wouldn't trade. Elyse, I hope this helps and good luck in you college admissions process!!!

Okay, so...I definitely lack in the comments area, but I've decided to throw myself out there! By now a majority of you have gotten your acceptance letters and probably have some questions about college. Well, Guess what?! I'm here to answer them. From the best place to go out,where to find a great contemporary or traditional church, the best restaurants to eat at-great date spots or just some good quick eats-, i've been here for 2 1/2 years so i'm pretty sure i can help you out, just ask. Paula

I know that right now, for many of you prospies, this time is so critical in your life. You're weighing your options, waiting for your letters, applying for scholarships...oh man, I remember this time. My friend, Justin, and I always bring up how crazy we both were our senior year of high school. Justin, who was definitely a little bit more ambitious about hunting down the most absurd scholarships, ended up applying to 7 schools, all in which he got accepted (minus one). His list included: Dartmouth, Brown, Stanford, Vanderbilt, MTSU, Pomona, and NYU. I on the otherhand had a very different list, and didn't make the cut on all 7 of mine. My list panned out the following: UNC, Boston University, Northeastern, Universtiy of Miami, University of TN, Vanderbilt, and MTSU. The reason I'm writing about all of these schools is because, in the end I realized...I would be happy at each and every one. College is what you make of it, so try not to sweat the small stuff and just know that whatever your decision, it'll be one made for a reason...(although, I am partial to UT and so glad that it was mine! but i mean, not to influence anyone reading this!)

A famous character once said Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get. I never really believed what Forest Gump had said, after all, with all the technology advancing day by day (probably now by the nanosecond) how could humans not know the obstacles that lay ahead of them, or at least be prepared for them? Well, Forest, you proved to be right, my life is a box of chocolates, and this past December I bit into a piece that was not the flavor of caramel or cherries, rather one that left a bitter taste.
On December 13th, 2007, after I had taken my 7th exam, I was admitted into the ER and was in the ICU by nightfall. I had serious health complications that prolonged my stay four more days, thus resulting with a team of doctors recommending that I not attend my trip to Barcelona, Spain this spring. I felt as though the ceiling had caved in and everything that I had been planning and working diligently on came crashing down as well. This trip was suppose to be “once in a life time”, an unforgettable journey that would change my life forever and open my eyes to what I was called to do. Of course, as a young person, I did not consider that Spain would be there forever and that my condition would hopefully improve.
Well, a month later I am glad to announce, that I will be traveling to Barcelona this fall and stay for an entire semester in hopes to accomplish several goals, such as obtaining my Spanish minor. I also aspire to bring back to this university that “once in a lifetime” experience that will encourage all students to stay strong, telling them that the bitter chocolates, sometimes become sweet.

This month has been crazy hectic! From trying to gather everything I needed for Spain to losing my purse to exams to finally ending up in the hospital, I've been a little bit busy!!! I had seven exams this semester, and on the last day of my exams I checked into the ER, and was in ICU by the nite and ended up staying at UT Medical for 5 days!!! The doctors at UT Medical were amazing! They truly were concerned and it was just so nice to have a good people surrounding you in a time like that. Something I found out that was so nice about UT Medical was that because I am a student, 40% of the costs were covered! How wonderful is that to not worry about health care when you're sick!!

la la LA!!!!!!!!!!!! ;) I think i've just officially lost it! Okay, so no not really, but I think I'm just so ready for this sememster to be over and get to Spain! It's also just that time of year when students know that Thanksgiving is so near, and then Christmas break is just around the corner! Thank Goodness! Arkansas was this weekend, and it was such an amazing game! Although I had to listen/watch it at Long's pharmacy, it was still so wonderful! And our formal was on Friday, which is always a blast, the girls looked gorgeOUs and hopefully everyone had so much fun!This upcoming weekend is our last homegame/ADPi's turkey tailgate, which is going be awesome, and I'm just so excited!!! ;)

"Lately life's been the same I find this comfortable place
With all my friends, then my friends start telling me that I've always been wrong
And I'm so tired of being wrong"
-The Avett Brothers-

When I was a senior, I always thought "Will I look back and think I made the wrong decision? Did I choose the wrong school? Would I have been happier somewhere else?"...It's now my 3rd year at UT, and I can say with honest words, that I've never questioned my decision, no matter how difficult things got/will get.

Like the lyrics, I did come into a very comfortable place, with as many friends as someone could wish for, and like the song, ppl started saying that I was wrong, and although they were for simple things, like being wrong on a Spanish composition or saying something in a Wendy's line, or being blamed for an unintentional influence, those little things (like the wrong answer on tests that you were so used to getting right) I was just so tired of being wrong. Why couldn't I just get the difference between por and para? or more importantly, "Why on earth was I in line at Wendy's?"

Well, I'm still struggling with por and para, and I haven't been back to Wendy's since, but a classmate of mine, while he is one of my worst critics, has made me realize that it's not about being wrong...or being right. College is about owning up to your own actions. And it has so many consequences, some good, some bad, but you earned them, and instead of blaming someone for how they affected your life, understand, that you made those decisions on your own. (you wanted to watch The Hills instead of studying, remember?) You can either be weak, or strong. And let me just say, the weak ones are the ones that blame, and the strong ones are the ones that praise.

I think this is why I've never questioned if I had made the wrong choice. Yes, I wonder of course what my life would've been like on the beaches of Miami, but I've never been so positive in a decision than I have in chosing this university. Although there are many things that haven't gone according to plan, i've adjusted...and i'm happy to say i'm still learning.


p.s. to your critics, and my own, you're not the thorn in my side, no... you're like the eggshell that gets in the cake batter mix. Not really detrimental, but just a little annoying...but when you hear the crunch and feel the gritty feeling between your molers, you laugh and learn that maybe you shouldn't have been talking on the phone while baking, or watching tv, or...trying to fix your spanish composition