It's Time for Midterms

 

Hey Aggies, so it's that time of the semester when we all start spending a little more time in the library. Midterms can be a very stressful time for any students, because in most cases, it's the first exam you take in your classes. But as long as you take the time to prepare, and take a few study breaks you'll do fine. 


Luckily, there are so many great places to study around campus besides our library.  Luke's Cafe, the new cafe in our brand new agricultural science building is definitely my favorite. Not only do you have great food and drinks just a few steps away from where you're studying, but it's also really quiet. The HUB in the TSC is another great place to study, depending on the time of day. Besides for the breakfast and lunch rush, it's another nice place to study if you get tired of studying at the library.

Luke's Cafe

However, the biggest piece of advice is don't forget to take study breaks and have fun. This weekend, USU is hosting a huge Mardi Gras party in the TSC, and even though I have two finals next week, that's one party I can't miss.

Even though, doing well in school is extremely important, it's hard not to have fun at USU. Every weekend there's something to do, and there are so many great clubs to join around campus. I highly recommend that you take the time to explore all the different clubs and organizations to become as active as possible in aggie life.

School's Back in Session

Hey guys, so the Christmas break is over and it's time to start classes once again. Even though I had a lot of fun back home with my family and friends, I definitely missed spending time with my friends at USU.

Over the break, I got to spend a lot of time with my family and friends, but it was really good to see my little sister.  We went shopping, spent time with friends and even went to see the Clippers play on Christmas Day. It was definitely tough to leave, especially since I won't be able to see her again until June, but it was time for me to come back to USU for my final semester.

This semester is somewhat bitter sweet for me. Although I'm only a few months away from graduation, I only have a few months left to enjoy at USU. Lately, I've been getting sentimental and thinking about all the friends and great times I've had here through the years: it's definitely going to be tough to leave this place. Nevertheless, my friends and I plan on doing all types of crazy things we've always wanted to do at USU, but haven't had the chance to check-off our USU bucket list.

The campus hasn't changed too much over the break, except for a little more snow; which makes for even better sledding and snow ball fights. But more importantly, it's finally basketball season.

For those of you who haven't had the chance to experience an Aggie game at the Spectrum it's absolute madness. The student section at USU makes the Spectrum one of the most difficult places for opposing teams to play.

Diversity Day

Hey Aggies, it's been another week at USU, and time for another blog entry. Last week I had the opportunity to go to one of the most important, and one of my favorite admission events on campus, Diversity Day. Diversity Day is a day program designed to provide under-represented minority high school juniors and seniors with information about USU as well as expose them to what college life is like at USU.

This is an event that I always try to make it to, simply to answer questions and share my personal experiences as an Aggie. This year's Diversity Day was a huge hit, with performances from some of the multicultural clubs on campus.

A Great Performance from the Polynesian Student Union

Apart from checking out all of the multicultural clubs on campus, high school juniors and seniors are able to take tours of campus, explore opportunities on campus, campus housing options, and get a taste of famous Aggie ice cream.

 

Some of the Action at Diversity Day

A special thanks to all of you who were able to make it out to the campus for Diversity Day.

For those of you who weren't able to make it, I strongly encourage you to visit the campus sometime and take a tour. When I first was accepted to USU, I was very skeptical of going to school in a small college town I never even heard of before, but it was during my tour of campus that I knew USU was the right place for me. 

You can schedule a tour of campus by visiting  the admissions website, and on your tour make sure to ask as many questions as possible. If you happen to run into me on my way to class, make sure to say hi.

Winter is Officially Here!!!!!

Hey Aggies, so it's that time of the year when the campus starts to get covered in snow and it definitely gets a little colder in Logan. Besides making the walk to early morning classes a little more difficult, the snow is just another reason for a California kid like me to like USU that much more. In Logan, you'll definitely get to experience not only all four seasons, but all the fun you can have in each season.

Winter is definitely my favorite time of year because not only can I go snowboarding again, but I don't even have to go up to Beaver Mountain to do it. Even though Beaver Mountain is only a short drive from campus I can board down Old Main, build a snowman on the quad or even have a snowball fight with some friends.

 

Old Main Covered in snow

One of my favorite school traditions is sledding down Old Main Hill. Whether it be on a sled, a couch or any other type of furniture, it's something you have to absolutely try. When it comes to sleds, I think the more creative the better.

Sledding down Old Main Hill on a Couch

Luke's Cafe on the Quad

And after sledding, snowboarding, skiing or any other way you could ride down Old Main Hill, you could head on over to the new Luke's Cafe on the Quad in the new Agricultural Science Building and get some hot chocolate and relax.They have some of the best food on campus and the best part is that it's pretty affordable for a college kid on a budget.







Here's a quick look at another one of my favorite activities to check out on campus. The E-Week Rail Jam, sponsored by the USU Entrepreneur Club and the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business.

Midterm Exams

What's up Aggies, it's that time of the semester where students begin to spend all day in the library in preparation for their midterm exams and projects. Don't get me wrong USU is a fun place but it takes a lot of work and effort to do well in your classes. Luckily, the Merrill-Crazier Library is a great place to study and you always run into friends to take study breaks with. But my personal favorite thing about the library is definitely the Quadside cafe.

Grabbing some quick coffee

When you need a quick break from studying or lunch on campus, the Quadside cafe is perfect. They have great drinks and amazing sandwiches. The best part is that it's located at the entrance of the library and stays open pretty late. But all this talk about the cafe is making me hungry.

Besides the cafe, the library also offers so many resources to be successful and reach surpass their academic expectations. The librarians are extremely knowledgeable and more than willing to help any student with research for a paper or project, there are multiple computer labs throughout the library that make doing homework a little easier, students can reserve study rooms where they can meet and work on projects together, and it has some of the best study areas.

Headed to the library for another day of studying.
















View of the library lobby late at night as it was closing.

The view from the fourth floor.

The library is a great place to study on campus and prepare for upcoming exams. Although school can get stressful at times, USU has really done a great job of doing everything it can to meet the demanding needs of students. 

 

The USU Howl of Horror

So if you weren't at USU this weekend for the most insane, absolutely incredibly amazing, dance party fiasco YOU DEFINITELY MISSED OUT!!!!

Superman flying around before the Howl

The Howl was amazing this year, there really was almost too many activities going on: from the hypnotist, to the zombie dancers, the contortionist, to the dance party hosted by DJ Marcus Wing. It was a definitely a great night and I know my friends and I had the time of our lives.


Although I definitely enjoyed all the other activities at this year's Howl my definite favorite was the dance party. There were so many people there not only from USU but other school's in the state as well; that's just how big of a deal the Howl is. Between the great music from Marcus Wing and the awesome lighting effects, it was definitely one of the best events I've gone to while in college.

The massive crowd at the Howl

And of course it's always good to run into friends while you're out having fun. I ran into so many people in so many cool costumes I couldn't even take enough pictures.

Me and some of the guys

But despite all the fun I had that night, I can't help but think that this will be my last Howl at USU. I'm going to miss it and all the friends I've made through the years. So make sure to enjoy every moment of everyday on campus at USU, and have fun living Aggie life to the absolute fullest. 

USU Hockey Game

Hey Aggies!!! I recently had the opportunity to check out the Aggies on ice, better known as the USU hockey team: an unstoppable force that most schools have a tough time keeping up with. It was only my second time being able to watch the team play, but between the hard checks into the glass and amazing scoring, I absolutely have to make it to more hockey games. Of course the Aggies pummeled the ASU Sun Devils in an exciting victory any USU fan could appreciate.

ASU player getting checked into the glass

Another USU shot attempt

Introducing the 2012-2013 USU Hockey Team

Besides the team's great playing, I also ran into a ton of my friends, it seemed like everybody was there; from my friends involved in fraternities and sororities, to other athletes, old roommates, and I even ran into Steve from My Friends.

Getting some late night food at Angie's

After the game, a few friends and I decided to grab some food at one of my personal favorite places to eat in Logan, Angie's. Angie's  is one of the best places to grab some breakfast, be it early in the morning, or in my case late at night. They also have great lunch and dinner specials too, it's a place that every Aggie has to check out at least a couple times.

A few friends attempting to clean the sink at Angie's

Angie's is best known for students attempting to "clean the sink". It's literally a sink full of ice cream goodness that no man can tackle on his own. I hate to admit that I've never been able to clean the sink, but it's definitely on my list of things to do before graduation.