What a summer it has been back in Houston. The heat has been unbearable at times, but overall it has been a jam packed fun filled summer back home. Although summer is normally every students favorite time of the year, this first summer back after my freshmen year has not been what I expected. After three days home, I already missed my Tulsa family and the routine I had established. I went back to my old job as a server that I had during high school, and started a second job in retail at LOFT. Both are great jobs, but I longed to be back in an office setting. I think the business school is in my blood now, because everywhere I went this summer I made sure to network.
I loved being home with my mom, brother, dog, and best friends, but the relationships I created at TU I know will be life long and if this summer is a taste of what post graduation will feel like, I definitely want to stay at TU for life…kidding…but seriously 
One thing I enjoyed was hanging out and seeing my friends from TU back here in Houston. Many Energy management students have jobs here in Houston and were fun to hang out with on weekends. The University really promotes all students regardless of age to create relationships, which is why as a sophomore, I was able to meet up with graduates and seniors for dinners or just to watch tv.
This fall is going to be jam packed full of grand events, and I am most looking forward to TAILGATING for the FOOTBALL SEASON 2011!!!!! Don’t miss out on a game, if you are ever in Tulsa make sure to see if it is on a date we have a football game, you will not regret taking the time to watch one and to get a sincere feel of the community that we have at the University. Also I would not be shocked at all if some of our Golden Hurricane players ended up in the draft, we’ve got talent for sure! Can’t wait to keep everyone updated on what is to come and what is new at the University this year.
Monthly Archives: July 2011
Sweet Summertime
Wow…a LOT has happened since the last time I posted in May! First of all, I took the LSAT on June 6 and raised my score (yayyyy!!). I was really, really excited about that, and now I never have to take the LSAT again (insert sigh of relief here). Beginning at the end of May once I moved back to Tulsa I dove into my research, and I have really enjoyed not only the program that I am working for, but also the students that I am working with. I have picked up computer science this summer through my research, and I am also teaching myself Arabic on my own time. I figured there’s always a benefit to learning a new language, so why not pick one of the most difficult languages in the world? I’m still at a pretty low level of reading, writing, and speaking, but my comprehension is getting better and better! I’m really excited about learning the language and being able to utilize it sometime in the future! My days have been filled with research and internships, and my weekends have been filled with traveling. I’ve been back and forth to Springfield, MO where my boyfriend goes to school, St. Louis to spend at least a weekend or two with my family, and the Lake of the Ozarks where I love to go to hang out. It’s been extremely hot everywhere I go, but nothing beats Tulsa right now! It’s been around 107 degrees every day, not including the heat index. Somehow, though, Tulsa never seems so hot. There’s always bright blue skies and happy people, so it makes the heat a little more bearable.
Other than work and research, I’ve just been coming to terms with the reality that summer is almost over. I feel like it flew by, but I’m excited for the year to begin so that I can enjoy my sorority, my classes, and the fun that comes with being a senior–I can’t believe I’m so old already! The summer session ends on Friday, so I’ll head to St. Louis for a week or so before moving back for sorority recruitment. Then, after recruitment, the fall semester starts and I’ll get back into the swing of things again! I can’t believe fall is already coming around…it’s amazing how time flies!
Next time you hear from me I’ll probably be in the middle of beginning-of-school craziness, and I wouldn’t have it any other way! Talk to you soon!
Local Food Friday: Know Your Watermelon
It’s Emily here. It’s summer, which means that on any given day I may be found eating watermelon off the rind with a spoon. I’m a classy lady like that. It’s hot, and cold watermelon is basically the most refreshing thing on the planet, and it helps with hydration!
Hello, crazy eyes!
If you find yourself at TU (or in Tulsa) over the summer and happen to be an ardent consumer of watermelon, you’re in luck! Oklahoma ranks 6th in the nation for watermelon production and watermelon is the state vegetable. Yes, this is actually true, and no, watermelon is most definitely not a vegetable. In politics, reality tends to be secondary. So find yourself a farmers market (more on those later) or look for local at Whole Foods or Reasor’s, get yourself a spoon, and go to town.
Click here for a fun watermelon trick for those 21+
Yes, I did in fact steal the title of this song for today’s post.
What to expect at your first academic conference
It’s Emily here. I attended my first academic conference at the end of June. I had a great time and learned tons, but there are several things I wish I had known beforehand. Hopefully this quick guide will answer some of your burning questions before you make your first foray into conferenceland.
- Dress varies. Scientists, as it turns out, are a pretty relaxed bunch as far as personal appearance is concerned. I packed my suit. I arrived to find tie-die and Tevas. Not all disciplines have the same dress code, so do what I should have done and ask your professor before making your packing list. Note that if your professor is of the opposite gender you may have to coax this information out of them. Ask questions like, “do most people wear suits?”, “are khakis okay?” or “is it okay if I keep my face piercings in?” to elicit a general feel. If you’re presenting a poster, consider dressing more formally. If you are female and know that professional dress will be required, corporette is a great resource for all things professional.
- You will be overwhelmed. Unless you have been eating, sleeping and breathing your discipline for the last several years, the conference will feel a bit like learning a second language by immersion. On day one you will recognize the letters and a few key words from previous reading or class. Day two you will still be trying to process day one, but a few more words will feel familiar. By day three you’ll probably be at least conversant, and your head will no longer spin. Just pay attention and pick up as much as you can. No one expects you to know everything–all of the apparent geniuses surrounding you were also mere undergrads once.
- You may spend quite a bit of time by yourself. Your professor is there to catch up with colleagues, talk about collaborations, and otherwise not babysit you. That said, your professor should not totally abandon you, and probably won’t given that he or she invested considerable funds in bringing you to the conference and therefore 1) cares about you and 2) wants to make sure you aren’t fooling around in the host city and only showing up for the cocktail hour. Think of your time alone as an opportunity to meet people your age. These folks are your cohort, and if you plan to continue pursuing the same field you will probably run into them sometime in the future.Time alone can also be an opportunity to explore. After non-stop conference activities from Wednesday evening through Saturday afternoon, I needed a break. I hopped a bus to Santa Monica Pier so I could get my first glimpse of the Pacific and snag a postcard. If you find yourself in a city you’re unlikely to return to anytime soon, it’s okay to take a couple of hours to see the sights.
- The conference may have a hashtag. This can be a great resource if you’re already a Twitter user (or even if you aren’t). I ended up at a tweetup (google it, yo) eating delicious vegan food with a science writer and a researcher thanks to #worm11.
- This is your chance to geek out about something you (presumably) love and know quite a bit about. Go for it! Laugh at your discipline’s inside jokes. Ponder that new model someone just presented. Get jazzed about the next steps in your own work. Do not hold back, do not pretend to be too cool. You are not too cool to celebrate the pursuit of knowledge, even if the emblem of that pursuit happens to be a worm.
