Hey guys,

I am chugging along, trying to get through this semester and I am realizing that I am very close to being done with college. I have three semesters after this to arrive at my 150 credit hours to sit for the CPA exam. As it gets closer, the lazier and lazier I would like to be, but I must keep reminding myself not to get lazy. Here are my reasons to not get lazy in school, for better or for worse:

• Parents - My parents would be very upset if I did not perform to my potential. I guess I could hide my grades from then, but then again, they are probably reading this right now so that may be a bad idea... right mom and dad! :)
• Jobs - I need a job to make money and I need money so I do not have to live with my parents later in life. Therefore, I must do well in school.
• Soccer - If I do not meet the standards set in order to be a student athlete, I cannot play soccer. I enjoy soccer so this is a good reason to continue to do well in school.

So these are three reasons I continue to work hard and study. Hope everyone out there can stay motivated and finish out the semester.

John

Hey guys,

Same old story for me, school and soccer. School is hitting tough times though, kind of like our economy (I am watching the debates right now so I felt like the joke is applicable), because of Tests. I had two tests last week and two tests this week. A couple of them went very well and the others did not go so well.

Other than tests, i have been getting into the elections. I feel like this is my generations first real chance to influence the vote. I think it is great to hear players on my team talk about which candidate they like and see students reading the paper getting the scoop on the future of our country. It is fun. The debates are pretty rough. These guys really go for the jugular. I do not think I could take the criticism without getting extremely worked up and wanting to throw down the microphones and step into a ring... I guess that is what will keep me from becomming the president.

Anyway, that is what I have been up to. Hope everyone is well and avoiding colds and flu's!

Hey guys,

Just wanted to update everyone on the soccer season. We won our two games last weekend which puts our record at 2-2. One of our toughest opponents comes this weekend when we play Louisville in Louisville. Louisville is a top 30 team and beating them will be a great win for our team.

Other than soccer, school is going well. Homework is coming quick and often which is not fun. However, on a positive note, my one credit Geology class concludes in about 3 weeks so that will be great.

Hope everyone is doing well!

John

Hey guys, I am sorry for not bloggin lately but I have been pretty busy... havent we all. School started as you may or may not know... I hope you know. With school comes classes and with classes comes homework. There is no more time for fun. In addition to the start of the new school year, the IUPUI Men's Soccer season started and as you may or may not know, I am apart of the IUPUI Men's soccer team. We have not gotten out to the best start, however, we have played some good teams. This past weekend we played Northwestern who is ranked 16th in the nation. Although we lost 2-0 we gave a good effort and if effort could win games, we probably would have won. But seriously, we will be fine and we are looking to make the NCAA Tournament this year so we could use your support. Anyone who would like to know when a home game is, either find me on campus or go to the IUPUI Athletics page and click on Men's Soccer then go to Schedule. I would love to see all the Kelley School faces out at a game. Other then classes and games, I went to the Wilco concert at White River and saw Bon Iver open. If you have not heard of Bon Iver I suggest you check the band out. You just may like it.

To wrap things up, I hope everyone is having a great start to the school year. It will go by fast, at least that is what I keep telling myself.

Hey yall. I apologize for not bloggin on a regular basis, however, I have an excuse: I have been doing a lot of stuff. Here is my "2008, SUMMER SO FAR" blog. (Yes, caps and bold were an attention grabber. And yes, it worked). Anyway, here it is:

• Finished with summer class. Great feeling to be done, not so great feeling to get a grade I did not want. However, I learned a lot and that is what college is about.... Right?
• Went to the Death Cab For Cutie concert at White River with my brother. Walked there from my apartment while taking a tour of IUPUI's beautiful campus along the way. Short walk, did not have to pay for parking, great night, and most of all, it was a great show. 
• Worked soccer camps. Uhhh, I mean it was alright, but a job is a job. Long hours, little kids, and standing up in the sun all day = not to fun. Getting paid for watching and playing soccer = fun. In addition, I ate pizza everyday for about two weeks straight which is something everyone should try  once in their life. 
• Went to Disney World. Pretty great time. Have not been since I was ten years of age so it was cool to see the parks as an adult. Highlight of the trip: Staying in magic kingdom 'till 2:00am and riding Splash Mountaing, Big Thunder Mountain, The Buzz Lightyear Ride, and Space Mountain (only waited in line about 15 min BooYA) all in a row. It was a blast.
• Wedding. Just got back today from a great wedding up in the region. Saw a good friend from high school (he is a bit older) walk down the marraige path with a great girl. We had a blast at the reception dancing to "Jesse's Girl" and Soldier Boy all in the same night.

So that is what I have so far. In two weeks I am going to see my oldest brother get married which will be weird but amazing all in one. In addition, I am working on getting up to Cedar Point for some roller coasters. I got a taste at Disney and I need more. Thanks readers.

John

Hey everyone, I hope you are enjoying your summer. I am currently in Bloomington taking a class at IUB. I am enjoying my parents hospitality and loving the idea that food will be in the fridge when I get home.

The real reason I am writing this entry is to compare the Kelley School at IUB to the Kelley School at IUPUI's. I know that it is summer and I am not really getting the full feel of IUB, however, I went to IUB my Freshmen year and have taken summer classes on this campus twice. In addition, I grew up in Bloomington so I know its flavor. So here is my take on IUB vs. IUPUI:

Atmosphere:
IUB definitly has more of a college feel. Every where you look, you see kids that are typically between the ages of 18-25. The only people that are above 30 are the professors. At IUPUI, it would be wierd not to have 50% of the students in class above 25 years old. It makes for a much different atmosphere in class. Instead of feeling free to stop class and ask a question, I am intimidated that other students will get upset. Where at IUPUI, I ask questions everyday. This is not the fault of the professor, and may have something to do with the summer calss just getting started, however, I feel that when other students are asking questions and I myself am asking questions it creates a better learning environment.

Class Content:
The class I am taking this summer is F303, Intermediate Investments. The content is somewhat challenging although it is A-able (a word I just made up that means I think I can get an A in it). It is a summer course so we have class every day Monday - Friday for an hour and 15 minutes. It moves very fast. The thing that would be different taking it in Bloomington is IUB's content for I-Core is somewhat different then IUPUI's and this class builds on IUB's I-Core. Other then that, the class seems like it would be handled the same way at IUPUI. We had our first project due today and we have our first test Monday so we shall see where I stand after I get grades back from each of these.

Professor:
I really enjoy my professor at IUB. He is a good teacher with a lot of energy and a good sense of humor. I do not think he is a full time professor at IUB, so, in that sense, I cannot say whether he is a good reflection of how the other professors teach. He is available to help with any questions either after class or through office hours which is always nice.Compared to IUPUI, I have really enjoyed my professors in Indianapolis. They are always accessible and create great learning environments which makes it easy to learn.

Campus:
The campuses at IUPUI and IUB are completely different. IUB is a "College Campus" in every sense of the word, with Fraternities and Sororities, a Basketball and Football Stadium, tons of dorms, and a lot of lecture halls. IUPUI is in the middle of a city so space is not as easy to come by. However, with the addition of the Campus Center and the remodeling of the hallways on the second floor of the Kelley School, IUPUI is creating more of a college campus feel. Each campus works for their respective students and I really enjoy them both.

Students:
The last comparison I want to make is the students on each campus. As I mentioned above, there is quite an age difference between the two campuses. I feel comfortable in each but they do create different vibes. The first day of my summer class the professor asked if anyone was married. I was shocked when nobody raised their hand because there are so many students at IUPUI who are married. There is a similar mix betweent IUPUI and IUB of international students. It is nice to be able to learn from different people. Each campus provides a learning environment where students find time to laugh and soak up the material which is what college is all about. 

I hope my comparison of the two campuses help. You will not here me say one is better than the other because I am bias towards both, but I will say that I enjoy my experiences at each. Indiana University is a great University no matter which campus you are on.

Hey Guys,

I just got back from the Kelley Scholarship Breakfast at the University Hotel. It was a great event with a lot of familiar Kelley School faces and some unfamiliar faces as well. The breaktfast menu, because I know you all are wondering, was Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, and Potatoes. Pastries were passed around and the beverages were Water, OJ, and Coffee (I went with water and OJ). Moving on, I thought it was cool to see the hard-working students that I sit with in class every day being honored for jobs well done. It is not often that people are recognized for the long hours put forth studying. Eventually you are honored with a degree, however, it is nice to have a pat on the back every now and then saying "Hey, you're doing good stuff", typically this pat on the back consists of a $1,000 to use towards tuition, but we arent in it for the money, right guys?

In addition to the scholarship breakfast, yesterday (Thursday), I went to Victory Field home of the Indianapolis Indians, accompanied by a couple other soccer players, to read some trivia questions in front of a camera that will be presented on "Kids Day" which is this coming Wednesday April 30th. The questions will be presented on the big screen in center field and the kids will be told to shout out the answers. It was a cool opportunity to be on the field, watch some players take batting practice and see a couple pitchers warming up. Although I told them I could throw some smoke, they did not seem to interested in my pitching abilities and my dreams of becomming a Minor Leaguer slowly diminished. In addition to the trivia questions, the soccer team will be singing the 7th inning stretch on top of the home dugout, this is all on April 30th at 11:00am. So come out and see us!

Anyway, that is what I have been up to. Hope everyone is avoiding a stressful finals week. Talk to you guys soon.

-John

Why hello everyone out there in blog land. My name is John and this is my first time bloggin', so I am a little unsure about what to say but I think I am just going to go for it.

As finals are fast approaching with just two more weeks of school, finals are once again taking over my life. As anxiety creeps in, knowing I need to perform well on my tests, it gets tough to relax. And that is why I want to give my Top Five Ways to a relaxing finals week:

1. Enjoy the NBA Playoffs. As you will or will not continue to read, you will figure out that I am an avid sports lover. I do play soccer here at IUPUI but I am a lover of all sports. The NBA playoffs is a sports fans last fresh breath of air before a long summer of baseball begins. It is the worlds best athletes competing on one of the biggest stages and that is why I love it.

2. Goldeneye 007. Thats right, N64's version. Recently got back into the game and it was the best mistake I have ever made.

3. Dont study. This is a surefire way to not worry about finals. It is also a surefire way to enjoy more finals in years to come.

4. Hit up the canal for a jog, walk, bike ride, skateboard, roller blade, or swim. Great way to break from finals. Looks a lot better now that its clean.

5. Think about what is to come. Summer and relaxing. Even if you work or take summer classes, it cant be as bad as the daily grind of the spring and fall semesters.

I hope you guys can find this advice useful. If you have your own ways to relax, please tell. Hope everyone has a great pre-finals and finals week now that we can see the light on the other side of the tunnel.