"See You at the Village!"

At most colleges freshman are required to live on campus in a dorm room. Clarion University is one of the few schools that do not require this. While I was touring Reinhard Villages for the first time, I was introduced to this policy and was very excited about it, because I knew that Reinhard was the place I wanted to live.

Reinhard Villages is a community of student apartments for Clarion University students. It consists of 6 different villages, a community center, and a recreation area. The community center contains the leasing office, TV room, multi-purpose room, exercise room, computer lab, and the recently opened Outtakes Shoppe (a snack shop.) My roommate Tiffany and I like to use the exercise room on a daily bases. It's a nice room, but can sometimes become overcrowded. We say they make a bigger room, but I doubt that will happen. The recreation center consists of multiple basketball courts and a swimming pool. I haven't had a chance to use the pool yet, but will definitely be using it in the springtime.

As for the apartments, all I can say is WOW! They are VERY nice! You can choose from 4 different unit types. My roommates and I live in a 4x4, consisting of, 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms (which are inside our rooms), a kitchen, and a living room. The apartments come fully furnished with nice furniture. In our bedrooms we have a full sized bed, a nightstand, a dresser, and a desk with chair. In the kitchen there is a refrigerator, stove/oven, microwave, sink with garbage disposal, and table and chairs. Finally, in the living room there is a couch, love seat, coffee table, end table, and a TV stand. The apartments also comes with a full sized washer and dryer.

One reason I decided to live at Reinhard was because of the advantage of having your own bedroom. I am a person that needs quiet to study and do homework, so I have the advantage of having my own bedroom. You're probably thinking that the cost is outrageous, but it's not that bad. For a fully furnished apartment, all utilities paid for, and snow removal, I must add, it's a pretty good deal compared to paying for other off-campus apartments.

Reinhard Villages is a fun place to come home to. Tiffany and I just got done cleaning the apartment and we are now awaiting the arrival of our friends, Amanda and Ashley, who are coming over from campus to stay the weekend. I'm excited and I think we'll have a lot of fun!

So, if you'd like to further check out Reinhard Villages here is the link to their website: http://www.aoinc.com/proppages/?property=13. Also, here are a few pictures of my apartment! Enjoy!

The Kitchen

The Living Room

My Bedroom #1

My Bedroom #2

My Bathroom

The End of the First Week and My First College Basketball Game

Our first week of classes has officially ended. I thought this week went well. My professors are great and I think they will make the class time enjoyable. I will definitely have a big load of work to do this semester, though. Lots of note taking, reading, and memorizing in each class, but hey, that's college!

Clarion winter weather has officially set it, as well. It has been very cold and windy this week. Last night we got a little bit of snow and today it has been snowing on and off. I wish the snow would have come in time for Christmas, but it didn't work out that way. I've been told that Clarion winters can get pretty nasty.

On Wednesday, I attended my first college men's basketball game. I went with my roommates Tiffany and Anna. We had a great time! It was a good match between Clarion and IUP, but Clarion ended up falling short 77 to 72. Since it was my first game, it was an experience. For years I have been used to high school basketball games. I've now realized the difference between high school and college basketball.

That's all I have for now! I hope everyone has a great weekend! =)
~Jennifer

Spring Semester: The First Day

It's hard to believe that I have just begun my second semester of college. For the first day, my classes went very well. I only had 2, Introduction to Human Services and Introduction to Music. We didn't do a whole lot in either class, just the traditional of going over the syllabus and coarse outline. My professors seem nice and the classes seem exciting. After my music class, I went to lunch with my friend and then attempted to get my textbooks for a class, but unfortunately they were sold out. So now, I am back at my room, relaxing for a bit.

As for the rest of the week, I think things will go well. Tomorrow, I have 3 classes, Basic Biology, U.S. to 1877, and Introduction to Education. One nice thing about my classes this semester is that they are mostly back-to-back. So, that means I'll have some extra time to do some fun things, that is after I'm done with homework and studying.