Fair Time

The Texas State Fair is one of the most well known and biggest fairs in the nation.  Each year, thousands of people come from out of town to experience this event, and this past weekend, I finally understood why.  

The minute people walk in to the lavish set-up, hearts seem to be lightened and smiles almost immediately appear on their faces.  The smell of popcorn and chicken and cotton candy lingers in the air, and screams of excitement from the people on rides fill the ears of all.  The lights, the people, the opportunity to eat anything fried from peach cobbler and Oreos, to jellybeans and cheesecake, work together to create an atmosphere that welcomes friends and families for hours upon hours.  

One of the coolest things we did when we were there was ride the Texas Star farris wheel.  The sight of the city of Dallas at night was amazing, and even thought the cost is fourteen tickets for two times around, the fun and beauty was definitely worth it.  

If any of you get the chance, I highly recommend a trip to this famous park.  It's a great time with friends or family, and it justifies eating anything unhealthy, at least for a day.  

Is The Stereotype True?

When I first started to consider SMU, one of the first things I did was ask my friends what they had heard about it.  Honestly, I wasn't very comforted by their feedback.  Most raised their eyebrows immediately and said that SMU was a "rich people" school and that I would probably turn out to be a snob if I went there.  Unfortunately, that reaction automatically turned me off to the idea of EVER being a mustang.  However, when I mentioned the possibility of attending SMU to adults, their reaction was the complete opposite.  They all kept going on and on about how amazing the school was, and said if I passed up the opportunity to go there, I would be missing out on a degree that could get me extremely far in whatever career I want to pursue.  

  At this point, I was utterly confused.  To see for myself, I visited campus in early December of last year.  It was finals week and there was not a soul around.  I did not have a comforting feeling at all when I left SMU on that freezing Friday afternoon, and I was completely convinced that my plans to go to Auburn were now set in stone.

April of senior year arrived before I knew it, so did another invitation to visit SMU just one last time for Mustang Days.  I rolled my eyes when I received the letter, but my dad was so intent on me giving it one more try that I agreed to go back to Dallas.  I arrived on campus once again with the terrifying "snob school" stereotype still echoing in my head.  I was just ready to get this night over with. 

However, to my complete surprise, I began to like SMU and the other incoming freshman

more and more as the hours went on. After talking to people, I found out that they were just

as nervous as I was about coming to a school with such an intimidating reputation. I had so

much fun that weekend, and when I left, I knew that this would be my home for the next

four years. Yes, our school is known for wealth and beautiful people, but there are those

people at every university. I am so glad I was able to look past the initial impression of SMU

and I couldn't be happier to attend such an amazing school.

Roommate.... Friend or Foe?

When I finally decided to come to SMU at the end of April, there were a number of things heavily weighing on my mind, the greatest being my roommate situation. Because the only girl I knew who was coming to school here was doing the Hilltop Scholars Program, I was left with no option but to sign up for a potluck roommate.
I spent the whole Summer praying and anticipating August 4th. This was the day that I would receive an email with the name of the girl I would be living with for the next nine months of my life. When that day finally came, I checked my mail at least ten times before I finally got the message. At six in the evening I found out her name, and like most people, immediately went to Facebook. We messaged back and forth for an hour or so, talking a little about ourselves and interests and how excited we were to be going to SMU. She seemed normal! The next two weeks flew by, and before I knew it, move-in day had arrived. We both met for the first time and immediately clicked. Since the first week of school we have gone to breakfast together every morning, and been almost inseparable. My fears of having a "random" roommate have definitely been surpressed, and even though I'm sure we'll have our spats, I am so fortunate to get to live with such a great friend. However, some people haven't been so lucky. I know girls who knew their roommate before even coming to school, and are having a major problem getting along. So I ask you, is your roommate a friend or a foe?