Ave Maria University

President of Ave Maria University, Jim Towey, released a statement today that expresses his disappointment with the new amendments to the HHS healthccare law. Read it here.

My Disney Adventure

My name is Stephanie Mosbrucker and on August 16th 2012 I set off on a most excellent adventure; the Disney College Program.

“What is this Disney College Program?” you may ask. No, I was not Snow White as fitting as my 6’, black haired, albino bisque appearance may lead on. Instead, I got to join close to 8,000 other college students from around the globe in a Live, Earn and Learn experience in the busy and beautiful city of Orlando. We piled into the Orientation building, full of expectations and wonder. We were met with just the magic we had been seeking: the lights dimmed, a fog blower machine ruffled our hair and laser lights strobed above us as the two orientation leaders danced down the middle isles greeting us enthusiastically, pumping us up and sprinkling the metaphorical fairy dust for which we had all been waiting.

That was my first experience with the Disney Company. What followed was a semester of training and experience in which I got to sprinkle fairy dust and make magic for each guest which whom I came into contact.

My Disney Adventure began many months before I actually arrived in Orlando. Last March I decided to apply to the program after 2 years of ‘friendly encouragement’ from an adult friend. She had participated in the program years and years and… years ago and believed that it would be an excellent fit for my personality and social nature, benefiting any of my future endeavors as well. Unsure if I wanted to give up a semester of school, I applied with the attitude of ‘If I get it then I can decided whether or not to go, but this is too great of an opportunity to just pass up entirely.” The next day I received an email congratulating my application and advancement to an interview which I promptly set up and completed –over the phone- about a week later. “Wow, Disney moves fast! This was the easiest thing ever!” I thought to myself. Well, God heard me and the waiting game began. One week. Two weeks. A million years it felt like since I had been contacted by Disney World! During this waiting period I was praying for guidance on the subject; beginning with the “God, if it is your Will, I think this would be a really cool thing to do”, “God, Your Will be done, just help me to know whether you would like me to go or come back to Ave next semester”. And then finally “God pleeeeaaaaaaassssseeeee let me go to Disney World! I really WANT to go!” Inbox: Disney World: Congratulations! You have been accepted to the Disney College Program Fall 2012!

Sometimes I think God lets us know His will by changing our own.

Disney Castle photo by Andrej Blagojević

Meanwhile, in Roma

Erin’s studies have begun! If you’re at all interested in the opportunities to study abroad at AMU, be sure to follow her blog!

I’ve heard about these Italian scouts before, but I don’t know much about them. They’re so cool! They gave us homemade pastries for breakfast after Mass (which were really delicious!!). St. Philip’s body is buried in Chiesa Nuova, but we didn’t get to see it because Mass was going on. Next time though…More

New Year, New Semester

I’m back! After three weeks of traveling and enjoying my break up in the frozen tundra of Michigan, (I enjoyed the break part, not so much the frozen part) I have to say it feels good to be back in Ave. Besides the obvious fact that it is about 70 degrees warmer in Florida, it’s good to see all my friends and get back into the swing of college life.

Now that I’ve settled back into my room, it feels like just yesterday we were all freaking out about finals: late nights in the library, study breaks on the sand volleyball court, and many prayers to St. Joseph of Cupertino. After my last final, I packed my bags for break—this entailed attempting to shove all my belongings into my suitcase and sitting on it to zip it. Before long, I was on the plane back home. The weather was a shock at first, I had to sleep with mittens on because I was so cold, but I did enjoy having a white Christmas. Seeing my puppy, my family, and friends was great and break seemed to fly by.

Those three weeks went by in the blink of an eye and before long I found myself in the bookstore, gearing up for a new semester of classes. The first day back went well, I really like all my teachers and classes so far and I’m looking forward to a great semester! I already signed up for the back to school beach trip this weekend, which I’m super excited about mostly because we’ll be going to the beach in January. The March for Life is also coming up soon. A bunch of my friends and I are going with the Ave group and we can’t wait to head up to DC to save the babies!

Like most people, I’ve made some New Years resolutions that I’m determined to work hard to keep this semester. For example, I want to go to daily mass and adoration more often, I want to keep my workout schedule consistent, and I especially want to procrastinate less and stay on top of all my work. So far, so good!

Arrival in Rome

Erin is in Rome! Make sure to keep up with her trip on her blog. We’ll be bringing her new posts to your attention here as well. Have fun, Erin!

So… I’M IN ROMA!!! I can’t believe it, I can’t believe it, I can’t believe it, I CAN’T BELIEVE IT!!!! Back up a little—this is how I got here…More

All Roads Lead to Rome

AMU student Erin is keeping a blog as she studies abroad in the AMU Rome program. You can follow her directly or get updates on her progress from us here. From what we’ve seen on her blog, she’s already on her way!

I’M LEAVING FOR ROME IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS!! I won’t have a working phone over there, and I wanted more legitimate means than Facebook to document my adventure, so here it is, the blog!

In case you haven’t heard, I will be spending the next three months studying abroad in Rome, the Eternal City, the Heart of the Church! I still can’t believe it! It’s so unbelievable to me that I just started packing yesterday afternoon (which is actually a pretty early start for me, as I tend to operate last minute). Consequently, I still have quite a bit to accomplish and I should get back to packing soon. Packing in itself has been an adventure. Actually, that’s a lie. It’s been pretty uneventful. Packing is one of my least favorite things in the whole wide world. I’m trying to pack…More

Whistle While You Work

One of the biggest adjustments I’ve had to make in the transition into college life is budgeting my time and creating a balanced schedule. There is the constant temptation to procrastinate and put off homework while lying in my bed watching Disney movies in between classes. Of course I’m still working out the bugs, but I think I’ve established a pretty solid set of working habits.

1)  Start early. Even if you think you have three weeks before you need to start a paper, start thinking about it earlier. I’ve found that the weeks often speed by, and little assignments and essays pop up very quickly. Unfortunately, I would sometimes consider myself as an AP (Advanced Procrastination) student, so I always make a conscious effort to sit down and start brainstorming or outlining so I have something to go off of once my essay deadline gets closer.

2)  Make a list. This always keeps me organized and helps me handle stress. I make lists all the time, of homework that I need to do, when I need to work out, shopping lists, ideas for new blog posts or Facebook graphics. Checking off a task on my list is like a mental high five and I like having everything written down so nothing gets forgotten.

3)  Nap. I never really appreciated the wonderfulness of napping until I got to college. Staying up late studying, or even a rough couple morning classes can be rewarded with a heavenly daytime nap. It’s a good pick-me-up and also helps make up for some lost sleep. Make sure you set an alarm though, because nothing is worse than your roommate throwing a pillow at you at 2:29 asking, “Don’t you have class at 2:30?”

4)  Find what works for you. For me, I’m most productive sitting on my floor while listening to movie soundtracks or Christmas music. Why? I have no idea whatsoever, but that’s what works for me. Some people need to clean their desk off and can’t work with music. Others are masters of multitasking, like my roommate for example. She can write an essay, watch The Office, and update her Twitter while still getting work done.

5)  Don’t be afraid to ask for help. I’ve never been a big fan of admitting when I need help, but I’ve learned that it’s not a sign of weakness or lack of intelligence. Here at Ave, there are many opportunities to get homework help or someone to proofread a paper. All the professors have office hours, and are more than willing to help with any questions or papers. The Academic Center for Excellence, aka the ACE Place, is a great place to get help as well. Going to the library for study groups or working in the 24 hour room is always beneficial, and is always popular around exam time.

6)  Leave time for you. I’m pretty sure if I shut myself in my room and worked all the time, my brain would explode. And that wouldn’t be helpful for anyone now, would it? Set aside time to go to a sporting event, get involved in an intramural sport, have a movie night, go for a walk around campus, find a friend with a car and drive into Naples, stop by the Café for a snack and a quick game of pool. There are always activities on campus that are great opportunities to socialize and take a break from homework.

I think Mary Poppins was absolutely right when she said, “In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun.” I’ve found that the less I worry about an assignment and the more I try to really get into it and find something to be passionate about, I get it done with less stress and I am able to finish a lot faster. Of course, sometimes that ‘element of fun’ is something you have to insert yourself, and very often includes some form of procrastination. However, once you find your balance and work out your schedule, everything seems to fall into place. 

Rather than write a post this week, I decided to give you guys a brief tour of where I live on campus. Enjoy my first vlog!

Classes, Dances, and Adventures

Hello to everybody again! It’s been a crazy (crazy meaning “awesome”) past few weeks here at Ave. With classes, the Sock Hop, Fall Fest, and Saturday’s beach adventure, I’ve been quite a busy man.

First off – academics. I know that when I was looking into Ave Maria, I had a lot of concerns: “How hard are the classes? How difficult is the work load? How available are the teachers?” Regarding the classes and the homework: it’s challenging. Now, notice that I use the word “challenging” here instead of “hard” or “difficult;” this is because of the implications of the word.

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There’s a First Time for Everything

“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”—Martin Luther King Jr.

These last couple of weeks have been filled with firsts for myself and other Ave students. One such first was the first day of fall. On this day, the humidity decreased ever so slightly in preparation for what I’m told is “winter” (about 60 degree weather). In addition to this, we’ve experienced multiple exciting and challenging firsts as a student body.

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