With another academic year ending at Rowan University, it is time to say farewell to the Owl’s Nest blog. As school begins in the fall, I hope that students can turn to this blog for advice and to calm any worries they might have. It is important to remember that starting college can be a daunting for anyone, but it is not impossible!
You should be proud to be a Rowan Prof and make the most out of your college experience. Surround yourself with the right crowd, remember that you can learn something in every class, get involved, and live in the moment. These really are your best years!
Reflect with me and check out some of my favorite posts of the semester!
With the semester coming to an end, I had the pleasure of talking to Erin Cramer, a 19-year-old freshman, about her first year at Rowan University. Cramer is a Physics Education major, which influenced her decision to attend Rowan. While applying for schools, she knew that she wanted a college that would be close to home but still gave her the opportunity to live on campus. After being accepted to Rowan, she looked into their education program and fell in love with it.
Erin Cramer, a freshman at Rowan, holding a turtle at a RAH event. (Photo/Erin Cramer)
After making her decision, the next step was beginning college. Just like anyone else, Cramer was nervous about starting at a new school. Even though she knew some people who attended Rowan already, it was still scary moving to a new place, attending new classes, and making new friends.
However, Cramer is grateful for living on campus her freshman year and taking the opportunity to attend some of the first-week orientation activities. Attending these activates allowed her to get acclimated to the Rowan community and meet new people.
During her freshman year, Cramer lived in Magnolia Hall. Even though this is one of the older dorms at Rowan, she found that she was happy with her placement. Magnolia Hall is a smaller building, meaning that she was able to get to know everyone on her floor. Cramer gives credit to her resident advisor (R.A.) for always setting up activities throughout the year to get to know everyone. This made the living situation feel more comfortable for Cramer since she knew all the other students living around her dorm.
Even though it can be weird moving into a dorm, Cramer shares that the most important thing is to make it feel like home. Knowing that she would be spending a lot of time in her dorm, she made sure to bring elements of her bedroom at home to her dorm. This included things like pictures and other things that reminded her of home. However, she offers two pieces of advice for anyone moving to college. Buy a Britta for filtered water in your dorm and bring fans to help control the temperature in your dorm!
Reflecting back on all the memories of her freshman year, Cramer shares that she enjoyed attending Rowan After Hours (RAH) events. These late-night events are always changing and offer students the opportunity to learn new things. The most memorable event she attended was a night where students got the chance to make s’mores and paint.
Getting involved at college is important to making the most out of your freshman year. Cramer knew this and got involved in different clubs like the Radio Television Network (RTN) club and Fishing Club. Even though she was lenient at first, Cramer came to find that she actually enjoyed Fishing Club and found a new hobby.
Her biggest advice to anyone starting at Rowan would to be confident. Starting a new school can always be scary, but to remember that you are not the only one in this situation. Confidence is key to finding success in your academic career.
Even with Rowan switching over remote learning during the Covid-19 virus outbreak, Cramer felt as though she ended her semester on a strong note. Her professors were very understanding of the situation and were willing to work with students during this unique situation. She was proud of how Rowan handled this situation and is looking forward to being back on campus.
Check out this audio interview to hear Erin Cramer reflect back on her freshman year at Rowan University!
This past week I had the honor of talking with Colin Shea, a 20-year-old college student from Williamstown, NJ. During his freshman year of college, Shea decided to leave High Point University in North Carolina and transfer to Stockton University back home in New Jersey. Even though his transfer to Stockton was easy, just like everyone else, he experienced some of the worries that anyone might have when transferring to a new college. Now in his sophomore year, Shea found the right school for him and is currently studying in Stockton’s Business Studies Program with a concentration in Accounting.
Check out the audio below to hear Colin walk us through what it was like to transfer to a new college halfway through the year!
Colin Shea, 20-year-old transfer student at Stockton University. (Photo/Colin Shea)
Ever considered transferring schools but don’t know anything about the process? Check out this interview with Colin Shea, transfer student at @Stockton_edu 📚 https://t.co/KVM7lxYBka
Lindsey Tayne, owner of “The Husky Chronicles” blog. (Photo/Lindsey Tayne)
Last week, I had the pleasure of connecting with Lindsey Tayne, a 22-year-old student from Melville, New York. Lindsey is currently studying Civil Engineering as a fourth-year student at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. While attending school, Lindsay is a part of the Husky Ambassadors, an on-campus organization where she and many other students act as tour guides and representatives of the university. She works on their Communications Committee working to develop different social media strategies to connect members of the club with prospective students.
In the fall of 2018, Lindsey created “The Husky Chronicles“, a blog covering Northeastern University relevant topics while mixing in personal life experiences. This blog serves as a part of her work with the Husky Ambassadors. Lindsey’s main purpose of the blog is to interact with and inform prospective students about Northeastern. However, pulling from her own personal experience, Lindsey knows the college decision process can be difficult. She believes that by highlighting some of these different moments it adds to the personalized approach in which students can relate to her.
“Talking to high schoolers about how the process went for me and how, after it all, I’m really happy at Northeastern helps them realize that everything will work out for them in the end. I love that I can do that for them,” states Lindsey.
Helping students with the admissions process is just one of the many aspects of her blog that Lindsey finds rewarding. She recalls her own senior year of high school and how stressful it was between applications, grades, and college decisions. Having lived through it on her own, Lindsey knows how valuable hearing from someone with the same experience as you can be. In fact, she loves getting the chance to hear from students who have found comfort in her blog.
“I had one student reach out to me through Instagram…She’s from a few towns over from me on Long Island and was talking to me about the pressure that her parents put on her throughout high school to do well in her classes and get into the best college possible. I had the exact same experience when I was in high school, and we really bonded over that. I think our conversation benefited both of us,” explains Lindsey.
Even while writing her own blog, Lindsey is learning from her experiences. She admits that during the stress of the school year and her major, it is often times challenging to find the time to write new posts. College is a stressful time, but writing her blog inspires Lindsey to find the balance between staying optimistic while at the same time being realistic in her posts. This allows her to continue to encourage students in their own stressful times and help relieve some of their college decision stress.
With rising concerns of the COVID-19 virus in the United States and colleges moving to online instruction, student-run blogs like “The Husky Chronicles” are playing an important role in college decisions. “I’ve heard from a few students who were admitted to Northeastern and are genuinely interested in attending but have never toured the campus. I want to give them the most accurate mental image and understanding of Northeastern as possible, so they can make the right college decision for themselves,” states Lindsey. Even though creating posts are posing to be more difficult while not being on-campus, Lindsey is determined to shift her blog in a direction that works for the current situation.
“I believe that digital journalism is the most effective way at facilitating important information to people,” claims Lindsey. With college campuses closed all over the nation, online tools are being utilized to make up for missed experiences. Students can log online and still find that personal touch that you get from an in-person tour from blogs like Lindsey’s. Instead of admitting defeat, Lindsey is using her voice as a chance to regain some normalcy for prospective students in this unique situation.
For anyone looking to start their own college advice blog, Lindsey encourages them to keep writing and sharing their experiences. Even helping one student can make all the difference. “It may feel sometimes like you are shouting into the void – laboring over posts that nobody cares about or reads. But somewhere, there is someone who genuinely cares about what you have to say and wants to hear more from you,” states Lindsey.
Rowan Boulevard offers students that small city feeling right on campus! The boulevard offers students a series of restaurants, bookstores, apartments, and much more! As a new student on Rowan’s campus, it can oftentimes be overwhelming to see it all. You wanna explore it all but you don’t know where to start. Use this post as your guide to learn all about Rowan Boulevard before ever stepping foot on campus. You’ll even get a chance to hear from real students as they talk about their favorite places!
A street view of Rowan Boulevard. (Photo/Jeffrey Redwanowski)
The Glass Blower statue in the courtyard at the end the Boulevard. (Photo/Jeffrey Redwanowski)
This photo is of the description on the statue that describes the history of Glassboro. (Photo/Jeffrey Redwanowski)
This photo shows the Barnes and Noble bookstore on Rowan Boulevard. The staple spot for Rowan merchandise, textbooks, or even a quick cup of coffee! (Photo/Jeffrey Redwanowski)
This picture shows off the Playa Bowls located on the corner of Rowan Boulevard. It is the perfect place for a quick and healthy snack in-between classes. (Photo/Jeffrey Redwanowski)
An overview of the courtyard at the end of Rowan Boulevard. (Photo/Jeffrey Redwanowski)
Whitney Center is just one of the student housing options on Rowan Boulevard. (Photo/Jeffrey Redwanowski)
This photo shows the Marriott hotel located at the boulevard. (Photo/Jeffrey Redwanowski)
Rowan Boulevard even features its own Chickie’s & Pete’s restaurant. (Photo/Jeffrey Redwanowski)
The Alumni Grill is another restaurant on the boulevard that has a school theme. (Photo/Jeffrey Redwanowski)
This photo shows off the new La Scala’s Fire location in Glassboro. This location recently opened in 2019 and is the perfect place for authentic brick oven pizza. (Photo/Jeffrey Redwanowski)
On your first day here at Rowan make sure to check out Rowan Boulevard and explore some of our student’s recommendations. Who knows, their favorite might become yours!
This photo, provided by Stephanie Filippo, shows her outside one of the shows for One Funny Mother.
Making the most out of your Rowan career is half the battle. This past week I had the honor to sit down with class of 2017 Rowan alumni, Stephanie Filippo. Stephanie was a Theatre major with a concentration in Theatrical Design. While in her time at Rowan, Stephanie made the most of her college career by making relationships with both professors and students alike to have every advantage in her major. Stephanie continues to use these experiences and skill from Rowan everyday in her professional career. Having attended Rowan, Stephanie is able to share insight and advice to new students on finding success in their Rowan career.
How did you end up at Rowan University?
I ended up at Rowan because I wanted to go to a commuter school and Rowan was the closest to my house. I went to a community college for two years then commuted to Rowan for two.
So you commuted to Rowan. What were some of the challenges with being a commuter?
I was a theatre major meaning I would do a lot of shows. So a lot of times I would find we had late rehearsals and early morning classes. I felt some of the challenges were those late nights and early morning classes where I had to drive home and then back to Rowan.
What is one thing that you learned at Rowan that helps you in your life today?
So, I went to school for technical design. So, I studied mostly stage management in that realm. Once I graduated, I started working for a comedian as a stage manager. Our company name is One Funny Mother so we have a one woman show all about going crazy after having kids and a one woman show about motherhood. So, I stage managed that show. We toured the country and load into different theaters around the country and I stage managed the show.
For those that don’t know. Can you explain to us what exactly a stage manager is?
Stage manager – that’s a good question – so a stage manager is in charge of making sure everyone and their blocking is going according to plan. They also making sure that everyone is where they need to be and all of that. And then when they get to the show, they make sure they call the show. This means they call the lights, they call the sound cues, they make sure set pieces go out when they need to go out, and scene changes happen when they are supposed to happen. It is basically their show when they get into tech week. They communicate with director, the actors, the designers; they’re sort of the go to person.
What is your favorite thing about your job with One Funny Mother?
I love traveling! So that is one perk about the job. Going to different cities. where I probably would have never gone to without having this job. Like San Antonio, La Mirada, California, West Palm Beach, Florida. So, there has been a lot of places where I have gone that I have never been to. So, experiencing those but being able to visit there. But also, going to different theaters and working with other technical artists and theatre artist. And loading into different theaters and working with other technicians.
Tell us about the most memorable show in your career!
Our most accomplished theatre or one that I enjoyed the most. Just this past fall we were actually at the Kimmel Center. So, we performed there. So that was kind of like a big deal to be like ‘Oh we’re at the Kimmel Center!’
What organizations were you involved with at Rowan?
At Rowan I did a lot of their lab theater. So the school puts on a lot of mainstage shows that a lot of professors and outside theatre artist come in and direct. But there is also lab theatre which is a student run group. So, I stage managed a lot of those shows and did props for a lot of those shows. That was like a student-based group, so I learned a lot while getting to work with my friends.
What do you think makes Rowan unique compared to other schools?
What I found unique about Rowan and a reason I went there is because their theatre program is a BA program. A lot of school when you’re in a theatre program you have to take those specific classes. But with Rowan’s you can take classes outside of your track. Theatre was the major but technical design was my track. But then like musical theatre is a track and directing’s a track. So even though I was on the theatrical design track, I was able to take just as many dance classes and musical theatre classes as I did tech design classes. So, I was able to kind of get a little bit of everything while I was there.
What was one of the most useful classes, inside or outside your major, that you took at Rowan?
One of my favorite classes was History of Musical Theatre, which is where you go through all the decades and classics of musical theatre. I also really enjoyed my dance improvisation class, that was really fun. And scenic painting that was one I ended up really liking. I was more of stage manager than the artistic side, but scenic painting was a lot of fun because it was more of like backdrops and then full views than like individual views.
Where is the best place to get work done?
I used to do my work in Bunce 131 and in the draft room. There was this one room where we would do our CAD classes, or we would do any of our drafting classes. And there is just a couple desk in there, but there’s not that many classes in there. So, I would always go in there and just like always go in there and do my work. I don’t know why I would always go in there! There used to be a computer lab also in Bunce, but it’s not there anymore. I used to always go in there because nobody was in there. But now it’s I think – I don’t know what kind of room it is now. It used to be a go to but it’s not there anymore.
What is one event that you think every Rowan student needs to go to or check out?
I would say that each student should attend at least one mainstage show. A lot of classes are required to attend a show, but some classes aren’t at all. And a lot of students don’t know about the shows. So, I think it’s important for them to go see a show. A lot of times they actually do shows that people know! Like there is either a Shakespeare show that you know or a popular musical. So, I think it is important for people to see at least one piece of theatre while you are there.
What is one thing you wish you knew before your first day at Rowan?
I guess I wish I would have taken more of a tour of exactly where all my classes would have been before I started on my first day. So I would have felt more prepared and know exactly where I was going instead of being anxious about where I was going. It would have been a lot more helpful to know where everything was beforehand.
Listen to Stephanie talk more about knowing your way around Rowan and one of the biggest mistakes she saw students make on campus:
What was the most useful resource that Rowan had to offer?
I would say a lot of my professors were very helpful and even now as an alumni – there is a theatre alumni page on our theatre page – and our professors post on their about job postings and other events that are happening of things that we can go to. So they still reach out to us and things like that. Even when we were there they were giving us opportunities. Even now they are still reaching out to friends and offering jobs to people. So a lot of it comes from professors I would say.
Starting college can be overwhelming. It comes with so many questions that never seem to have easy answers. From meeting new people, learning your way around campus, and adjusting to the workload; it can almost seem impossible to handle by yourself. However, it does not have to be that way. Rowan University offers many services that can help any freshman or transfer get adjusted to life as a Prof! Before the first day, every Rowan student should know the following:
Photo by: Jeffrey Redwanowski
Finding Your Way Around. Rowan’s campus is already big and with new construction each year, it can be easy to get lost. Rowan offers an online interactive campus map to help their students out. This map has every academic, administrative, athletic field, and housing building labeled. There is even an option to see a 360 panoramic view of each building to get a feel for it and the surrounding area. For those who prefer a paper map, there is a link for that. Never find yourself wandering around campus looking for class again!
Photo by: Jeffrey Redwanowski
Getting Involved on Campus. From the moment you get accepted at Rowan, everyone is telling you how important it is to get involved. However, they always fail to mention the best ways to put yourself out there. You could attend the activity fair, but there are so many clubs there to choose from. With Proflink, students have the ability to browse through different events and organizations on campus. This site provides dates and detailed descriptions to give you the right information to get involved. Students can even use this site to track their involvement on campus.
Scheduling Your Classes. One of the best aspects of college is getting to choose your own classes and schedule. Although, all of that freedom can be overwhelming when you see how many different possibilities there are. It might seem stressful, but there is a simple solution! SchedulesU is a website specifically designed to help Rowan students schedule their classes. All the student needs to do is plug in their classes for next semester and the website provides you with every single schedule combination possible. Never run into time conflicts again! Students can even specify a specific class time to eliminate schedules that do not fit accordingly. Finding the perfect schedule has never been easier!
Print Your Homework with Ease. Many Rowan students do not realize how easy it is to print from campus. Simply log onto the Rowan Mobile Print service and upload which documents you need printed. Once you’ve uploaded your documents, locate a printer on campus and swipe your student ID at the printing kiosk. Choose the appropriate documents you needed printed from the screen and hit print. One thing many students do not know is that at the beginning of each year, Rowan resets your printing balance to have $40 worth of prints. That is plenty enough to last both semesters!
The photo above is of Rowan’s printing kiosk. Photo by: Jeffrey Redwanowsku
Let Rowan Help You Build Your Resume. Rowan wants to see their students succeed. ProfJobs is a site designed by Rowan University to help their students find jobs. This site has job postings for whether a student is looking for an internship, a part-time job during the school year, or even a full-time job post-graduation. To get started students log in using their Rowan credentials. Once signed up, they upload their resume and cover letters to get feedback from advisors. When these documents have been approved, students answer a questionnaire about the type of postings they are interested in. From there, students can browse different job opportunities and apply right from the website. This helps students build their resume during their years on campus, just in time for graduation.
All of this is advice that every incoming student at Rowan should know before their first day! These services were made to help Rowan students out during their time on campus. So next time you are lost around campus, want to get more involved, scheduling your classes, or even need to print your homework; remember these useful sites!
Hello! My name is Jeffrey Redwanowski. I am currently a junior at Rowan University with a major in Communication Studies and a minor in New Media.
Starting college is hard, but not impossible. I created this blog as a chance to let incoming students at Rowan know everything I wish someone would have told me. Think of it as a college survival guide solely for Rowan students.
Photo by: Jeffrey Redwanowski
With the help of this blog, I am hoping to produce posts that are specific to life at Rowan University. From a current student’s perspective, I plan on interviewing different students about their experiences to create posts that are relatable to students. I will even give behind the scenes looks at various events, clubs, and services on campus.
Not only will these posts include text but also some audio, video, and photo elements. I feel as though it is important to not only write about the best locations to study on campus, but show you using photo examples.
I am looking forward to getting started with this blog! Make sure to check back for more content. You can even follow my blog on Twitter for behind the scenes and a reminder every time I make a new blog post!
Owl's Nest 