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Almost a JUNIOR… already?

Megan Wednesday, April 11th, 2012

I can’t believe that finals are in a few weeks and then this school year is officially over. My first two years of college have FLOWN by. It seems like just yesterday I was sitting in my room during senior year of high school wishing I was just at APU already. And I can honestly say that this school, the academics, the things I am involved in, and most of all, the people have never let me down. To come to APU will go down in my life as one of the most important and one of the best decisions I have ever made.

I think in honor of a new class of students coming soon, I will make a list of all the things that I basically see when I look back on these past two years.

1. I see a really faithful, loving, encouraging God. A God that believes in me and entrusts with me BIG things.

I am sadly taking my very last required Bible course this semester. It is a class that undoubtably has changed my perspective on Jesus and the Bible. This class is absolutely WORTH the hundreds and hundreds of dollars APU students pay for one class. I am realizing looking back at the 5 Bible Classes I’ve taken that I am so lucky to get to take these classes with the faculty that APU has. As a girl that has only ever been to public schools, learning about the Bible in school is just about the coolest thing ever.

2. I see the Alpha Program. The people that I met in it, the leaders that I have been blessed with through it, the people that have encouraged me and made me into a better follower of Christ, friend, and leader. This program is bigger then just freshmen orientation, it is a life changer.

3. I see three incredible people that I have lived with. The two girls I live with now and the one I was randomly assigned with freshmen year are three of my dearest and best friends. I could talk about them forever. I am grateful to be able to be in Christian community with girls that is so intentional. Living with people can either be horrible or extremely beneficial and even more fun. Mine was the second.

4. I see a mission trip to Tanzania that changed my life.

5. I see art classes that made me a better Christian artist and designer.

6. I see the tight-knit community that can be found at APU if you seek and desire it.

7. I see a lot of quiet time with Jesus. A lot of struggling through passages in the Bible with Him, a lot of praying through rough stuff, and then a lot of meditating on His Word.

Then I see a lot of loud time with Jesus. Spontaneous, good-hearted dance parties with friends during procrastination for long essays and studying. Dinners at the Caf with a ton of friends talking about what God is doing in our lives. D-Group meetings and alpha meetings filled with endless laughter that I know brings joy to the Lord. I think I have seen how both being quiet and being loud and crazy can draw you nearer to Jesus. He is as real in fellowship as He is in Chapel and Church and individual prayer.

8. I see a lot of adventures spontaneously late at night with friends. The kind of moments that make you grateful for life. Going to get mashed potatoes at KFC, donut man trips, going to a beautiful cliff overlooking the city and talking about life, driving around Pasadena blasting music, going to see a movie or getting sushi with the roommate. So many moments and so few pictures. That is when you know it was a great night, when you forget to take any pictures cause you are having too much fun with friends that mean the world to you.

9. I see the people that I have been blessed to have as neighbors both this year and last year. It is easy to love your neighbor when your neighbors RULE.

10. I see learning what it looks like to be a leader. Learning what you want out to get our of life. Learning how to best use your passions and skills and major to serve the Kingdom. Learning what you are doing wrong in friendships and what you are doing right. Learning the benefit of being vulnerable. Learning how quickly deep friendships can be built. Learning that you can do so much more then you think you can. Learning the blessings of living in America and being able to be educated at APU. Basically- I have learned a lot.

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Some Last Thoughts

Megan Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

Next weeks marks finals week, and the last week of my freshmen year of college. The days keep going by faster and as much as I am excited for what next year and my entire future will look like, I find myself wishing time would somehow go by slower.

So here marks my freshmen year in a nutshell:

So excited to be moving into my new home!

Move-In day almost felt like it was straight out of a Hilary Duff movie (and I love Hilary Duff movies). Absolute madness, but one of the best days of my life. My stuff was moved in in no time and meeting my roommate was priceless.

Alpha Group 35!

My Alpha Group I met shortly after moving in and I had absolutely no idea what an alpha group even was. Come to find out, APU definitely prides itself on the whole Alpha experience, with a very good reason to. In the beginning, being with a group of 8 strangers was awkward (predictably), but by the end of Alpha I found myself wishing it would never end. Now I am going to be an Alpha Leader myself next year and could not be any more excited about it! It is one of the many ways that they help you transition easily to college life and meet new people you might not ordinarily meet.

Such a fun All-Access weekend!

Being an ambassador this year was the first commitment I made when I arrived at APU. It gave me the opportunity to host prospective students multiple times per year and be a part of All-Access weekends. It was such a blessing being able to see people fall in love with APU as I have. I cannot explain how many smiles and laughs I had during those weekends.

Young Life leaders!

Being a part of Young Life first semester was an experience I will never forget. I made priceless friendships and was able to serve God in the most amazing way. It was a new opportunity for me to put myself out there and love on high schoolers that were open to the Gospel.

Then, as God led me to no longer be a part of Young Life He led me toward being a part of the Office of World Mission’s Focus International mission teams. I found out at the beginning of second semester I would be going to Tanzania. I cannot explain how much God has been real to me through being able to be a part of this mission team. It has been without a doubt, one of the biggest blessings of being here at APU and I haven’t even left for the trip yet (it is in three weeks, crazy!). I never in a million years thought I would ever be going to Africa, it was never in my plan. But I realized that almost everything I have been changed by at APU was not originally in my plan. God’s plan is so much greater.

My hall in Trinity, Fourth South has been a huge part of my experience at APU as well. I have made so many life-long friends and I have learned so much by being able to live on my own and be a part of such a great community.

Spontaneous trip to The Hat with 4th South girls!

Last, but definitely not least, the courses that I have taken at APU so far have honestly changed my perspective on education altogether. I have had professors that changed my life because they changed my perspective on things in ways I never knew possible. Also, being a graphic design major, I am finally able to take design and art classes and it has been so much fun! I cannot explain how great it feels to finally be able to be educated in what I love. Also, words cannot do justice for how great of a blessing it is being educated by Christian professors. Each class (yes, even p.e., math, english, etc.) works faith and Christianity into its curriculum, which is amazing.

I think that everyone that knows me would know how much I would attest to APU being the greatest decision I have ever made. This year has been a crazy whirlwind of a year, but I have grown so much as a person and as a follower of Christ that I wouldn’t change it for the world.

If I were to give advice to incoming students at APU it would be to put yourself out there and do things that you never planned on doing. Enjoy living in the dorm while it lasts, because if you make the most of that experience, it will be one of the best experiences of your life. Don’t stress out, be excited for this year to come. And whatever you do, during the school year even though school can be stressful and overwhelming don’t let it get you to the point where you stop enjoying being here. Going to college is not forced, it is a privilege. Be excited, because a year from now, your life will be so different! The way that the community works here, and the way that God is present here, is enough to change your life alone.

Lastly, I want to say THANK YOU to all my readers for taking the time to keep updated on my experience here at APU! I appreciate it more then you’ll ever know!! If you have any questions feel free to comment and I would love to answer you! God bless.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” -Romans 8:28

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one. more. month.

Megan Monday, April 11th, 2011

One more month of my freshmen year. The last time I will ever be a freshmen… in my life. Crazy. This year has seriously flown by faster then I ever thought it would. I feel like I just got here, move-in day seems like it was just yesterday. By far, it has been the best year of my life. I have met people that I can’t imagine living life without. I have met people that have inspired me, encouraged me, and shown me what it means to pursue Christ with all of your being. There are people that I can never repay for the way that they have poured into my life. I have grown as a person, and even more so I have grown in my relationship with God. The way I have experienced God while being here is extraordinary.

It is insane to think of how originally APU was not on my rater of colleges at all. I had a whole different plan, but this was God’s plan for me. And it is infinitely better then any other place I could have ended up. This is my home now, these people are like family. This community is like family. For some people, picking a college is all about the city your in, or the look of the campus, or how great their food is, or even how good the school name will look on your resume. While I would fare to say that there are so many schools that rank better at those things then APU, I would also fare to say that in terms of community and the people, APU ranks number one. I could never imagine myself anywhere else, surrounded by any other group of individuals.

Besides school ending next month, I have a little over one more month until I leave for my mission trip to Tanzania. It is surreal at this point. The way that God has opened doors for this trip, prepared me and equipped me personally for this trip, and bonded my team is just so amazing. It has been a true testimony to how God will get you somewhere if He really wants you there. God really wants me there. If I ended up at any other place, I would not be going on this mission trip in a month. And that in itself is just a weird thought. This mission trip IS where I am supposed to be, and APU got me here. I haven’t even been on the trip yet and I already cannot imagine my life without it.

One more month until I move out of the dorms. Oh boy, that’s going to be a sad day. I will miss spontaneous trips to ‘The Hat’ or ‘Donut Man’ or ‘In-N-Out.’ I will miss beach days with my hall and waking up at 3AM to pillow fights outside and girls screaming in the hall (I know, weird thing to miss right?). I will miss Monday night cramming into a room and watching The Bachelor. I will miss constantly having my door open and never being able to get homework done because people walk in every 2 seconds. I will miss moving my mattress into other rooms and having sleepovers. I will miss spontaneous dance parties and movie nights. I will miss getting ready for GYRAD and walking into the bathroom every morning to see the whole bathroom filled with girls getting ready. I will miss spending hours on end in the study room during finals, but never having a dull moment because there are 10 other girls studying in there too. I will miss never having to be alone, unless I choose to be. I will miss sitting out on Trinity Lawn doing homework on a beautiful sunny day. I will miss every single thing about living in the dorms, it was hands-down one of the greatest parts of my freshmen year. Some of the girls on my hall will be my friends for eternity (seriously).

But there are so many things to look forward to:

  • I am going to be an ALPHA LEADER next year, which I could not be any more excited about. I am so blessed to be able to pour into the lives of incoming freshmen. I can only hope that I influence the lives of my “alphies” as my alpha leader influenced my own.
  • Next year I will be living in an apartment with two of the girls on my hall. They are some of the most caring, encouraging, and fun girls I have ever met. I can’t wait.
  • My schedule of classes for next semester…. THREE art classes. So stoked.
  • Spring Semester I am planning on studying abroad (either South Africa, England, Italy, or London!)
  • Much far into the future… my Junior year… I am going to pursue being an R.A. for the freshmen in the dorms.

If you are going to be a freshmen at APU next year I have one piece of advice for you… GET EXCITED. Your life will be changed and will look nothing like what it does right now (in a good way). You will grow, learn, experience things you never imagined you would, and make friendships that will last a lifetime. Looking back, I enjoyed high school, but college is a new level of enjoyment.

If you are not going to be a freshmen at APU next year, GET EXCITED ANYWAYS. Be in prayer about where God is leading you, be pursuing Him, and rejoice in all that you do have right now.

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Amazing APU Moment #294585:

Megan Wednesday, January 19th, 2011

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You wait 18 years to finally move out and be an “adult” and then you go back to dressing like a little kid again.

A few weeks ago we had an amazing event called “broomball” where South Side of Trinity dressed up as little kids “school kids” and the North Side of Trinity dressed up as the elderly “retirement” and we faced off in a game of broomball (hitting around multiple balls on an ice skating rink with regular shoes on trying to get it into a goal). In case you were wondering, OF COURSE South Side won! WOOOOO

It was yet another amazing night of being with the girls on my hall and all the people living in the Trinity Dorm. I can’t put into words how much fun freshmen year is (I am trying to compensate with pictures cause they are worth a thousand words, right?)

P.S. I wish I could document the look on peoples faces when we walked into In-n-Out afterwards for dinner… I guess onesies aren’t in style anymore.

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It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

Megan Wednesday, January 19th, 2011

As Christmas rolls around its only obvious that APU needs to get into the spirit! Our hall would feel so lonely without some much needed decorating. After all, what is the holiday season without candy canes, Christmas trees, snowmen, and Christmas lights! On Thursday night we had a huge celebration called “Christmas Chaos” outside the dorms complete with snow cones, popcorn, bull riding, karaoke, amazing drummers, a massive Christmas tree, and a scene depicting the birth of Jesus (oh how I love my Jesus-loving school).

Our mascot, Freddy THE COUGAR

Our mascot, Freddy THE COUGAR bull riding

My friend Victoria and I during Christmas Chaos

My friend Victoria and I during Christmas Chaos

Then, later that night we had the judging for the most intense holiday decorating you will ever see in your life… TRINITY DECK THE HALLS! You basically get together with your entire hall and stay up all Wednesday night decorating in the most elaborate, creative way imaginable. Although we didn’t win, I think we deserved to! Don’t take my word for it though, see for yourself:

WINTER WONDERLAND

WINTER WONDERLAND

Some of the girls on my hall in our nook, complete with Santa's Sleigh, "snow," and snowflakes!

Some of the girls on my hall in our nook (complete with Santa's Sleigh, "snow," and snowflakes!)

OH HEY LOOK, ITS JESUS!

OH HEY LOOK, ITS JESUS!

And here are just a few of the other halls and their amazing decorating skills:

The boys and their amazing lighting skills

The boys and their amazing lighting skills

The winning hall! A Starbucks Christmas!

The winning hall! A Starbucks Christmas!

Oh boy, only a guy's hall would think of creating a human snow-globe.

Oh boy, only a guy's hall would think of creating a human snow-globe.

Some more "Deck the Halls" madness!

Some more "Deck the Halls" madness!

Finally, the after effects of realizing we have to take down all of our decorations that we spent hours on because it is such a massive fire hazard:

Sad.

Sad.

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All-Access Weekend ALREADY?

Megan Tuesday, November 16th, 2010

It seems like just yesterday that I was walking onto the APU campus for All-Access weekend. I was timid, shy, and confused, to say the least. I remember the feeling exactly. You feel like you look so much younger then everyone else and that you stand out like a sore thumb. It feels like yesterday, but a year seemed to fly by between then and now.

This past weekend I got the chance to host All-Access students as an Ambassador. Being an Ambassador means you get the opportunity to host All-Access students and other prospective students throughout your freshmen year. It is not a paid position or anything, just something to do if you want to get involved with the school from the get-go. It is a good way to get students hyped up for what APU is and what it has to offer.

Incase you haven’t heard of All-Access, heres a brief lo-down on what it is. Basically, All-Access Weekend takes place four times throughout the year, twice in the Fall and twice in the Spring, and lasts from Thursday afternoon to either Friday night or Saturday morning (depending on if you want to spend one or two nights on campus). You get to attend fun events, informative sessions, and stay with a Freshmen student at APU so that you can get a good feel for what a typical weekend is like. It is a good way to see the campus, meet some faculty, and begin to bond with other prospective students that might (…hopefully) will end up at APU with you. You get to go to chapel, attend a class, eat on campus, and get to know your Ambassadors.

My experience last year at All-Access was SO worthwhile and made me 100 times more excited for going to APU. I encourage you to look into All-Access weekend, and if you cannot attend any of those weekends, try and schedule a night or weekend to stay at APU in the dorms and experience it individually. I promise you its worth it.

Here are some questions I thought it would be helpful to cover that I got asked regularly by the All-Access students I hosted:

1. What is an R.A.? Each hall in the dorms, and each general living area in the apartments or Mods has an R.A. (Resident Advisor). An R.A. is an upperclassman- typically a junior or senior, sometimes a sophomore. Basically, their job is to make sure rules are followed, and even more then that make sure your experience is amazing.

2. What is an Alpha Group? The second you move into APU you are going to be placed in an Alpha Group. As a Freshmen, you are required to take a .5 Unit class called Beginnings your first semester that consists of about 300 students. The students in that class are divided into the Alpha Groups (about 8-12 people) and throughout the majority of the first semester you meet with your Alpha Group weekly to bond, talk about the class material, and have fun. This is one of the many ways that APU makes sure you do not feel alone once you step onto the campus.

3. How much homework do you get? It really depends on your major(s), if you procrastinate, and what professors you get. It varies heavily. Usually, I get roughly 2-3 hours of homework a night. Now, keep in mind this does not include procrastination. However, you can balance a social life and school for sure, you just have to be smart about it.

4. How do you like it here? Considering I am writing on the APU Blog and I am an APU Ambassador, you can infer the rest…. YES I LOVE IT HERE AND I INSIST ITS THE BEST COLLEGE ON THE PLANET.

5. Is there anything you would change about APU? Honestly, no. (And I am not just saying that because it’s on this blog.) The thing that I looked most forward to at APU was the people. In being here about two months there is not a day that goes by that I am not thankful for the community here. People genuinely CARE, the love of Christ is so evident here its mind blowing. I love that I am surrounded by these people every single day. The school aspect of it hasn’t let me down either. My classes are amazing, the professors care about students more then I have ever seen or thought was possible, and I am learning so much. I never dread school, I enjoy it. And I haven’t always been like that, thats for sure. I love both campuses and I never find myself bored here. Two months and no boredom? Its true. (No wonder why its on the list for the best first-year experience!)

6. How much financial aid can you get? If you are struggling financially, do NOT rule out APU. I know many people that cannot at all afford this college but they ended up with enough financial aid to be able to go here. APU really helps you out in finding ways to afford school here, and if you put time and effort into getting financial aid, it will prove to be hugely beneficial.

7. What is there to do around Azusa on weekends? There is always something going on on-campus or somewhere to go or someone to hang out with. Donut man is a short drive away, and is one of the most popular hangout spots for APU students. It is delicious. Likewise, Cookie Mill is a hot spot that everyone goes to, you will always find an APU student in there. The most amazing ice cream sandwiches… ever. A lot of students go to the movie theater or out to dinner at Chipotle. Girls on my hall will go running on the track frequently and there’s a lot of just hanging out in a dorm room socializing. There will never be a dull moment, that I assure you.

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