A good way to get started
By Brandon Almond | July 13, 2000WE'RE NOT as lucky as sea turtles. Humans aren't born with the instincts to head straight for the ocean and immediately begin paddling.
WE'RE NOT as lucky as sea turtles. Humans aren't born with the instincts to head straight for the ocean and immediately begin paddling.
THERE are thousands of them. They live in government-supported institutions, without caring guardians, each day growing more mentally detached or medically unstable.
THEY USED to be looking for "a few good men." Today, they're just looking for a few warm bodies.
JAMES DALE was a Boy Scout, an Eagle Scout, a Scout leader and a recipient of an award that only 3 percent of Scouts receive.
HIGH SCHOOL has never been so appealing, it seems. More and more students are choosing to stay in high school longer than they have to, taking what's called a "post-graduate year." This trend demands that we take a closer look at how we prepare students for college, and why an increasing number of students resort to a fifth year. Post-graduate programs, which allow high school graduates to take a fifth year of high school before going to college, have been in place at a few schools -- mostly private New England prep schools -- for several decades.
WHEN I tell people I'm interning for my Senator this summer, I generally get two responses. First, they say that it's a great opportunity and that I must have worked very hard to get it.
IT'S ALMOST upon us. Twice a year, in our summer mail-out issue and then once again in the Orientation Issue, The Cavalier Daily Opinion page offers numerous columns providing advice to those naïve first-years who might not yet understand the many traditions and peculiarities of "The University." Included among these are "Eat a Gusburger" or "Don't sign up for 8 a.m.
G.I. JOE's famous line was "Knowing is half the battle." G.I. Joe never had to battle for the safety of college students, but the phrase still applies.
YOUR COURSE schedule shouldn't make you yawn. Many students are often less than enthusiastic about their courses.
THINK BACK to the days when your older sibling was left in charge for five minutes by your parents.
MY FIRST-GRADE math class often had a 60-second timer clicking at the front of the classroom. I was typically bent over my desk, quickly filling out a sheet of addition problems.
FOUR YEARS ago I arrived at this University with no idea of what I was going to do. As I graduate now, I still have no clue what I am doing.
TRADITIONALLY, the graduation edition of The Cavalier Daily has held two types of opinion columns.
SUDDENLY and without warning, four years disappear. It is the year 2000 -- graduation time -- and we fourth-year pseudo-journalists have been asked to impart some wisdom upon the loyal readers of The Cavalier Daily. Thus, I have included a total of 10 suggestions (five dos and five don'ts) for you to get the maximum benefit out of your short time here.
WE HAD big decisions to make. Sitting on the steps of the Rotunda after a quick trip to the Lucky Seven one night last month, my friend and I tried to sort it all out.
FREE, FREE at last. Four years was plenty and, believe me, one more might kill me. My love-hate relationship with the University of Virginia ends here.
I REALLY love even numbers. Odd numbers give me that uncomfortable feeling of unbalance, so I naturally welcome the safety of an even number when choosing things.
I'VE NEVER been the overly sentimental type. In fact, chances that I'll get weepy about some needless milestone (i.e.
U.VA. IS replete with sensory experiences: the sight of red brick, white marble, and green magnolia trees; the taste of a Bodo's bagel or the Louisiana shortstack at Southern Culture; the smell of the stuff they put on the grass so that it will grow in time for graduation.
I HAVE been writing this column for three days, and still it remains unfinished. It's funny -- I'm never at a loss for words.