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Being in college can be scary sometimes. You have to start paying your own bills (well some of them at least) and you have to get yourself up on time and make it to class on time and get good grades and make responsible decisions when it comes to drinking (and especially drinking and driving) and even things like practicing safe sex. There are so many things as students that we are warned about, like don't put your drink down at a bar or a party or you could get raped, that sometimes it is hard to keep it all together.

There are ways though that you can help to protect yourself. Installing a security system (or making sure your apartment building has a security camera in case something does happen) to make sure that you are safe is a great idea. Some landlords may foot the bill if you pay them for the amount of time that you are living there too, it's always an option to talk to them about it, the worst they could say is no. Sometimes that isn't an affordable option for college students (you know, because we pay our own bills now ha) but maybe just getting a sign saying that there is an alarm monitoring your home or apartment would work. Sometimes I think that just having that sign there (because the person breaking into your home doesn't really know) deters them. Making your home safe is one of the most important things you can do in a college town. My roommates and I had a break in a few months ago and since then we have been really careful and even had an alarm system installed (thanks dad ha). There is never too much that you can do to be safe.

We also have a section in the paper sometimes that talks about security news and what you can do around campus (or what the school has done) to help keep you safe. This (even if none of them work) makes me feel better. Knowing that you have a school that cares and tries to keep your best interest at heart really means something. Most campuses have those emergency buttons every few blocks or so (at least ours does) and that makes me feel a lot better. We all just need to be aware of our surroundings and do what we can to stay safe. Making smart decisions and being prepared are some of the best ways to protect yourself.

I was lucky enough to go to a great high school that basically spent all four years preparing us for college and what we needed to do to get into the college we wanted. We spent weeks writing practice essays and talking about the ACT and SAT and we had tons and tons of recruiters and guest speakers and representatives come in and talk to us about what they are looking for when they go through applications and interviews.

We even had a separate lecture about the best UK Universities (which a good amount of people from my high school ended up attending. The representatives came in and talked about the UK Universities and Colleges and how well students adjusted to going so far away. And they talked about all of the details including traveling and being away from home and then into more detail about the classes and semesters and rooming and dorms and even food. Even though I ended up going to school in Indiana, I went and had a great time. It was good to be able to go to a high school with such great connections. One of my good friend's sisters went to Harvard which was exciting. Our high school made us feel like they're really were no limits on us or where we could go (which was true) I know a lot of people who ended up going out of the country to go to school as well and love it.

We had so many resources and even went to sessions where we learned about how to do a Uni Search online and look into what colleges were right for us based on our likes and dislikes as well as our extracurricular activities and what we saw ourselves doing. I had picked a different college out before that I liked and the search suggested the one I now attend and to be honest I really had never put any thought into Ball State until then and I love it now. It really does fit me and sometimes I feel like we narrow our sights on one or two or even just a few schools and then we just go towards those and we don't really give any thought to others. Thankfully our high school helped us to look around and see what else was out there and it really did help me find the perfect fit!

I first heard about pharmacy technician training when a friend of the family decided that was the right path for her. As she was going through the training process when she would talk about the things that she was learning and about how interesting it was I hung on every word. I thought it sounded amazing. When it came time for her to find a job, she was hired within a few weeks of leaving school and she started making a good salary right away. As it came time for me to decide what to do with my life, I really didn't see traditional college as an option. I think it was merely the fact that I never really took much interest in school combined with the fact that my family didn't really have the money for school and I didn't want to accumulate too much debt just to sit in a stuffy classroom. In speaking to my parents about it, they actually were the ones who suggested looking into becoming a pharmacy tech. I then remembered all the great stories that Elizabeth had told as I was growing up, and thought that it sounded pretty interesting. As a matter of fact, I think that my mom was really gung ho on the idea, because as soon as I agreed to look into going to pharmacy tech school, she handed me a brochure about the first National Pharmacy Technician Association, and I knew that Elizabeth must have had a hand in this too.

Looking into it has actually been very enlightening. The need for professionals in this field is just continuing to grow and is projected to even grow more over the next few years. It is projected as one of the best jobs in the future, I guess that is because no matter what happens with the economy people will still need meds right? Anyway, I know that this type of schooling will not be easy, however I find all the science information rather interesting, so I know that learning about all the different drugs and interactions will be incredible. I can't wait to start attending classes in the fall. At least I know I will be able to get a job straight out of school and these days that is more than anyone can hope for.

I was reading a magazine today when I was waiting at the dentist office and I saw an article about a runway model that had a baby and then was back on the runway 3 months later. Are you serious? I have never had kinds and I would never get on a runway. I would have to work out for months and months to look like her (and I'm not even big at all). What I don't understand though is how these women don't have stretch marks.

Maybe they have had some sort of stretch mark removal procedure done before they went back to modeling. But still I can't imagine how someone's body could snap back into shape that fast. She said she gained 60 pounds and was back to work 3 months later meaning that she lost 20 pounds and looked great again that fast. I don't even have close to that much weight to lose and I don't think I could do it that fast and even if I did lose all that weight I don't know how their bodies look so great and tight. It's like they never had kids (or ever ate anything.

I was looking at this website, www.allaboutstretchmarks.com and it talks about how to prevent and get rid of stretch marks (because that is one of the reasons I am scared to death of having kids). The website really makes me feel better knowing that there are ways to help with stretch marks. They just seem so gross to me (I feel bad saying that because so many people have them) but I just feel like if I can avoid them, I will at any cost ha. This website actually has a ton of information about stretch marks that I had no idea about it seems interesting (for something so gross).

But I am sure that one day I will probably have kids and stretch marks but maybe by then they will know how to totally avoid them and no one will get them ever (I know wishful thinking right?) but it seriously does scare me like a lot to think that my skin is going to stretch like that one day and then have to go back to its original size and shape (and color). Maybe I'll be like the model and bounce back right away.