Student community at coe
Coe was a thriving campus community which I enjoyed being a part of.
From working in the library, or the Communications centre to soaking up the sunshine under the trees and having coffee dates at the local coffee shop – there was always something to do and to enjoy with friends.
Community was the heart and soul of Coe campus. Once I stepped foot on campus, I was welcomed and before I knew it, I felt like a member of this vibrant and thriving campus. From classes to the caf, from the library to the PUB, there was always something to do and a place to go to work, relax and socialise. It was a friendly and caring environment, where you could greet and talk to your friends when walking to class, have a laugh over lunch at the caf, grab a coffee and a chat at the PUB and commiserate over piles of assignments with classmates in the library.
I enjoyed watching sporting events on campus such as 'soccer' matches - that's football to the Europeans, and I know - me watching football, apologies to the sport of rugby - tennis matches and swimming. I was also able to participate and enjoy events such as Homecoming, Pres Ball, Flunk Day and Blackout.
Outside of the classroom, there are many opportunities to get involved in student life on campus. There are multiple student organisations at Coe, offering the chance to meet other students who share the same interests and hobbies. As I wanted to become as immersed in student life as possible and really get the most out of my year abroad, I opted to join various organisations and groups. This allowed me to meet new people, form new friendships and have a great time being involved in exciting and engaging organisations.
Having been involved in student organisations and volunteering at Queen's, I desired to continue this active participation whilst studying abroad.
A few friends and I also started to establish a group for Mental Health Awareness on campus.
The I-Club became a hub of sorts for us international students to mix and adapt to American culture and student life together. We also participated in events to represent our respective countries and share our culture, such as the Annual International Student Concert and Fashion Show, and the International Student Banquet, where we prepared and cooked dishes to serve to American guests. I can confirm that whilst I spent around ten hours in the kitchens across that afternoon cooking boxxy and assisting other students with their dishes, Nigella Lawson and Gordon Ramsay do not have anything to fear.
In addition to these student organisations, I also participated in volunteering, both on and off campus, which I enjoyed. As Coe had so kindly consented to host myself for the year, I felt it was only right to not only participate as fully as possible on campus, but also participate in voluntary leadership and service events off campus within the local community. I wanted to give back to my adopted community, and it was a a rewarding, worthwhile experience to do so.
I also liked to help out students with projects, e.g. the Habitat for Humanity/Coe Film Students' project on 'Home'.
Prior to arriving at Coe, I successfully applied to be placed on the Volunteer, Leadership and Service Floor - this was the fifth floor of Douglas. We were expected to participate in volunteering and community service, whilst displaying leadership and service qualities on and off campus. I greatly enjoyed participating on the floor programme and I feel that it enhanced my leadership, public speaking and presentation skills.
A key element of my student life/campus life experiences at Coe was through my involvement with Greek Life and membership of Alpha Omicron Pi (AOII). I cannot express how much my sisters and fellow Greeks on campus came to mean to me, but I can say that through them I became involved on campus and with philanthropy, volunteering and leadership.
I enjoyed watching sporting events on campus such as 'soccer' matches - that's football to the Europeans, and I know - me watching football, apologies to the sport of rugby - tennis matches and swimming. I was also able to participate and enjoy events such as Homecoming, Pres Ball, Flunk Day and Blackout.
Outside of the classroom, there are many opportunities to get involved in student life on campus. There are multiple student organisations at Coe, offering the chance to meet other students who share the same interests and hobbies. As I wanted to become as immersed in student life as possible and really get the most out of my year abroad, I opted to join various organisations and groups. This allowed me to meet new people, form new friendships and have a great time being involved in exciting and engaging organisations.
Having been involved in student organisations and volunteering at Queen's, I desired to continue this active participation whilst studying abroad.
- Coe Alliance - a group dedicated to representing and promoting LGBT* issues and rights, whilst allowing for 'allies' to participate.
- Coe Environmental Club - we discussed environmental issues and concerns both nationally and globally whilst promoting 'green' policies on campus.
- Coe Human Rights Advocates - we would discuss national and international human rights issues and would organise events on campus to highlight the importance of human rights and raise awareness of human rights violations around the world.
- Coe Review - I was both a member and a manuscript reader. We would write poetry, literature reviews and blog posts, discuss literature and edit/review submitted poetry and posts for the Coe Review Magazine.
- International Club - a group for international and American students to interact and discuss their culture, identity and backgrounds of their respective nationalities and countries.
- Pre-Law Group - In America, you cannot study a Law degree as an undergraduate degree, only as a postgraduate degree. As such, students tend to join 'pre-law' groups whilst studying at college, in order to prepare to enter Law School, to discuss legal issues and practise legal skills such as research, presentation and public-speaking. Even though I study a Law degree at Queen's, I wanted to see how such groups operate in America.
A few friends and I also started to establish a group for Mental Health Awareness on campus.
The I-Club became a hub of sorts for us international students to mix and adapt to American culture and student life together. We also participated in events to represent our respective countries and share our culture, such as the Annual International Student Concert and Fashion Show, and the International Student Banquet, where we prepared and cooked dishes to serve to American guests. I can confirm that whilst I spent around ten hours in the kitchens across that afternoon cooking boxxy and assisting other students with their dishes, Nigella Lawson and Gordon Ramsay do not have anything to fear.
In addition to these student organisations, I also participated in volunteering, both on and off campus, which I enjoyed. As Coe had so kindly consented to host myself for the year, I felt it was only right to not only participate as fully as possible on campus, but also participate in voluntary leadership and service events off campus within the local community. I wanted to give back to my adopted community, and it was a a rewarding, worthwhile experience to do so.
- Autumn/Spring 500 - this entailed cleaning the streets of the local neighbourhoods for several hours on designated days.
- Costume Run - I volunteered to help direct runners during the annual Costume Run through Cedar Rapids.
- Study Abroad Fair - I volunteered to represent Northern Ireland at the annual Study Abroad Fair at Coe; discussing the university system and how it differed from American colleges; I also answered questions about my university, student life and Belfast.
- Waiver Form Volunteer - I volunteered on several occasions to help out with waiver forms: whenever the college used shuttle buses to transport students e.g. to the local museum, waiver forms re liability had to be signed prior to the bus's departure. This required me to wait for several hours in shifts to ensure students signed the relevant forms and explain to them the reason for doing so.
I also liked to help out students with projects, e.g. the Habitat for Humanity/Coe Film Students' project on 'Home'.
Prior to arriving at Coe, I successfully applied to be placed on the Volunteer, Leadership and Service Floor - this was the fifth floor of Douglas. We were expected to participate in volunteering and community service, whilst displaying leadership and service qualities on and off campus. I greatly enjoyed participating on the floor programme and I feel that it enhanced my leadership, public speaking and presentation skills.
A key element of my student life/campus life experiences at Coe was through my involvement with Greek Life and membership of Alpha Omicron Pi (AOII). I cannot express how much my sisters and fellow Greeks on campus came to mean to me, but I can say that through them I became involved on campus and with philanthropy, volunteering and leadership.