December 12 2008: First Semester at the University of Virginia!
Shortly after graduating in May from Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC), I received my acceptance letter to the University of Virginia (UVa), and promptly returned it with my tuition deposit. I was beginning the process of becoming integrated into the University as a Transfer Student. I was off to UVa! Wa Hoo Wa!
After making all of my arrangements, attending orientation, and transferring credits over the summer, I was ready to move into Bice House, one of the schools upperclassmen apartment complexes. I have 3 roommates, a small livingroom, kitchen and bathroom, and am less than a 15 minute walk to nearly anything on campus. I guess this was a big change for me, being used to my nearest neighbor being farther away than that. The first week of the semester was about as bad as it could be, not a single class from my initial schedule stayed the same. After getting everything worked out and going to nearly every building on grounds twice or three times, the schedule I was left with was this (in order of descending enjoyment): Genetics & Molecular Biology, Soccer II (PE), Spanish Grammar Review, Intro to Environmental Policy, and lastly Academic and Professional Writing.
After getting into the swing of things, I joined the UVa Salsa Club and began the pledging process for the National Co-Ed Honor Fraternity Phi Sigma Pi. All of this kept my schedule very tightly packed, but the semester progressed smoothly. I proved to be at the top of the Genetics class, which was a lecture consisting of nearly 400 students enrolled. Genetics "Study Group" was very high on my list of weekly activities, and I made some very good friends in the process. Before I knew it, after being single for over a year, I was dating Erica, a very sweet girl studying Classics--Latin and Greek, and planning to double major in Biology. The remainder of the semester flew by with Thanksgiving break and then pre-finals madness, all leading up to the dreaded "final exam week". Phew! I made it through alive! I tied up the "Fall 2008" semester with 14 credits, completing all of my non-degree requirements, and a GPA of 3.49. I can't complain! The latest national ratings from Princeton Review and USA Today place UVa at the Nº. 1 spot of the "Best Value" colleges across the nation (click here to read more), so I guess I chose a pretty good school. Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed my first semester as a third year at Mr. Jefferson's University!
May 9 2008: Jacob Graduates with A.S., Speaks at PVCC Graduation!
I graduated in May of 2008 with an Associates of Science Degree in Science (Summa Cum Laude, Honors) and a Career Studies Certificate in PC Upgrading and Repair (Summa Cum Laude), after spending 3 ½ years at Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC). I was chosen to deliver the speech on behalf of the graduating class of 2008 during the graduation ceremonies, and gladly accepted the honor. I delivered my speech, talking about the importance of persuing opportunities. An opportunity persued often presents further opportunities, while an opportunity lost is an opportunity lost forever. Click here to view a video of my speech (5:10) on YouTube or right click here and choose 'save file as' to downlaod the speech directly (AVI, 79.1 MB).
April 6 2008: Jacob Awarded National All-USA Academic First Team!
USA Today, in a partnership with Phi Theta Kappa, the international Honor Society of two year colleges, choose the nations top 60 community college students and each state's top community college student each year. Much to my surprise, I was named the top student of Virginia, receiving the All-Virginia Academic Team Award and was named National All-USA Academic First Team, which places me in the top 20 community college students in the nation. This was partly due to having over a hundred credit hours with a 4.0 GPA on my transcript, but moreso because of my continued school involvement in clubs and the student government, and my dedication & volunteer service to Piedmont Virginia Community College and the community. Click here to view USA Today's article for more information.
Thomas Jefferson's famous Rotunda sits looking down the Historic Lawn.