Have a pancake before you take an exam

This is what Christmas trees look like at Agnes Scott

Happy December everyone!

The time of a semester has finally came for all the Scotties to finish up our work, take all the exams and leave for the well-deserved Winter Break. Exams start tomorrow and they finish in exactly one week. Before I tell you a little bit about them, have a look at the pictures from the Pancake Jam- a party that Agnes Scott hosts for students every semester before the exam period begins. After days of preparations, it is simply fantastic to have some pancakes and other breakfast food while relaxing with friends, playing games, enjoying music and dancing. My absolute favorite thing about the Pancake Jam is that it takes place in the middle of the night, giving us a chance to really clear our minds and enjoy each other's company before we leave for the Winter Break. Take a look at this year's event: 

Friends, coloring books, pyjamas, nothing better to prepare for the exams.

Line to maybe the most expected event of this time of the year.

True Scottie spirit is seen through the type of pyjamas you wear.

Age doesn't matter. Creativity does indeed.

Imagine a breakfast like this in the middle of the night...

...served by an amazing staff like this. The hats look good on them, right?

They surely know their steps.

 

Bubbles made some Scotties really happy.

Although it rarely snows in Atlanta, some people imagined what their snowmen would look like if it did.

Such a crowd shows that the event was a big success.

I am already looking forward to our next Pancake Jam in the Spring Semester. Hopefully, next year we'll get to celebrate it together? 

Nothing cozier than preparing for the finals at Agnes Scott. Photo credits: Claire Kirchharr '16

I would like to give you a short overview of the exam procedure at Agnes Scott. It is somewhat uncommon in comparison with the other colleges. Students here take their final exams in several different forms, depending on their classes. Some professors asses our work throughout the entire semester and don't require an additional exam in the end. Others assign final homework or projects, for example research papers. However, the majority of the classes have final exams that students take in the very last week, this time starting tomorrow. Here come another two types of the final exams: scheduled and self-scheduled. Some professors prefer to have the entire class take their exam together in one classroom- these are scheduled exams. It is usually for classes like Art History or Music where extra material has to be displayed. The self-scheduled option serves for the majority of classes. A week before the exam starts, students purchase big envelopes from the on-campus bookstore and hand them in to the professors who later put the final exams inside. There is one building where students can take these exams during certain times. This procedure represents the importance of the Honor Code for all the Scotties. The members of our community trust each other so that we can live in a safe and no-cheating environment. If your values seem to match ours, I am positive that you will feel very comfortable as a student here.

I hope this short description gives you an idea of what the final period of each semester at Agnes looks like. Feel free to ask me questions if you are curious about anything else. 

I want to wish those of you who celebrate Christmas a wonderful holiday, filled with joy and positive energy. Happy Dongzhi Festival for those who celebrate it in China. Enjoy the Kwanzaa celebration, everyone. Have I missed any other festival? What do you celebrate this time of the year? Feel free to leave a comment under the post or e-mail me directly. Finally, I wish you all the best for the 2014 New Year. May all your aspirations and dreams come true. I will see you back here - and hopefully on campus - next year.

Karolina Klimczak '16

Office of Admission International Fellow

141 E. College Ave

Decatur GA 30030

globaladmission@agnesscott.edu

What are Scotties thankful for?

Thanksgiving 2013

International Fashion Show at Agnes Scott College today,

Milan- London- Paris- New York tomorrow.

I see so many outfits on campus every day. Colorful, plain, classy, comfy- there isn't a single pattern which only makes every student unique. However, there is one night each fall semester that has its particular dress code: clothes from around the world. On the 7th of November, the International Student Association in collaboration with the Office of International Education and Center for Student Engagement, organized the annual International Fashion Show. We have been preparing it for almost a month and the results were extremely successful. Here are some of the impressions from our models and organizers: 

For the International Fashion Show, I was responsible for organizing the models and getting them ready to walk on the stage. With the help of many people this became an easy task and the show turned out to be well organized. My favorite part was seeing the excitement of all the models before they went to walk on stage. They were happy to share their culture with the campus community.

Mahider Mekonnen '15

The International Fashion Show was simply wonderful! Words cannot describe how much of an excitement this was for me. I have been a part of an organizing team since my first year at Agnes Scott and through all my years this was the best one. I think what made it such a successful show was a fact that it was a community event. Models included staff, faculty and students representing just about every region of the world. The performances highlighted the clothes and it was just a cultural experience. We took a trip around the world that night. 

Fatima Abdirizak '14

I have never heard of an international fashion show before I participated in the one at Agnes Scott. At first, I thought: "Sure, it's a great opportunity to represent my tiny and beautiful but yet so unknown country." But when the day came, I got a little bit worried as everyone was so well prepared- the African costumes were so colorful and special, and embroidered clothes of Asia were gorgeous and splendid. Thanks to International Student Association, everything went smoothly.We all learned about each other and had fun.

Ugne Radziunaite, Exchange Student

Ready for the World Cup in Brazil? Scotties are!

The International Fashion Show can be summarized as a celebration of diversity that the international as well as the domestic students at Agnes Scott represent. I wanted to find out how our students feel about it and this is what I learned:

This semester I have interacted with a few international students and I really learned some interesting things. They were able to clear up some common misconceptions about their countries and tell me a bit about the history of where they are from. I really enjoyed learning different things about the different cultures because it really showed me how diverse the community at Agnes Scott is. International students add some character to our campus life and have helped me become aware of global issues and trends.

Amy Rahimpour'15  

I have interacted with international students at Agnes Scott in different ways. As a sophomore I helped leading a bible study where several international students attended. This year, I meet a lot of exchange students as a Resident Assistant. I realized that each person is so unique and has such cool stories. I think the diversity on campus is so unique to Agnes as it transcends the normal lines of race or socioeconomic class and encompasses thoughts, beliefs and every ways of our identities. I know that lots of domestic students are so excited to meet the international students and become really good friends with them. 

Brittany Starr '14

United Scotties

Our faculty members celebrated with us. On the picture professor Phillip A. Ojo from French and German Department performing in Nigeria national costume.

Ethiopia, Austria and Ghana proudly representing their countries. These ladies were shining!

The complexity of the costumes...

Varsha Thebo and Ashley Lawrie from Masala Sace organization. The audience loved them.

Backstage preparations- Latina style

 

Our main organizer Fifi was definitely proud of all the participants.

 

All the models went on stage in the end.

 

South East Asia proudly represented

European talks before the show

So colorful, so cheerful, so diverse- only at Agnes

If you look closely in the back row of this picture, you can spot me and my dear friend Ugne Radziunaite an exchange student from Lithuania. We are holding the flags of our countries which turned out to be a very symbolic gesture. Poland and Lithuania are neighboring countries and unfortunately their history used to be rough. Even nowadays, some minor conflicts arise. Our friendship shows that what matters most to us is now and the future.

Lastly, I would like to take an opportunity to dedicate this post to all my fellow Executive Board members of the ISA and our advisor, Clementine Hakizimana. Congratulations, ladies!  

Left: Fatima, Bojana, Clementine, me, Xiaofei, Fifi

Thank you everyone who contributed to this post. Special credits go to the photographers: J.D Scott and Ginger Massey (International Education Office Coordinator).

  Now I would like to ask you, the guest at my blog and hopefully a future Scottie, to picture yourself  as a part of our next International Fashion Show. Feel free to leave a comment and share with us what role you imagine taking on. Would it be modelling a costume from your own country, another part of the world or maybe putting the event together as an organizer? I am looking forward to see your responses because it is always exciting to look ahead and make fun plans for the future.

Karolina Klimczak '16

Office of Admission International Fellow

141 E.College Ave

Decatur 30030 GA

globaladmission@agnesscott.edu

Good Triumphing Evil at Agnes Scott

by Varsha Thebo

Varsha decorating Dean Suzanne Onorato's forehead with Bindi

Diwali or Dipawali is a Hindu festival of lights that is observed to celebrate the victory of good over evil. Masala Sace (South Asian club) at Agnes Scott celebrates it with newer and better ideas every year. Diwali was celebrated this year on October 24, 2013. Tickets started selling during the first week of October. The rehearsals, menu selections, costume designs - and let’s not forget the quizzes and midterms that kept swinging over our heads like the sword of Damocles – kept us excited and anxious alternately.  And then finally came the day itself! This was the most diverse and beautiful celebration we have ever had. Almost all the South Asian countries participated in it, such as a Bengali emcee, Pakistani volunteers, Indian dances, Nepali cuisine and let us not forget the audience: American guests!
 

All the proceeds for Diwali tickets went to help the young girls in the Global Village Project, a small school near our college with a big purpose of giving better lives to the young girls. There was a gift presentation during the event to the coordinators of the GVP who were present in the audience.  At the end of the program, many guests won some really cool prizes through a raffle. All in all, this was a wonderful night with the participation of many beautiful people. We look forward to celebrating it again next year with some more wonderful people and awesome ideas to remind us all of the importance of lightness over darkness and good over evil.

 
 Thank you so much Varsha for contributing to the blog and Masala Sace for sharing their pictures with me. Who knows, maybe next year our prospective students who read this blog will join us in the Diwali celebration at Agnes Scott? 

Karolina Klimczak '16
Office of Admission International Fellow
Agnes Scott College
141 E. College Ave