Living in the Residence Halls
By Sarah Rice
 As most college students would claim, living in a residence hall is a huge transition from living at home. When first coming to college, I was excited to leave home and become independent, but since I have been at college, I have found that living on campus is so much more. As a child, I was used to having a room of my own. Although my living space has decreased significantly, I have learned a considerable amount about myself. Learning to adjust to living with other people was a challenge at first. It was important that I recognized my personal boundaries while still respecting the requests of my roommate. After a while, it seemed easy for me adapt to this new environment of the residence halls and I began to really enjoy it. I learned how to understand differences and learn from others to better myself. Today, my roommate is one of my closest friends on campus.  Our differences have come to complement each other in a perfect way. We are there for each other just as we were from the start of the year. I have also made some other amazing friends by living in the residence halls at Chatham. The memories that I have made with the people I have met at Chatham will stay with me forever.
End of Sophomore Year...
by Bianca Ruthven
Hello Everyone! Bianca reporting in. I am starting to get really excited for the end of the year. I'm a Resident Advisor, and in my Residence Hall we have a bulletin board where we are keeping track of the amount of school days left in the semester and there are at less than 40! Woo!
 After the Spring semester is over Maymester will start and I will be going to Germany with Chatham’s study abroad program. There are about 20 of us students going and we will be accompanied by two Chatham staff members. We will be traveling first to Brussels in Belgium for a few days and then we will go on to Berlin in Germany. The whole trip will be 2 weeks long. I can't wait!
I hope to be able to go to a lot of museums during my free time in Germany. I am an Arts Management major and have had a few internships/volunteer positions and jobs working in museums in Washington D.C. so I like to compare them with each other. It will be really interesting to be able to compare museums from different countries. My only concern is that I don’t speak any German. If you have any tips, let me know! Send me an email at chathamambassador@chatham.edu to wish me luck on my trip!
Introducing....
Bianca Ruthven!
 Hi, I am Bianca! I graduated in 2006 from Mount Vernon High School in Alexandria, Virginia. I am a sophomore student this year at Chatham University majoring in Arts Management. I enjoy arts and crafts and listening to music.
If you would like to chat, feel free to send me an email at chathamambassador@chatham.edu!
Elementary Education Major as a First Year
By Hannah Galvin
 Being a first year, I am so happy with how many experiences I've been offered already here at Chatham. I am an elementary education major, and in this field the more experience you have with kids the better. During my first semester, a requirement for an education course I took was Field Placement. I got the chance to go to an elementary school (for a total of 15 hours throughout the semester) and observe the set up of the classroom and the effectiveness of the classroom’s environment. This semester, I am in a different school and a different grade, observing the teacher and the effectiveness of her discipline and management skills. I feel like I am off to a great start at becoming a teacher already and it is only my first year!
So What's the Big Fuss.... Life After College!
By Deb White
 In February, a fellow ambassodor, Jessica Cassidy and I, hosted a program called "Life After College." Well, some might say...why do we need a program about life after college, when that's exactly what we are going to school to learn about--what we want to do after college, so we should be pretty set with plans after graduation. Well, not quite! Some things are easier said than done. Although, we are currently in college learning about our particular field of interest, but it is another issue, having to immerse yourself and go into the "real world."
For the program, we invited current graduate students along with professionals to provide insight concerning their personal experiences, and what they did directly after college. From the session I learned that it is very critical while you are in college to gain experience in your field by doing internships, and networking as much as possible, because that could be your foot in the door, and a great foundation for your career. Another key point is to remember your qualities, and let that define what you are able to bring to a particular job. A degree in biology does not limit you to being a biology teacher--it's like thinking of your degree as a supplement to who you are; it enhances your character, and builds upon what you have developed academically and professionally.
Furthermore, the process of thinking about life after college should be ongoing. As a first year student you may come across multiple advertisements for job/career fairs, which can be a channel to perk your interest. I would suggest attending these fairs whenever possible to get an idea, and become familiar with what future employers expect. Hint: It can also be a great networking experience, you never know who you're going to meet!
So, yes, we may have an idea of how it will truly be in the real world, there are others that have walked the path before us, and they can be very helpful in guiding the route you care to venture--and perhaps, maybe make the process a lot smoother!
Looking Back - First Year Experience
by Tierney Manning
Hello Chatham Blog junkies! I'm Tierney Manning and I'm a sophomore pursuing a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Science and a minor in Economics here at Chatham. Being an out of state student from northern Virginia and the D.C. area, there are a few personal hurdles I had to jump.
 As the summer before my first year wound down, I was more than ready to leave the safe, loving arms of family and hometown and escape to Pittsburgh to become an adult. This idea was very important to me at the time. I had never experienced being with out my family for more than a month at a time but by this point in my life I was excited about living more than 250 miles away.
I moved into Fickes on August 26th and my parents left abruptly. I was sad for a few minutes when I watched their backs as they walked away but then I saw my friends and I was invigorated being at the beginning of a new part of my life.
All first year I had a very strong plan that I would not be going home often and stay at school until there where major holidays or events. My family did not visit much because they knew how important it was to me that I was to make it the first year alone. It was often hard thinking about home and how many miles there was between us and sometimes I envied those who lived close to their loved ones. Chatham, however, was a very supportive environment. Spending the majority of my time at school allowed me to excel in my school work and get involved on campus. There were always a variety of events to go to on and off campus as well as a myriad of co-curricular to get involved in.
Although it was sometimes difficult, the mind set that I had for the first year allowed me to dive in head first to my new world at Chatham. I am always thankful that my family allowed me to experience that year as an independent woman. I encourage you all to consider how you would like to experience your first year at Chatham and plan accordingly.
Introducing...
Tierney Manning!
 I'm Tierney Manning and I'm a sophomore at Chatham University. I entered Chatham last year as a first-year student and continue to live on campus. I'm an out-of-state student originally from Fairfax, Virginia near Washington, D.C. I'm active on campus, not only as an Admission Ambassador, but I am also on the Scholar's Advisory Board and a member of Green Horizons. As an Environmental Science major with a minor in Economics, both my academic and extracurricular engagements keep me really busy.
If you have any questions for me, please feel free to contact me at chathamambassador@chatham.edu!
5 Year Master’s Program Acceptance
By Liz Cochran
 Ok everyone, so you heard from me before about how my sophomore/junior year is going here at Chatham. Well, I am happy to say that I have officially been accepted into Carnegie Mellon University’s Master of Health Care Policy & Management program, beginning in Fall 2008! I found out about the program through the Admissions office actually, since it’s a 5-year Master’s program. I looked further into it, attended some meetings held at Chatham, met with Carnegie Mellon’s Admissions Counselors, and finally decided to apply. I filled out my online application, asked for three letters of recommendation from faculty and professional affiliates, wrote my personal statement, and arranged for my transcripts to be sent off to CMU’s Admissions office. As of February 1st, 2008, I was no more than a sitting duck, just waiting for a reply. Luckily, as of March 5th, 2008, I received my acceptance letter via e-mail.I was, and still am, extremely excited for many reasons. First off, Carnegie Mellon University is an excellent school to go to. Second, the Health Care Policy & Management program only accepts approximately twenty students per term, so it’s a rather competitive program. Third, I now have the advantage and opportunity to complete my Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree in a year less than I thought I would previously. Fourth, I am able to study something that I actually love!
The Admissions process was actually quite simple. They really spell it out for you through their online application. If you’re interested at all in doing a 5-Year Master’s program, definitely check out Chatham’s website or Carnegie Mellon’s website. You can also ask your Admissions Counselor to see if there is a program that fits your interest. I wasn’t really sure at first if I could do the Health Care Policy & Management program with my major, Public Relations, even though I had an interest in health care. It really is a great opportunity.
Anyway, when I received my letter, Tara Viti, my Ambassador Supervisor, and Cheryl Sedlock, a fellow Ambassador, were both in the office… actually standing with me as I opened the e-mail. I was extremely nervous, and both Tara and Cheryl said they didn’t know what they would have done had I not gotten in. So, Tara covered my eyes so I couldn’t see, but once she saw the “Congratulations “ on the screen, she threw up my hands and we were all really excited!! What a sigh of relief! Not only was I proud of myself for getting in, but I was really excited to see how the next two years would go, taking classes at both Chatham and CMU.
As I kept working, Tara and Cheryl snuck out of the office to get me cupcakes as a “Congratulations” for my acceptance! They were absolutely delish! Not to sound cheesy, but it’s really nice to have people around like that, especially to have the opportunity to work with them. Afterward, I called my parents and my sister and told them the good news.
 Like I said, I would definitely recommend to any students, prospective or current, to think about the 5-Year Master’s programs. Some programs are through Chatham, while others are through CMU, but the advantage that you receive from both of them is incredible. If you have any questions about the programs, contact your Admissions Counselor. You can also reach the Ambassadors (and myself!) by email at chathamambassador@chatham.edu, AIM/Yahoo instant messenger with the screen name ChathamAdmission, or by phone 1-800-837-1290.
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