Vaulting in the Big Leagues

No worries, I’m not talking about my school. I am 100% sure I belong at Allegheny. I mean, I’m pretty sure we’re in the process of changing our admissions slogan from Unusual Combinations to Wonderfully Weird (I’m so glad I’m graduating before this has a chance to be official). The title refers to this blog. You see, it’s called Vaulting in the Big Leagues. And I think my collegiate pole vaulting career has come to a close.  What happened was last year we had no pole vaulters and to not compete in an event is like to freely give away points so my coach was like, you’ve done this before, you’re going to jump. And then outdoor happened and I’m primarily a thrower meaning I regularly compete in 3 events, and I’ve started to figure hammer out so my coach decided that I should stop vaulting so I could focus on throwing.

And now it’s senior year. And training to only vault in the indoor season just doesn’t seem practical. Plus, we have a new throwing coach so hopefully big things are going to happen in weight and hammer for me this year. Anyway all of this adds up to the fact that I think I’m done pole vaulting. But, and this may come as a shock to some people, college (and even this blog) is not all about pole vaulting. Which means I still have plenty to talk about. And even if I didn’t, let’s be real, I’m an English major, I can talk for hours about absolutely nothing.

Like I mentioned just a few sentences ago, this is senior year for me. And I am super excited. Don’t get me wrong, I love Allegheny, but it’s been four years, and it’s time for the next chapter in my life. And I used that cliche mostly because it amused me. See, my goal is to go to Seton Hill University to get my MFA in Popular Fiction. I want to write books. Specifically the kind of books that people actually want to read. Hence, chapter. Get it? I know, I’m hilarious.  I actually went to an open house for Seton Hill yesterday, and I have completely fallen in love. The campus was gorgeous, the people I talked to were super helpful, and I had a serious conversation with someone about writing urban fantasy. I was so excited I went to the bookstore and now I have a lovely SHU longsleeve.

But, that’s still a long way away. My application isn’t even due until April. And I kind of have to do this graduating thing. I know, total drag. This semester isn’t so bad. My classes are fantastic: Jewish American Fiction, Oppression and Liberation (a study of racism and sexism in America), Myth Making and the War: WWII as the Best War Ever, and my Advanced Fiction Workshop. Next semester, however, I have to do this thing that we call a Comp, but most people call a Senior Project. I’m working on my audition right now, and if I pass then next semester I have to generate 50-70 pages of short stories. Which means I’m probably going to lose my mind next semester.

In the meantime, I have my audition and a paper due next week. So what have I been doing with my time? Well, Saturday I went shopping at the outlets, yesterday I went to an open house, and now I’m writing a blog post. What should I be doing? Outlining a paper and writing two short stories. And since I have no motivation, I have made a rule. I am not allowed to eat dinner until I finish the story I’m working on. Sometime extreme methods are needed to combat procrastination, or plain laziness. The sooner you employ them, the less stressful your college experience will be.