New Student FAQ

From GSLISWiki

Ask your questions here.

By the way, I'm not sure if anybody checks this page regularly, so you may get quicker results by emailing me, Ingbert Floyd, at ifloyd2@gmail.com

Has anyone stayed at the Extended StayAmerica hotel that's (supposedly) 5-7 minutes from campus? Just looking for feedback, as it's only $44 bucks a night, has a fully equipped kitchen and free local phone calls. And wireless internet for $3.99 per stay (not day).

Hi, Nancy. My sister has stayed there when she's come to visit (she has two toddlers and needs the kitchenette... someday I'll open my own chain of toddler hotels complete with outlet covers and be rich...rich!). She seemed to think it was fine. Given the choice between Extended Stay and the dorm... hm... probably most people would go with Extended Stay. I do question the 5-7 minutes from campus, though. It's probably more like a 10-15 minute drive (and then you have to feed meters on campus/dodge the parking people).

Also, honestly, how bad is boot camp?

It is stressful, but if you keep it in perspective, it can be a good kind of stress. I did it back in '97, but have been a part of it every year since as a staff member. It is hard because you're away from your home environment (your family, your pets, your home, your stuff), you're living in a hotel/dorm, you're surrounded by other people who are stressing out, it's 99 degrees with 99 percent humidity and there are things like a group presentation and a final. That being said, you don't have forced marches with heavy backpacks, so how bad can it be? Come into it with an open mind knowing that you're going to meet a lot of people, hear a lot of terms, eat a lot of fast food (kitchenette or no... there's no denying a Zorba's run when you need it), and have a memorable experience. Almost every year, I run into a pack of LEEPers on their last day, punch drunk and giddy, telling me what a blast they've had.

I think the major cause of stress is for procrastinators like me who didn't do all the recommended reading prior to the start of the on-campus session. Especially if you aren't a speed-reader, I'd recommend reading each article or chapter, then in a notebook jot down the main points on a single page (think what you would say in a few sentences if you were asked about this article in a discussion group). Stocking up on sleep is also a good idea - I didn't sleep much the last 5 days. - Kirk 9.2

Thanks for any feedback.

Nancy, a new LEEPer starting next month

--Nancy 09:35, 3 Jun 2005 (EDT) Wow, thanks for that speedy reply! I am definitely too old for dorm life and will deal with the drive, even if it's 15 minutes. After that procrastination tip, I'm starting the reading today! My take is this - I survived law school, including being pregnant almost all of 2nd year and delivering the day after exams ended, so I'm hopeful that this can't possibly be as hard as that whole process. Thanks again for your comments!

[edit] By the way

What the heck is wiki? I mean, I get the point of this "unofficial, not sanctioned or controlled by the man" web presence, but what does wiki stand for?

Well, the best definition I have read so far can be found on the most popular wiki I know of, the Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki

That being said, the short quick definition of a wiki is a piece of software which allows collaborative editing without centralized review. Most wikis can be viewed and edited by anyone, though some have one or more levels of privacy or security. Wikis also preserve the entire editing history of every article. A key benefit of most wikis is that only minimal markup is required, and it is quick to learn and intuitive to use. In this respect the Mediawiki markup (Mediawiki is the wiki engine (software) that we are using to create the unofficial GSLIS Wiki) excells over other wiki markups, in my opinion at least. -Ingbert