preparation – PCC: Declassified

College is right around the corner, and to anyone who’s nervous about August 31, let me tell you: I totally know what it feels like. I’d be lying if I said that the first few days aren’t stressful and overwhelming. But everyone feels it, and you are not alone!

To help with the chaos and give you an idea of what to expect, I created a short book as a guide to navigate your first weekend on campus. It’s a project I wanted to do even as a freshman, but I finally got my chance to make it a reality during my last semester of grad school, where I spent an entire class on making it as useful and practical as I could.

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College Prep, Encouragement

No I’m Not Dead, and Yes Something Cool Is Coming

August 18, 2021 Jenneth Leed

It’s been a crazy year/two years/some extended period of time, and I’m still waiting to wake up and hear that the pandemic is over.

That said! I wanted to drop back on and let you know that despite the blog being pretty scarce in the last months, I’m excited to get some more posts up (including a new semester review video that’s been long overdue).

I’ve also recently graduated with my master’s degree, so while I won’t be on campus as often as I used to be, I’ll still be visiting for welcome weekend and some holidays! If you’re curious about what I’ve been up to lately and where I am now, check out my life update on my personal website.

Now for the cool part. I wanted to give you a head’s up, because tomorrow I’ll be sharing a project I’ve been working on that I’m super excited about (maybe it can double as a peace offering for being MIA for months). It’s something incoming freshmen will hopefully really appreciate, and I’ve literally spent dozens and dozens of hours getting it ready for everyone!

In the meantime, I’ll leave a bit of a hint below. See you tomorrow!

Guest Bloggers, Wardrobe

Guest Blog: How To: Girls’ Fashion at PCC

September 7, 2020 Jenneth Leed

Ashlyn Henley is from Nashville, Tennessee, and is currently studying Graphic Design as a freshman at PCC. With a love for storytelling and illustration, she is constantly finding inspiration around her, and is a huge nerd at heart. Check out her online store on Redbubble.

When it comes to preparing for college, there are a lot of individual factors that can affect your experience going into this new and unknown chapter of your life. As a new freshman, I know just how stressful it can be to figure out what you need to bring, study, and most importantly, what you wear.

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Classes, Fields of Study

Ten Ways to Succeed in Class

August 30, 2020August 30, 2020 Jenneth Leed

Class begins on Tuesday and most freshmen have already arrived on campus and have gotten their textbooks for this novel and unprecedented semester. And although things are going to be significantly weirder with Pandemic 101 on all our class schedules, there’s still a few tips and tricks that will help you thrive during your first semester of classes:

Keep one notebook for all classes
Take freshmen general electives first
Don’t start off with a light freshman year
Request the front of the class if possible
Rent used texts with highlights
Ask tons of questions
Find one thing to like about each class
Discover Quizlet
Don’t pull all-nighters
If you sleep in class, start drinking a Mt. Dew until you train yourself to stay awake

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Classes, Culture, Encouragement, Friends

How to Build Your Freshman Network

August 4, 2020August 4, 2020 Jenneth Leed

Recently I got an email asking for advice on meeting people and making friends as a new student at PCC, which was a bit exciting to answer, because I absolutely love stressing the importance of a freshman friend network. It can be a daunting task finding a friend group (especially if you’re an introvert like me, or if you don’t know anyone else attending), but here are five sure ways to build your freshman network at PCC:

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Classes, Encouragement, Guest Bloggers, Spiritual

Guest Blog: The Ultimate Class to Take

August 25, 2019August 25, 2019 Jenneth Leed

C. J. Murray is from Minnesota and graduated with a degree in Accounting. He loves to yoyo, work out, and plans to be a full-time musician in the coming years. Follow him on his website, travelersoverflow.com.

So you show up for registration and are maxing out on 20 credits, 20 work hours, and 20 friends you hope to meet and hang out with. First, you’re crazy (but hopefully smart). Second, you’re really crazy (but probably desperate and broke). Third, pick 2 or 3 just as crazy friends and you’re set! Nonetheless, after your schedule is set up, you need to add this one class that surprisingly most students forget to add. It’s honestly the world’s greatest class, and everyone who doesn’t take it not only loses out, but suffers as a result.

The prayer closet.

When I was going through my undergrad, believe it or not, I actually added it to my schedule. It had its own time block. I treated it like a class. Each semester, I stuck it into an hour’s block of time, showed up on the hour, and left on the fifty-minute mark. And before you get any ideas, this did not replace my devotional time in the morning! That was different. This was more of what really kept me not only afloat, but sailing through college like a pro. And here are four reasons why this class is not only beneficial, but necessary.

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Culture, Rules, Rumors

Ten Myths About Pensacola Christian College DEBUNKED

August 21, 2019August 22, 2019 Jenneth Leed

This survivor is telling you to stop believing everything you hear on the internet. Last I checked, I wasn’t a cultist and didn’t participate in any weird religious rituals (wait, okay, singing the Doxology every chapel service might be a little ritualistic, but other than that).

There’s a lot of confusion on the internet about the rules and culture of PCC, and trolls have even attacked me on YouTube, saying they’d “call the college” and get me “kicked out for having YouTube.” (Considering that YouTube now works on the WiFi, and that the college gave me a scholarship for $1300 after I made this video for a contest, I think they’re pretty chill with my channel, but thanks for your concern about my education.)

A lot of people ask me questions about the “strict rules” that I’m “forced to live with.” Almost every single question/accusation has factually inaccurate information. So I’m here to set the rumors to rest. Here’s ten myths the web will tell you about PCC.

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Culture, Friends, Guest Bloggers

Guest Post: Being a Foreign Student at PCC

August 2, 2019August 4, 2020 Jenneth Leed

Jenneth, here. Today I have a special kind of post I’m excited to share with you from Kaitlin Dilliplane, a Canadian PCC graduate and a close friend of mine. I asked her if she would be willing to write a quick blog post about being an international student and offer advice for incoming students who live outside the US.

Kaitlin graduated PCC with a professional writing degree in 2019 and now works as an in-house editor at Scribendi. She lives with her husband, Justin, whom she met freshman year at PCC.

I’m not your typical foreign student. I can’t tell you how many times my fellow PCC students and coworkers rolled their eyes and said, “You’re a lame Canadian friend.” In so many words, of course.

It’s true though. In many ways, I’m an incredibly lame excuse for a foreigner residing as a student in one of America’s states. While most of my elementary and high school years consisted of American homeschool curriculums and textbooks, I can’t say that my mind held very much historical or political information. Whether that’s because I was a horrible student and couldn’t remember facts or timelines for the life of me, or if it’s because I just couldn’t care less about anything beyond my self-made orbit, there’s no turning back now. School is wasted on the young, they say.

So, you can imagine when I stepped into the new world of Pensacola Christian College for my freshman year. I was almost 19, already older than most of my new peers–although that didn’t matter nearly as much as I like to think it did–and I didn’t know the first thing about the world. It’s hard enough being a new student in a new school, but being in a new country? That’s hard, you guys. Even in the most minuscule ways, although it’s different for everyone. But here are a couple things that I think will help a foreign student get used to going to Pensacola Christian College.

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Friends, Packing, Residence Halls, Roommates

How Do I Make a Good Roommate First Impression?

June 21, 2019June 22, 2019 Jenneth Leed

When I was a freshman, I walked into my new dorm room terrified. I was an introvert who had never shared a room with anyone my entire life, and now I was going to have to share one with three other girls for the next four months. Worst of all, I didn’t know how to act around my junior and senior roommates. Was I annoying? Inconsiderate? Overly apologetic? How could I get them to like me?

Freshman year, I roomed with my best friend and neither of us had any experience in being college students, but the three years following, we were the oldest and were able to train our own incoming freshmen.

Having been on both sides of the equation, I’m going to give you three ways to make a good first impression to your older roommates.

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Packing, Wardrobe

Can I Wear These Shoes to Class? A Guide to College Footwear

June 7, 2019September 6, 2020 Jenneth Leed

EDIT: As of the 2019-2020 school year, Converse and similarly casual shoes are now considered class dress!

For many of us, one of the biggest challenges for a rising college student starts before we even arrive on campus. That’s prep work, and with prep work comes acquiring a college wardrobe. And as any PCC student knows, you’ll need good shoes because you’ll be walking. A lot.

For anyone who might be wondering what’s allowed/reasonable/highly suggested as appropriate footwear, don’t panic. I’m going to give you the shoe survival guide in four categories. (Note that the example photos come from Eagle’s Nest, which is the student online network).