Author Archives: Barbara Ofosu-Somuah

About Barbara Ofosu-Somuah

Barbara is a member of Middlebury Posse 11. A senior, she is a Joint Sociology and Psychology Major. She loves to travel, pretend to speak Italian and just do things.

From Gotham to ChiTown: Part 4

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As compiled by Barbara Ofosu-Somuah (NYMP11)

When I first heard about Middlebury adding an additional Posse, I wasn’t really sure what to make of it. Mostly because I am not sure where Posse stands currently and what it really means to the students at Middlebury. There are definitely misconceptions about [the Posse Foundation and] what a Posse is on the Middlebury campus. This is evident when I read the comments in the school newspaper about Posse and [sometimes] I cannot help but feel offended. I am not sure many people understand clearly what Posse really is and having another group [here on campus] might contribute to that misunderstanding but it might also be a way to get more people to understand the nature of what Posse is and what the Posse Foundation strives for. However, regardless of what people may think, I believe that the presence of Posse scholars here on campus has definitely contributed to the diversity of the Middlebury campus. That being said, I stand behind the idea of having another Posse and see it as a step to diversify and create more social awareness [of urban high school leaders] within the student body.
Lili Miao (NYMP12)

From Gotham to ChiTown: Part 3

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As compiled by Barbara Ofosu-Somuah (NYMP11)

Although there have been some hesitations about Posse Chicago jumping on the Middlebury bandwagon, I for one am ecstatic about the expansion. It is such a great opportunity for students from [Middlebury’s underrepresented area such as] Chicago as well as the New York City Posse scholars on campus to learn from each other. Coming from someone who has never visited Chi-town, it would be so much fun to compare and contrast life in Middlebury, Chicago and New York.  When I first came to Middlebury during preview weekend, I was welcomed with open arms by all of the Middlebury Posse upperclassmen. I cannot wait to do the same for New York Posse 14 and Chicago Posse 1 and give them the same Posse warmth and love that I got. :)
Cindy Alvarado (NYMP13)

From Gotham to ChiTown: Part 2

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As compiled by Barbara Ofosu-Somuah (NYMP11)

My initial reactions to the idea of having two Posses [from different] cities at Middlebury College were anxiety and hesitation. There are people at Middlebury who are still unfamiliar with the Posse Foundation’s mission and more importantly the importance of having Posse scholars on campus. I was also worried about how the two first-year Posses would interact [when both Posses are on campus for the first time]; “Would they be entirely separate entities or one big Posse family?”

However, despite my selfish reservations, I believe that it is important to have a diversity of ideas and experiences on campus, which is exactly what the new Chicago Posse will provide.

Welcome Chicago scholars!
Aya Gallego (NYMP11)

From Gotham to ChiTown: Part 1

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As compiled by Barbara Ofosu-Somuah (NYMP11)

Overall, I look to this expansion as a very good sign of things to come for Middlebury College and its commitment to intentionally recruiting strong students of color to attend this institution. For Middlebury College to make this kind of commitment is a testament to the things that are important to this school, but it is also a testament to the Posse Foundation and all that it strives to do as well.

I cannot speak to how the two communities (Posse New York City and Posse Chicago) will interact while on campus, but I figure the more the merrier. I think it will be an important time for everyone to keep their egos in check and revel in the fact that the Posse family is growing. I am not suggesting that everyone in Posse needs to be the best of friends, but we have to respect everyone in the community for the simple fact that we are all Posse Scholars.
Shanta’ Lindo (NYMP8)

BannerWeb Survival Guide

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There are a lot of information in this post so please bear with us. We even recommend bookmarking this page for reference.

Pre-Registration

A FAQ on BannerWeb Registration

Complete listings of Spring 2012 Courses

Spring 2010 Starting and Ending Dates*

*Fall and Spring semester registrations are by seniority so the more credits you have completed/are in the process of completing, the sooner you register and the greater chance you have of enrolling in the courses that you want.

Use the Schedule Planner tool!

This will save you so much time when you are trying to plan your entire semester’s schedule and very few students know about it.

Registration Week/Morning/Night Before

  • Get to bed at a decent hour. There is nothing worse than oversleeping and missing the start of the 7AM sprint.

Courses We Recommend

Here are some courses offered in Spring 2012 that the staffs at the Posse at Middlebury Blog have personally selected.

Lance:

  1. PSYC 0224 – Psychological Disorders with Shirley Collado
    For anyone who visits the Posse at Middlebury Blog, Shirley Collado needs no introductions. As a non-academic faculty, it is a rare and very special occasion whenever Dean (or Professor) Collado gets to teach a course in the psychology department. While I have never taken a course with Dean Collado personally, I have taken the same exact course with the [prior] Dean of the College, Augustus Jordan and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Unless you’re at junior or senior standing though, it may be a stretch getting into the course (although I wouldn’t rule it out completely).
  2. CHNS 0270 – Chinese Sociolinguistics with Han Du
    I took this course my last semester of senior year and while it was probably one of the toughest course I have ever taken (as any course with the Chinese department tends to be), it was also one of the most rewarding. The more prior knowledge about the Chinese language and/or history you bring you, the more you will get out of the course. Professor Du, or more accurately Du Laoshi, was also granted tenure in Spring of 2011 so you can just imagine how awesome she must be.
  3. ENAM 0211 – Global Literature for Youth with Claudia Cooper
    I am ashamed to say that I was actually enrolled in this course and had to drop out of it but not because it wasn’t worthwhile but because I had to fulfill my major requirements before studying abroad. Subsequently when I returned from abroad I was never able to get into this course again. I did manage to take another course with Claudia Cooper (ENAM 0185 – Writing for Children) and it was definitely one of my favorite course at Middlebury. Professor Cooper is not only knowledgeable about children’s literature but a fantastic writing coach as well. Just be forewarned, they are both extremely intensive (but creative) writing courses.
  4. JAPN 0217 – Haruki Murakami and His Generation with Stephen Snyder

Are there any courses that you would recommend? Professors that you have questions about? Just leave a comment in this post and someone’s bound to have something to say about it.