Are nearly over!

Tomorrow is the last day of finals. Thank goodness. It’s been a challenging reading/finals week, but by 4 p.m. tomorrow, it’ll be over (for me, anyways).

So what’s next?

Well, most of my friends are packing up their things and going back home to summer jobs, but I also have friends who are staying in the city with internships.

Originally, I was set to stay in NYC with my own internship, but life happened and now I’m headed home! While I was pretty disappointed when I realized that I wouldn’t be able to go exploring and continue with my internship, I must say that I’m grateful to be going home now.

The first year of college is difficult because it is a major adjustment, but I’m looking forward to a relaxing summer back home in the Midwest.

If any of you have questions over the vacation, please ask! I’ll be checking this page regularly, and I’ll probably post some updates every now and then too.

Enjoy the rest of your senior year!

Involves compromise and listening.

Without those two things, nothing can really be accomplished. Interestingly enough, those two things are also prevalent within normal, everyday interactions between functioning people of society.

There have been a lot of posts about how ResLife at Barnard isn’t helpful and what not, but just remember that you’re rooming situation is what you make of it. Find a balance that works and don’t complain about your roommate in a way that is public and for the world to see (Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr) because Barnard is a small community—especially among first years. You may think your comments are anonymous, but they’re not. Ever. Name calling is petty, and invariably, it just makes you look immature.

Your roommate likes studying with music? If you mind, ask her if she can use headphones while you’re also in the room and studying.

You like going to bed at a certain hour? Set out ground rules for when the light(s) can be turned off/diminished. Respect those ground rules.

Most importantly, remember that, ultimately, a room is a place where you should feel comfortable. Make sure that you and your roommate are both comfortable with the arrangements you decide upon, and if one of you isn’t, then keep discussing until you both come up with a solution. Also, college changes people. So sit down after the first few months and talk about the guidelines. Are they still working? Great! If not, talk it out. Don’t be the roommate who thinks her desires for the room are law.

Finals.

Classes end on the 30th, and then reading period begins. Out of the five classes I’m taking, though, only two have actual sit-down-and-take-a-test finals. One has a portfolio that I have to put together, and my other two have finals essays due on the last day of classes.

Good news? One of my essays is practically done.

Bad news: I still have to write my other one.

Have a happy prospective/admitted student weekend!

And for that I’m truly sorry. A lot of things have been going on recently, and it’s been pretty tough balancing different aspects of my life. I really needed to look at things from a different perspective because I was stressing myself out too much. It certainly helped to take a step back. Here’s some food for thought:

“But if you don’t try to do what you love—whether it is painting or biology or finance—if you don’t pursue what you think will be most meaningful, you will regret it. Life is long. There is always time for Plan B. But don’t begin with it,” he said.

The full article can be found here. Just keep in mind, the context of that article was not at all my predicament.

Anyways. Sorry that post was sort of vague. If any prospective students have questions, please feel free to ask. I’ll try and update more frequently. :)

but I’m super excited for graduation on May 14. Why? Because President Spar and basically the rest of the world has announced that President Obama will be speaking at Barnard’s commencement ceremonies.

Go us.

This time next week, it’ll be break! I hope the weather gets a little nicer beforehand because it has been super rainy and dreary recently. Most of my friends from back home are already on break, so I won’t get to see them until summer. It’s disappointing that I won’t see them for a while, but at the same time though, I’m really excited to explore the city while I don’t have the immediate deadlines of classwork. 

Hopefully I’ll remember to bring a camera with me when I go out over break. If I do, I’ll post the pictures here. 

I’m done with them! Good riddance!

My sleeping pattern can now return to normal.

I really value my own personal space. College means very little ‘you’ time because you’re constantly surrounded by people. And at Barnard, first years must room in (mostly) doubles.

You know what that means?

It means you should cherish the time when you get to act like a total weirdo in your room because no one else is watching (or, alternatively, you can just act like your normal oddball self all the time—it’s a great way to make friends, and that was not sarcasm). It means you should sing at the top of your lungs because you don’t have to worry about bothering other people. It means you should sleep with all the lights on (if you want). It means you should leave your room looking like it was ransacked because you don’t have to keep it tidy for someone else (unless you’re currently sharing a room with someone).

Most of all it means you should appreciate where you’re at now before you’re not there anymore. Second semester senior year flew by for me, and so did the summer. I did a bunch of different things this past summer, but I wish I had taken time to realize that it (at least for me) would be the last time I would be at home for an extended amount of time.

So go spend time with all of your friends! Hug your parents! Play with your pets! Sleep in ridiculously late because you can!

College is a blast, but it’s not always fun and games.

(Side note: this post was originally supposed to be about how much I missed having my own space, and it quickly turned in to how much I equate personal space to being at home. My apologies.)

Today I turned in my first paper of the semester. I’m really glad it was just a rough draft because it was not my favorite topic.

Luckily there are a lot of other things that I enjoy more than my paper topic. For instance! I thoroughly enjoy how sunny it’s been. It’s lovely to walk across campus and see so many people sitting outside. Spending time with my friends again has also been a marvelous part of my three(ish) weeks back in Morningside Heights.

Besides my English class, I’m taking four other academic classes and a gym. I love my classes (usually). Gym is gym, so there’s only so much I enjoy about that class time.

On an unrelated note, a lot of you have asked for picture of the dorms. I will post pictures soon!

As always, if you have questions, don’t be afraid to ask!