Weekend Teatime

Hi everyone!

I've been crazily busy lately, but I got through the majority of my work so I thought I'd sneak on here and write a quick post about my day. So, after two months of trying to plan, my mother finally took me out for my 19th birthday to the Russian Tea Room. If you know nothing about this place, you should. It's a famous restaurant in midtown by Carnegie Hall. I heard about it years ago because of watching Gossip Girl. Everything there is ridiculously expensive. There's a huge menu of tea to choose from, as well as brunch, lunch, dinner, afternoon tea, and more. The restaurant is beautiful, decked out in red and green detailing and gold plated ceilings. There are beautiful paintings everywhere and some original Chagal, Kandinsky, and Picasso. There are four floors, but only the main floor is open regularly for daytime customers. The other three floors are event halls for weddings and such. Here's some of the pictures from the online gallery of the restaurant. We got a private tour of the building. The Bear Room (on the second floor) is a smaller event room; it's called such because of the big bear sculpture in the middle. They used to carve a new ice sculpture every night, but it got messy and expensive, so they decided to just make it an sculpture aquarium. You heard me right: there are fish in that sculpture and a feeding mechanism. They clean it and everything. I thought that was the coolest thing. I really want to have my wedding in the big room with all the chandeliers. I basically spent an hour fawning over everything in the restaurant. I felt so out of place. What really struck me is that there are people who live like this. There were couples in jeans and t-shirts, casually eating caviar at 2 in the afternoon like this was any other Sunday. There are people who live like that. I dressed up for the occasion and still felt out of place. However, a common theme seemed to be that the waiters were asked to take pictures. So maybe I wasn't the only one that felt like this was a special occasion.

I got the Tea Room Salad, Chicken Kiev, and Chocolate Pyramid. The tea service is really interesting. Rather than using regular teacups, they serve tea in glasses with metal holders to pick them up. The tea also came with cookies and tart cherries to flavor it, a Russian specialty! Here's some of my pictures:

The main dining room

Tea service and shortbread cookies!

Chocolate pyramid cake with a birthday candle! (They sung to me in Russian)

Fruit platter

The Bear Room aquarium!

The Bear Room

Overall, it was an experience I'll never forget. I brought home a lot of my food because the portions were huge, so I'll be enjoying this meal for awhile.

Flowers and Fencing

This past Friday was absolutely gorgeous out, so naturally a few friends and I wanted to spend time outside, but for a change we decided to trek to the southern tip of Manhattan. We hit up Chinatown for some cheap food first, and then walked off all the greasy goodness as we headed toward Battery Park. We snaked around the financial district, which was pretty cool since I’m never there that often. It’s always amusing to visit new parts of the city. Anyway, the park was still damaged from Sandy, but nonetheless it was still pleasant. We sat right near the water with a picture perfect view of Lady Liberty, and to our backs were tons of pretty flowers, as well as little baby plants peeping their heads up through the soil. There’s nothing like a trip to the park to help you forget all about your work and responsibilities, but hey, we all need that every now and then.

Later that night I decided to try something else new, fencing lessons! Some friends and I found a groupon for fifty percent off a few classes, so we figured why not.  None of us had ever fenced before, but we all ended up having a super fun time and now really want to continue learning the sport. Groupon has some awesome deals for gyms, fitness classes and other stuff you would probably never think of ever doing because it either doesn’t cross your mind, or because it’s normally way too expensive. I recommend trying something new off groupon at least once. I did, and I ended up really liking it.

After the class we got frozen yogurt and sat on a bench in the middle of Broadway to cool off. (We got ten percent off the froyo with our school ids, which made us all happy even if it was only fifty cents or so.) The class was on the upper west side, so we decided to not move too far to hang. They have little benches and foliage in the middle of the street up there, so we talked and ate for a bit. It’s weirdly calming to watch taxis zoom by with trees and tulips behind you and friends by your side.  

Friday was totally unproductive, but so are many of my weekends, so I really need to lock myself in my room and get work done. As my parents always say, “Do you ever have time for homework?”  The city allows so much opportunity for new adventures, but again, I tend to remind myself that I’m at school to study.

Thoughts of Atlas and Flowers

Hello, everyone!

It's the last Friday of April, and it's been a beautiful day. I was outside for a bit getting some coffee, and I didn't want to go back inside! But I have to study. I gave myself the privilege of taking a long walk last week, and the next few weeks I really need to buckle down and do everything I can to finish the semester well. Exciting stuff.

Speaking of that long walk, in my last post, I forgot to mention that I also spent some time in Rockefeller Center last week. I got to see Atlas. Atlas is a Titan in Greek mythology, and there is a gigantic sculpture of him at Rockefeller Center. The first time I saw him I was taking a long walk and stumbled upon him by accident. It was October of my freshman year, and I was exploring the city a bit and just happened to find him. I remembering thinking about the idea of having "the whole world on your shoulders" and imagining what that must feel like. I took a picture of him and told myself that I would definitely come back to "visit" again. Well, it's funny because I went back to Rockefeller Center a few times after that, but I never saw him again. It's not that I didn't want to. I just never seemed to find him. Then, last Friday, I stumbled upon him again. Just like that first time. He looked the same, as amazing and impressive as ever. But I was different. The first time I saw him, I was barely two months into college, trying to figure out how I fit into everything that was around me. A year and a half later, I'm still trying to figure that out, but I feel that I've grown so much since then. I've gotten to know myself so much better and New York so much better. It feels like yesterday standing in front of him for the first time, wondering what college had in store for me. It was all so exciting back then. It still is.
You should all go visit Atlas. He needs to be distracted from the tremendous weight that he carries. haha.

This past week, I got another interesting reminder of freshman year. This past Wednesday, I was walking on 68th street, and I think I was between 3rd and 2nd Avenue. I noticed these flowers on the ground, and I sort of stopped in my tracks because it had been more than a year since I had seen flowers like that. Last year, I went out with a bunch of friends to Central Park in late March. It was a gorgeous spring day and we passed by this tree that had these beautiful white and pink flowers. We all stopped to look at them, and I remember picking two of them off the tree. I had class right afterwards, so I took them with me, and I had them on my desk in class. I noticed that they quickly started to brown around the edges. I remember feeling guilty for plucking them off the tree. It's amazing how quickly life can leave an organism.
We've sort of had a wishy washy spring this year, and everything has only started blooming recently. When I saw these flowers this past week, it took me back to that day a year ago. I hadn't seen them since that day, and it was weird seeing them on the ground like that. I looked up to see the tree they had come from, but I couldn't find it. It was like they felt out of the sky. Immediately, I was transported back to that day: the sun, the laughter of friends, the beauty of the flowers, how easily they died.
I never looked up what kind of flowers they were. But I just did a quick Internet search, and they're from a saucer magnolia tree. The tree is a hybrid of two different Magnolia trees, and it is known for how early its flowers bloom.
For me, they are a symbol of the joys of the early days of spring. That time when winter is just fading away and spring is entering slowly but surely. They are a symbol of the renewal of nature; its ability to create such beautiful things after the harshness of the cold. They are also a symbol of the fragility of life. They remind me that beauty and nature are things that can't be contained. I plucked those flowers off the tree for essentially selfish reasons. I wanted to hold on to the happiness of that day. When I saw those flowers on the ground that day, I wanted to pick one up. To be transported back to that day last year. But for whatever reason, I didn't touch them. But I do want to go back and see them in Central Park before spring is over. There's nothing quite like them.

Spring is intoxicating, isn't it?

S.

Quote of the Week

“It is a very beautiful day. The woman looks around and thinks: 'there cannot ever have been a spring more beautiful than this. I did not know until now that clouds could be like this. I did not know that the sky is the sea and that clouds are the souls of happy ships, sunk long ago. I did not know that the wind could be tender, like hands as they caress - what did I know - until now?” 
~ Unica Zürn

Big News!

Guys! I finally declared my major!! I am now an OFFICIAL Political Science major at Hunter College! I'm really excited. To be honest though, the actual process was a little anticlimactic. I printed out a paper, filled it out, got it stamped by the head of the Political Science department, and the took it down to Hunter OneStop. It took like, 20 minutes.

So my first act as a Political Science major was... to finish my Political Science paper. Yeah, I have been putting that off for a few days now so I figured I'd get it done. But then my friend Sam was going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to do work for his drawing class, and I really wanted to tag along. The Met is located on 5th Avenue and 82nd Street, only two train stops and a couple blocks from the Hunter campus. Since I was already in the neighborhood, I decided to go meet him there. The really cool thing is that I am writing this to you, from the Met! (yes, my paper is done, I promise) Alright, so maybe I'm not giving the artwork the respect it deserves, but to be honest, art isn't why I go to museums.

I like people watching. I love watching how people interact, and New York City offers endless opportunities for it. However, there is a certain atmosphere you can only get in a museum. Everyone is a bit more open, a bit more friendly. Strangers smile at each other when they notice that someone likes the same piece as them. There's a casual stroll people adopt in a museum as well - not as fast as the bustle on the street, but they barely stop moving.

And the benches become these stationary island fo couples holding hands, artists studying compositions, and people who really want to stay and meditate on the aspects of specific artworks.
If you sit on these benches, I feel that you become part of the art as well. Dozens of people have come over and glanced at Sam's drawing, and several have come over to try and read a bit of this over my shoulder. And that's alright - we're all here for the same reason.

I love the atmosphere of museums. This quiet camaraderie of people who respect art coming together. But, I will admit, the Met is not my favourite museum. I much prefer the art and attitudes at the Museum of Modern Art on 53rd street. The Met had a large collection of old-world, classic, naturalisitic art. To be frank, I am not impressed by ladies in flouncy dresses or various portraits of Jesus and all his friends. I prefer art that has a less distinct meaning, and a more abstract component. I really only come to the Met for historical purposes and to people watch. But, since its free, I do that relatively often. (Didn't I mention that the Met is on our Macaulay Cultural Passports, as well as the MoMA?)

Well, cue the crying children. I think I'll take that as my sign to leave.

Life organization!

Hey everyone,

After taking a look at my last post, I realized it seems kind of all over the place, and you may be wondering if life as a Macaulay at Hunter student is always so hectic.  And the truth is, it doesn't have to be!  Life's always going to get crazy.  But it's at precisely those times that you need to take a step back and figure out how you got there, so that you can avoid it next time. 

About two weeks ago, I was definitely there.  There was just too much work, and not enough time.  So after getting overwhelmed and frustrated with my work, I made myself stop thinking about it and just do it instead.  And after that, I gave myself some time to think about how to not let that happen again.

You may have seen one of my recent posts about list making, so as you can see, getting organized is a continuous process, and not always just an achievement.  Before college, I had never really had to develop "study habits".  No matter how much you do in or out of school, your time is pretty well structured, and the work is straightforward enough so it doesn't involve too much planning.  But in college, your schedule is totally different--you're in charge of setting up your class schedule in a way that's conducive to your study schedule, and vice versa. 

So I'm (very slowly!) coming to terms with the fact that I will probably never have "perfect" study habits, that there will always be something I can work on a little better or a little more.  In the meantime, I found this site:  http://calnewport.com/blog/, that I've found really helpful in getting my self on a schedule when it comes to my work.  It's such a great blog, that it makes you want to get to work, instead of reading!  (That's really a compliment!  The advice is so straightforward and logical that you'll understand how and want to implement it, instead of wanting to browse the site.  You'll want to do that too, of course.  But after you finish your work =P)

Any readers have any tips about organization/time management for students?  Or questions about how to handle it all?  You can leave them in the comments below =]

Until next time,
G.

Boston, Saks, and Observations

Hi, everyone.

We just had quite a dramatic Friday evening to say the least. My heart breaks for everyone who was affected by the bombings in Boston. It's just senseless. I will never understand why people feel the need to hurt each other and cause such terrible tragedies. The most important thing to remember is that we must continue to be as kind, genuine, and honest as possible. It is the only way to fight all of the horrible things that go on in this world.

Apart from what was happening in Boston, yesterday was actually a nice day. My bio lab finished early so I decided to take a long walk and visit some stores. I visited Saks for the first time. I was really impressed with the decor of each floor. It's clear that the store made a lot of effort into giving each floor a unique design. There were a lot of different colors and textures (and mannequins!). 

When I visited the shoe floor, the first thing I encountered was Saks' Louboutin collection. There is no doubt that they are beautiful shoes, but they have like 6 inch heels and cost like $2000. There's no way that a normal human being can walk in those shoes without deforming her feet (not to mention her wallet). I know people say that somehow pain is needed to be beautiful. I don't believe that. Beauty is something that should be natural. Not something that you need to "work on" or suffer for. Anyway, seeing those shoes just made me think about the ridiculous things women will do to look good. 

I also got a chance to go to Tiffany's, which had some awesome jewelry! Everything there is like super sparkly, and it's like being in a museum. I can't afford any of the stuff, but maybe one day. 

It was fun to walk down Fifth Avenue. There are always a ton of people there. I always find it strange that I can see a bunch of native New Yorkers, a bunch of tourists, and the occasional homeless person digging through garbage all on the same block. Some people are spending $2000 on shoes they can't walk in and others are sifting through garbage just to survive. I just don't get that. Is it capitalism? Is it New York? Or is it just the plain old cruel world? 

Last thought: One of my Facebook statuses this week was "Lesson #2351: Self-acceptance is the first step to true happiness." If you don't accept all of your flaws along with your awesomeness, you're never going to get anywhere. Might seem obvious, but it's hard to do. 

S.

I'll leave you with an empowering song.

Song of the Week

Welcome to the fallout
Welcome to resistance
The tension is here
The tension is here
Between who you are and who you could be
Between how it is and how it should be, yeah

I dare you to move
I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move
I dare you to move like today never happened
Today never happened

Maybe redemption has stories to tell
Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell
Where can you run to escape from yourself?
Where you gonna go?
Where you gonna go?

Salvation is here

"Dare You to Move" by Switchfoot

So, it's official.

I'll be taking classes this summer! I'm excited to be living in the city, although I know it'll be unbearably hot for the majority of the summer. I'm thinking about stealing all my friends' fans that they are too lazy to bring home when they move all their stuff. I'll make a fan circle and cry in the balmy heat of the July nights. Anyway, Macaulay covers two classes over the summer, so I decided to take up the offer and get some of my major requirements out of the way, since double majoring will literally consume my life during the year and I wanted some time to space it out. Summer (and winter) classes are a good way to spend some extra time on a difficult class, find an interesting passion, or just get some requirements out of the way. So I'm taking Philosophy 218, Revolutions in Modern Philosophy, and English 322.50, Queer Voices. Both of them are in the first session, so I'll be done with school by July 29th. After that, who knows! I'm definitely going to take a nice, long needed break from school for August. Maybe I'll go on a roadtrip with my friends or just chill at home with my family for a bit. It's crazy how summer is already a definite thing in my life.

In other news, I went to a fabulous production of Our Town last night at the LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts near Lincoln Center. This play is the most meta thing you will ever see. (Meta meaning kind of self-aware, or self-referential.) There was a narrator that moved throughout, giving us time and place, framing the whole thing for us. It was a semi-existential play, dealing with the stages of life and its meaning in death. I have to say that for a high school production, this was one of the most amazing casts I've ever seen. There is some incredible talent in there! If you have a chance, I'd recommend it very strongly. I believe it's only running this weekend through Sunday, so get on that.

Last, I've started using Yelp a lot more frequently. Living in the city, there are tons and tons of restaurants to go to. So how do you find the right ones? Well, you can go off of suggestions from friends or upperclassmen. But if you want to take it into your own hands, I'd recommend downloading the app for Yelp onto your phone, or just checking out the website. You can find some pretty great places near wherever you're going. It filters by cuisine, location, price, and more. I've found a ton of great places to eat before plays with my family all over the city at reasonable prices. It also lets you explore the city in an interesting (and delicious) way! I kind of pride myself on the fact that when my parents come into the city, I can show them around to all the good restaurants. It makes me feel like a real New Yorker.

Erica

This is just me being happy about something

I ordered something REALLY excellent from the Internet. 

IT'S SO POLITICAL, I LOVE IT.

I've always been really passionate about feminism. Hunter offers a really excellent class called Women and the Law. It studies the impacts of laws that have both helped and hurt women over the past 3 centuries, dating all the way back to Blackstone and the idea that a woman is a legal non-entity once she marries. This class also ties into the Civil Rights and LGBTQ Rights movements, since it's almost impossible to separate the effects these three have had on each other.

The professor - Jan Kleeman - is FANTASTIC. She's really clear about all the concepts and she also has a real passion for teaching kinds about the law. So, why do you care? Well, because you should take this class. Its an excellent class.

I would likely have bought this sweater regardless of whether I was in this class or not, but it seemed like a cute way to encourage you guys to take a class I'm really enjoying. :)

What To Do So You Don't See This...

With the unpredictable nature of the buses in Manhattan, due mostly to traffic but also to people take forever to get on and off the bus at the different stops, you won't be the only one to ever see the bus pulling away just as you make it to the bus stop. The most annoying thing ever is when you've just bought your select service ticket, and are just about to turn and board the bus, and the bus driver shuts the doors and drives away - even though you swear he had to have seen you! Well despite the unpredictable-ness there are a few things that you can do so that you miss the bus fewer times... One option is that you can get a bus schedule! Or take a picture of the schedule that's posted at the bus stop. Do this for the stops you frequent often, like the M15 SBS stop right outside of Brookdale or the M66 stop outside Hunter East or Hunter West (depending on which direction you are heading). Another thing you can do is download an app, if you have a smart phone. There are different ones that have the bus schedule on it, but there are even ones that tell you when the bus should be coming, in real time. However, remember that the buses don't always follow the schedule so give yourself about five minutes either side of the scheduled time just to be safe. Even then, though, the buses can be quite unpredictable, so the best advice I can give is to really give yourself extra time if you can. If all else fails, the subway is much more predictable... ;)

Goethe Exam, papers, and schedules.

Hey everyone,

sorry for the delayed post!  I know you were all on the edge of your seats, waiting to see what would happen next...jk!  But just in case you were, here's an update-- I passed my Goethe Zertifikat B1 exam, which means I have an international measure of my German language proficiency!  I'm so happy about that, because I was so nervous during the test, something that normally doesn't happen to me...the instructions were in German, and the professors proctoring the exam were speaking German so quickly...definitely nerve wracking.  But I'm just so glad I got through it!  And I did well on my German midterm, which was a cumulative e-portfolio of article and video summaries, and vocabulary definitions that I've been working on weekly over the semester.  My dilemma for next semester is whether to take another German language or literature course, or begin a new language.  I'm leaning towards beginning a new language, so that I have enough time to learn it almost as fully as I learned German.  It's definitely weird to think of being in a language 101 class though, after taking German 302 (except for grammar concept explanations, the class is entirely in German!).

In other news, I'm working on my research paper for my Seminar, about the past and proposed developments for Flushing Meadows Corona Park and Willets Point in Queens; I'm working on my research paper for my Jerusalem seminar, about archaeology at Temple Mount in Jerusalem; and, I'm trying to decide on a paper topic for my Timeless Don Juan class.

I've been beginning to think about my schedule for Fall 2013 (and then I realize that I only have four semesters left at Macaulay and Hunter =[ ), and if I do take as many 300 level and/or Honors classes as I took this semester, I may try to take 12 credits instead of 15.  15 credits + an internship + working = a little much!  It's not impossible; I'm managing it right now.  But it definitely depends on the difficulty of the credits...I'm currently taking two 300 level courses, one of them a MHC honors course (to fulfill the required four honors classes), two 200 level courses, one of them my MHC honors seminar, and one my Thomas Hunter Honors Program honors seminar, and a 100 level intro course (which turned out to be more work than I expected =/).  If I were taking 5 100 and 200 level courses, I wouldn't have a problem, but the honors classes and 300 level classes are definitely more intensive.  So for now, as I think about what I might take, I'll be considering the difficulty and number of classes, plus the possibility of an internship (which I totally recommend, and hope to do another one soon..it's definitely a learning experience!).

Anyways, I need to get back to reading about Jerusalem, so, until next time! (which will be sooner than this time was, I promise =] )

G.

The Freshman Fifteen

When I attended accepted student’s day, almost every upperclassman I spoke with mentioned the Macaulay negative fifteen. What? How!? They raved that due to walking so much everyday, the pounds slipped off effortlessly. Effortlessly? Not only was I going to save money and get an awesome education, but I was going to look killer doing it too? Sign me up.

So by time December rolled around, I stepped on the scale and almost passed out. I had gained twenty pounds. TWENTY. The first semester wasn’t even over and I had surpassed the freshman fifteen. How was this even possible? My eating habits hadn’t changed that much, and I was walking. What did I do wrong? Then it hit me. Walking.

Everybody’s bodies and habits are different, and it just so happens that when I started college the amount of daily exercise I was doing had decreased drastically. I went from being a four-sport varsity athlete, running every day of the week, to walking fifteen minutes everyday to the subway. I love sports, but Hunter does not have my one true love, lacrosse. They do have a bunch of other varsity teams, but I found out there are plenty of ways to stay in shape. There is hope!

First of all, Hunter does have a gym, as well as recreation hours for some sports and group fitness classes, all of which are free! You just need to pick up a physical activity card before hand, which takes two seconds. All of the info can be found online.

There are also various locations across the city that offer free or suggested donation weekly exercise classes, ranging from dance cardio to yoga. Whatever you’re into you can probably find some variation of it for free, or for very, very cheap. 

Also, with the weather getting nice out, going for a run or heading to the park with a frisbee isn’t so bad. Some friends and I are planning on buying a badminton set to fool around with in the park as a fun way to spend time together and get some sort of physical activity. 

Unfortunately, Macaulay doesn’t really offer athletic options besides for club quidditch. I tried it, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Some of my friends have joined gyms, but there are plenty of ways to stay in shape for cheap. And don’t worry about eating healthy. Between a ton of supermarkets, like Trader Joe’s, and the fruit stand guys, fruits and veggies are easy to access and won’t totally break your budget. 

It does take a little bit of effort and will power, especially with all of the temptations the city has to offer, but the Freshman Fifteen is something you can avoid. Or lose, if you're like me. 

Dear Anon (Answering a Question)

Q: Hi! I'm sorry to bother you. I was accepted to Hunter and I'm trying to decide which school I want to go to. I was hoping it would be okay if I ask you a few questions? The Chinese Flagship Program sounds like something I'd really be interested in, and I'm wondering if it's just better for me to apply once I'm there, have a GPA to show them, take some Chinese classes, declare a major, get letters of recommendation from professors at Hunter, etc., or, if not many students are even interested and most get in and the admissions process is fairly easy, so that I can apply earlier than I would by the time I have a GPA to show. Would I miss anything by applying later? Do you know anyone that really wanted to get in, but didn't? Does everyone that you know in program have stellar grades, are multilingual, and have travel abroad experiences? I guess I'd be kind of average, haha. My grades are pretty normal (I'll try harder), I only speak English fluently (I was really good at learning Spanish during high school?), and I've never been outside of the country. When I told the woman at the table for the CFP during the Accepted Students' Day, she seemed kind of disappointed and didn't really have anything to say to me. I'm really interested in learning languages and other cultures, and I'd love to have the opportunity to travel some day. Is the application itself difficult to complete? What did you write about, or some kinds of things other people you know wrote about for their personal statement? Who wrote your letters of recommendation (i.e. my high school language teacher/guidance counselor, or professor of 'x' subject)? Can you apply more than once? Did you apply as an incoming freshman, or afterward? Is the work especially difficult once you're admitted? Thank you so much, and again, I'm sorry for all the questions!

Hello! You're definitely not a bother at all, I'm really happy to answer any questions. In my opinion, the best time to apply is the summer before you start in school (which is what I did). This coming year will be only the third year at Hunter College for the Flagship program, so yes they are still trying to build the program and are very open to accepting new students. The most important thing, when entering the program, is to show that you want to learn Chinese and about the culture and the people. You can totally start as a beginner (most people do), the point is definitely not to start as a fluent student because then there is nowhere for you to progress! 

This is the website for Chinese Flagship at Hunter College, where you can find all of the information and details that they provide. In terms of the application process, the most important thing is definitely your essay or what they call the "statement of purpose." It's a 500 word essay, in English, basically just saying why learning Chinese is important to you. For me, it has a lot to do with the fact that I am Chinese and it connects me to that, but there are other reasons too and I wrote about that. Other than your essay, you need a transcript (since you're an incoming freshmen they want your full high school transcript), two letters of recommendation, and your SAT scores (which can just be an unofficial printed copy from the website). In terms of the recommendations, I didn't have to get them because I actually did their high school program so they already knew me, but I believe that anyone from your high school will do. Probably the ones who wrote your college application recommendations would be good, but language-specific and a counselor would be very good. Once you are in the program, you need to maintain a GPA of 3.5, but coming into Hunter they don't have a specific number, you just can't have done super badly in high school... Which, considering you got into Hunter, probably means you didn't.

Once you've sent in your application, if they want you (which they most likely will), you'll be asked to go in for an interview with the head of the program. The interview will be conducted half in English as a self-introduction and at the end as a question and answer portion, and then the other half is a self introduction in a foreign language (in your case Spanish). Flagship encourages students that are interested to apply before April 30th, so before the end of the month. If you really think this is something that you'd like to do, even if you don't end up doing it, I do suggest putting your foot in the door and applying before that date because it does show that you are interested and you're much more likely to not regret anything if you apply, then if you don't apply and then wish you had.

Yes, you should definitely apply as an incoming freshman before the summer! Because there is a summer program that is really helpful. Yes, you can join the program without doing it, but you will be behind. You want to start with as big of a head start as possible, and doing the summer program (as much as schoolwork in the summer sucks) will only help. It also means you get to meet your fellow Flagship kids before the year begins and make friends in advance, which was really awesome for me. (And they may even award you with money if you do really well on the placement exams and such).

As far as some of your other questions about whether everyone is fantastically brilliant and world travelers: no! There are definitely people who are really really smart, as a bunch of people are Macaulay kids and programs like Flagship do tend to attract hardworking, smart students, but not everyone is the next Einstein. As far as world traveling goes, there are some people who had traveled before joining Flagship (I, myself, being one of them), but I know a lot of people who have only been to a few countries, if that! Once you join Flagship, obviously you will get to eventually go overseas which is great! Yes, the work is difficult, but it's manageable if you are willing to do it. You have to want to be a part of an intensive program, and I can see that you do want to work hard as you said you do want your grades to go up. That's great!

Overall, you can apply later on, but you will miss the summer program and you'll definitely come into it behind others. I think that if you are interested, then go for it! We would love to have you! Even if you don't think you'd be a top student, don't worry, everyone fears that but you may really enjoy it, and if you enjoy it you'll want it enough to get good at it. Chinese is a very difficult and different language, but personally I think it's worth it. I really hope that you've gotten the answers to your questions that you wanted, and if you ever have any other questions you can feel free to leave further questions. You can also click on my name in the bottom of this post, or in the sidebar, and send me an email. (This goes to anyone who has questions about Flagship, Macaulay, Hunter, or just anything that I've talked about on this blog). Also, I apologize for the person on the table not seeming interested or seeming disappointed, I don't know what was up with that, but I assure you, you will be wanted!

So, do consider applying, I know this is a lot to take in. But look at the website, feel free to ask more questions, and just if you really are interested, go for it. For me, the combination of Macaulay and Flagship made Hunter the no-brainer choice for me, so I can totally understand wanting to know more about the program in order to make your college decision. Thank you for asking your questions, and really, no matter where you end up and whether you do Flagship or not, good luck!!!

SPRING!, It's Mayer Time, CLP

Hey, everyone! =)

It's the end of a week in which we had some fantastic weather. Tuesday was just fabulous. Everyone was dressed in their spring best: floral dresses, shorts, and skirts. The hallways were filled with bright colors, bare legs, and lots of laughter. It was the kind of the day in which everything seems just a bit more beautiful. The extra dose of sunshine also jumpstarted the blooming of the trees on the Upper East Side. I can't wait till all of the trees are covered with flowers.

I handed in my second paper for Seminar 4 on Monday. I think I've mentioned that it's on the history and future of the NYPL. I'm a total bibliophile, and I've been in love with libraries since I was young. This semester is my chance to understand libraries better. It's been interesting to think about how the NYPL was developed in the late 19th century to rival the great old libraries of Europe. At the same time, the founders wanted to provide the people of New York with access to free information. My second paper dealt with understanding how well the NYPL has fulfilled its dual goals of creating an impressive library system as well as providing an place where people of all backgrounds would be welcome. I looked at the Central Library Plan (CLP) and analyzed the consequences of it for the library's patrons. The CLP is described in this video:

My professor, Owen Gutfreund, has done a fantastic job of encouraging the class to think on a deeper level when doing our projects. He's full of interesting stories and facts and does a million different things at Macaulay and Hunter. At one point, he told us that he would rather be over-commited than under-commited. He's just incredibly inspirational and makes me want to be better. This class is my one non-science class this semester, and I always look forward to it. There are no exams so we get to just have awesome discussions without the pressure of trying to memorize a bunch of facts. It's such a breath of fresh air.

I don't how many people out there watch Glee, but this week's episode was kind of intense to say the least. It dealt with the controversial issue of guns in schools. It was definitely an emotional episode and one that I think teens should see. The overall message of the episode was not about gun violence, but about how we should all appreciate the ones we love and tell them how much we care about them. The last song that the cast sang during the episode was a song by John Mayer. It's truly a great song and addresses the theme perfectly. This is the third John Mayer song I've featured on this blog. He's an amazing musician.

S.

Song of the Week

Take all of your wasted honor
Every little past frustration
Take all of your so-called problems
Better put them in quotations

Say what you need to say (8x)

Walking like a one man army
Fighting with the shadows in your head
Living out the same old moment
Knowing you’d be better off instead
If you could only

Say what you need to say (8x)

Have no fear for giving in
Have no fear for giving over
You better know that in the end
It’s better to say too much
Than never to say what you need to say again

Even if your hands are shaking
And your faith is broken
Even as the eyes are closing
Do it with a heart wide open

Say what you need to say 

"Say" by John Mayer

Frederick, Funk, Footnotes

I still haven't cut my hair and I'm having a very weird identity crisis regarding this decision.

This post contains several wildly unrelated subjects, which I have nicely separated into paragraphs with bold titles. You're welcome. 

GILMORE GIRLS & THOUGHT CATALOG Since I usually begin these enlightening posts about the mundanities of my daily life, let us begin, logically, with Gilmore Girls. I've watched several Gilmore Girls episodes this week, a treat, since I've never seen all of the episodes in seasons 5-7. Logan's such a cutie. Also, you might not know this, but thought catalog can sometimes read minds. It always posts things that are related to my life on twitter. I'm sure they write articles directed towards my life and no one else's, obviously. For example, who was watching Gilmore Girls this week? (Me) and did they have a random out-of-the-blue article about "25 Things You Didn't Know About Gilmore Girls" ? YES. YES THEY DID! 

 BREAKUPS & THE THREE LITTLE PIGS While we're on thought catalog, there was also this article called "Breaking Up Is Just As Heartbreaking," which I found refreshing and well argued. No one ever thinks about the breaker-up-er (not a word...it's "dumper" right? Is that what they're called? "Person Who Did The Breaking Up" "Person Who The Dumpee's Friends Hate On Because They Ended The Relationship"). It's like that book, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs,[1] where the wolf talks about his side of the story. But anyway, I agreed with it. Both sides are heartbreaking. Being the person to make the decision sometimes may be even worse than breaking up. Don't hate on the breaker-up-er!

FREDERICK There's this guy- some random guy- that I had a amusingly refreshing interaction with. I won't describe it here, lest he read this (that'd be freaky and embarrassing for sure, but I figure if I write this very anonymously, I could mean anyone and no one will guess), but it was incredibly short and left me wondering who he was. I don't know his name or anything about him at all except that he's a student, but I'm going to name him Frederick and I hope I keep running into this Frederick[2]. I'll be sure to keep y'all updated.

LOOKING HOT IN THE RAIN (hahaha that's an oxymoron or something right..cuz you can't be hot in the rain hahaha) My friend and I bought a groupon for 20 fitness classes (for $20! It was worth $200 since those classes are usually $20 each) and we spontaneously attended a "FUNK U" dance -zumba-y class. They played funky old (70s, 80s) songs and it was hillllarious. I knew most of the songs, like Bonnie Tyler stuff, or "Car Wash"[3]"Play That Funky Music" (heh. obviously), and it was a lot of fun. When we finished, the thunderstorm outside was welcoming and refreshing since we were sweaty and energized. Pretending to be dames from several rain scenes in movies, we skipped and danced our way home in the rain and arrived at the dorms soaking wet. Since we were frolicking and running in the rain in our ever-attractive gym clothes, I'm sure even you would not think I was lying when I say there were swarms of boys awaiting our presence.[4]

^{SCHOOLWORK On schoolwork: I alwayssssss dig myself a hole [5] second semester. I suppose I must just feel that it's alright to neglect my work more than usual and cram and do poorly and then have to do extremely well in order to achieve an A in the end. Sighh. Sigh sigh sigh. Don't do this, everyone. It makes every test into a do-or-die test.}

DON'T HAVE A TITLE FOR THIS ONE SORRY Last year, I used to resent traveling home. I like being home and with my family and siblings on the weekends. It's always happy. But, to get home, I have to leave early during the day on Friday and return Monday morning around 6 AM (to get rides with my dad). It made me miss practically every Friday afternoon hang out, which led to the resentment. However, this year, maybe I've matured? I kind of just came to realize that my siblings aren't going to be 12 and 15 forever, and my little brother isn't always going to look forward to me coming home so that he can beg me to play monopoly or basketball. He even makes bargains with me- where he'll fetch my phone or let me have the TV if I play 20 minutes of basketball with him. I don't even always play when I'm home, but I'll be sad the day when he stops asking. I know a lot of college students don't live even close enough to go home every weekend, but I do, and...in the next five years, who knows where I'll be or what I'll be doing. I wouldn't (I think) be living at home anymore- hopefully living on my own and working and stuff, and .... that's sad. So while I can still somewhat be home routinely, I'll do it. My older brother is 20 and he comes home too, and I'll be sad when he maybe moves far for work or gets married or moves out in general, because it's sad when you and your siblings don't all live together at home anymore. I'd be next, and then my sister and other brother. Of course, change is good, but I'll miss these years. I feel silly, but I miss them already.

 Amirah

PS. ~Look how creative I am with my footnotes~~ Just kidding ahaha. I like footnotes though. Everyone deserves to use a good footnote once in a while.

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[1] Yes. This is a college related blog and I am a college student and I just referenced a children’s book. Instead of referencing something like Shantaram. Or like, even Game of Thrones would’ve probably been better.

[2] I think Frederick’s a cool name.

[3] Isn't that song in Shark Tale so awesomely appropriate for the movie? Right? Don’t you just love that movie?

[4] Swarms. It was practically a line of suitors. 

[5] I imagine it would be a well dug hole. With pretty leaf decorations. The worms and I would be friends and fend off the other insects together. This fantasy may continue if my next microbiology test is a mess. With each less-than-amazing grade, I will continue adding ideas for my sad hole-habitat.