Femininity and Flowers

Hey, everyone!

Spring break is officially two weeks away, and I think we're all counting down the days here at Hunter. I've never really had the notoriously wild college spring break that we always see in movies. Freshman year, I spent my spring break moping about and just doing homework. Last year, I spent it studying for my orgo II exam. I'm really hoping that this year, I'll be able to squeeze in some more fun. 

Last Saturday, I went to the mall with my mom. We got some cool pieces for the season, which I'll be wearing for the next couple of months. I love shopping with my mom because she has a great sense of style and knows what looks good on her. I think my mom's love of clothes has definitely rubbed off on me as I've gotten older. But when I was younger, she would always yell at me because I wouldn't really pay attention to what I was wearing. But throughout my adolescence, I started to develop an appreciation for fashion history and design, which definitely inspired me to think more carefully about my everyday clothing choices. I love putting together interesting outfits and pushing myself creatively. My choice of clothing is an outlet for my self-expression just like my poetry. 

In the last two years, I've been gravitating towards skirts and dresses, and at least twice a week, I wear either one. I love the femininity that comes with these kinds of pieces. The other day, I was actually telling my mom that whenever I wear pants, I don't feel the same anymore because I've gotten so used to wearing these feminine pieces. 

I think there's a great power in embracing your womanhood and not being afraid of looking too "girly" or "colorful". When the women's rights movement was happening in the 1960's and 1970's, there were some women who believed that they had to dress like the guys to be taken seriously in the workplace. I'm so thankful that women are finally seeing the power in their femininity and are not afraid that they'll appear weak or unprofessional if they rock a gorgeous dress to work instead of a pantsuit. 

As I mentioned last week, "The Fempire", which is a women's rights organization at Hunter, is having an exhibition next Friday that features the work of feminist artists. (It's in Thomas Hunter 105 for anyone who will be at Hunter next Friday from 4-7 PM.) One of my pieces will be on display as well!

Today, I went out to Central Park to look for the saucer magnolia trees that I first saw March of my freshman year. I mentioned them in a post from last year. They can bloom as early as late March, but because we've had such cold weather lately, the flowers aren't out yet. I ended up just having a relaxing walk through the park listening to the birds and breathing in the smell of rain and earth. 

S. 

College Tip of the Week: Make time for your family.

I'm a commuter student so after a long tiring day, I know I'm going to go home and see my family. But even though I still live with my parents, I see less of them than I ever did in high school. Either I'm at Hunter all day or I'm studying at home. Sometimes, it can be hard to squeeze in that much-needed time with my family. What's worked for me is just dedicating time every week to just hanging out and watching TV with my family or going shopping with my mom or listening to my dad's stories about medical school. Spending time with my family helps keep my grounded, and it helps keep things in perspective. They're also great company for those days when college life gets overwhelming. 

If you dorm, then it's probably even harder for you to see your family during the semester. I recommend stopping by at your parents' house a few times a month and scheduling fun events with your family on weekends when you know you'll be free. 

Keeping yourself informed

I'd like to inform all of you of some great, ridiculous, sad, and just general news I've seen recently:

• Physicists have figured out a new theory of inflation that explains the Big Bang. I took Astronomy last year and I find the universe to be such a complex and amazing thing! I also really enjoyed the comic and coffee analogy used to explain the complicated science to English major me.
• The US is starting to get its act together on equal rights, as Michigan's gay marriage ban was struck down
• A morally conflicted article about whether or not to continue watching Woody Allen's movies after the renewal of the child abuse convictions against him
• An interesting social justice article exploring the intricacies of race relations on modern college campuses and the psychology of 'microagressions'. Definitely an interesting read, especially after studying race relations in the city in seminar 4.
• A disgusting display of misogyny in the orthodox Jewish religion as a man refuses to give his ex-wife a 'get', or a religious divorce, even after they are legally divorced and he has remarried. Unfortunately, this is not the first time I've seen an article like this. It's also sad to see so many people blame her for not just leaving the religion, when it has probably been a huge part of her entire life and to leave it would not only force her to give up a very important aspect of her life, but would also alienate her from her community, family, and children.
• A Op-Ed on the use of the Emergency Exit doors in the subway and that annoying sound you hear every time you open one. Important, considering there have been scientific studies done on how the sound in the subway may affect our hearing. In seminar 4, we talked about the fact that in many European countries, their subway cars have rubber wheels, so they don't suffer that awful screeching sound whenever a train comes into the station. See also: 14th Street-Union Square and Grand Central
• The Supreme Court is hearing arguments about whether for-profit religious corporations should be legally required to provide contraception services for their employees despite the fact that it goes against their religious beliefs to do so. Vital to the women's healthcare debate, as well as the ongoing clash between religious rights and healthcare rights.
• An article about the benefits of sleep, and why we've so intertwined it with capitalistic productivity. Kind of scary.
• Manhattan's rents are driving bookstores away, often to Brooklyn and Queens

It's important to keep yourself updated with what's going on in the world, but also with what's going on in your city. My family subscribes to the New York Times, so I have unlimited access on my phone and I read the highlights and most-emailed articles whenever I have a free minute or I'm waiting for a bus or train. I also subscribe to their Facebook page, which gives you some interesting highlights from the paper. Unfortunately, they only let you read 10 free articles per month on the website if you don't have a subscription account. A way to bypass this is to google the full name of the article and access it through this link.

Here are some important resources:

• New York Times Metro coverage
• Opinion Pages
• The Guardian
• The Atlantic
• Gothamist
• Salon
• NPR

There are tons of ways to get news, and most of these websites have apps. Get, and stay, informed! 

Advice for Potential Freshmen From a Freshie Herself: Internship and Resume Edition

Internship? What internship? I'm just a freshman!

If you're thinking to yourself, "how am I supposed to think about internships when I haven't even started my freshman year?/am in the midst of my second semester of college?" here's your reason: The earlier you start, the better off you'll be. In fact, I didn't write my blog post last night because I was touching up my resume for about the tenth time... And I still don't know how to get the accent mark over the e.

For potential freshies, if this is the first post you're reading about college life, stop. Just stop right now, because you're going to give yourself a panic attack. There are three posts prior to this, each beginning with 'Advice for Potential Freshmen From a Freshie Herself', and I highly suggest you read those first. Ease into knowing about college life with a synopsis of the first two semesters and of midterms before you jump right into applying for internships.

For everyone else, let's get started.

The reason you should start applying for internships is so that you can officially begin your professional life after high school. This post will mainly cover summer internships but is also applicable to internships during the academic year in case you're planning to go away for the majority of break, get a job, or simply do nothing.All of which are cool, so long as you at least attempt to get an internship or even a job in your potential career field by this time next year.

The first step in applying for internships is to actually think about what you would like to do. Before you begin searching, take your time thinking about what you're going to dedicate a chunk of your life to. If you have an idea of what career you'd like to pursue, your priority internships of consideration should be those in this field. When it comes time to actually apply for jobs in this field, you want some experience. Then, I'd suggest applying for internships in something you may consider a minor in or in something you know you're good at. Personally, I plan on becoming a social worker, so I'm applying to internships in social services and human development. But, I also enjoy and have experience in writing, so I also applied to be an Editorial Assitant. The more you apply to and actually are interested in, the better.

When you have an idea of what you'd like to applytpr, begin searching through a few mediums.
1. Speak to your advisor, who should definitely have an idea of what you're interested in doing in life, because he/she will not only help you write your resume and cover letter, but also possibly know about a couple of internships relevant to you.
2. I'd also recommend speaking to upperclassmen because they've gone through it and are going through it, so they could give you advice on where to find internships and how to write your resume.
3. If you're going online to find internships, which is the easiest and fastest option, definitely go to idealist.org and internships.com. You write a keyword for the kind of internship you're looking for and hundred of option pop up. Not all are exactly what you had intended on finding, but the majority are. Also try to find out where else you can look from your peers.

And now, the horrific task that never ends until you're retired: Writing your resume.

Your resume will change constantly. It will be modified (and drastically improved) by your advisor, it will be tailored three different ways to fit three specific jobs you're applying to at the same time, it will either be your best friend or your worst enemy. Or both. Definitely both.
The most valuable tip I can give in regards to resume writing is to meet with your advisor. Advisors will provide you with resume templates that are more modern and appealing to employers than the ones you'll find by yourself online, if you even find a free resume template online. Then after you give your first try at writing your resume, which will be terrible, meet with your advisor so they can save-- I mean help, you. The first time I wrote my resume, I thought that it was solid. I even had three of my friends who had had jobs look over it and they thought it was good too. Then I met with my advisor and about a third of it was left unaltered. Trust me from experience, your first draft of your resume needs a pair of experienced eyes to read through it and hands to tear it apart.

Some specific tips for resume writing:
-List your accomplishments, not just your duties. Yeah, you tutored an eighth grader in English twice a week for three months. That's great, but did his grades improve? How high did he score on the New York State English Exam? Did his average bump up? These details are critical.
-Use atrong action verbs. Your advisor should give you a list. No employer wants to read how you "did" something or "helped" out with something else. You achieved and assisted-- among other things.
-Keep it to one page. Be concise. You can't be too wordy in listing your accomplishments and skills because you don't know how many resumes someone has to read. What you can be a little wordy with is your cover letter, which is the next part of the application process.

Now you have a better verison of your resume, but that isn't enough for some internships. Many also require a cover letter. A cover letter is basically a chance to give employers an impression of the kind of person you are. Explain how you think that you would be an asset to this company/organization. What makes you stand out and what can only you bring to the table? Why should you have this position? Why are you interested in the position at all? Again, meet with your advisor to re-write your cover letters. And, as you may assume, each cover letter should be unique to each position you're applying to, so prep yourself for possible carpal tunnel.

I hope you all find this useful in your quest for internships. I wish you all the best of luck!

2048 is ruining my life.

In honor of having just read The Sound and The Fury, this post will be merely a list of thoughts:

• Just finished reading The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner and let me say, wow. It's a modernist structure study on conveying the paralyzingly dissonant and obsessive quality of human thought. Absolutely stunningly written, and I would recommend it strongly. I was surprised I liked it, considering how it's a running joke in English major land that Faulkner's sentences go on forever, and I'm more of a Hemingway gal (who made fun of Faulkner, but he hated everyone anyway, so). This book might as well be one sentence. Don't read this when you're tired.
• Which reminds me, I need to start pleasure-reading again. When you're an English major, you're constantly torn between books you have to read and books you want to read. If you're lucky, you'll get a class where you read some of the things you wanted to read anyway, such as my Hemingway class. Unfortunately, my list of books I want to read that I probably won't read in school is impossibly long and I keep putting it off until breaks. It's also unfortunate that English classes may introduce you to even more books you want to read and the list will just endlessly get longer.
• I took advantage of the beautiful weather last Saturday and went to IKEA on the free ferry. It's only free on the weekends, but it's an awesome opportunity to take a boat ride to Brooklyn and get lots of cheap stuff you don't need! But seriously, everything you could ever need for your dorm room is at IKEA, so I would strongly recommend a trip over here at some point during your college career. Everything there is also way cheaper than anything you could find in New York itself. Pick a nice day, grab a friend, and take a boat ride.
• I really want to see Hayao Miyazaki's new film The Wind Rises and Wes Anderson's new film The Grand Budapest Hotel. I just need to find the time!
• I'm halfway done with midterms right now. I have an American Survey paper I should be writing on Emerson's poetry. I'm procrastinating work with other work.
• I went to see No Exit at the Pearl Theater last night with my parents. I had read the Sartre play in my Existentialism class last spring and loved it. I also saw the student production of it last spring (how coincidental). This production of it was slightly different and more professional, but I found that I liked Hunter's student version slightly better. It's odd that all of the plays I read in Existentialism keep being produced (first Waiting for Godot on Broadway, and now this).
• I'm still trying to figure out what I'm doing this summer. No progress. It's crazy that they make us decide things for summer in March. I still have to wear my winter coat out, it's not fair to make me think about summer plans.
• Speaking of summer, I finally found Nantucket Red shorts at J Crew! I've been looking for these for, literally, a year. At least I can pretend summer is creeping closer every time I look at them.
• I have been obsessively playing both 2048 and Doge2048 for a week. Don't look those up, they will ruin both your productivity and your life.

I'll end this with my favorite quote from The Sound and The Fury:

"I give you the mausoleum of all hope and desire…I give it to you not that you may remember time, but that you might forget it now and then for a moment and not spend all of your breath trying to conquer it. Because no battle is ever won he said. They are not even fought. The field only reveals to man his own folly and despair, and victory is an illusion of philosophers and fools."
William Faulkner

P.S. Congrats to those of you who got accepted into Macaulay last Saturday!

Oh My Sunshine

Hi, everyone!!

Happy spring!!! The last couple of days have actually felt like spring, but I hear that it will get colder again next week. Sigh. But I'm determined to enjoy the sunshine while it lasts!

This week had a dark cloud hanging over it because I had to study for my biochem midterm (which I took last night). It's only one of two tests that we have in that class so it's important to do well on both.  I spent a good chunk of my week reviewing my notes, and I met up with some friends for two study group sessions. Now, I have to wait for the results. Sigh.

I mentioned my mom's birthday in last week's post. Here are some pics from that day. My mom is officially a classy 52. But she likes to think she just turned 21. haha.

Red Tulips!

Red Roses!

Cake!

It was a relatively uneventful week so I'll give you a bullet list of random things that happened and/or I observed/felt.

• On Monday, I took a walk down Madison Avenue, and managed to catch glimpses of the St. Patrick's Day parade one block away. I loved seeing all of the green and hearing the bagpipes.
• On Tuesday, I had Chinese food for the first time since January. Good old chicken and broccoli. Yum.
• I submitted a piece for an exhibition run by "The Fempire" (an organization at Hunter that promotes women's rights). The exhibition is happening two weeks from today, and I'm super excited to see my work on display!
• My friends and I exchanged lots of hugs. Hugs are practically a requirement for tough midterms weeks. They make everything better.
• I watched a particularly emotional scene in the show, Parenthood, about a character who had Asperger's Syndrome. He was in the car with his parents, and he was saying how he felt like a freak because none of the other kids understand him. It was incredibly hard to watch. No matter who you are, I think we all know what it feels like not to belong.

S.

College Tip of the Week: Know what you're good at. 

I think that a big part of having a successful career (and a successful life) is knowing what you're good at. People like da Vinci (he was a polymath) come around rarely. Most people I know are not good at everything. We have certain abilities that we are either born with and/or cultivate as we grow up. If you have a good sense of what kinds of things you can do, then you can go out and build a career on those abilities.
Many people think that they're not good at anything. That's not true. Everyone is good at something. Find that something, and make yourself even better at it. Maybe you can't sing or dance or play the sax, but maybe you're good at scientific research. Or maybe you're a great writer. Remember: Find, and cultivate.

Advice for Potential Freshmen From a Freshie Herself: Midterm Edition

Hello Fellow Freshmen and Freshmen Potentials,

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Whether you're Irish or not (like myself), I hope you enjoy your day and don't get too wild. It's only Monday, after all.

If you'd like to read some words about how to tackle your Freshman Year at Macaulay at Hunter, check out my first two blog posts with conveniently similar titles.

If not, or if you're a beautiful soul who's already read these, let's dive into how to tackle midterms.

Midterms are the less severe, younger brother of Satan, who's more commonly referred to as Finals. While finals are much more daunting, they don't make their unwanted appearance until the end of the semester. Midterms, however, wheel around the corner seemingly minutes after you've begun the semester. This, compiled with the fact that many, if not all of your professors schedule your midterms in the same week begun they secretly plot against you, can seem incredibly overwhelming.

Have no fear.

For starters, use those breaks in your schedule to your advantage. As opposed to using them to do the assignment due for the class you have next, do that assignment the day before or even (gasp) a few days before and use your breaks to study for your midterms. It's tempting to use your "free time" the night before class to hang out with your friends or Netflix binge if you have a three hour break between classes to do your assignment, but when it comes to Midterm Week(s), put on your Big Boy/Girl/Young Adult Pants. Actually do your assignments before the day that they're due and use those seemingly massive breaks in your schedule to study. Also, because you'll be in school, it's much harder to become distracted because your bed is out of reach and you're already in the school mindset.

Second, isolate yourself. While I wouldn't recommend this in many other situations, Midterm and Finals Week are exceptions. There are quiet and silent study floors in the library, sitting areas here and there near the escalators on each floor, and if it's nice out-- a bench in Central Park. Try your hardest to ignore your phone and put your earbuds in if you're in a crowded place. Whether or not you're listening to music, they do help block out sound. Focus on what has to be studied and minimize/eliminate any distractions.

Third, give yourself breaks. The best way to study (and this is backed up) is to give yourself a 10-15 minute break after each hour of studying. Studying for hours straight may feel like you're absorbing a bunch of information, but a lot of it won't stick. Give yourself breaks, even if you feel like you don't need it. In the long run, you'll remember more this way.

Lastly, and most importantly, manage your time. Use those breaks between classes, but don't rely solely on them. Something may come up one day, like a friend needing help putting up flyers or running over to you desperately seeking an ear to vent to or some other time-suck you feel obligated to agree to so you don't feel like a bad person. Bottom line: use the breaks, but not just the breaks. Study while you're home and possibly on the train, when you're not smashed up against three other people. Do not, do not, do not cram. As someone who has done it time and time again, it's an incredibly stressful process that never leads to a perfect score. A situation will always pop up where your schedule is tight, but often times that's because we were listening to music or watching movies for hours, or going out when we knew we should have been studying. Put your work first, and it will pay off.

I wish you all the best of luck on your midterms! And if you don't get the grade you want, it's not the end of the world. Use that for motivation to do better on the next test.

Picking the book up (and putting it down)

There's literally no better feeling than getting your work done.

In a feat of superhuman perseverance, I was able to complete a five page, 1500 word essay on synecdoche in under three hours, after having stressed out about writing it and putting it off for an entire week. Being in that kind of mood, I decided to see how much homework I could plow through before my steam ran out. Suffice it to say, once I completed the essay, read all of my immigration articles for seminar 4, and caught up on Plato's Protagoras for my Greek Philosophy class, I was at a loss for what to do. So I took a nice, long, hot shower to destress, cleaned all the dishes and my room, e-mailed my parents, checked Facebook, watched random internet videos, and generally futzed about. Now, I'm oscillating between reading ahead on the Harlem Renaissance for my American Fiction class and catching up on all of the TV shows I'm really, really behind on.

So here's the point of this: when the mood strikes you, and I mean really strikes you, go for it. Do all the work you are motivated to do. College is all about time management, but it's also about knowing when to do your work and when not to do it. It's about knowing your body and when you're capable of plowing through a weekend's worth of homework in five hours. Trust yourself. And take advantage of those times when you have energy and motivation to do your work.

But when you're not really in the mood, like I wasn't this week (as I'm kind of unmotivated and very sick), just take a day or two to unwind. Watch some TV, do nothing, sleep, drink tea. And don't do this while simultaneously stressing out about all the time you're "wasting". Seriously, this time is so not wasted. Know when to give yourself a break, and know when you could be working harder. Know when to put your computer away, but also know when to put the book down. It'll pay off.

Vernier Calipers and Glorious Days

Hey, everyone!

My mom's birthday is tomorrow, and we just finished making the cake. At one point, my mom said, "Your dad is cracking the hazelnuts for the top of the cake, and you're doing the majority of the work in making the cake. I'm just standing here observing." So I asked her, "Does that make you happy or sad?", and she was like, "I don't know". haha. I think she's used to doing all the work in the house, and she felt strange just watching my dad and I do the work for once. I told her that it's her birthday tomorrow, so she shouldn't be doing any work anyway. But I think it's a Mom thing. They have to always be doing something. Otherwise, they feel like they have no purpose.

While on the topic of parents:

My dad is great with a set of tools. He loves getting his hands dirty and fixing and making things. (He's actually fixing something right now.) If you give him a tool he's never seen before, he'll be using it like a pro in no time. When I was a kid, he used to tell me about all of the uses of his tools, and I used to help him fix things sometimes. One thing he taught me how to use is a vernier caliper. In case, you're going "Huh? What the heck is a vernier caliper?": it's essentially a fancy kind of ruler.

I was probably the only 10-year-old I knew who had ever seen one of these things. My dad taught me how to use it, but of course, as all kids do, I was not paying attention all that much because I never thought I would ever have to actually use one. Lo and behold, last semester in physics, I walk into lab, and see one of these on the table. And I'm like, "Crap. I should have actually paid attention to my dad's explanation." I think my lab group kind of figured out how to use it, but I personally was still not 100% comfortable with it. This past Wednesday, I finally asked my dad to show me how to use it again. It's actually sitting on my desk right now because he told me to practice measuring things with it. Yay for fathers who teach you things! =)

Last Sunday, my dad and I visited a shoe repair shop because the heel of one of my boots has been giving me trouble lately. When we walked in, we didn't have to even say anything. The shoe repairman automatically remembered my boots and the work that he had done on them. (A couple of weeks ago, he replaced the heels on both, but one of them was still giving me trouble.) He must have dealt with hundreds, maybe thousands of shoes in his lifetime (he's now in his 70's), and he remembered my boots after working with them only once. I thought that was pretty amazing. That is what I call a professional.

By far the best day of this past week was Tuesday. OMG. The weather was gorgeous. I woke up to the sounds of birds singing outside of my window. Glorious. But I wanted to tell the birds not to get too excited because the nice weather was only temporary. For instance, yesterday was terrible. Just cold and miserable. I want my sunshine already!

S.

College Tip of the Week: Have fun with classes outside of your major. 

I've probably mentioned this on the blog many times already, but for those of you who are new readers, I'll say it again. I'm a biology major, and I'm pre-med (as many students at Hunter are). As you can imagine, this means that I take a whole bunch of science classes. Sometimes, these science classes drive me a bit nuts, so I always look forward to the non-science classes that I take to fulfill my GERs (General Education Requirement). GERs are classes that everyone at Hunter has to take in order to graduate. These requirements have given me the opportunity to take courses that have completely nothing to do with my future career but are awesomely interesting and expand my mind greatly.

So definitely take advantage of the GER's, and take some cool classes.

Here are a few that I thought were awesome (which you might think are awesome if you end up coming to Hunter or are already at Hunter):

(I think I've mentioned all of these classes at least once on the blog.)

1. Poli Sci 110 (w/ Prof. Polsky)

2. Macaulay Seminars (All Four):

        Mac Sem #1 (w/ Prof. Graff)
        Mac Sem #2 (w/ Prof. Friedlander)
        Mac Sem #3 (w/ Prof. Garson)
        Mac Sem #4 (w/ Prof. Gutfreund)

3. German Fairytales (w/ Prof. Titze)

4. History of Broadcasting (w/ Prof. Roman)

5. Asian Religions (w/ Prof. Nacht)

6. Filipino-American Lit (w/ Prof. Francia)

3 Things New Yorkers Hypocritically Complain About

1. Being on the wrong side of the escalators or stairs. It is one of my biggest pet peeves, especially since we go to a school with a vertical campus where one of the buildings relies on the escalators. You would think that people would learn after the tenth time of asking them to stand on the right side of the escalator, so that people can walk past if they are in a hurry. People don't learn this. And that's fine, OK, so I have to ask you to step aside instead of you already doing it, whatever, no big. It's worse on the stairs at the subway station, though. If there is a throng of people attempting to leave the station, you really don't need to be that one person who makes it more difficult for everyone to get up the stairs. That being said, if I'm deep in conversation with someone, I have been known to be party to someone standing on the wrong side of the escalator.
2. Standing by the doors in the subway car. Literally the worst, because it means less people can get into the car, and those who are further in have a harder time getting out. The subways in NYC have a lot of pros, but people not knowing how to make room for more people is definitely a con. Not moving into the car also makes the subway ride far more uncomfortable for everyone, because those who are trying to get into the middle of the car usually can't, and there's a lot more jostling and bodies pressed up against bodies. But, again, I have been known to stand by the doors from time to time. Generally, if I'm only going one stop, which I try not to do in the first place, then I'll wait by the doors because it's a hassle trying to get back out from the middle, but that doesn't excuse that I still do it.
3. Stop walking in the middle of the hallway or street. This one's a big one I think. I'm big into having a destination and walking there in as straight a line as possible, but this is made super difficult when you have to turn left or right to avoid road blocks. Road blocks in the form of people stopping to have a chat, or a make-out session, in the middle of everyone else walking. This definitely happens within Hunter as well, and is super annoying when you have a backpack (mine's a messenger bag so I only wear it off one shoulder, and it swings when I swerve) and you have to get to class. And, yet again, I still sometimes find myself stopping in my tracks to say hi to someone. I try really hard not to do this one, because it really just stops traffic, but I know I have at one point or another... Or, at least, slowed down to a point that was probably not super conducive to everyone else moving along.

Now, this may sound a little on the complaining side, but really I'm just interested in what your New Yorker pet peeves are. Feel free to list some in the comments!

Advice for Potential Freshman, From a Freshie Herself: Part II

Hello again!

As you can tell by the title, this is the second installment of some advice from a freshman to other [potential] freshmen. Read Part 1 if you'd like some advice on first semester. If not, and you want to jump right into second semester, here we go:

You begin second semester in one of three states: One, after a five-week vacation. Two, after a five-week "vacation" in which you actually and a job and worked. Three, after taking a winter class.

For those in the first state, you will get back in the swing of things by the end of the second week of classes. Not doing anything for a solid month was pretty sweet. Maybe you read a few books or traveled somewhere, as many people often do over winter break, but now it's time to get back to school. Read your syllabi and follow along, because professors were most likely working during their break, so they're the last people who are going to feel bad for you.

For those in the second state, starting will either be a relief or a burden. If you didn't particularly like or job and/or only had it during break, school could be good news for you. You're in classes you'll hopefully be interested in, seeing as how you signed up for them, and you don't have to worry about breaking your back for minimum wage. If you keep your job during second semester, then school will just pile on top of that, which will definitely seem like a burden. Remember to keep your head above water and keep in mind: many people have done this before you and many more will do it after you, so don't think you can't do it because you can. You'll also have a few bucks in your pocket.

For those in the third state, you'll adjust well, but you may burn out within a month's time. Remember that you earned a few extra credits and are ahead of the game, and you'll probably have the easiest transition out of anyone else. Most people who take a winter class together also usually form a special bond, so now you've become closer to friends you've already had or even made new friends.

And so the semester begins. The only difference in terms of workload, extra curriculars, and maintaining a social life between first and second semester is that it's all a bit easier second semester. *cue the deep sigh* You've already joined clubs and sports teams and should definitely join more if you choose to, you've made friends, and you've been acquainted with what college-level homework and tests are like. Yeah, maybe a couple of your classes are harder this semester than they were last semester, but that's nothing you can't handle because you've already done it all while adjusting to a completely foreign environment unlike any one you've ever been in.

Now is a good time to get some GERs (General Education Requirements) out of the way so you don't have to worry about them junior and senior year when you're trying to take classes that fulfill your major. So take some GERs, but also take classes that interest you. I took Acting 1, which is something that I thought I'd never do and definitely doesn't have anything to do with my aspiring major, but it was one of the best decisions I've made in my college career. I had a wonderful experience, broke through my comfort zone, and met so many people I wouldn't have otherwise-- so definitely take something that makes you surprised at yourself for choosing. It'll be worth it.

At this point in my second semester, I'm in midterm week. It's a bit hectic, as professors are trying to ram in as much as possible before the test. But, take it from someone going through this right now, don't be overwhelmed. The key to not becoming flustered is time management. Allot some time to sit down and take a look at your schedule. See when your breaks between classes are so you can study and get ahead on assignments. Don't worry about studying over the weekends either, almost everyone else will be home studying too. Your A is what will outweigh going out with your friends for a weekend or two.

This is where we end for second semester, so far! As the semester passes, I'll update you on how to make the best of it.

Have a great week!

America Is in the Heart

Hi, everyone!

We are in the midst of midterm season here at Hunter, and everyone is beginning to worry about their grades. I'm keeping myself sane by blocking out time to work as well as to kick back and relax. Last weekend, I was studying for my physics exam, and I was definitely stressing out about all of the problems that I had to do. I ended up having a mini dance party/exercise session in my room just to chill out and let out some energy. I played the music loud, and I just moved any which way. Even though I was a sweaty mess at the end of it all, I felt really great. Like I had been unburdened of something. I used to actually do this in high school, and I think I'm going to go back to doing it on a regular basis.

For me, another awesome form of release is shopping. Don't worry everyone. I'm not a shopping addict or anything. But I do love to just go out by myself or with my mom and check out what's new in all of my favorite stores. It gets my mind off of things that stress me out and allows me to focus on just finding awesome pieces for my wardrobe. I actually ended up going shopping after my physics exam on Wednesday. I walked to 59th street and hung out at H&M for awhile. I bought some cute things that I'll be happy to show off as spring comes around.

In my last post, I forgot to include a couple of pictures that I took at the 66th St-Lincoln Center train station when I attended The Macaulay Messenger section editor meeting two weeks ago. I was fascinated by both of these pieces. I hope that the MTA integrates more of this kind of mosaic art in their stations. This kind of stuff should be done at all different kinds of stations and not just the ones that are most frequented by tourists.

Last Sunday, I watched the Academy Awards along with millions of other people. I read that the ratings were quite high, which I'm not surprised about because everyone loves Ellen. She is truly an awesome lady, and she made the show a lot of fun to watch.

Fav moments:

- That incredible selfie that shut down Twitter for awhile

- Jared Leto's touching speech

- Matthew McConaughey's speech

- Lupita Amondi Nyong'o's speech

- Pharrell Williams's performance of "Happy"

- When Ellen ordered pizza

I just finished reading this book called America Is in the Heart for my Filipino-American Lit class. It's truly a great book. It tells the story of a boy who grows up poor in the Philippines and ends up coming to the US to give himself the opportunity at a better life. However, when he gets here, all he finds is violence, discrimination, and general depravity. But he never lets go of his faith in America.

S.

College Tip of the Week: Attend events both on and off-campus. 

College is the time for exploration in all of its forms. One way to explore your interests and expand your mind is by attending events held at your college campus and/or events held in the city your college is located in. We, at Macaulay Hunter, are lucky to go to a college located in one of the best cities in the world. There is always something to do here. But every college, even ones that are located in small towns, has something to offer in terms of activities. 

Here are some things that you should take advantage of: plays, concerts, guest lecturers, movie screenings, galleries, workshops, etc.

Attend as many events as possible without jeopardizing your study/class time. You will not regret it. There is so much out there to know, and colleges do a great job of organizing events that are both informative and are fun for students.* Also, check to see if there is anything interesting going on off-campus. I love art in all of its forms so I tend to gravitate to museum exhibits, author talks, etc. Attend whatever you think is interesting, but also go to things that you wouldn't normally go to. You might learn something cool.

Don't be afraid to ask upperclassmen if they know about any cool events. Also, don't be afraid to go to events alone. If you want to go see that Frida Kahlo exhibition, then go see it! So what if your friends aren't interested? 

*Many on-campus events have free food!

Advice for Potential Freshmen, from a Freshie Herself: Part I

What's going on, guys?

I'm Stefania (pronounced Stef-ahn-ya, because it's difficult to know just when reading it) a second semester freshman at Macaulay Hunter. If anyone else is a freshman, potential freshman, is interested in the program at all and wants to know what it's like being a newbie: have no fear, I've come to help.

We're already into March, so there's a lot of ground to cover. I'll break this into two posts so it isn't too overwhelming. So sit back and take a deep breath as we begin with the first semester.

For the last few days of August up until the end of September, you're friends with everybody. Everyone wants to start with a clean slate, be kind so as not to make a bad first impression, and generally make your own life easier. This is an incredibly pleasant period. You're all helpful towards one another, you're invited to hang out on a seemingly nightly basis, and you have no ill feelings towards anyone nor does anyone have ill feelings toward you. Before you think there's a "But, soon everyone starts to hate each other," you're wrong. Again, take a deep breath and remember that high school is over.

What happens is that soon, you realize that you don't share many interests with all of these people and you start to separate into smaller groups based on those shared interests. Everyone is still friendly, because it is only one month into college and no one wants bad blood, but the large group begins to dissipate.

The most important thing about this time is to stay on top of your school work. It is very tempting to hang out as much as possible because no one wants to be known as the person who "is always doing homework" or "never wants to hang out." But school will always come first, so this is my advice: Do as much as possible with your new friends (nothing that you feel uncomfortable doing, of course) without feeling as if you're infringing on valuable time to study or do assignments. You'll have more free time in college than you did in high school because you're not in school eight hours a day, five days a week anymore, so don't be nervous if you find yourself hanging out every night. As long as you feel as if you've allotted yourself enough time for your work, you're going to be fine.

With keeping on top of your work, remember to sign up for a bunch of clubs. Yes, you may sign up for ten and receive emails from them for the rest of the year when you've decided to join only one, but there's nothing wrong with that. If anything, just forward them to your spam folder. It's better to give yourself a wide range of options than be stuck with one club you're barely interested in because you didn't want to take thirty seconds out of your life to sign a mailing list.
Do the same with sports! Even if you're not athletic *cough cough* just give it a shot. Don't completely disregard a sport because you feel like you'll embarrass yourself; no one is going to remember you falling down after missing kicking the soccer ball. You're not the center of their attention, I assure you. Try it and if it's not for you, at least now you know and can move on to something else.

Now we're in November. The course load as picked up a bit, but it's not unbearable. It's especially doable because now you have a friend base who you can commiserate/do homework with. It'll be harder than before, but now you've eased into the school year. Talk to some upperclassmen for advice. A lot of them are not going to stare you down until you slowly back out of their sight because you had the audacity to speak to them. Again, this is not high school. It's much easier to talk to upperclassmen in college because you're all adults now and everyone has humbled. They may have been the head-honcho in their respective high schools, but so was everyone else, so they get off their high horses. A lot of upperclassmen are glad to give advice and chances are, you'll be in a class with some of them. Many classes at Hunter hold students of various ages, so you'll definitely be able to talk to a junior or a sophomore during your time at Hunter. And, if you dorm, some of them will certainly live on your floor.

Here we go, December. FINALSFINALSFINALS

You will survive! I promise! In fact, I'm living proof, because if I didn't, you wouldn't be reading this right now. You will cram, take power naps, drink copious amounts of your preferred caffeinated beverage, complain and moan, but you will get through it. You'll sit with your friends calculating the lowest grade you could get on your final to still pull an A-, and devise how badly you'll massacre your jerk of a professor on RateMyProfessor for expecting you to remember so much, but you will get through it. You'll talk to your friends at other schools whose finals are open-book, open-internet, or just non-existent, and you'll ask God what you did wrong, but you will get through it.
You will get through it.

And then, you're off for five weeks.

Happy First Semester!