Oh, Hunter.

There is supposed to be a snowstorm tonight, with freezing rain to cover it. My friends and I are wondering if we're going to have to go to class tomorrow, so I thought I'd check the Hunter website. 

Of course, I click on the little spot that saids to check there for updates. 

All the links lead back to here.

I think I've found my new favourite hiding space

With the hustle and bustle of the city, it's a little difficult to ever find some down time. There's always something going on, and you're constantly surrounded by people. As someone who appreciates their privacy, this gets a little rough on me sometimes. I've coped by finding ways to sneak away and find some "me time" in nice corners of the school and the city.

By far my new favourite is the Roosevelt House. Located on 65th street, it was once the residence of Franklin, Eleanor, and Sara Roosevelt. They gave it to Hunter in their wills, and it has now been converted to the head of the Public Policy and Human Rights departments.

It's only a 10 minute walk from the school, and there's a grace that only age and history can bring to a place. The view of the residential area here is lovely from the Sara Delano Roosevelt Library - snow covered trees and a small ornamental balcony, looking at beautiful red brick buildings. There's a large painting of President Roosevelt, and the shelves are lined with books discussing the rise and fall of great nations and administrations. Best of all, it is quiet. There are classes going on in other parts of the building, and there are offices up top. However, this library sees little use and often is vacant.

I had originally come here to see if the textbook for my public policy class was on the shelves, but it seems as though someone has borrowed it already. Since that was the only copy I could seem to find listing of, I'm not sure how I'm going to do my homework. The local bookstore has sold out of copies, Hunter's bookstore never ordered any, and I didn't order mine online since it wouldn't have gotten here in time. This is going to be awkward. Hopefully one of my friends has purchased it already, or I can find a sample of the first few chapters online.

I think I'll stay for a while though, and relax.
I know there is an event tonight at five thirty, which guarantees free food and some good discussion. The Public Policy program often has events on Wednesdays and on certain weeknights that are pane l discussions of present issues within the world and the city. Tonight's topic is the idea of transportation and it's future - a topic that is relevant both to my life, and to my most recent Macaulay Seminar!

Regardless of what I do, I have enjoyed the opportunity to relax and think in the quiet of what once was a President's library.  It's an awe inspiring and very calming presence, almost as if FDR himself is promising me that the only thing I have to fear - is fear itself.

A Video Post!

So I've done photos, I've done text, but now I'm coming to you guys in video format!!
Please enjoy and excuse my constant looking to the side, I'm trying to read the notes for what I wanted to talk about!

Public Transportation (Some days I hate the MTA)

I don't like driving. I don't like having to pay for gas, insurance, car payments, repairs, and then dealing with all the danger and responsibility? No thank you.
I've managed to avoid having to drive by going to school in the city- we have a 24 hour subway system, an extensive bus system, and relatively clear directions on how to use them. Additionally, they're incredibly affordable.

I myself am a "subway" person. Some people prefer to take a bus places, others prefer the subway. I'd rather take a zippy little train through the underbelly of the city than hop on a crowded bus and stop at every red light in crowded Manhattan. The bus is nice if I'd have to walk really far, or if it's raining. But otherwise I'll walk or take a train as close as I can get to where I need to be. I love having the ability to wait no more than 10 minutes to catch a train that will take me darn near anywhere I want to go.

But some days, I hate the MTA.

Last Wednesday, there were computer problems at 86th Street on the 4-5-6 line, and it took me over an hour and a half to get home  from Canal street.
Typically, I can get from my job to the dorms in about a half hour, maybe 45 minutes if I dilly-dally.
It took twice that long, because I waited 25 minutes for a train at Canal street, then it went one stop to Spring street, at the slowest pace I can imagine.

I would have gotten off, but my concern was that I didn't know that area terribly well. I didn't know if the bus was around, I didn't know what other train lines ran nearby, and since I'm underground, I didn't have service. A wonderful combination, don't you agree??

After sitting on a train with a crying child for 15 minutes (I like small children about as much as I like driving) I decided that nothing could be worse than this circle of hell, and decided that it was a night for an adventure.

Turns out, about 2 blocks from the Spring Street stop is the N-Q-R stop for Prince street. When I arrived there, my gut reaction was panic, since I saw hordes of people waiting on that platform too. I wondered if there were delays here too and if I should just walk home - but I was in heels and lazy.

Thankfully, and R train came almost instantaneously. I hopped on and nearly broke my neck tripping over bags and bags of food. Some students had gone grocery shopping and decided to take up half the subway car with their goods! That was one of the angriest trains I've ever been on. Everyone was crammed in around the produce and glared at the two young men who seemed to lord over this food like they were proud of their haul and the inconvenience they caused us all.

Finally I hit 23rd Street and could get off. I might have "accidentally" stepped on a bag of oddly crunchy mushrooms on my way out... but there was nowhere to walk in that car! I couldn't help it!

The N-Q-R comes up only 2 blocks over from where the 6 stops on 23rd Street, so luckily, the walk wasn't too much of an inconvenience. I wish a bus had shown up, but they were all heading in the opposite direction, so I simply had to walk home.

Some days I love the miracle that is the New York City transportation system. We move millions of people all around the city at lightning speeds. That system keeps the world of finance, of law, of government, and of media moving. The subway is was permits New York to be "the city that never sleeps", in my opinion.

But god, some days, I want a stretch limo and a police escort like the president gets. No one can stop me, no one can hold me up. No more smelly businessmen, or obnoxious high schoolers to knock into me, or little children who wipe their runny noses on their sleeves and then grab onto a subway pole.

My train experience has been fine since, for the record.

Upcoming Macaulay Interviews

I got an e-mail this morning about the opportunities to volunteer for interviews with Macaulay! I've asked to be assigned to the 25th of January and the 1st of February, so if your interview is set for those dates, you might see me there! There's a slimmer possibility that I'll be volunteering on the 26th as well, but I'm not banking on it.

I didn't have an interview with Macaulay when I applied, since they weren't encouraging us to do so as strongly. I felt like missing school to come into the City wasn't a good use of my time, but I do regret that. Interviewing would have been a responsible thing to do, and it would have improved my chances at getting in. Luckily, I got in in spite of my silly decision. I'm glad that they're giving students a chance to meet with someone who understands the goals of the institution. It's important to see how they can fit in person, rather than just on paper.

However, I did work as a volunteer for the interviews last year. Last year they were set up quite nicely, with food laid out while you wait and a video about Macaulay for students and parents to watch. Interviewees would be called into the room in batches and sit at a table with an interviewer, who was either a professor or an alumnus of Hunter or Macaulay. (It honestly looked like a speed-dating session) Most tables would have a current Macaulay student there to take notes and fill out the forms about the application, so the interviewer could focus on the potential student. You'd get your standard interview questions, and then they would ask if you had any questions for either the interviewer or the student.
Now remember: This was the set up LAST YEAR. I can't promise that this will be 100% accurate for this year's interviews.

Here are a few tips I picked up from the interviewers for when you have yours:

1. Be able to introduce yourself, but include something interesting. Everyone says "Hi my name is.... I want to study..... I go to this high school..." Tell me your name, your desired major, and then something interesting. Did you ride and elephant in India? Have you won your school's Poetry contests? Do you collect shrunken heads? (Keep that to yourself.) You want to stick out to the interviewer so they give you a recommendation that is founded on more than "They were kind of nice." One boy got a shining endorsement since he had a real passion for sneakers, and could talk intelligently and at length about them. It was something that hadn't been heard before and he was quite eloquent, and talking about his shoes let him show that.

2. Be personable. Ask your interviewer how they are doing. Give a good, firm handshake. Make plenty of eye contact. Speak clearly, loudly, and don't slouch. A good portion of how people perceive you is based on your body language.

3. When they ask you if you have any questions for them or the Macaulay student you're seated with, HAVE ONE. There is nothing that comes across worse than not having a question. Even if you think you already know the answer, ask. Because then people assume one of three things: you are so arrogant that you assume you know everything, you don't respect us enough to ask our opinions, or you just plain don't care about the school. None of these should be true, so you need to communicate an interest.

4. Remember the title and plot lines of at least one book you've enjoyed, be aware of the news that has happened over the past few days, and be able to name at least one song that you can listen to without cringing. If you've got a hero, be able to justify why they're important. One of the most important things you'll learn in college is how to take a stance and support it. If you demonstrate the ability to back up whatever you say, you'll impress the interviewer with how ready you are for the college environment.

5. Please have questions for us. It is so awkward when a student just walks away and doesn't have questions. It's awkward for them, it's awkward for the interviewers, and the last thing you want to do is make the ending of your interview awkward. (Yes, this bears repeating)

6. THANK YOUR INTERVIEWER AND THE STUDENT FOR THEIR TIME. We gave up our nights, our weekends, our somethings to come in and interview you. We don't have a full scholarship on the line. Our education isn't riding on this. I'll get a few community service hours for being here, if I remember to fill out the paperwork when I'm done. You get a full ride. The professor who interviews you might get a bagel and a cup of orange juice out of the deal. You get a laptop. Tell us thank you, and mean it. Its just plain common courtesy.

7. Make sure you look nice. Look yourself, but look polished. Also, eat a breath mint beforehand. The tables are small, and no one needs nervous-breath in their face as they try to talk to you.

8. Don't be ashamed to be nervous. It's okay to be nervous. Those who would tell you not to be are asking you to deny the human condition. Humans get nervous. That's okay - so long as you don't let it stop you. If you start to stumble, slow down and start again. Once you fix yourself once or twice, you can keep that rhythm. Most people would rather see you reign yourself in than to have you pretend you're not nervous.

Most of all, good luck to all of you. Let your personality shine, talk up your skills, and be willing to laugh at yourself if you've done something (appropriate) but embarrassing.

A Little More On New Year's Eve

I told you all a little about my New Year's Eve plans in a previous post - just hanging out with friends and being silly together. I realize that not everyone has the same attitude towards the New Year as I do. Some people view it as a chance to go out with a bang, and party like no other night.

If you grew up in the city, you already know what New Years Eve's are like there. For those of us who come from suburbia like I do, think about what you see on that night back home. You always see the hungover individuals in the diners on New Year's Day, nursing a plate of cheesy fries as they recount what they think happened the night before. You also see a evidence of a few individuals who drove home a little too early - shattered glass on the pavement, garbage pails knocked about, and occasionally a tragic news story.

All these things are real risks, both in suburbia and in the City. However, in the City, you've got a few million more people to worry about.

I recently read a duet of articles by a writer named John Skylar. Normally, I stick to his fiction pieces, but he writes some choice pieces on life in New York City. One is intended for the tourists who visit, "Welcome to NYC During the Hellidays", and the other is "Leave Me Behind! Save Yourselves: A Native New Yorker's Guide To Surviving The Holiday Crowds". Both of these are pretty relevant to myself and my fellow transplants. As New New Yorkers, the tourist attractions still have an undeniable allure, and it sometimes feels as though you are a tourist.The article intended for tourist's has a great crash course in NYC etiquette in it, as well as a post entitled "New Yorker's Aren't Rude. You Are." I wish I had taken the time to read the newer articles before the debacle with my parents a week ago, but they likely wouldn't have listened to me anyways. Ah well, there's always next year.

I've paraphrased some of his advice, but don't think this means you shouldn't read his articles. He's considerably funnier than I am.

1. Don't do the Time Square spectacle. Find a nice party to go to, hang out with friends, and enjoy a New Year's celebration. (He gives a couple resources in the New Yorker's post if you want to check them out!)

1.5 If you don't listen to 1, do it once and be done with it. Its a grueling experience, according to him. I have never had a desire to go, so I will simply follow his first bit of advice.

2. Be prepared to deal with drunk people. Cabs seem like a good idea, until you get into the wee hours when you need to worry about the drunken drivers. At that point, a subway is likely a better bet. And of course, having friends to have your back never hurts.

3. Add a little time and double check your commute route, if you have to get anywhere. Tourist-inspired traffic snarls occur, and your life doesn't stop because of them. I've waxed poetic on HopStop and NextStop before, but really - they're amazing tools.

4. If you're going to be doing "tourist" activities, remember you are now a NYC resident. Act like it.

5. You know where the tourists go, so avoid them. Don't walk into the middle of Macy's Santa-land and complain that there are too many tourists. You're just being silly. There are 4 other boroughs - go explore them.

Skylar closes with what is possibly the most common-sense ideas. "All my advice for dealing with NYC this time of year can be summarized as “plan ahead.”  It never hurts the rest of the year, either.  Be prepared and alert, and you’ll have a much easier time of things.  Easier means more fun, and if you manage to have fun this time of year, I’d say you’re doing it right."

City with the Parents, and Christmas Break

My family has a tradition of going into the City together at Christmas time and looking at all the wonderful attractions. The past two years, this trip does duty as family bonding and as a way to pick me up from the City.

My parents came to get me around one, and we decided we were going to head up to Grand Central to see the Holiday Fair there, see the tree at Rockefeller, walk through Time Square, and end the night at Bryant Park. I had tried to talk them into going to Chinatown and Little Italy for the East Meets West Christmas Parade, but they came too late to see it.

We had parked on 45th and Lexington, and my mother kept asking "How far is it? How far is Grand Central? How far to the Tree? How far to Bryant Park?" We then got into the issue that "a few blocks over" is an acceptable answer when you know the neighborhood - but not when you don't know which way is north. I think I'm going to buy her a map one of these years.

My adorable little brother making faces at me on our way into Grand Central

After Geand Central, we hopped back in the car to go over to Rockefeller plaza. Having to drive there felt so wrong - it was only 8 blocks and a couple of avenues- but I guess that's what happens when you bring suburbanites to the city. (Yes, I realize I was a suburbanite - but I have since been cured of my wicked ways.)

One of my favourite aspects of Rockefeller Plaza, the Atlas Statue.

The tree was lovely, but since it was the weekend before Christmas you couldn't push your way through for love or money. We stood and stared, then started walking south to Time Square. By this point, it was getting near dinner time. We stopped at each place in Time Square and asked for their wait times - all over an hour. It was a half hour wait to get your name on the list for the wait for Hard Rock Cafe!  We wound up at a burger joint called "The Counter" on the south end of the square. It was a great build-your-own- burger menu - and it was reasonably priced, for the area. We all crafted our own burgers and got shakes and fries; it was phenomenal. I need to remember that this place exists, so when I'm craving a good burger and some bright lights, I can head up.

Halfway through dinner, we realized that the parking ticket on the car was going to expire. We also realized that the car was still up by 51st street. Luckily, we were only a few blocks from the Bryant Park stop on the F and the car was only a block from the 51st street stop. I volunteered to take the train up to the car and get us a new ticket - and my mother blanched. She started peppering me with questions about where I would be going, how familiar I was with the train, how safe the areas I would be in were. My dad and I simply stared - why was she so worried?  I guess it's different to imagine me wandering about the city with my friends than it is to see me walk off on my own, with just my word that I'd navigate the crowded city on my own.

As predicted, I headed back to the car and got a new ticket without a hitch. I took a little longer than expected since I stopped to use a bathroom in Rockefeller plaza. If you do wind up there, they have some of the nicest public restrooms in the city. I met my parents back in Bryant Park, and we did our usual rounds. Looking at all the shops, watching the ice skaters, trying all the free chocolate samples.

And this was when I had my minor religious experience, ladies and gentlemen. Max Brenner's chocolate has a stall at the Bryant Park shops, and they have many goodies available for purchase. One is a delight called "Italian Thick Hot Chocolate".  The only way I can describe this is to imagine heaven, and put it in a cup. I do believe they simply melt the richest chocolate bar to ever exist, add a drop of cream, and pour it in your mug. If it wasn't so rich, I would drink these ever day. But since the calorie count is likely somewhere in the low thousands, I don't think my pants would appreciate that.

The Crowds, Shops. and Empire State Building from Bryant Park

We got home really late Saturday night from all our adventures, and Sunday we swung straight into Christmas preparation. Cleaning, decorating, and setting up as much as possible. We did a little last minute shopping, and visited with some family. By Christmas Eve, we were ready to decorate the tree, as is tradition.

Our decorations are almost as nice as the ones in the City!

An artsy photo of my brother on Christmas Eve

Christmas was wonderful, but quiet. We stayed home and some relatives bounced in and out all day long. My brother got a Lamborghini - the car he's been talking about non-stop. My mom slipped the HotWheels into his stocking - I don't think I've seen him laugh so hard in weeks. Even my dog got a present! The toy next to her was brand new - but it's already been destroyed. Oh well, I guess that's what happens when you give a big dog a little toy.

James' First Car! (He's not thrilled about being teased)

My dog was really confused by our excitement, so she just took her toy and went to bed.

The rest of this break is devoted to friends! My friends and I are planning to have our traditional New Year's Eve Party again. We'll al head over to Kaarina's, play games, sing karaoke, eat snacks, and ring in the New Year together. We'll also do a round of White Elephant, which is a gift giving game where everyone chooses a gift, and you can either pull from a bag or "steal"one that has already been picked by someone. It's basically the Hunger Games of Christmas.

Fair Warning: This is where I get emotional over the New Year!

 We've been doing New Years parties for a few years now. I love ringing in the New Year with the friends I've had for so long - I've known most of them since I was in elementary school. There's been a group of six of us that have stuck through thick and thin together. They're the kids who made high school bearable. The history and love I have with them is so important. I cannot imagine a New Year starting without them. It wouldn't feel like anything to celebrate.

Now, the parties are changing. My friends are bringing their significant others, and we're inviting college friends as well. It's not just the little nerdy high school family anymore. We're all still there, but the dynamic is different. A friend once told me that when you leave a situation, you can't ever return to they way things were. Now that we're not in high school, that we're having these life changing developments at college, we're different. He said that if you try and force the dynamic to be the way it was, you'll fail, and destroy everything. But, if you look for a new dynamic, you might find something that grows organically from the way you used to be, to the way you are now.  And we're doing just that, and I am so grateful. 

The sad fact is that we're growing up - and that means developing our own lives. We're branching out, and the plans we made are changing. Our lives are starting to pull us in different directions. And that is heartbreaking. But we're not the sort of friends who would ever discourage each other from taking every opportunity that we've been offered. So we understand that there will be times that we won't see each other much, or that we' won't be able to call or video chat or remember things. It doesn't mean that we're not thinking about each other, it just means that we have 6 papers, three hundred pages of reading, two tests, a project for work, and that we kind of want to sleep. 

Oh, my friends and I. We have been through so many changes of plans, so many endings, so many beginnings. And I guess it's a  beautiful thing, to me, to spend the end of every year with these people, and begin my new one with them as well. 

Now That Finals Are OVER... I can do all the other nonsense I need to do.

Recently I've been posting an obnoxious amount about finals and how stressful my life is but I think I should take a look back on the past 2 weeks ( finals period) and talk about everything really phenomenal that happened to me.

I was accepted to the Petraeus class! Next semester, I'll be taking a course titled "The Upcoming (North) American Decade(s)?" That's right, the course title includes two sets of parenthesis and a question mark. That's how you know it is going to be a rough class. I had applied last semester and was rejected, but I decided to throw my pride out the window and try again. I did do one thing rather differently in my application. Rather than talking about what I hoped to learn from the course, I talked up my strengths. I'm not often one to brag about my abilities, but I've had it beat in to my head over the past year that I need to do that when I apply for things. Shameless self-promotion is the key, ladies and gentlemen. Humility is cute, but not when you want to be better than everyone else. And in Macaulay, that's a challenge. 

I got the syllabus about two days ago, and it is intense. 142+ pages of reading for "Class Zero" which is the first time we meet. Two major projects, approximately 150 pages of reading a week, three group discussions, and a few smaller presentations. 

So now I need to present all these things in front of Retired Four-Star General David Petraeus. I have to do it in front of the man my father spent most of my childhood raving about. His books line the shelves in my house. My dad wrote a paper on him once, for some sort of command school. (I was young and didn't care so I don't remember.) He's a hero in my house. Both of my parents are in the military. My dad is a Lieutenant Colonel and my mom is a Sergeant Major, so Petraeus coming to teach at their daughter's school was a very big deal. My dad is a very stoic man, but when I called him to tell him I got in, he was shouting he was so proud. I think he was more proud of that than of anything I've ever done before - and that includes getting myself into Macaulay. Learning from him is going to be amazing - as will the discussion with my fellow students. I plan to keep you all updated on that class, since this is a big deal for Macaulay.

Additionally, I got an internship! I'm an intern for the City of New York Law Department, working with the Juvenile Delinquency portion of the Family Court system. I'll start on January 6th, working after my winter classes finish for the day, but before my night Moot Court Sessions. I'll be doing case research, contacting police officers, talking with lawyers about case strategy, helping to file motions, sitting in on witness interviews, and basically getting to be a fly on the wall in the juvenile justice system. I've got my own ID card and everything! I've got to pass through Security checks! I walk past courtrooms! The building is swarming with Cops! If that doesn't scream "You've made it", I don't know what does.

Two interesting points:

1. Study your interview etiquette. Halfway through my second interview for this position, I forgot the name of the gentleman interviewing me. And since we were just in any empty office, there was nowhere for me to look. I'd like to think I saved it nicely by simply calling him "sir" at the end of the interview. I have never felt so embarrassed however, to realize that I couldn't even be trusted to remember someones name for longer than a half an hour. 

2. Don't overlook opportunities that don't come from administration. Some kids forget that there are places other than the Macaulay officials to find connections for internships. For example, my friend Michael is a large reason why I landed the internship I have now. He applied last year, and has been working there all semester. Since he was a wonderful intern, they asked him for a recommendation for a new intern. Being the sweetheart he is, he remembered that I was interested in law and a decently competent individual, so he gave my resume to the appropriate individuals... and here I am!

Secret Santa! My friends and I organized a really cute event where we did a little gift exchange. I got my friend Dan, and he is one of the easiest people to shop for. All I had to get him was Sriracha sauce and Cosmic Brownies- his two favorite foods. He was thrilled to death, especially since I drew a very bad giraffe on the card. He applauded my efforts. My friend Sam had to purchase for me, so I got really good gifts. He got me the Sleeping Beauty VHS ( yes I still have a VHS player), painted 3 beautiful cards for me, got me mad fuzzy socks, and wrapped it all in bubble wrap and a bandana. The bubble wrap was because I had mentioned how much I love it, and the bandana because I constantly complain about how hard it is to tie my hair up since I cut it. He also included a lesson on how to use it, since I have absolutely no ability to do anything with my hair, even as simple as tying it up.

They Take Good Care of Us

One of the best things I've heard about little universities is that they do a lot for their students. I didn't have a final today, so when I finally crawled out of bed (around 12), I decided to head over to the Macaulay building with friends. They're having a day devoted to de-stressing all the wound-up overachievers in Macaulay. We've got puppies to play with, food to eat, massages to get, and wifi that works really well!

I have written too much lately so this post will be mostly pictures.

This is what happens when finals start costing you your mind.

My friends Lena and Sam, who are STILL doing work - even though we're here to relax

People working, enjoying Starbucks, and chatting in the lounge

Cynthia poses in front of the tea and food provided by the
Macaulay Administration and the Macaulay Psychology Club

So much food. So much tea. So nice to be taken care of.

This puppy was named Lucky - he was so friendly and does tricks!!

THERE WAS A PUG. I LOVE PUGS.

This is not me getting a massage, but this massage was the best thing to ever happen to me.

You're Only Human: A Post On Self-Care In Which I Become Your Mother

It's now officially finals season for college students, and it's also time for midterms for high schoolers and the beginning of Early Decision/Early Action results, as well as the holiday season. Regardless if you're reading this blog as a fellow Macaulay student, a prospective freshman, or a parent curious as to what your child's life could be like at Macaulay, I want to remind you - you are only human. 
I used to run myself to the ground every December, trying to do too much. Since then I've learned that you can't do anything if you don't take care of yourself, since your body will eventually just give out on you. I spent over 2 weeks at home because I got so sick from not taking proper care of myself in high school. It was a real wake-up call. I don't think I'm doing any less than I did back then, I think I'm just being smarter about it. Below is a big chunk of love and advice that I've compiled over the years. If you're like me and have a tendency to over-stretch yourself, or you're just under a lot right now, please read on.

For Those Facing Exams:

You have spent months studying. You know most, if not all of the information. I am one of those people who panics over not knowing everything - I understand that you feel like you're going to fail if you don't remember everything. Many people waste time studying things they basically understand. If you've got time, do review things you have a solid knowledge of. But devote all last minute time to things you have a harder time remembering. Our brains do a cool thing called "instant recall", which is when you read your notes 15 minutes before the exam and can basically regurgitate everything you just read onto your test paper. Do that for hopeless causes. 

Some people work well in study groups, some don't. Figure out which one you are and don't be afraid to do what works for you. I am a solo-studier, so I sometimes have to turn down group invitations. If that's your problem too, don't feel bad about it. If you study well in groups, make sure it's a group of your intellectual peers. Don't be the only one who understands the material in a group, because then people expect you to explain everything, and then your problems don't get addressed. When it comes to your exams, you should be selfish.

In college, many professors give 4 prompts and say "Pick 3". Even if there are things you don't understand on an exam, you can be okay. If you really haven't got a clue, make stuff up. Put facts about things that are almost relevant. Try and connect it to anything you understand and focus on explaining that. Draw a really beautiful whale. Be purposefully vague. Partial credit is better than no credit.

For Those Facing Papers:

You have spent months studying, You understand the concepts. You're reading this, so clearly you can read and likely write.You can crank this out. Don't be scared to ask your professor for clarification - sometimes talking to a professor makes your own thoughts on your essay clearer. They can also help steer you in the right direction.

If you're writing a research paper, check the sources of your sources. Sometimes, you can use additional information from them, and it's a bonus because they'll already be in alignment with your essay! The are only two pieces of useful information on Wikipedia are the reliable sources on the bottom, and the "Read More" section. They won't be all the sources you need, but its a place to start. 

Talk your essay out. Sometimes hearing yourself talk about it helps move an essay along. Friends can be forced to listen for input and advice. That's why they're friends.

Install one of those website-blocker/parental-control things the internet has and block Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, this website... everything that can't be used to write a paper. Better to take temptation away. 

You need to have at least one person edit your work before you submit it. (Here's Why) Find a friend or a parent or a stranger in a coffee shop and tell them you need them to look at spelling, at grammar, and at content. It doesn't matter if the person has no knowledge of the subject you're writing on - your essay should be clear even without an extensive knowledge of the field.

For Those Facing College Decisions:

Whatever happens: don't let it distract you from what you must do now. Not studying because you got a full ride to Harvard isn't going to fly.

Acceptance: Congratulations. You're the lucky soul who has cute bedding in your dorm because you got it cheap in the after-Christmas sale. If it's binding, yay! You know where you're going. If it's not, even better, because that means you can still come to Macaulay. Remember that most colleges still look at your last semester grades and can rescind your acceptance. 

Rejection: Ouch. I'm sorry. You've still got other colleges that will accept you. Macaulay hasn't sent out our decisions yet, so you can still go to an amazing school. I know it hurts though, and my humour isn't helping. But remember that they're not looking at you alone - they're trying to "build the perfect class" which means that sometimes, they'll reject people for silly reasons.

Wait Listed/Rolled over: Sometimes colleges will postpone making a decision on you until the regular application season. Its awful because it means more waiting, but at least you know that you're at the top of the pile. Keep your grades up, and if you've done anything cool since you submitted, ask the college about supplementing your application with more recent materials. Good luck!

For Those Facing the Holidays:

Family is weird. That's why Great-Aunt Myrtle keeps asking you the same questions and Grandpa Joe still tries to get you to "Pull my finger!" If you're having trouble standing them, remember that the holidays are brief and in the car home you can decompress. My mom and I used to have marathon complaining sessions complete with impressions in the car. It made holiday get together worthwhile. If you're family isn't the get-together type, or doesn't get along, or you don't see them, remember that you have friends as well that love you. Reach out to them. People always say you have to love your family because "blood is thicker than water". The problem with that is the quote is actually "The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb". Sometimes, your friends are better than your family.

If you don't know what to get a person, ask. Its better to admit you want guidance than to get them something they'll hate. And if you can't get the perfect present because of time or money or availability, remember its the thought that counts. People should be flattered  that you'd even want to get them a present.

If you just hate holidays - grow a heart, Scrooge. No, I realize that the hype around Christmas is obnoxious to those who don't celebrate it, or those who celebrate other holidays at the same time. I can't imagine it being fun to be bombarded with a commercialized version of a religious holiday that holds absolutely no significance to you. January is just around the corner and eventually the streets will be lined with dead Christmas trees and the season will finally be over.

TO ALL:

You need to take care of yourself. People think that during finals they can run on caffeine and willpower alone. That's not true.

Stretch more. Remember that you have muscles that you don't always use. Get reacquainted with them.

Eat. Buy yourself a nice lunch. Alone. Don't take anyone with you. Go sit in a diner, or a coffee shop, or at a bar counter and get your favourite thing. Eat a good dinner that you've cooked yourself. Put some time into it. Use spices. Eat breakfast before tests. You'll be less distracted, since you won't be hungry. So you can think "Oh! The answer is B!" not "Oh god I'm so hungry did people just hear my stomach growl it's so loud I want a BLT crap that was my stomach again... Wait what is this test about?"

Drink water. Most people are chronically dehydrated. It makes you more susceptible to disease, it makes you sleepier, and it makes you think you're hungry when you're not. 8 Cups a day folks. And since most American glasses are actually 1 1/2 or 2 cups, it's not that hard. A bottle of water is 2. Refill it 3 more times, and you're good.

Remember that you need to sleep. When you stay up to long, you can be considered as impaired as someone who is legally drunk. You wouldn't write your papers or take your tests drunk, so don't take them sleep deprived either. Don't think you have to sleep 8 hours straight, either. I tend to sleep 4-5 hours at night then take 2 little naps in the afternoon and early evening. College is one of the only times you'll get that sort of freedom with your sleep cycles, so try it out. It can work in High School too, it's just more difficult since you don't have gaps in classes or time between school and work.

Take your medication. If you have something you're supposed to take, take it. Take your vitamins while you're at it.

Laugh. Find funny cat videos on the internet. Watch your dog. Play a prank on your younger sibling. Play a prank on your mom. Dance with your friends. Sometimes you need to take 15 minutes and laugh about something to feel like a human.

Get your flu shot. You don't need to get the flu, you don't have time for the flu. You can get it at every drugstore, and most of the time, it's free. You also need to get it for "community immunity". Not only does that sound cool, it means that people who can't get immunizations (typically because their immune system is compromised) are protected from the flu. By eradicating the disease in the majority of the population, we protect that minority.

Repeat after me:

I am a human being. I am not a machine. I am a biological creature that has needs. If you ignore the needs of a dog, or a cat, or a child, it is called neglect. If I ignore my own needs, it is still neglect. I will pay attention to the signals my body gives me. If I am hungry, I will eat. If I am tired, I will sleep. If I am sick, I will seek attention for it. If I need a hug, I will ask someone for one. I will not neglect myself.

Touristy Things

I am a "Bridge and Tunnel" kid. I grew up coming into the City on weekends in the winter to see the tourist attractions and gawk at the buildings. I didn't come in much in the summer because it was hot and crowded, but in the winter, my parents and I went in every year. So I've done almost every "tourist" attraction in the city.

One thing I had never gotten the chance to do is see the lighting of the tree at Rockefeller Plaza. Wednesday was the night to change that.
My friend Stacey and I went to see the tree lighting, and while it was nice, I don't think I'll ever do it again. I got to hear Mariah Carey, Mary J Blige, and Kelly Clarkson sing live - but I couldn't see them at all. I watched their performance on a giant screen that was simply displaying the television program on ABC. But hearing Mariah Carey sing "All I Want for Christmas is You" was a really magical experience.

I also found out something strange about "live broadcasts". You know how the often cut in to the middle of a song from commercial? You'd assume that the performer is actually continuing to perform during commercials, but they're not. They're off-stage, with instructions on where to start when the cameras come back on. So you stand in a crowd waiting for the two minutes of the commercial break. That was a little awkward to find out.

I also learned a little something about moving through crowds. You can't be afraid to become incredibly intimate with the individuals around you if you want to get a good spot. At one point, there was a large gap in the crowd on just the other side of two men. But they weren't moving forward - so I asked if I could slip by, if they weren't going to move. This little jerk (he wasn't any taller than I, and I'm only 5' 5") announced "I ain't gonna move an inch. If you wanna get by, go ahead, but I'm not gonna move."
 There was a 4 inch gap between him and his buddy, whose look said that he'd be in the same boat if I wanted to try and slide by. I have never been one to turn down a challenge, and that was not about to start today. I turned to the short man and said, "Alright, don't move then.", and proceeded to shove my way past. I was gifted by the gods with a set of broad shoulders and strong hips. My mother used to joke that I was her little linebacker. No one has ever used "dainty" to describe me. In the crowds of New York, this is not exactly a bad thing. My friend Stacey had come with me, so she followed right behind. Luckily, she knows me well enough to have realized that the minute he threw down the glove we were going. She's also not ashamed to push a bit for a better view.

After that, the tree lighting was lovely. I got to see the last time Michael Bloomberg will ever press the button to light the tree. (the Mayor always presses the button, though sometimes they are joined by additional celebrities) Everyone cheered and took beautiful photos once the tree was lit. Its nice to be a part of a huge crowd sometimes, just cheering for something as simple as a lit Christmas tree.

The tree at Rockefeller Plaza was impressive even before it was lit!

That, ladies and gentlemen, is a Christmas Tree done right.

Getting out was, of course, a zoo. Stacey and I headed over to Bryant Park afterwards, and looked at the tree that was lit up in that park. We also looked at all the little shops in their winter village, and checked out the times for the free ice skating rink they have at Bryant Park. I love Bryant Park more than any other in the city. They constantly have wonderful events going on and many are free to attend. Additionally, my mother loves the tree at Bryant Park more than the one at Rockefeller, so there's a bit of nostalgia attached to it.

From across the rink and behind the fountain, you can see the tree with the backdrop of the main building of the New York Public Library.

Just a closer shot of the Bryant Park tree, with some of the Holiday Shops in the shot.

Okay now I can talk about CHRISTMAS TIME

 It is my first day in the dorm post-Thanksgiving, so I decided to decorate for Christmas today.
I really love Christmas. My entire weekend was spent watching Christmas movies with my mother, and finding all the Christmas things I needed to take to the dorm.

For anyone who cares about "being productive", I did manage to get my applications done, talk to my little brother, do my laundry, and get all my music in order. If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out my last post. Not everything I needed to do, but most of it. The rest was contingent upon other people.

So, to the real reason for this post: Showing off!! I want to show you guys a few photos of my new Christmas decorations in my room. This is not an exhaustive list, and I promise by the end of Little Christmas, I will have more decorations to take down. For those that aren't aware, Little Christmas is 12 days after "regular" Christmas, and is the date used as Christmas by the older Julian calendar. It's commonly called "Feast of the Epiphany". You have to keep your tree and decorations up until at least Little Christmas as a sign of respect, but its the last day you have them up.

My little silver tree is sitting on my  dresser, and it looks so cute there!

My Grandmother got me an Advent calendar. This decoration is both cute and functional, since it means I get a piece of chocolate every day.

I wrapped my door like a present. I'll likely get some ribbons and a bow on it soon.

This is a flip-toy from Rockefeller Plaza. If you line up all the cubes properly, you get a all these different pictures of Rockefeller Plaza. At Christmas time, I keep it on the picture of the tree.

And that's how it starts, folks. A tree, a bit of paper, and some cute music. I'm making plans to go ice-skating and wander around Bryant Park with a few friends this week, so that'll be another great way to get festive. I'll keep you all posted!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just a quick post to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, and to express my sincere condolences to all those who are applying to college and had to answer this question: "So how are college applications going?" 32453 per times, per relative.

Two years ago at this time, I was trying to explain what Macaulay Honors was to all my relatives. I've found the easiest way to tell someone is to say "Well, I'm applying to Hunter College, and attempting to get into the Macaulay Honors College, which is the pan-CUNY Honors College - I'd get a full scholarship and be part of both a really large school and a really small school, getting the best opportunities of both." Succinct, straightforward, and there's not much room for questions, so you can get back to what's really important - pie. God, I love pie.

I was never a big fan of Thanksgiving, but college really makes you appreciate your family cooking a huge meal, sitting down, and eating something you only had to help with, rather cooking the entire thing yourself.

But, as is always true, a break from school means I have side-projects to work on. Which isn't exactly fun, but they need to get done and its better to do them over tea at my kitchen table with my mom than at 2:30 in the morning when I get back to Brookdale.

My big jobs this quick break are to:

1. Apply to the class Dr. Petraeus is teaching. I need to write the cover letter and update my resume a bit. I might make a really intense resume post later in the semester, so keep and eye out for that.

2. Find out how many Winter Session classes Macaulay will pay for me to take. They say "one class, four credits". But my original class is three credits - I just need to verify that they'll pay for me to take an additional one credit class.

3. Spend some quality time with my friends from high school. I was a very lucky kid, I had a very tight-knit group of friends when I was in high school, and we've stayed so through our first two years of college. We're making plans to go see Disney's Frozen tomorrow, and maybe just chill out in the nearest Starbucks. I haven't seen some of them since August, so its really nice to find out that we still pick up a group dynamic really easily.

4. Have a serious talk with my little brother. He needs to understand that just because I'm not sleeping in my room every night, that doesn't mean it becomes his personal storage facility. Or, he at least needs to clear a path through his boxes to my bed so I can sleep.

5. Find a new silver tree. Growing up, the tradition was in my house that we would alternate who picked the tree, my brother or I.  We had two fake ones - a green one, and a silver one, as well as my brother's occasional request for a real one. Every year that it was my turn, I chose the silver tree. I love the way it shines and reflects the colours from the ornaments and the lights so much more than a plain green tree. Last year though, I finally admitted the silver tree had seen better days and needed to be replaced. So, I am on a mission to find a new silver tree before Christmas rolls around, and if I'm really on top of my game, I'll find it before Black Friday is over and it'll be nice and cheap. (Yes, my mother and I are Black Friday people, I actually wrote this partially in the car and partially after shopping, since we went out around 11:00 PM on Thursday.)

6. FIND ALL THE CHRISTMAS MUSIC. I love Christmas music. It's my favourite kind of music. I start listening to it in secret about 3 weeks before Thanksgiving ( I don't like Thanksgiving that much, to be quite honest.) And after we clean up from Thanksgiving dinner, I start listening to it constantly. So I need to add all the CD's I have at home to my iTunes collection, so I have it in the dorms. I'll also need to find the websites for all my favourite stations and bookmark those on my computer for some variety. 106.7 is definitely the best, so I need to see if I get it in the dorms. When they designed the building, they didn't have radio-waves or cell reception or wifi in mind, since it was 1950-something. You don't get too many radio channels because of that.


7. Laundry. I brought it all home rather than doing it before I left. So I better put in some clothes so I can take the clean stuff back with me.

So that's my Thanksgiving, and I think I'll leave you with a present to start the Christmas Season, some of the strangest Christmas Carols out there.
The traditional Italian song from my neighborhood.
A song by a kid who doesn't understand how dangerous wild animals are.
A song about how clueless children can be.
The most honest Christmas song in existence. (The quality of this video is awful but it's really funny so I'll show you this one anyways)
And this was last year's anthem, and I think I'll take it to be this year's as well.

I know when you don't wash your hands.

See thats the thing about communal bathrooms.
I know when you wipe and walk.

And don't think no one recognizes those pink bunny slippers with the bow on the right ear but not on the left because you caught it on the stairs that one time and it ripped off. I recognize them. And I know that you don't wash your hands.

I'm not certain if other students are as bothered by this phenomenon as I am. Even if you don't always wash your hands in your bathroom at home, that's one thing. My little brother doesn't always wash his hands. He'll often run the faucet for a few seconds though to pretend he did, and since I can't see through the door, I just have to trust him. Here, it's public. You just walked. I didn't hear the faucet from my seat and then I heard the door slam. No hand washing.

How can you just walk out knowing that someone on the floor knows how unhygienic you are? And how can you complain about getting sick after that???

When you come to college, and you share a bathroom with 20 other people of your gender, your hygiene habits become public knowledge.

Remember that.

Last to Know

I don't call my mom every day. Sometimes I'll cal her three days in a row, then go a week without talking to her. Sometimes the calls are an hour, sometimes its "Oh good, you're alive. What? You want money for a MetroCard? Fiiiine. Goodbye."

This means I'm often the last to know things. And that gets a little difficult.

I went home over the weekend for my mom's birthday party. I say party, but really it was my brother, my dad, my aunt, and my grammy eating cake. My brother showed me how he'd redone his room! He also recited his poem for a school competition for me (Anthem for Doomed Youth, one of my favourites.) My mom mentioned someone at work to my father - someone who I don't even know the name of. (I used to know the names of all my mom's colleagues.) I hadn't heard any of these stories over the phone. I didn't know about anything about their jokes or their lives.

And I realized that I hadn't told them everything. They didn't know I had walked the Highline with Sam. They didn't know about that really awesome dinner I got at a new burrito place near the dorms. They hadn't seen the silly pictures Stacey and I took while she was in her red panda pyjamas.

I think I've finally discovered what "homesickness" is. It's knowing that my family is doing all this amazing stuff, and I'm not there to see it.

Dorm Light

Here'e the funny thing about dorm life.
They never turn off the lights.
There aren't light switches in the common rooms, in the halls, or the bathrooms. There's no way to stop ambient light from seeping in through your door or through your window.

I grew up in suburbia, right by a highway. So the noise of the city doesn't bother me too much. Cars, shouts, the elevators and showers, I can tune everything out.

But suburbia is dark. Like, single streetlamp and the occasional car light dark.

Because its always so light, you do crazy things like stay up until 2:30. You forget that time is a thing. The body has a system by which it tells time using the amount of light you are exposed to. Lots of light? Time to stay awake! Very dark out? Time to sleep! But what about a city where the shadows of buildings mean you don't get much light, but the clinical light of a florescent bulb is your constant companion? Repeatedly tampering with your circadian rhythms is actually used as a form of torture. (College is, in many ways, an amalgamation of different torture techniques.)

But while you're still awake, you're still trying to get something done. You do a little work, you do a little internet-trawling, you read some crazy article on buzzfeed that somehow relates back to a class and that is how you justify it.

But most importantly, you talk. To your friends, to strangers, to people you don't really like but they sat down at your table in the common room so you talk to them anyways.

These are the conversations that teach you more than classrooms. I brought up the allegations that Justin Bieber has hired a prostitute - and we got into a discussion that even if its legal in Brazil, should the media judge him based on where the act took place, by where he is from, or by where the majority of his fanbase is?

I learn a lot in class. I learn a lot in outside activities. I learn a lot from conversations I have during the day.

But the most I've ever learned, about absolutely nothing, I have learned while the sky was darkest, and the dorms shone like a beacon.

Pics Or It Didn't Happen: Happiness Edition

Alright, so there are a lot of things that are really cool going on in my life, so I took some time to take some photos off my phone. And now I'lm going to spam you all with them. These are just some things that have really made me happy over the past few weeks.

1. Someone DREW me in under 3 minutes and got an excellent likeness, then gave it to me.

2. I saw Andrea Gibson! I mentioned this before, but I was in the SECOND ROW. SHE WAS RIGHT THERE GUYS. SHE SMILED AT ME.

3. I met Nicole Reynolds, a musician and poet, at the same concert as Andrea Gibson. She's really sweet!

4. My friend met Mary Lambert!!!! (She's the one who sings the really lovely refrains for the Macklemore song Same Love.) She performed at that concert and I swear to you she is the funniest person I have ever seen on stage.

5. For some reason, the city plants cabbages around the trees in the fall. They look better than dead plants, I guess. They make me really happy. But they make me think that we could plant things that grow food in the little tree-gardens year round, and that would be a better use of the space.

6. The Highline at sunset!!!! A week ago I got to walk the Highline with my friend Sam. The Highline is a park with lots of art instillations along an old elevated train track in the West Village, and we walked the whole thing.

7. This is Sam. Isn't he a cutie? He's showing off the next thing that makes me happy: Sweater Weather!!! I really love being able to wear cute sweaters without coats and be comfortable.

8. Sam's comics. He's an amazing artist, and like most of us, his notes are covered in doodles. Except his look about 300000 times better than mine. I'm not complaining though - not when I get gems like these sent to me on an almost daily basis.

An Amazing Opportunity!

I got to go to a wonderful program a few weeks ago, and I guess I had better tell everyone about it!
It was called the Women's Leadership Conference, and it was run by CUNY, the New York Times, and the New York City Committee on Women's Issues.

The keynote speaker was Rossana Rosado, the first female editor of El Diario, the oldest Spanish newspaper in the country. She had a really beautiful theory that we all come from people who worked to make our lives better than their own. Whether your family moved here one generation ago or one hundred generations ago, they did to give you a better chance at something than they had. She reinforced the importance of being grateful to those people, and doing your best to honor their legacy.
She also declared that two whom much is given, much is required. When your community gives you the skills to be successful, you have to give back somehow.

Finally, she reminded us to "Keep our tiaras up". Basically, every girl is a Queen. You are completely in charge. So hold your head up to keep your tiara balanced. Show it off, and keep a regal composure. Walk so everyone can can see it, and act like Queen Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Rinaldi, the queen of Genovia. (I love the Princess Diaries, and I think that Anne  Hathaway is an absolute Goddess of a role model in those films.)

After that I saw a panel on women in legislature, and heard about the impact that women have on the atmosphere of the New York State Senate and Assembly. All the women were in agreement that parties didn't matter as much to the women of the senate as they did to the men - which I thought was rather interesting. The stereotype is catty, uncooperative women, and amicable men. That's not the case in the Senate - as one of the panelist pointed out, the women have to work even harder to get any of "their issues" dealt with, since they are in the minority.

There was a really awesome lecture by Joanna Barsh, the woman who wrote How Remarkable Women Lead. It was an interactive lecture on how to organize ourselves, our lives, and the people around us. We were also fortunate enough to receive a copy of her book, and I plan to sit down and read it as soon as I can find  the time.

We had lunch and attended a few more wonderful panels, and then the day concluded. I think what was most wonderful was the ability to connect with other successful young women from the entire CUNY community. I went to a high school with girls who were convinced that boys would only like them if they acted stupid - so they acted shallow and silly. I haven't had many female friends who are devoted to making themselves succeed, and I'm glad to see that in college I get to meet girls who take themselves seriously. I met several really nice girls from Kingsborough Community College who were looking to transfer to Hunter next year - we're keeping in touch. I also met more girls from Hunter and Macaulay, so I've increased my circle of friends here.

I am honored that I got invited to this event, and I'm so glad that CUNY runs things like this.

Perk of living in the city #34245

ANDREA GIBSON. She is perk # 34245.

On October 15th I am attending one of her performances in Manhattan.

For those of you who don't know who Andrea Gibson is, she's an amazing poet who focuses on LGBTQ Rights, classism, mental illness, and has a beautiful take on anti-war issues. (I can't find a performance of her poem Class, but it's on the album Flower Boy if you want to give it a shot.)

Her poems have a vaguely scattered quality, and she bounces between images so you have to race to keep up. But once the poem ends, it all makes sense and you're left standing at the finish line, with tears in your eyes, and no idea how you got there.

My friend and I are going to this concert, and beforehand I'm going to an event at the Roosevelt House, which is Hunter's Public Policy headquarters. The Roosevelt House runs a lot of really excellent events, ranging on discussions of the Israel.Palestine conflict, to the role of the media in elections, and anything that sis vaguely related to government. I'm attending a panel discussion about Women in Legislature, and how important a bipartisan agenda is to creating a critical mass of women within our government. We make up 50% of the world, but in American government, only 18% are women.

The saddest part? Earlier this year, there was celebration - 18% is the highest representation of women to exist to date.

And, since we have a Monday Schedule, I only have one class that morning, my Eastern Religions class. In which, we are learning about Buddhism.

So my day reads as:
Get Up
Go to class on Eastern Religions
Get lunch
Get dressed all fancy (Who am I kidding, I'm wearing jeans and a button down like I always do)
Go to presentation on Women in Legislature
Go to a poetry recitation about classism and war and equality and gender and sexuality
Come back to my little room in the dorms and fall asleep an incredibly happy person.

OH! I almost left out the coolest part! My friend gave me a gift certificate for a car calling service that he got as a promotional gift, so I don't have to take the subway home! Someone will come pick me up, from the concert, and drive me back to Brookdale. Hell yeah.