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!