Exams.

     As you may or may not know, for most colleges, this week is exam week. For me, it is my first everexperience with college level exam week. At Saint Mike's, your final exams at the end of the semester are spread out over a week. Some classes have in classroom exams, while others require you to write a paper or do a project. This year, I have to take 4 in classroom exams. Yippie. (note the scarsam.) Although my last exam is on the absolute last possible day to take a final, I am oddly ok with that. Why you ask? Well first of all it is macroeconomics, I'm gunna need all the time studying that I can get. And 2, I don't have any exams today (Monday) or tomorrow (Tuesday). That gives me two full extra days of studying. Lucky me! So this post is basically just going to be some of my tips for studying, either in college or in high school.

1) Know your study habits- this one is very important especially for those high schoolers looking at colleges. In college, everyone studies. I will admit that in high school, I did not study. So when coming to SMC, I was totally lost. Some people went to the library religiously, others sat in the lounge and some sat on their beds or at their desks. I have to say that I tried EVERYTHING. For me, the library did not help. The only time I go to the library is when I need to get some serious work done. I can't study there because it is ust too quiet that every little noise distracts me. So normally I end up in our lounge, sitting on the floor, listening to classical music. I promise you, if you know your study habits early on, you will get a lot more done.

2) Take breaks- Sure, studying for 12 hours straight may help you get a lot of information into your system, but in the end your brain will just be so mushy that it won't matter how much you studied. This sort of goes along with number one. Know how long you can keep your attention to one thing. If it is two hours, then studying the material for two hours, then get up and go for a walk, chat with friends or go get something to eat. I know that my attention span is only about 2 hours, after that, I don't remember anything and concentrating becomes much harder. When I break it up, I am able to retain more information.

3)Talk to your Professor- make sure you find out all the little details about the exam. No, I am not saying to ask for a copy of the exam, that is just plain dumb, but ask the format, are there multiple choice? short answer? essays? That way you just know what is on it so when you get into the testing site you don't completly freak out when you see an all multiple choice exam when you thought it was all going to be essay. Also, talking to your professor about questions you may have is a great idea. They are always willing to help you to understand the material better.

4)Night before the exam- No matter how unprepared you may feel the night before, make sure you get a good nights sleep. Getting the rest you need before an exam is crucial to your success. I would say that you should be getting about 6-8 hours of a good sleep before an exam. Also, before your exam, EAT FOOD. I can't even tell you how many times I have gone into an exam and the person sitting behind has a stomach that is grumbling so loud that it totally distracts me. Don't be one of those people that distracts everyone else with your stomach rumbles.

5) It the exam- as much as you may want to wear your favorite pair of sweatpants and the biggest, comfiest sweatshirt you may own, DON'T. It is proven that students who "dress up" or go to an exam not in their pajamas tend to do better than those in their pajamas. I assume this is because when you actually have to get out of bed, do your hair and put on a pair of jeans and a nicer shirt, it wakes you up a little more than just slipping out of bed.

I guess those are all the tips I have. I might end up coming up with more as the week goes by, but I will let you know! I plan on keeping you updated about my exams!
Love and studying,
Susanna

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Majors/Minors

Sorry for the completely uncreative title on this one guys. My brain is literally mush from all the work I have been having to do with finals coming up. I am actually really surprised that I able to put a sentence together. But that being said, here is a little post on my major/minor(s).

    I am first going to start off by saying that next semester about this time, these things may not be the same. Since I have been here at saint Mike's I have switched my major twice...I think? First coming into SMC I was a declared education major. On registration day, I made the switch to a business major. I felt like it opened up more opportunities for me in the long run. So recently I have been taking courses in the business department and I have been starting to think "eh, this doesn't really seem for me." So, in the spring, I will change my major (once again) to a Media Studies Digital Arts Journalism major (or MJD for short). I love all aspects of social media and I find it really interesting. I am really excited to start my new major in the spring and I have heard a lot of great things about this department.

     Minors? I haven't really given much thought to it. HAHA that's a lie. I actually have. In a prefect world, I would love to graduate with a MJD major and a business and theatre double minor. Why? Well, I think having a strong background in business with MJD will really benefit me in the years after graduation when I am looking for a job. Plus, I have already taken some classes in the business department so I figure might as well finish. As for theatre, I just really enjoy it. I love learning about plays and designing is my favorite. I think the creative part of theatre can really help me with the "digital arts" side of the MJD major.

Classes in the business major that I have taken:

Macroeconomics- for me macro was very difficult. I have more of a creative mind as opposed to a logical one. It was a struggle all semester. I spent countless hours in my professor's office asking him to go over everything so that I could understand it. I think it was so difficult for me because it was my first semester in college- I didn't know what to expect. But as the course went on, I began to grasp more concepts and start to retain the information. I loved my teacher Reza Ramazani. He is very good at what he does and is always willing to help.

Statistics-I really liked this class. Although it was challenging at some points, I really learned a lot. I loved my professor Lorrie O'Donovan. She is literally the sweetest human being you will ever meet and she really knows what she is talking about. She is always willing to help you out to get the highest possible grade you can get.

    As for classes that pertain with the theatre minor, I have taken Theatre and Social justice, which I believe is not a required course in the theatre department as it is a first year seminar. But never the less, it is a theatre class. I love this class. It is with Peter Harrigan who is amazing. Even if you are not a theatre major/minor and are looking for a good, interesting and fun class, I would highly recommend a class with him. I mean, he even had my class over for dinner the other night, who wouldn't like that?!

   As I said before, in the spring I plan to change my Business major to a MJD major. I have no classes that I can say I have taken yet, but I am sure that once the spring roles around, you will hear a lot about my experiences in Media Revolutions. I am so excited to take this class as I have heard a lot about it.

  Well, I guess that is it for now. SMC really makes it easy to find what you love. Even if you come in as a bio major, it is really easy to switch to anything. All of the professors are amazing and always willing to help.

Even this photo has appeared once on my blog, Christian told me that I just had to include it in this post.

 

   I (hopefully) will post another blog soon, that is, if finals don't eat me alive first!

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Weekend Festivities

Hello all! How have you been? I have been lovely, thanks for wondering. It is now coming to that time of year where things get super crazy. Finals are in 1 week and there is just so so so so much that needs to be done. So this weekend, my friends and I decided to do some fun things before the finals madness starts.

     Friday. We all got out of class and did not feel like starting homework yet. So what do us college kids do? Build a fort of course in the lounge. You probably think that I am kidding. But I'm not. That lounge was the best thing to happen to us all. It is literally amazing. It was quite a feat. It took a lot of sheets, blankets, thumb tacks, and moving furniture around to get it. It wasn't the best fort ever, but we have plans on making even better ones, you just wait. Also, Friday night was JibFest, which is so much fun. I love to watch trick riding for skiing and snowboarding and that is just what it is. The ski and snowboard club at SMC build a ramp with rails on the 3's field and get snow trucked in from a mountain. There are heaters, food and music. It was a blast despite the frigid cold temperatures.

JibFest 2012!

 

       Saturday. The girls and I on the floor decided to go down to Burlington just to wander around. We walked down Church street and then down to the waterfront. And might I say, the water front is absolutely beautiful in the winter. Even though it was cold, it was well worth going. We walked back up to church street, got some My Little Cupcake and Starbucks and even got to ride on a carriage pulled by miniature ponies. It was very fun and we were all so tired afterwards.

All us girls!
(l to r: Mar, Keri, Emma, Me, Colleen, Candice, Luci and Lida)

Emma and I riding on the carriage!
Thanks to Lida for snapping this awesome picture!

 

   And then I guess that brings me to today- Sunday. Woke up, took a shower, went to brunch and now here I sit in the bird's nest writing this instead of doing my Statistics study guide (I promise ma if you are reading this, I plan on finishing it.) That's about all that happened this weekend. Now back to reality of late night studying and classes. Only 2 more weeks left until Christmas break!

Love and SO MUCH TO DO,

Susanna

 

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So I've Been A Little Busy

Hello world! I would just like to take the time now to apologize for the lack of posts recently. We had championships (which I will tell you all about), my computer has been on the fritz and it was Thanksgiving break, so I had little time to actually sit down and write something. So now, as I sit in my dorm waiting for the rest of the hall to slowly trickle in, I will fill you in on everything!

    So last weekend we had championships for rugby. Let's just say it was a massive deal. The weekend before we had beaten Holy Cross to secure a spot in the championship game against Stonehill. A few weeks prior to the Holy Cross game, we had acquired our first loss of the season to Stonehill. Needless to say, we were out for blood (not literally I promise, we just really wanted to win.) So down we went the night before and stayed in a swanky hotel (but really it was a Holiday Inn Express, but it was very nice). This was the first time our team has been able to stay in a hotel for a long time so it was really special. The next morning we woke up, ate some food and loaded up on the bus to the field. Everyone was so nervous but so excited to just get out there and play. It was game time and I swear I have never seen a more intense game in my life. Just knowing what was on the line made it that much more intense. But in the end, we came out victorious. Everyone rushed the field crying and yelling and jumping up and down; we were all just so excited. It is something I most certainly will not forget. So, in the spring we will be traveling to

NATIONALS.

(get excited everyone)

well basically that happened.

 

     After that whole amazing time Thanksgiving break crept up right quick. I was SO happy to go home to see my family and friends and my puppy. I missed everyone so much so being back was awesome. I got a ride home with my friend Emma, who I am sure I have mentioned once or twice. It was a great ride and her family is so sweet. Then my dad, brother and uncle picked me up at our "meeting spot" and drove me the rest of the way home. Home was so nice. We ordered Tuesday Night special (chicken parm, pasta, pizza, salad and rolls... yummmm) and then I went out for froyo with my 3 best friends. It was so nice to see them because I haven't seen them since August. That is WAY too long. So we ate some froyo and talked and it was just great to see them again. Wednesday I basically did nothing. Lounging around the house basically with a little homework scattered in here and there. Thursday- Thanksgiving. This year it was just the four of us. Normally we go to Pennsylvania but this year with all the traveling already going on, we decided to stay home. My dad fried a turkey, yes, you read that right, he fried a turkey and there we no explosions. We ate a ton of good food and even put up our Christmas tree. Friday my mom and I woke up at 4:30 A.M. to go shopping. This is kind of like a tradition for us. We got a lot of great deals and a lot of nice presents for people on our lists. Saturday was my dad's birthday so we had a little party for him. Annnnnddddd I also got new snowboard boots, a helmet and goggles. So Excited! Sunday was an all day ordeal driving home (and by home I mean here, to SMC). When we got back, I unpacked, sort of,  and decorated our door for the holidays! I finished some last minute homework and caught up with everyone. And with that were are here, on Monday morning. And its snow. And Mar and I are listening to Christmas music. But for now, that's about all that has been going on.

(my little nugget in her favorite spot)

(the padre and Bob celebrating their birthdays!)

(happy holidays from 465!)

(dad frying our lovely turkey)

 

 

 

Want to see more rugby pics? Look at the SMC Women's Rugby Facebook Page! HERE

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I'm Not Really Supposed to be Doing This....

    Just like the title says, I'm not really supposed to be doing this. In my world, Saturday is rugby day. This weekend was playoff and the winner advances to championships. It was a hard fought game and I am sorry to say that Stonehill will be meeting us once again the the CHAMPIONSHIPS! That's right, we are going to Championships next weekend!!! How exciting is that?! The game was amazing and everyone played so well. It will be one of those moments that I never forget. After the game there was a B-side against Green Mountain College and Champlain. I had a blast playing and had a few great runs. I just wanted a try sooooooo bad, but I know that my time will come to get one. But, now to answer the lingering question that probably sits in your mind. "Susanna, why shouldn't you be doing this?" Well, I have a concussion. But let me tell you, sitting in your room, in the pitch dark with nothing to look at but a blank wall gets old pretty fast. So I figured I would fill you in on a few things that happened this week.

My amazing team. Championships here we come!

 

     There honestly was not anything that exciting (besides play-offs of course). On Friday, I had to register for classes for the spring. Crazy how fast time here has flown by. I got 3 out of the 4 classes I wanted. I am taking Intro to Philosophy, Catholic Christianity and Financial Accounting. I really wanted to get into BU-113 seeing as I am a business major and I need that class, but I could not get into it. So, I started looking at my other options, and that got me thinking of "do I really want to be a business major?" Well, I really like the thought of being a business major, but recently I haven't been so sure. I have been looking into other majors and I have really been liking everything I have heard about the media studies, digital arts journalism major, or MJD for short. So for my 4th class next semester I am taking a 100 level media studies class and I am super excited about it. So who knows, maybe next year this time I will be a MJD major.

     Also on Saturday, after my game, I went to the international festival. It was really cool and I recommend going at least once during your time at SMC. There were many acts and tons of food. It was also really cool to meet some of the international students on campus.

     Well, this blog post has taken me about 3 days to write. I guess that is what I get when I have a concussion and cannot stare at a computer screen for more than 10 minutes at a time without getting a really bad headache. At last now this blog post is finally complete. I promise, when my concussion gets better there will be more blog posts that are more interesting.

Love and headaches,

Susanna

 

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GUESS WHAT?!

HEY GUYS! GUESS WHAT?!

                                                     
     

                           IT'S SNOWING!

So make a tour appointment now to come visit!

(I guess that is all I really wanted to say.)

 

Love and snow,

Susanna

 

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Club Clip: Rugby!

Hello! I know, I know, it has been about a week or so since I have blogged. It literally feels like an eternity to me and it probably feels like double that to you. So in my last blog I mentioned how I wanted to do little (or big, whatever) blogs once in a while about clubs and organizations on campus. So today, I am going to start off with one that I am really passionate about and that I am actively a member of. That my friends is RUGBY! Yeah, I know, you are probably thinking, "Susanna, what the heck are you thinking?! Isn't that dangerous?" Yeah, it can be, but I promise, it is so worth it in the end.

     On campus we have a women's and a men's rugby team. I am one of the many members of the women's team. I absolutely love it. In high school, I played many sports, including soccer, swimming and tennis. I needed something to occupy me while I had downtime in college. A few other girls on my floor wanted to play rugby, I was hesitant, but I thought, hmmmmmm why not?! So I joined and I have to say it is one of the best decisions that I have ever made. The team is amazing, both personality wise and skill wise. Everyone is so nice and welcoming and it really feels like it has become my second family. Everyone watches out for each other and we all genuinely care about each other. We are a large team (39 girls strong, I think?), but we always have a ton of fun together. We have practice during the week and have a games every Saturday. We are in a Division 2 bracket in Rugby Northeast. We play teams like Bryant, Providence, Stone Hill and Holy Cross. We do a lot of team bonding like team dinner and going to a Hunted House (I was so freaking scared that I pretty much cried.) But what is really nice to know is that there is a massive support system of 38 girls behind me at all times that want to see my succeed. I am so grateful for everything this team has given me. It has not only given me something to occupy my time or learn a new skill, but it has given me many new friends that I am happy to have in my life.

     If you choose to attend SMC (which you will) I highly recommend either joining the rugby team or just coming out to support these awesome people!

 Never seen rugby before? Well here are some pictures!

(love theses girls!)

(l to r: Kelsey, Emily, Me, Emily, Lauren, Monica)

(our awesome team during our first preseason game vs Sienna)

(scrum downs!)

(awesome line-out buy the A side during the Bryant game)

(Candice, Kiki and I just sliding in some mud.)

(Candice and I love mud!)

(half of us ruggers getting ready to go through Nightmare Vermont!)

(Me, Abby, Kallie, Candice and Emily before going to the haunted house. Don't let these faces fool you, we were all really scared!)

 

 

Have I convinced you yet to play rugby? Yes? Awesome, that was my goal!

Love and rugby,

Susanna

 

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FAQ: Parent KnightChat Version

Hi all! So exactly one week ago I took part in a KnightChat here on campus. For those of you who are not familiar with what a KnightChat is, it is basically a large chat room where student bloggers and people from admissions chat with students and parents about questions they may have about SMC. Sounds fun right?! Well it is! Last week on the 18th it was the first parent KnightChat of the season I believe. It was a ton of fun and there were a ton of questions being asked. So I guess this blog post is more for the parents (sorry future Knights) but it can really help anyone! There were a lot of questions in the chat being asked more than once, so I decided to just answer them all now to the best of my ability so they are all in one spot! ONWARD.

1: "How big is the current freshman (first-year) class?" SMC is fairly tiny. Our freshman class this year (info by collegeboard.org) says our freshman class is 542 students.

2: "How many students in the school total?" Currently there are 1,996 undergraduate students at SMC.

3: "When is the early action application due?" It is due by November 1st!

4: "What is our retention rate?" 87% retention rate from freshman to sophomore year. This is well above the national average and one of the best in the country. 

5: "What is the average SAT score that SMC looks for?" SMC is currently SAT optional. You can either send your SAT scores or not, its up to you. Our average SAT score at SMC is around a 1740. But most of the students admitted hold between a 500-599 in all three subject areas. Most students admitted also have an ACT Composite score of 23-27. 

     **DISCLAIMER**: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not think that you need to have at least a 1740 to get into SMC. I did not have that and I got in. Admissions looks for a combination of good grades, extra curricular activities, class rank and teacher recommendations. Do not feel intimidated by those scores!

 6:"How big are the classes?" Classes here at SMC are fairly small. The biggest classroom on SMC is Cheray 101 and compared to other schools, its tiny. I believe the biggest class someone might be in would have a max of 60 students. That class would most likely be a combination of a few classes or an intro level course (like biology or chemistry). Most classes at SMC are around the 15-30 student range. Some classes even have as few as 4 people in them!

7: "What is the housing situation? Are you guaranteed housing for all 4 years?" YES! That is one of the lovely things about SMC! We, as students, are guaranteed housing all 4 years. As a freshman, you can get placed into 1 of 3 dorm options. They are doubles and singles and are separated by gender in each wing. Wanna know more? Check out one of my first blogs about living in the dorms! Click right HERE!

8: "What do students do on weekends?" RA's in each buildings hold socials on the weekends. Some include pumpkin painting, cupcake decoration, ice cream sundaes and Apples to Apples. They are tons of fun and the RA's really put a lot of effort into them!

9: "What are some clubs on campus?" Well, for short, there are a ton of clubs on campus. And if you find that there is nothing that floats your boat per say, it is so easy to just start your own club! Also there are a ton of club sports to get involved in! (I am kind of biased, but I highly recommend rugby! It is a ton of fun and both of the teams are awesome!) Sorry for the lack of information on this question, I plan on doing short "Club Clips" every week in the near future to give you some more insight on clubs on campus!

10: "What is one thing you would change/ don't like about SMC?" This was a very hard question seeing as I pretty much love everything about SMC. So i put my thinking cap on and thought hard about some things that bother me. And I have to say I came up with 2 things. 

         1. When it rains there are puddles everywhere. I mean, it can be a bad thing when you forget to wear your rain boots, but overall for a avid puddle jumper like me, its not that big of a deal. 

         2. The worst thing about SMC is that in 4 years, I will no longer call this place my home. I love it so much here and leaving is just a scary thought. 

Well thanks for reading! I hope this answered a few questions or at least put them all in one place for ya!
Wanna take part in a KnightChat? Click HERE!

The campus is literally beautiful. This was a couple nights ago on my walk to Alliot for dinner.

 Have a lovely day!

Love and questions,

Susanna

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First Year Seminars!

     Hi again! How is everyone doing on this lovely Monday morning/ almost afternoon? Hopefully you are having a lovely day just as I am. The weather here is amazing. The skies are blue, there is a slight breeze and the tress are gorgeous shades of orange, yellow and red. How was that scene setting for ya?! Can you picture yourself here yet? (Hopefully your answer to that question was YES I CAN!) Anywho, I will start off with a little story. At every college open house or tour that I went to my parents would always ask a ton of question and write a ton of stuff down on little note pads. (Yes they were those parents, yes, it is a little weird, but yes, it helped). Anyway, all the schools we visited had some sort of class designed for freshmen. Some had things like first year experiences, which thought you basic things to get along just fine on a college campus. Others had basic core classes that were just freshmen. But I really enjoyed the one that Saint Michael's presented to us.

     As a freshman (or first year as they call it here) you are required to take a First Year Seminar. These are classes that meet 3 times a week for 50 minutes. You can either take yours in the fall or spring semester. They are small classes with no more than 15 students. I really enjoy that and there is a seminar that suits every person out there. These seminars are writing intensive classes that get you acclimated to college level writing. Also, most of them are reading intensive as well.

     So you are probably thinking, what first year seminar did you pick Susanna? Well, I picked Theatre and Social Justice and I am very happy with my choice. In this class we read a ton of plays that deal with social issues. I really enjoy my class. There is a lot of reading and writing, but other than that, there are no tests and quizzes. I like how my class is like a community. We all know each other's names, where everyone is from, and what everyone believes.It is a great way to get to meet other people in your class. I also love my professor, Peter Harrigan. He is a theatre professor here at SMC and he is wonderful. Also, sometimes he brings in his dog, Daisy. Daisy days are the best days because we all sit on the floor in a circle and have class on the ground.

Daisy the schoodle. I believe she made an appearance  in one of my other  blogs. 

     But if theatre is not your thing, there are a ton of other options to choose from! There is Honors Drama and Culture, Off the Grid, Peace and Justice, The Examined Life and many others to choose from! Being a freshman here at SMC, I feel as though my FYS has really helped me get acclimated to college level writing as well as giving me 14 other students and 1 professor to connect to on a different level than my other classes. 

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Oh! And here are some other awesome things that are happening (in pictures, because pictures are pretty.)

The leaves are really changing.They look so amazing!

Halloween is coming next week. Jill and Sarah, two girls on my floor are already planning their costumes.

Sarah, in the banana suit, and her roommate, Jill. 

What's All the Noise About?

     Hi all! I hope your week is fabulous! So for a while now there has been a lot of construction around campus. Well, its not really spread out around campus, rather, it is right in the middle of the residence quad. This project is called the Quad Commons and I thought I would share a little bit about it and how living in a constant work zone is going!

     First of all, when this project is finished it is going to be AHHHMAYZING. After looking at the pictures and talking to people about it, it sounds so cool and it will be an awesome addition to our SMC campus. This building is going to be a new student center as well as residence halls and is planned to be complete for the beginning of the 2013 school year! So here is the break down of the building.

     1st floor- a new cafe! (YAY FOR FOOD!)

                    a social lounge

                    a digital lounge

     2nd floor- fitness center

                     meeting space

                     Student Services offices

                     game lounge

                     radio station

                     table seating

     3rd floor- meditation room (SO COOL)

                     multipurpose room

                     seating for HUNDREDS

                     Solarium

Also with the Quad Commons project, workers re-did the bath rooms and lighting in all the existing buildings in the quad (Lyons, Ryan, Joyce and Alumni). 

Now you are probably wondering, is the construction a pain. To be honest yes, sometimes it can be. It makes walks a little bit longer when you can't cut through the quad and it can get really noisy sometimes (like today). But you just have to think of the positives. At the beginning of next school year the building will be complete and we will have all of these cool new things to our disposal. While our walks may be a little longer and the construction sometimes wakes me up at 8:15 A.M instead of my alarm waking me up at 8:20, it will all be worth it in the end. Also, the construction workers are the sweetest people ever. If you wave at them, they wave back and it shows that they truly love the project they are working on. In the beginning of the semester my wonderful RA, Bizzy, wrote cute little notes that we hung on the hallway window so the workers could see. A few weeks later we found that they wrote a note back on a piece of ply wood. That just shows how awesome our SMC community is.

 As a perspective student, I would not write off SMC just because there is construction occurring now. Next year when you get here, none of this will be happening! Construction can be a pain, but it is something you get used to. It will be so worth it when it is complete!

For more information about the Quad Commons project, you can click the link right HERE.

Ya know, just chilling on top of a massive building. It guess it is all in the life of a construction worker.

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As Always, 

Love and Construction,

Susanna

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Fall Break!

Hello! As you may or may not you, this past weekend, Monday and Tuesday were our fall break. It was a mighty lovely time. I will take this time and this post to explain a couple of things that went on in my life.

     Originally, I was going to be one of the few people actually staying on campus for fall break. I had a rugby game on Saturday so my mom and dad decided that they would come up to visit instead. After an odd and fortunate chain of events, I found myself in the backseat of my family's Honda driving the 4 and a half hours back to my house. 

The drive home from Vermont is one of the prettiest ones out there!

she loves car rides, except she always falls asleep. 

     Right when I got home I drove over to my best friend's house to surprise her little sister. She didn't think I was coming home for break and was devastated. I walked right in and surprised her so much that she started crying. If that isn't a great 15th birthday present, well then, I am not really sure what is. That night my mom made some yummy pasta, we went into the hot tub and I caught up on some TV shows that I have been missing. After that my bed was calling my name. It felt so nice to sleep in my bed again. 

Zoey loves sitting on the couch and cuddling. She was my cuddle buddy this whole weekend!

      Monday I woke up fairly early, ate some cereal, watched some TV and did my homework. Then, I went to Target. There are no words to describe my love of Target. I could honestly spend hours and hours inside Target. It really is a bummer that there is not a Target in the state of Vermont. But at Target I just bought a few things I ran out of and a few things that I thought I may need. After that, I went home, sat on the couch with my puppy for a bit (don't worry, there will be plenty pictures of her in this) and then at around 1:55 I headed over to my High School. It was so weird being back. They had started re-finishing the tennis courts (AMEN) and it was just really weird not to be parking in spot 21 anymore. As I walked in I saw some of my friends that were still attending the school. It was so nice to see them again. I visited some old teachers that I missed dearly and walked the hallways that I walked for 4 years. It was the weirdest feeling to be back. After that, I went to a girls swim meet. I was only on the swim team my senior year but I fell in love with the sport and the people immediately. It was like my second family and my second home. Even though they lost, they put up a good fight. The new freshmen look promising and the team veterans really held their own. I miss that team so so so much. After that I surprised some more people before heading back to a lovely dinner. My mom made some of my favorites: salmon and mussels, cheesy broccoli and rice. YUM YUM YUM. To make that night even better I went to Peachwave (froyo) with some of my close friends. We ate some yummy froyo and talked for a good hour and a half. Then I went home, fell asleep on the couch watching some documentary on clogging and POOF here I am and its Tuesday! Today I am making the trek back from CT to the 802 with a couple other people.I will let you know how it goes! 

PEACHWAVE!

Oh how I missing swimming so much!

Love and Puppies,

Susanna

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ADVENTURE!

Hello all! It is a glorious Monday (well, as glorious as a Monday can be) here at SMC. Besides being a wee bit tired, today has been going fairly smoothly. The leaves are changing, the sun is shining and it is a perfect 53 degrees out. Construction workers have been working around to clock on the new Quad Common project and it is finally starting to look like an actual building. The massive fence that was placed around the library lawn is now gone which is very exciting because I feel like I haven't seen that part of campus in quite some time. All in all, campus is pretty busy and just pretty in general right about now, but sometimes you just want to get away from it all. YAY FOR BURLINGTON! Burlington is this magical city about a 15 minute bus ride away. Today, I found my way down there with a few other girls on my floor (Candice, Emma and Luci) just to get away from the hustle and bustle of SMC. Monday is the only day during the week when I am really able to go downtown because it is really the only day that I do not have rugby.

     To get to downtown, we take the bus. The stop is right next to the entrance to the school by McCarthy and Tarrant. The schedule is super easy to understand and there is a bus that can bring you almost anywhere. The one that we normally take takes you right down to Church Street which is amazing! It has to be one of the cutest places ever. It is a cobble stone street that allows people only. There are tons of shops and cute restaurants that seem to eat up your time like no other.

There is a beautiful fountain in the middle of the street that is so stunning. When you look up to the left, you see this amazing building that I would love to live in. I want to live in it so much that I actually looked up to see if apartments in it were available and how much they might cost. No joke.

I want to live here. It is so pretty. Then Candice, Emma, Luci and I ventured in to tons of cute little stores! You would be amazed at the cute little shops that you can find on and around Church Street. There is one cute shop called Downtown Threads. It is right near Ken's Pizza and you have to walk up a flight of stairs to get to it. It is a small vintage shop that has pretty much everything you can imagine! It is literally adorable!

After, I really wanted to go to a store I heard about called Old Gold. It is this funky little costume shop and let me tell you, it is AMAZING. It is so funky and so cool and just so amazing that words cannot even describe. Luci, Emma and Candice all tried on funky costumes. Luci put on a pilot outfit, Emma dressed as a lady from the Renaissance and Candice wore a dress that looked like a mix of The Good Witch and the tooth fairy. It was hilarious.

Candice as the tooth fairy.

 

On our way to Old Gold, we stumbled upon The Little Cupcake. The cupcakes are TO DIE FOR. They are seriously amazing. I had a mini red velvet cupcake, salted caramel and cookies & cream. SO FREAKING GOOD. Go there. You have to.

Yes. We had 12 cupcakes between the 4 of us and ate them all in a matter of 5 minutes, that's how good they were.

After that, we just kinda wandered our way back onto Church Street. We went down this lighted ally-way that brought us out to a small park. It was so pretty. There were lights strung across the ally. Too bad we were not there when it was dark. I would have loved to see the lights lit. I bet it looks amazing during the winter months.

The prettiest ally-way I have ever seen.

Before sitting down at Panera for a lovely dinner, Luci wanted to go to STA which is a thrift store/ second- hand store on Church Street. They have everything from shirts to dresses to belts to scarves and everything in between. They also have everything from brands that you can find in your day to day mall to things that you would see on the runway during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York City.

 

Racks and racks of cool clothes.

All in all this afternoon was great. I was so happy to get the chance to really finally explore my surroundings and I truly enjoyed every minute.

YAY FOR BURLINGTON!

Love and adventures,

Susanna

 

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TOUR TOUR TOUR!

Hi everyone! For some reason I have a TONNN of energy right now. I got back to my room at 1 o'clock(ish) this morning. We traveled to Bentley in Massachusetts for a rugby game yesterday. WE WON! YAY! Anywho, I woke up fairly early today considering that I went to bed around 1:30 a.m. But, I had to wake up anyway because we have ANOTHER rugby game today! And what makes it even more exciting is that it is a B side game again UVM so I am going to get a chance to play!

     Now onto a topic that I found pretty fitting for today. Today at SMC is the Fall Open House. YAY FOR NEW STUDENTS! So there are going to be tons of students walking around and going on tours. When I was looking at schools, I had to see every school I applied to. I feel like taking a tour is the best way to get a feeling of a campus. It is one way to actually be able to picture yourself at a school. And even though today is a fairly rainy day, SMC is great in all weathers! So here are some of my DO'S of touring!

(thanks to Emma and Lexi for these awesome pictures of fall on campus!)

 

 

 

1. Step to the Front: ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS walk to the front of the group so you can hear what your tour guide is saying. I know, it may seem scary to be standing right in the front of the group, but that is how you will make the most out of your tour.

 

2. Write Some Things Down: None of us have perfect memories. I like to think I do, but I really don't. So bring a small note pad and write a few things down. And you might be thinking "won't the tour guide get mad if I am writing and not paying attention?" Well, unless you are doodling, the tour guide won't mind at all. Just remember to be respectful and write down only necessary items.

 

3. Be Yourself: The hardest thing, I think about college is finding where you fit in. On tours, don't be shy! Be who you actually are. That way, tour guides can give you the best tour to fit your personality!

 

4. Ask Questions: DO NOT worry about asking a stupid question. There are NO stupid questions when deciding your future and where you will be spending the next 4 years of your life. Ask anything from "what did you have for breakfast today?" to a really hard question that I cannot even think of.

 

5. Thank Your Tour Guide: After the tour, be sure to personally thank your tour guide. Walk up to them and say thank you. I know, you might be thinking, "that girl cray", no, no I am not "cray". When my mom and dad told me to do this I was like ummmmm no?! That's so creepy. But I promise you, it will make a big difference in your experience and it will probably make your tour guide's day. Also, while doing this, ask for his/her business card or email. That way, if you have any lingering questions you can ask and you are also creating a bond with someone at the school before you even get there.

 

6: Wander: After your tour, go on a little tour yourself. I know at SMC they really only take you around main campus because as a freshman, that is all you will really see. But take the time after to go look at the sports fields, wander through the townhouses and take the small trip up to north. While along your journey, don't be afraid to ask current students questions. SMC is a community and I have never dealt with someone saying "no" to answer a question. Everyone is here to help and everyone wants to see you come to SMC!

 

7. BLOGS!!!: After my tour of schools, I would always go look at the blogs! They really told a lot and I felt like I was actually connecting with someone I barely knew! Plus, they are always there if you need to ask a question!! In my application process, I read ALL of the SMC blogs. I loved them all but read two of them religiously! Here are links to Alex's and Gabbi's blogs!

 

Thanks for reading today guys!

Love and raindrops,

Susanna

 

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