Sunsets

     So here I am, on a Sunday night, just kind of hanging out in my room. My homework is done, my room is clean (for once) and I have done all that I needed to get done today. But looking around I can't help but notice out the window. If you look out my window past the construction, over Tarrant and over the tree line you can see a beautiful sight, a sight that Saint Mike's holds very dearly. I have to say, out of my 19 years, I have never seen a sunset quite like the ones here at Saint Mike's. Don't know what I'm talking about? Take a look.

See? Isn't it pretty? I guess that is another reason as to why to come to SMC!

Love and sunsets,

Susanna

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I Can't Think of an Interesting Title.

     Here I am, sitting at my lovely kitchen table listening to my dad speak about the tires on school buses or something like that. This week has been great. Spring break has been really good to me. While I love school, there is just something about being home that just always makes you happy. Home is a place that well, will forever be home. It consists of my dog taking my seat on the couch constantly, my dad chatting me up at the kitchen table, my brother in his basement cave playing video games and my mom cooking the most delicious meals for dinner. I love home. 

     I guess what I am trying to say is that going to college teaches you a lot of things. I see everyone on the Class of 2017 page and they are all so excited to come to school. That's amazing. I am so excited to see all this love for the school. But, there are somethings this summer that you must do, no matter where you chose to go to school. I got the idea to write this blog from Gracie. I stumbled upon her SMC blog while looking at some other ones. I have to say that I am so bummed that I didn't read her blog sooner. It is amazing and her writing style is something that I strive to achieve someday. Her posts have reaffirmed why I love SMC so much. If I tell you to do anything on my blog, this is one of the things that you should actually really do. I highly suggest reading her blog. She always writes about finding out who she was through her college experience. It is something that I have thought about a little, but her blog helped me to go more in depth with it. In high school, I never really knew where I fit in. Through my four years at high school, I played 4 sports, was in 2 drama club productions, took a ton of classes, and belonged to a bunch of clubs. I had friends in every side of the school. It was a good thing. I liked being able to walk down the hallway and from every which direction there would be a "Hey Suze!" or a "hey are you going to practice after school?" or "see ya at rehearsal tonight". That was cool and all, but I guess I never found a place that was me. I never belonged to one certain group, so, in coming to college I made it my mission to rediscover myself and who I am. So before you take the biggest step into adulthood and make that transition from high school senior to college freshman, here are are somethings that you should most likely....probably....really do. 

• Love yourself: I know. This one can be hard sometimes. Some time you wake up and your hair looks horrible, you feel awful, and no matter what you put on, you just feel like you look horrendous. I promise you, I have had too many of those days. There comes a point where you just have to be like, I'm me. I'm not changing anything. This is who I am. Going into college with this mindset will do wonders for you. I pinky promise. 
• Know Yourself: This one was the hardest one for me. Like I said before, in high school, I didn't really know where I fit in. Before you go to college establish who you want to be. Establish the morals you believe in and the things that you want to accomplish. Don't want to drink in college? Then don't. Stay firm to what you believe so that not only you understand what you want, but also the people around you.
• It is OK not to like everyone: Growing up they teach you to love each other and to sit in a nice big circle of love and sing kumbaya. While that is all fine and dandy, it is not totally realistic. You aren't going to love everyone you come across. Granted, there is a large difference between being civil and loving. But still, if you don't like someone, no one is going to force you to be friends with that person. It is college. You make your own decisions. Just don't make stupid ones.
• Love your parents: They are the ones that got you to where you are. Sometimes they can get a little annoying, but hey, that's their job. They love you. Realize that and you will be all set.
• Figure out who your friends are: I had a lot of friends in high school. Actually, I should probably change that up a little. I had a lot of school friends, you know, the people you are in classes with all the time and talk to in school but would never see them outside of school, yeah, I had a lot of those. But then I have my best friends. People that I have known for a really long time and can count on them for anything. People that I want to stay in touch with. There is always that common thing that people write in the back of year books like "stay in touch" or "I hope to see you next year" or "come visit me in college". Sorry to burst all of your bubbles but about 98% of those are complete piles of horse poo. Find out who your true friends are. You will thank me later. 
• Live a little: Put that extra butter on your popcorn. Eat that piece of chocolate cake. Yeah, it might hurt you a little, but it was so dang good while it lasted.

Love and I'm not really sure of something to go along with this so I will just say sloths.

Love and Sloths,

Susanna

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Spring Break!

Good morning all. How was your week? Mine went really well. I had a ton of assignments due last week, but other than that it was great! On Monday, it was my birthday and my amazing floor mates decorated my door for me. The rest of the week went by very quickly and soon enough I found myself sitting in a seat on the MegaBus to Hartford. It was really nice to be able to take a break from school and head home for a little bit! I was so excited to see my parents and my puppy, Zoey! I got home around 1 pm on Friday and later that night my aunt and uncle came over for dinner. Saturday also went by really fast. I did a little shopping with my mom then went to my friend's house for a little birthday party for him. Yesterday, I was on a train bright and early to NYC and that is where I currently am now! There will be another post (probably on Wednesday) about my adventures in NYC!

Zoey was so excited that I was home!

Hope this week is amazing for everyone! I will write more soon!
Love and spring break,
Susanna

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Study Break!

Hey all! I feel like I say this every time, but I AM SO SORRY IT HAS BEEN SO LONG! It has honestly been nuts here! This past week has been crazy, so I am going to take a break from studying and fill you in on what has been happening here at the lovely SMC.

     Last week started off amazing. You are probably like "Susanna, it was a Monday. Mondays always stink." Most of the time I would agree with you, but not last Monday. I woke up early for my 8am. Went to class. It was a great class. I am actually really starting to like Philosophy. I find it really interesting. Then I went to breakfast and when I was done came back to my room to just relax before I went and ate lunch with accepted students. And then.... IT happened. I was, ya know, just minding my own business, nothing special, when all of a sudden I get a text message. At first I thought it was my Aunt Patrice sending me a picture, so I was really confused. Then, looking closer into it, I found it was a text from my Aunt Paige, who was at the Burton US Open in Vail, CO. I look at the picture and SCREAM and then start crying. It was Mr. Mark McMorris himself holding up a sign. WITH MY NAME ON IT. Now, for a little back story. I have been following Mark McMorris' snowboarding career since he was about 14. So that was a MASSIVE deal for me. I was so excited and my day just kept getting better and better after that. I ate lunch with 3 accepted students and then got offered a job for the summer! Monday was an awesome day.

yeah, that happened. and I honestly died. One of the best, if not THE best, early birthday present I could ever ask for.

     Tuesday was not as eventful as Monday. I had 6:15 am practice, then 3 classes. Then when I got back to my dorm at 3, I passed out asleep.

     Wednesday was sort of the same as Tuesday. 6:15 am practice, breakfast, then Philosophy class. Nothing really exciting.

    Thursday, the same as Tuesday except practice is at 8:45 pm.

     Friday was awesome! I normally have no classes on Friday so this week wasn't any different. I spent most of the day doing Financial Accounting homework. Then at 7, my dad came up to visit! He was picking up my twin brother at UVM for his Spring break. So he picked us both up and we went out to dinner with my Uncle Ted and my Aunt Cindy. It is always fun to hang out with them because my Uncle Ted always has tons of fun stories about SMC because he is an alumni and my Aunt Cindy always laughs hysterically at them, which is quite a sight to see.

     Yesterday (Saturday) was a busy day. I woke up, went to brunch, then headed downtown with the rugby girls to work security at the Mardi Gras Parade. It was a fun time preventing young children from running into the street to get candy and beads. There were a ton of fun characters out on Church Street and we got a free shirt, beads, chocolate and cheese! The parade is amazing and I highly recommend it to anyone! It it sponsored through Magic Hat Brewery and Hope Works. Here are some links!
Magic Hat Mardi Gras website: HERE
Hope Works: HERE

     That brings me to today. Nothing fun has happened yet, I am not really expecting anything fun to happen. I have been doing a ton of homework and studying for midterms that are coming up this week. Its crazy to think that midterms for second semester are coming up because that means that my first year at SMC is almost over. It is scary to think how fast time flies. Also construction has been moving along quite fast. Be sure to look at how far they have come by watching the live webcam! As for this week, I don't really have that many plans. Tomorrow is my birthday (as well as another fellow blogger Emily!) and it is going to be a really busy day. I have class at 8, then my interview to be a tour guide at 10:30, then eating lunch with accepted students, then tutoring at 3:30 then maybe going out to get a little birthday dinner with some friends! But who knows!

Love and birthdays,
Susanna

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Accepted Students Days!

Hello all! I know, it has been a while. It has been a little nuts around here lately. But today has been a lovely day! I had class at 8am and was done for the day by 9:35. That is pretty lovely if you ask me! But the best part of my day you ask?! Welllllllllllll, at noon I got the chance to eat lunch with accepted students and their families and answer questions and tell them how much I love Saint Mike's....because I really do love Saint Mike's. It was really great to get a sense of what they were looking for in a school and to answer questions that may not have been answered on tours. So here are some of my tips for I guess "surviving" accepted students days, because let us be real here, they can be pretty freaking terrifying.

1.) If there are 10 activities on the list, go to all of them. I know, you are probably thinking, do I really have to go to every single thing? And I am able to answer honestly, no you don't, but you probably should. I know sitting through something that you may not be interested in may be more than boring, but whatever you sit through you will gain some information that you didn't already have before.

2.) If there is a tour of a dorm, do it. I guess this one is kind of a no brainer. You obviously want to see where you will spending a whole year of your life living. To me, this is a really important thing.

3.) Ask questions about things that interest you- everyone basically has to give you the same basic overview of the school. But say you are really interested in biology for instance and your tour guide or someone on your panel hasn't talked about it, speak up! They would be more than happy to answer your questions!

4.) See if you can eat lunch with a current student- I did that today and I had a blast! The two girls were amazing and so were their families. I tend to like the more personal settings to ask questions so that I don't have to speak in front of a super large crowd because sometimes that just freaks me out. Also it is great because you get to take the food for a little test drive!

5.) If you do number 4, chances are the person you ate with will have your email address. They will probably email you after the little lunch "date" (for lack of better words). Feel free to respond with any lingering questions you may have, add them on facebook, follow them on twitter or do whatever. They are a great resource for you, especially if you plan on coming to the school in the fall. They will always be willing to help you find places on campus or anything else along those lines. Also, another super big point that you may want to look into is doing an overnight on campus to see what it is like on the weekends. They are some great people to ask about that!

6.) Don't be nervous- we have all been there. It really is no big deal.

7.) Introduce yourself- be brave. See someone sitting alone? Go sit with them and be all like "Hey I'm (insert name here)". Then BAM, one new friend/ familiar face. Also, I would recommend introducing yourself to teachers or people of higher stature in the college. It is great later on when you may need their assistance for something and they are able to put a name to a face.

8.) After your tours, make a pros/cons list. It really helps when it comes time to actually make a decision to figure out what you are actually looking for.

9.) Join the Saint Michael's College Class of 2017 page on facebook! It is a great way to meet other incoming students and to get questions answered if you have any!

10.) Take the time to stray off the beaten path. After the day is done, take the time to just walk around campus and explore. You never know what you are going to find!

I hope all the students that came today had an amazing time and I hope to see many of your faces in the fall!

Oh and another little incentive to come here, the sunsets have been AH-MAY-ZING.

 

Love and first steps,
Susanna

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Guide to Surviving the Vermont Winters

As you may, or may not know, we are currently in the midst of a blizzard here. Currently, as I sit in my nice warm bed, I can look out my window and see a ton of white powdery stuff start to create a super think layer on the ground. I'm not kidding. There is about a foot of snow currently and it is only going to get worse (or better. I personally love the snow so it is better for me.) But anyway. So before I made my decision to come here all my friends back home were like "isn't it cold there?! how are you going to survive with all that snow?" I told them it would be easy. So here are some of my tips to make walking through that blizzard a little more bearable!

1.) LAYERS. I'm telling you... you NEED to layer up when you go outside, especially if you are walking to class. It tends to be freezing outside and as soon as you get into class you feel like Frosty the snowman on a hot summer's day. It is always good to layer!

2.) Get a good pair of snow boots and a good coat. For the ladies- while UGGS are so comfy (I know, I own 3 pairs) they have absolutely no traction on slippery walkways. Make sure you get a good pair that won't make you fall flat on your face. I currently have a pair of Sorrell boots and while they are a little clunky and fairly expensive, I know that they are keeping me warm and dry, keeping me on my feet and they will last for a while! Also, get a good coat that is water proof! This is really important because you don't want your clothes underneath your coat to get soaking wet. A good coat will help to keep you nice and warm.

These right here are Sorell boots. I would HIGHLY suggest getting them or something like them! They really do make a difference!

3.) Check the weather often. This is something I do almost every morning. I always check the weather app on my phone before I start getting dressed in the morning so that I know exactly what the weather is going to look like for the day so I can dress properly.

4.) Moisturize and use Chapstick! My hands tend to get super dry in the winter, so I am totally guilty of putting on lotion about 10 times a day. Also, chapstick is super important. Not only does it keep your lips nice and soft, but most of them smell super good (my current favorite chapstick is Orange Cream from Blistex. It tastes so yummy!)

5.) Blankets! I am a self proclaimed blanket addict. They keep you so warm and cozy. I love to just snuggle up in a ball under my blankets and watch a movie with a nice hot cup of tea or hot coco!

As always,

Love and blizzards,

Susanna

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Smuggs!

     This past weekend I went to Smuggler's Notch and I just wanted to show you all a few pictures! Being a student at SMC is great because we get a $30 season pass through the Wilderness program. It is really awesome and I highly recommend that everyone take advantage of it! Also, as a student, you get 50% off rentals which is AMAZING.

Here are some pictures!


Two of my friends, Candice (l) and Keri (r).

My roommate, Mar, and I!

Q and I were always bus buddies for rugby. We finally got to sit together again!

All the girls!

Candid that Candice took!

The AMAZING view.

 

Want to learn more about Smuggler's Notch? Look HERE!

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Love and mountains,

Susanna

 

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