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

Questions?? Comments?? Just Wanna say hey??

Email Me! right HERE.

Tweet Tweet! @SusannaMarie7

 

 

What am I Listening To?



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

 

Questions? Comments? Just wanna say hey?

Tweet tweet- @SusannaMarie7

Email me!

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

 

What am I listening to?

 

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

 

Questions? Comments? Just Wanna Say Hi?

Tweet Me! @SusannaMarie7

Email Me!

 

What am I listening to?

 

 

 

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

Questions? Comments? Just wanna say hey?

Tweet tweet @SusannaMarie7

Email Me!

Formspring: susannamarie7

What am I listening to?

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. 

Questions? Comments?

Email Me!

Tweet Me @SusannaMarie7 

Formspring: susannamarie7

What am I Listening to?

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.

Have Questions?

Tweet me @SusannaMarie7

Email me!

Ask me a question on Formspring! susannamarie7

As Always, 

Love and Construction,

Susanna

What am I Listening To?