Why Being a Business Major is Awesome

Happy Wednesday!


So while I just blogged the other day about how I'm insanely busy and have no time to blog, I wanted to tell you all a bit about my experience as a business administration major!

So as I've mentioned before, I've changed my major four times. (Yup. That's a lot, I know.) I actually came in as a business major, then switched twice more before becoming a business major again (I've come full circle!). Basically, while I haven't always been a business major, I am now totally, head over heels in love with the business department!



Why am I a Business Major?
I recently switched to a business major after starting a Saint Mike's chapter of a national online magazine with my friend Lauren. While the magazine isn't affiliated with Saint Michael's College, we have a small staff of students and write about events at SMC and in the surrounding area. After working on the magazine I realized just how much I loved the business aspect of it and switched majors right away! It's great because it keeps me excited about schoolwork and it motivates me to get internships.



I also have an amazing advisor!
I LOVE my business advisor! When I came for a pre-orientation weekend the before my freshman year I had Professor Popovich as my advisor for the day. She was very helpful and friendly; after starting at SMC, I heard that she was an amazing teacher. When I recently switched to a business major I requested Professor Popovich as my advisor. Thus far she's been tremendously helpful! She's also recommended me to be part of a quasi-debate team for a competition at SUNY Plattsburgh next semester which would include giving individual speeches and working as a team to solve business ethics problems. It sounds like a challenging experience which will be tons of fun.

My first business project - SMC Winter hats!

Here's what I've thought about my first few business classes:

-  Critical Thinking & Communication (Intro. Business Course)
This was a difficult but fun class! In the course we created out own business on campus which was terrifying but a wonderful hands-on experience. I loved that we got business experience right away! This class was also team-taught, meaning that we had three professors who were experts in marketing, management, and finance.

- Financial Accounting
This class was tough because it was at 8 am, but I was surprised to learn that I really love accounting! Professor Voigt is actually one of my favorite professors - he was straightforward, fun, and incredibly supportive.

- Managerial Accounting
Another surprisingly fun class! I actually took this class twice - last year I took the class but wasn't doing well  and had to withdraw. This year I took the class again with a different professor and ended up loving his teaching style. Professor Doyon made the material interesting and relevant and I found it incredibly easy to do well in his class (the work itself isn't easy, but as long as you pay attention in class and work hard on the homework, you'll be fine!).

Next semester I'm taking all business classes, which I'm excited for:
- Marketing
- Management
- Economics
- Statistics

Basically, I love being a business major! If you have any questions, feel free to email me!

Finals Finals Finals!

Happy Monday!

This week marks the last week of classes, which is both super exciting and incredibly stressful. I have a couple papers due and some end-of-semester assignments before finals next week. For finals, I'll be done by  Wednesday which means I'll have a busy but short week of finals before heading home next Thursday!

So basically, just a warning that I may not be especially blog-oriented these next two weeks while studying! Hope you all have a great end of the semester and feel free to email me with any questions!

Vlog - End of Semester Update

Hello! Hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving! Just a quick update about what I've been up to:

Always a flattering photo...

If you have any questions email me, find me on Facebook, tweet at me, or shoot me a question via Formspring!

Hiking Mt. Philo

Happy Monday! This week we have just two days of classes then we're off for Thanksgiving break! I haven't been home since August so I'm so excited to see my family!

This weekend my friends decided to go on a hike to Mt. Philo. I love hiking and grew up camping with my family, but I haven'y actually hiked since I got to Saint Mike's. Although I hear amazing things about the Wilderness Club (like hikes, ski lessons, and more for just $5!) I haven't taken the time yet to actually go on an adventure.

With finals approaching and huge projects and papers stressing me out, this hike could not have come at a better time!

My friends Lindy and Sarah planned the hike for us; it was a short, 20-30 minute hike but it was about a 30 minute drive from campus. Eight of us went in total (me, my roomie Cait, my friends Emma & Merrill, Sarah & her roommate Cara, Lindy & our friend Lauren). We went to a breakfast at around 9:15 and left for the mountain at 9:45.

The whole gang!

The hike was awesome! It was a beautiful day, a little chilly but super sunny. We all packed some snacks, so at the top of the mountain we had a mini picnic. Lindy also brought some frisbees so we played some games and chilled out for a while.

Made it to the top!

It was so relaxing to get out and into the woods for a while. I had so much fun with my girls and it was honestly the best time I've had in a while. It's a getting a little too cold for hiking, but we've all agreed that we'd love to go again in the Spring and we all plan to ski this winter ($30 season pass to Smugg's through the Wilderness Club!).

Beautiful view atop Mt. Philo!

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving - don't hesitate to ask me any questions via email!

Registering for Classes

Happy Monday! Today we got our first snowfall and it was beautiful! I can't say that I'm excited for winter (because I hate the cold!) but I am excited for snow and skiing and Christmas!


So today I registered for classes. I just switched my major to business, so I am taking all business classes next semester. I've already fulfilled a lot of my LSRs (liberal studies requirements, such as a foreign language credit) and the LSRs that I have left will be fulfilled my classes in my major or will (hopefully) be fulfilled when I study abroad next Spring. To register, we sign up through KnightVision, which is where you can find all classes for the upcoming semester. Registration opens at 7 AM, so students get up early and click 'register' at exactly 7:00.


My roommate, Cait, and I had a bit of an off morning. We ended up preparing to register at 6:59 AM, and at that point I realized that I hadn't even turned on my computer yet! After I got my computer on, it took forever for KnightVision to load, and at the same time, Cait was told that an error occurred during her registration and she needed to close the window and start again. We were stressing out!

Miraculously, Cait and I both got all the classes we wanted! This is will be my schedule next semester:

M/W/F
9:45 - 10:50
Elementary Statistics
I took a psych-based stats class this semester, but I'll need to take a different one for business next semester.

M/W/F
11:00 - 12:05
Marketing
I'm really excited for this class! I love marketing and I'm looking to get a marketing internship this summer.

M/W
3:15 - 4:50
Management
I'm also excited for this class! I love working with people and enjoy being a manager, so I think I'll enjoy this class. It only meets Monday and Wednesday in the afternoons, so I'll have Friday afternoons free!

T/TH
9:45 - 11:20
Macroeconomics
I can't say I'm thrilled about this class, but I heard this professor is super nice!


I'm pretty happy with my class schedule! I'm not thrilled that I need to take stats again, and I'm not looking forward to economics, but I've heard great things about my professors and I love that I don't have any 8:00 or 8:30 AM classes! If you have any questions about registering for classes or whatever else, just find me on Facebook or shoot me an email! I'd love to hear from you!

Living the Crazy College Life

Hi everyone!


I've had a busy couple of weeks at school. Since midterms are just ending, I've had a lot of projects and exams. It's been stressful! My professors have been awesome though. Despite the mass amounts of work I've had, they've been surprisingly helpful! One professor allowed me a (much needed) one day extension on a paper and when I frantically emailed my philosophy professor while freaking out about our midterm, she assured me I would be fine (and I was). Basically, I've made it through the stress!


The interesting thing about college is that it's the first time I need to juggle so many things at once. I obviously have a lot of schoolwork, and I try to spend time with my friends when I can, especially on weekends. I have various clubs that I belong to and there are always events on campus to attend. like talks or movie showings. I also need to schedule in time to do my laundry and clean my room, and I like to find time to decorate my room for each holiday. In addition to normal chores and tasks, I've been looking into studying abroad, so I've been busy looking through brochures and researching. I've also been applying to internships and have been meeting with the career center to update my resume.

It's exhausting! For me, it's difficult to find extra time to go to campus events or hang out with my friends during the week. The most important thing is time management! It's a huge part of being successful in college and the biggest thing I've had to learn since coming to college!


I'm off to class! If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email!

Halloween Costumes & Jumping in Puddles

Happy Saturday! Just thought I'd update you all on recent news here at SMC.

Yesterday, Friday, was one of my best days in a while. First of all, it was Friday (you really can't go wrong there). Also, I spent the afternoon with some of my besties planning our Halloween costumes & running errands. We started off going to a local Halloween store & bought our costumes. it's official...I'm going to be Robin! My friend Cara will be Batman.

I have a cape & everything!

After that we went grocery shopping & stopped at Walmart. My friend Merrill & I had to buy supplies for our next Dessert & Divine. As I've mentioned before, we're team leaders for VITA (campus ministry) this year and run Dessert & Divine once a month. Basically we lead a faith-based discussion & have delicious desserts! Our first D&D was a success and I'm excited for this next meeting!

A picture from our first D&D - so much fun!

We also had to buy groceries to do some baking. Our friends planned a big Fall party for Saturday, so we picked up some ingredients to bake Friday night. I made chocolate chocolate chip pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. They were so good!

Yum!

Finally, before we actually baked anything, we noticed that yesterday's rain created a giant lake of puddle. We decided to be totally immature & jumped in the puddles for a while. We got some strange looks and got totally soaked, but it was so much fun!

Not your typical Friday night, but it was the most fun I've had in a while. It reminded me just how much I love my friends! If you guys have any questions, send me an email or find me on Twitter!

Why Saint Mike's is the Happiest Place on Earth

Happy Monday!

For those of you that don't know, I'm both a blogger and a tour guide at Saint Mike's. I became a tour guide last spring and I love being able to share my experiences & love of SMC with prospective students & families. Last week, at the end of a tour, one mother asked me the best question : "Why is Saint Michael's the happiest place on earth?"

For me, the answer is simple. Saint Michael's is a place where I can grow in mind, body, & spirit. It's a place that is both incredibly supportive and amazingly beautiful. I am afforded so many opportunities here and I've made so many great friends; I feel like SMC is the place I'm supposed to be!



At Saint Mike's, the community is huge. Whenever I walk into the dining hall I say hello to Rosemary as she swipes my card and chat with Steve as he prepares the pizza. I walk to class and see Anna in the campus ministry office, say hi to Father Brian as I leave Alliot, and I talk with Jerome about choir practice as I pass the chapel. Sometimes I'll stop into Founder's to say hi to my work study bosses from last year, or I'll duck into the President's office to ask my friend Tara, the President's assistant, about her recommendations for next semester's classes. I'm also friendly with my professors who I constantly see around campus and, of course, I have an amazing group of friends, several of whom I live with this year.

My classes are difficult, but they're also surprisingly interesting and engaging. I never thought I'd enjoy learning about accounting, but Professor Doyon connects everything to real life problems and makes it easy  to understand. I've taken dance classes, psych classes, learned to love challenging myself in my two Spanish classes. I also fell in love with business in my intro class where we actually created a real business on campus. My group sold winter hats and, while our business failed, I learned so much about business already. My philosophy class is amazing - never did I ever think I'd enjoy discussing Plato. The readings are wordy and difficult to understand, but Professor L'Hote is so passionate and excited that classes are fun. We discuss the meaning of life and the definition of love, which is both funny and interesting.

My professors are excited to teach; they want us to learn and to do well. Even if their classes are difficult, they have office hours throughout the week and are readily available to go over course material. I've met with my professors to review a quiz, give me tips on improving a paper, or even just to chat or say hi. My professors know me; they know my name, they know that I'm a business major. Often when I meet with a professor about a class, they chat with me for a while after about my extracurriculars at SMC, where I'm from, or my plans to intern over the summer. All the professors at Saint Mike's love to learn and teach; they're engaged and truly care about helping their students.

Because Saint Mike's is such a small school, there are so many opportunities for students. As I said earlier, I work for the school as a blogger and tour guide. I basically get paid to brag about SMC! I've started working with the career center to secure an internship for next summer; right now I'm working on beautifying my resume and soon I'll be getting a list of alumni who work in Boston with whom I can make connections. This year, as a sophomore, I'm a TA for a first-year seminar. At most large universities a TA position is held by upperclassmen, or even graduate students, but since SMC is much smaller, sophomores and juniors are usually TAs. I'm also a team leader for one of our campus ministry programs, and I started a SMC chapter of a national online magazine with my friend Lauren, which, while it's not connected to Saint Mike's, is written by students and is so much fun.

Last but not least, campus is beautiful. I love walking into Alliot and seeing the mountains in the distance or noticing the sun set over the library at the end of the day. I honestly can't believe that I go to such a beautiful school! At Saint Mike's, I feel like I'm finding out who I am and I'm learning so much. I love being challenged in class, I've deepened my faith as I've gotten involved in campus ministry activities, and I've made some awesome friends. I sometimes think about what it'd be like to go to a larger college or university, but I don't think I would enjoy it. Saint Mike's has allowed me to be me and to really find myself. There's no where else I'd rather be!

Health Services & Changing Majors & Other Fun Things

Hello! Hope you've all had a wonderful, relaxing weekend!


This past week I've been sick (basically everyone at school has a cold and it's no fun!). I cannot stand being sick, so all last week I was exhausted and tried to sleep as much as possible. I also went to Health Services early in the week to get some cold medicine. Health Services is amazing! I went there a couple times last year, but I so appreciate their help! When you're sick and you're away from home, it feels like you don't have much help. Health Services gave me some cold medicine (for free! beats buying medicine at Rite Aid) and basically recommended I get a ton of sleep. They're just incredibly nice and helpful.


Last week I also decided to change my major again. This will be my fourth time changing my major and I've decided to switch back to business administration (I originally came in as a business major so I've now come full circle!). I've been debating between psych and business for a while, and I've finally decided that I love business & marketing. I'm actually really excited for the business classes I'll be taking and I love my new business advisor. I feel like I made a great decision and it couldn't have been easier to get my change of major form signed and switch majors!

Shopping at Walmart! I tried on some Halloween costumes.

(Photo Credit goes to my roomie Cait!)

On a totally unrelated topic, this weekend my friends & I went out to Walmart to buy a birthday present for our friend Vick, who went to Saint Mike's last year but ended up switching to Keane State to pursue a nursing degree, which SMC doesn't offer. We may have gotten a little distracted in the Halloween section. (Disclaimer: I am not being a witch for Halloween).

Hope you all have a great week! If you have any questions feel free to email me!

Roomie Love!

Roomates! They're awesome. They give you someone to chat with when avoiding homework, they share in your miseries over the end of this week's Glee, and they make you feel like you're not alone. No matter what, you always have your roomie to go home to at the end of the day.


I have been fortunate enough to have some awesome roommates. Last year Student Life did an awesome job of pairing me up with my first-year roommate, Lhanzi. We got along super well and had a lot of great discussions. I love her & we're still friends this year. This year I'm rooming with my friend Cait who is a great roommate. Besides some initial tension when we couldn't agree on how to set up our room, Cait & I have gotten along very well!

Cait & I!

Fun Fact: I'm 4'11" & Cait's about 6'1". Craziness!

This is (hopefully!) how most of you are feeling about your roommate. Uh...unless you have some major roomie troubles. Sadly, yes, roommate problems come up sometimes. But they should be easy to solve! Here's some tips about how I've gotten along so well with my roommates!


- We're pretty similar. So if you're a first-year, you couldn't really control this (beyond filling out the roommate survey this summer). But, if you're a sophomore, junior, or senior, just be sure that you pick a roommate that has similar sleep/study patterns as you do. I decided to room with Cait because we're friends, but turns out Cait likes to go to bed about 2 hours before I do. Lucky for us, she wears a sleep mask to bed so as long as I'm quiet, I can study after she's asleep!

- We're respectful. This should be a no-brainer, but it's actually kind of a hard rule to follow, especially if you've never shared a room before. Just be sure you keep your side of the room fairly neat and to be quiet if you roommate is studying or sleeping.

-We talk. Again, doesn't sound very hard, but it can be, especially if you're friends with your roommate. If something's bothering you, talk about it! Especially if you need to study or sleep and your roommate's being noisy. Be sure you two have clear rules about cleaning dishes right away, whether you need the lights off to sleep, if you like music when you study, etc.

-We're nice! In order to really bond with your roommate, set time aside to hang out together. Last year my roomie and I watched Christmas movies together and exchanged presents before the end of first semester. I like to bring home little treats for my roommates sometimes, like a mini Ben & Jerry's from the bookstore or some candy. Also, if you go to the store or run some errands, ask your roommate if they need anything! Just be courteous & friendly.

- If all else fails, switch! If you and your roommate really don't get along, feel free to switch rooms! There's no point in having a miserable semester all because you dread going back to your room!

Fall Semester Class Schedule

Hello! Hope you all had an awesome weekend!

I thought I'd tell write about my classes this semester, so here goes:


Introduction to Philosophy:
This class meets every Monday/Wednesday/Friday at 8:30 am. It's tough to be awake in class that early, but the class is fun so it's not too bad. I have Professor L'Hote who is hilarious and awesome. She's so passionate about philosophy that she gets you excited about it too, which is quite an accomplishment so early in the morning! So far we've been reading Plato and have learned about some ancient early Greek philosophers. Every SMC student needs to take an intro level philosophy class as part of the liberal studies curriculum.


General Psychology:
As a psych major, this is one of the first classes you need to take. I take it with Professor Adams who used to be the department head. The class is fun and low key and we often have little exercises in class to get hands-on experience in what we're learning. I like psychology so I enjoy the class, but Professor Adams also helps to make it fun; every class, before we start, he puts on music and has some cartoons on the projector. He's also super friendly and makes sure that every assignment, quiz, and exam are clear and straightforward.


Research Methods I:
This is a statistical analysis class for psych majors. It's required, which I wasn't too thrilled about since I'm not really a math person. So far it hasn't been to bad. Professor Boynton is so incredibly nice and seems really helpful. We're about to go more in-depth with course material, so we'll see how I fare! Luckily I have my friend Merrill in class with me who's a stats genius. My other friend Lauren is also in the class, so I'm hoping we can have some awesome study sessions when it's time for the final!


Managerial Accounting:
I'm a business minor, so I need to take a few accounting classes. I actually took this class last semester, but I didn't do too well in the class and had to drop out. Now I'm taking this class again with a different professor, Professor Doyon, whose teaching style seems to better suit my learning style. I also got an accounting tutor which I'm thrilled about. I'll be meeting with him Monday to study before our first exam on Tuesday. Professor Doyon is friendly and nice, and he includes many real-world examples which are really helpful in understanding course material.



Basically, I love my classes this semester! The classes are interesting, the professors are awesome, and I have a great schedule (Classes 8:30 - 12 M/W/F and from 3-4:30 T/TH). Have an awesome week & if you have any questions, shoot me an email!

All About My New Room!

Happy Sunday night! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!



This year I live on in Linnehan on North Campus. North Campus is about a mile away from Main Campus and has extra housing and some art classes. North Campus is also home to Turtle Underground (a place where bands play & there's open mic night on weekends) and Knights of the Round Table (a restaurant-style  dining option that is delicious!).

I love living in Linnehan because I live my three best friends, plus tons of other great girls, a few of which I was friends with last year and some I just met this year. Rooms in Linnehan are double rooms with a bathroom per floor (girls are upstairs and boys are downstairs). There are about 25 kids per floor, so Linnehan is a pretty small dorm. I like it because it seems like our whole house is going to get pretty close this year.

So now, without further adieu, here are some photos of my new room!

Our door! Not too exciting. On the left is our refrigerator/microwave and Cait's desk. On the right is my bed and our closets.

My bed! Our closets are on the left and our dressers are on the right. Cait's bed is to the right past our dressers.

Caitlin's bed & dresser! My desk's on the right.

This is my desk! Cait's bed is on the left and her desk is on the right. I don't have desk shelves but I have tons of papers taped up on the walls.

Cait's desk. My desk is to the left and our door is to the right.

And that's it! Basically I love our room. It's so cozy and the ceilings are soooo high so it feels really open. Also we have Christmas lights and about a million posters. It's just very us - you can totally see Cait and I in all our decorations.

I'll blog again soon but if you have any questions feel free to tweet me or send me a message on Facebook!

Montreal Trip

Happy Monday! Hope you're all having a wonderful start to our third week of classes (it seems so much longer, doesn't it?).


This past weekend my friends & I took a trip up to Montreal, Canada. We left Friday after classes and came home Sunday morning. It was SO MUCH FUN. It was great to have a weekend together, but we primarily went to Montreal to see the Jason Mraz & Christina Perri concert on Saturday night which was AMAZING! (My friend & fellow blogger, Lauren, also went to the concert this weekend with her friend Sheila.)

Last year, the four of us (my roommate Cait and our friends Merrill & Emma) saw Christina Perri at Higher Ground in Burlington. At the time I only knew a couple of her songs - her hit 'Jar of Hearts' and 'A Thousand Years,' which was on the recent Twilight soundtrack. The show at Higher Ground was incredible, and when we heard that she was performing with Jason Mraz (who I've loved since the '90s!) in Montreal, we couldn't pass that up! We actually bought our tickets in May so we've been pumped all summer!

Christina Perri was incredible, as expected, but Jason Mraz totally blew me away. I already knew that he was tremendously talented, but the whole concert was so creative. Several of his songs flowed right into the next so that for about an hour he played almost continuously. You could just see how much thought had gone into the artwork, the song selection, the line-up of songs. It was all amazing!

The band singing "I'm Coming Over" - such a great song!

This is one of my favorite songs by him & this is a video 

I found online from our concert this weekend

I basically had the best weekend ever! I was in for a rude awakening when I had to finish homework Sunday afternoon. Have a lovely week & enjoy the cool, Fall weather!

ORIENTATION!

Happy orientation everyone! I'm on campus today for campus ministry & I'll be around tomorrow during move-in. I hope you're all almost done with packing & are excited to start your Saint Mike's adventure!


Here are some links in case you've missed em:

New Student Orientation Info:
http://www.smcvt.edu/Admissions/Class-of-2016/New-Student-Orientation.aspx#tab1

New Student Orientation Schedule:
http://www.smcvt.edu/Admissions/Class-of-2016/New-Student-Orientation/Orientation-Schedule.aspx



The most important info for your first years to keep in mind is that, due to construction, move-in will be a little crazy. Since there will be limited parking, students will move in during two separate blocks. Here's the announcement from the SMC site:

So now about the orientation schedule - when you first arrive you'll park and go to the Ross Sports Center to check in. Orientation leaders will be stationed around campus to show you your way. Park your car and go into Ross. There you'll get an info packet, sign up for work study if you need to, and stop by some tables to learn about certain clubs and organizations on campus. There will also be some local business there, like People's United Bank, who has an ATM located in Alliot. You can sign up for a bank account with them right then if you like. When you're done you can drive to your dorm to move in.


When you pull up to your dorm, you'll first need to grab your key from a tent outside. It should be located by the dorms, but if you can't find it orientation leaders will help you. After you have your key, your orientation leaders will grab EVERYTHING from your car & bring it all up to your room! Then you get to move in, talk to your floor-mates, and meet your RA. When you're done, make sure you move your car so other students can have access to the dorms.


If you can't move in right away (or when you're done moving in) go down to the post office to get your mail key. Find your mailbox and grab your class schedule. This is a great time to wander around campus, find your classes, check out the library, and basically get comfortable at Saint Mike's.


From 11:30 - 2:00, Alliot offers a free lunch for everyone. You get to experience your first meal in Alliot with your parents! Soon after lunch your parents will probably head out on their own to explore campus or go to their hotel/head home. They're welcome to join the 'New Student Convocation' later in the evening, and if they're around for a couple days they can definitely find time to come back the next day, but after lunch you should finish moving in, bond with your roommate, and then go to your residence hall meeting.


At 5:30, head over to the lawn behind the library with your roomie to find your orientation group & have dinner. If you don't know which group you're in you can ask any o-leader. You have some more time to chill until 7:00 when you'll go to the 'New Student Convocation' at the church. Basically you'll get big welcome from President Neuhauser, as well as other Saint Mike's staff & students.


From here you'll walk over to Ross again for the 'Fun For All' (believe me, it is a blast!), then do any more room organizing until 10:00 when you'll have a floor meeting with your RA and floor-mates. Finally, spend some time with your roomie meeting all the guys or gals on your floor.



Move-in day is a long, chaotic, stressful, & busy day, but it's a blast and you'll have tons of fun. Hope you all have an amazing orientation - I can't wait to meet you all and welcome you to the Saint Mike's family!

How to successfully navigate Alliot

Hi guys! Three more days until orientation starts! I know all you first years must be pumped & I'm so excited to meet you all!


Last year, when I was a first year student, I was terrified of orientation. While I'm not shy, I'm also not a particularly outgoing person and I was a little worried about being out of my element and not knowing anyone. Obviously I made it through orientation okay (if you're nervous, remember that orientation is awkward but wonderful - I felt at home by the end of my first day!).

After orientation ends, all students return to campus. This isn't too big of a change, but it can definitely make eating in Alliot a little bit awkward. Here's why:


1. When ordering food at the egg station or stir-fry station, ordering sounds insanely complicated.

2. While there are trays out to carry all of your food to your table during orientation, there are considerably fewer trays during the rest of the school year. That means you either need to balance all of your plates, or go up several times to get everything you need.

3. After you get your food and head over to the tables, it looks like there are a trillion people sitting in the dining room...watching you.

4. With those trillion people in the dining room, it can be impossible to find your friends. Cue awkward wandering...

5. You regularly hear a hundred cups being dropped at once for no reason.

6. When you're done eating it looks like there's nowhere to put your dirty dishes.


Here are some tips to help you through your first few weeks in Alliot:


1. Ordering is easier than it sounds! If you can't follow along, just ask questions! Everyone knows that you're new and there will be no judgement. 

Harvey makes the eggs, & if you order from him enough he'll remember your order. For ordering eggs in the morning, you can ask for scrambled, egg whites, or fried eggs (they don't do eggs over easy). Also, if you want your eggs on a bagel, toast your bagel & hand them your plate when ordering - they'll make you an egg sandwich! Be sure to get to Alliot a little early on the days you want eggs - if you go right before class there will be a huge line.

Steve is the main cook at the stir fry station. For ordering here, just take a look at the ingredients and tell the chef which ones you want. You an also grab something from the salad bar to put in your dish. Steve can get a little grumpy when his station is really busy, but he's such a nice guy. Make friends with him & he'll be chatty & brighten your day! I love Steve, & I go to his station so much that he remembers that I don't like peppers in my food.

2. Definitely DO NOT try to balance all your plates at once. When someone drops a plate in Alliot, everyone in the dining hall claps for them. Embarrassing? Of yes, very. If you can balance things well, by all means do it! But if you're nervous that you'll drop something, there's no shame in taking several trips to get all your food.

3. Honestly, no one is watching you walk through Alliot. Okay, maybe that's not completely true, especially the first week of school when upperclassmen are checking out the freshmen and looking for their friends. But  after the first week or so, no one really watches you walk through Alliot. That being said, I know seniors that are still intimidated when they walk into the dining hall, especially when they're alone, so I totally understand if you're nervous!

4. Saint Mike's is a small school, but since we only have one dining hall, it can get pretty crowded. I suggest that you find a place to sit with your friends BEFORE you get food. That way you don't need to wait for them to sit down, nor will you need to do the awkward room scan searching for your friends.

5. Ah, the infamous Alliot cup drop. This usually starts when someone accidentally drops their cup, then everyone else follows suit and drops their empty cups too. It's kind of funny, kind of pointless. Basically it's just a Saint Mike's tradition! Be sure to pick your cup up afterwards to the Alliot staff don't need to clean it up for you.

6. There's a little area by the door into Alliot that has a trash can to dump your food into & a conveyor belt to put your trays, plates, cups, & silverware onto. It's simple - just throw your food out & plop your plate down, then you're on your way!


Eating in Alliot can be intimidating, but don't be nervous! Just find some friends or floor-mates to eat with & get friendly with the Alliot staff! I'll be posting more before orientation, but for now, happy packing!

Vlog Post: I Can't Wait to Meet the First-Year Students!

Yet another beautiful freeze-frame photo they chose for me

As I said, feel free to ask me any questions! No question is too silly (I asked a million detailed questions, so I'm sure my stupid questions trump all of yours!).


I'm so excited to meet you all in one week! Have a wonderful Orientation!!!!!

How to Rock Orientation

Happy Sunday! Hope you're all having a lovely summer!

With less than a month until all you 'class of 2016' students move in, you must be all excited! I'll be on campus throughout orientation & I'm looking forward to move-in day & to meeting all of you!

Before my orientation last summer, I was super nervous about my first year of college, and especially of move-in day and orientation. For lots of students, your first year of college is tough. It's absolutely fabulous, but it's also the first time you live away from home, you need to make new friends, you're more independent, and you have a more difficult course load. Even the most prepared students can get overwhelmed with all of that. During Orientation, it's important to take a deep breathe and to live in the moment. Forget about everything else and focus on moving in, meeting friends, and learning about Saint Mike's.

SO, HOW TO ROCK ORIENTATION 101:

1) Talk to everyone!

Just be friendly! The best way to make tons of new friends is to talk to everyone around you at orientation activities, in your hall, or while getting breakfast in Alliot. Remember that everyone is trying to make new friends, so they'll be overjoyed if you initiate conversation

2) Meet your roommate

This is a no-brainer. During orientation is a great time to get close with your roomie. Organize your room together, go to orientation activities or eat in Alliot together. Basically just get to know your roommate. Establish some rules for your room (like no guests past 12 pm during the week or clean your dishes after you use them) and make sure you have a mutual respect for one another. Your roommate can definitely become your best friend - I'm super tight with my roommate!

3) Attend every orientation event

This can be hard to do. When making new friends during orientation, it's easy to start spending time with them and stop attending orientation activities. While it's not the worst thing in the world (I mean, if you're skipping with friends it means you've already made friends - go you!) it's definitely beneficial to go to orientation events. This is because 1) they're fun (the 'Fun for All' on Friday night is so hilarious and 'Connections' shows you what an amazing, supportive community Saint Mike's is), and 2) the orientation leaders spent a lot of time planning them just for you!

4) Talk to your O-leaders

Your orientation leaders applied to be an O-leader, THEN went through a rigorous selection process, THEN had to attend training days before move-in. As upperclassmen, they know a lot about Saint Mike's. They know how to get over homesickness, which professors are great and which simply enjoy assigning mass amounts of homework; they even know what the best food in Alliot is, and which foods should be avoided at all costs. They know a lot about SMC and they want to share it with you!

5) Call your parents

If your parents are like mine, they're worried about you adjusting to college! I'm not saying that you should call them every single day, morning and night (in fact, that may be a tad bit unhealthy) but you should definitely check in with them to let them know that you're doing good. After all, they're sad to see you leave them after 18 years!

6) Find your classrooms

Basically just prepare a bit for Monday morning classes. Check out the mail room, know where the library is, find your classrooms, make sure you have all your books. Getting ready for classes, even just the tiniest bit, will really calm your nerves come your very first college class.

Hope these tips helped! Check out the orientation schedule here. If you have any questions about move-in, let me know! I'm so excited to meet all of you! Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Super Awesome College Tips

Hi everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July & are having an amazing summer!


A it gets closer & closer to move-in day (49 days to go!) I wanted to give all the first-years some tips for an amazing first year of college! Here goes:



1) Take advantage of campus resources
Moving in to college is kind of scary. Yes, it's amazing and fun and totally awesome but it's also a huge change. Don't be afraid of using all the resources around you! Orientation leaders are so happy to answer any of your questions, as are other students, staff, and professors. Everyone wants you to be comfortable & happy!

2) Alliot is pronounced 'ally-o'
This was by far the best advice I ever received before coming to Saint Mike's

3) Be friendly!
It's hard to be outgoing & friendly to everyone during orientation, especially since you don't really feel at home at Saint Mike's yet. No matter what though, it's extremely important to talk to people! No need to go crazy, just be a little friendly, chat with the people near you at orientation activities, and leave your door open when you're in your room so you can meet people on your floor.

4) Make a good impression on your professors
Obviously it's hugely beneficial to have your professors like you. More than that, when your professors know that you're a good student, they'll be more inclined to give you grades to reflect that. About 99% of this has to do with actually doing good work, but the other 1% has to do with how your professor feels about you. By arriving early or on-time to class, being respectful to your professor, contributing to class discussions, and going above and beyond on papers and assignments, especially early in the semester, professors will definitely like you and want to help you succeed.

5) Have fun!
Freshman year is a strange time because it's all about getting used to life on your own. For many people, college is the first time you're out on your own, away from your parents. You need to make new friends, get used to a new room, take harder classes, eat cafeteria food, etc. Everything is different and a lot of freshmen year is about exploring Saint Mike's and the surrounding area. While this is scary and nerve-wracking, it's so much fun!



I'm so excited for all you first-year students & I can't wait to meet you all next month! If you have any questions email me or send me a tweet!

Colorado Vacation

Hi everyone! Great news - I'm home from vacation!


My family vacationed in Colorado this year for a week. We went to Denver, Colorado Springs, and Boulder, and it was soooo much fun!


We first flew into Denver on a Saturday and spent the day exploring the city. The city was gorgeous - it was huge but so clean & there was a big pedestrian-only street that was very adorable. The weird thing is that Denver seemed so empty! After visiting Boston & New York City many times the lack of it just seemed so strange to me.


After that we drove to Colorado Springs. We stayed in a gorgeous hotel & spent a bunch of time relaxing at the pool. We also went white water rafting, zip lining, & biking down a huge 14,000 ft mountain - terrifying but so cool!

The view from the pool at our hotel

Finally, for the last 3 days of our vacation, we went to Boulder. This was my favorite city because it was gorgeous & the city was so cute! There were huge mountains in the background, plus lots of trees (a lot of Colorado was much more desert-like than I expected). Boulder had a busy downtown area, the main part of which was Pearl Street. It was very similar to Church Street - which I loved! It was filled with amazing restaurants & cool, quirky shops.

Part of Pearl Street with mountains in the background

One of my favorite restaurants in Boulder was the Dushanbe Tea House - it was a gift to the city of Boulder from Tajikistan. Not only was it delicious, but it was also very beautiful; the designs were so intricate and I was absolutely in love with the whole place.

A look at some of the carvings, statues, & fountain inside the tea house

All around, it was an amazing vacation. I loved spending time with my family, exploring Colorado, and getting to do some cool outdoor activities.

In other news, I mentioned in my last post that Lauren (my friend & fellow blogger) and I had a super awesome secret. Well now we can finally share it with you all (if you read Lauren's blog you'll already know the secret)! A few months ago we applied to start a branch of Her Campus at Saint Mike's.

Her Campus is an online magazine for college girls, started in 2009 by three Harvard grads. Hundreds of schools have personalized branches, and we wanted to join the ranks as leaders of the SMC branch! Thankfully, we were given the okay last week & we're in the midst of creating the branch & hiring staff! We couldn't be happier & I'm so excited for the branch to launch on September 11th!

If anyone is interested in writing for the Saint Mike's Her Campus Branch, please send me an email! Even if you're an incoming first-year & haven't even started at SMC yet, we'd love to get your perspective & have you write for us.

If you have any questions at all, send me an email! If it's about writing for Her Campus email me here. If it's about Saint Mike's, email me here. I can't wait to hear from all of you & I hope you're all having a wonderful summer!

Summer Adventures

Hi everyone! Hope you're all having a lovely end of school year/start of summer!


To all the soon-to-be first-years, CONGRATULATIONS on graduating from high school! That's a huge deal & while you may be a bit nervous for college, it's so exciting to be a college freshman!


Just a little update on my life...


I have a summer job as a counselor at a local summer camp but, since that doesn't start until the end of June, I've pretty much been chilling at home for the past month. It's been nice to have time to relax, and I've also been able to get a bunch of things done, like look into study abroad programs & start preparing for internships for either winter or summer break (I'm a bit early, I know. It's kinda crazy).


I've actually had a few camp trainings, and I just became CPR & First Aid certified for camp. My other big accomplishment this summer has been beautifying my bulletin board at home. It looked pretty awful but bulletin boards can be pricey, so I decorated mine using some fabric and paint. Here's the finished product:

Ta-da! Decorated & up on my wall!

I have also been working on a super secret project with my friend & fellow blogger Lauren. It has to do with blogging, but not for Saint Mike's (although I of course still love blogging about my love of SMC & will keep it up!). Lauren & I have done some great work together and, if all goes well, we can share our great news with you all soon!


My very last update has to do with a trip I took on Monday with my twin brother, Nick. Nick & I get along well & it's a little odd not seeing him all year while we're both at college (he goes to NYU). When we're home we like to go on adventures - we just spend an afternoon doing something fun, like getting lunch or going to the movies. On Monday we took a spur-of-the-moment trip to Boston & spent the day wandering the city.


First we went to Fanueil Hall & got terriyaki chicken for lunch. Afterwards we got cookies from 'The Boston Chipyard' and then looked at all the nearby shops. Next we went up to Beacon Street. For those of you who don't know Boston too well, Beacon Street is home to super wealthy people & is full of big, beautiful houses. We looked at some houses before going to the State House nearby. At the State House we walked around & saw the Governor's office & the room where they have big meetings and vote. Just before we left we saw Governor Deval Patrick giving an interview!

The State House is right in the middle with the gold top.

Ah, it's such a beautiful building!

One of the houses on Beacon Street.

So that's it! Tomorrow my family leaves for a trip to Colorado where we'll be hiking, biking, white water rafting, and zip-lining for the week! After that I'll upload some pictures from my trip & post some tips & Info for first-years!

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask! Send me an email or find me on Twitter!

'How can I become a blogger?'

Happy Tuesday!


I got this question on Formspring, but I accidentally deleted it and have no way of answering it. Whoops! So sorry about that anonymous-mystery-curious-question-asking-person!


So to answer your question...

First, I'm so happy that you're interested in blogging! Like you, I became interested in becoming a blogger the summer before my first year at Saint Mike's, just one short year ago!


Officially, blogger try-outs are held about once a semester. Usually an email is sent around to all students & any interested students can create a blog & basically practice blogging for a few weeks. Afterwards, bloggers are picked to become paid bloggers & any other interested bloggers are encouraged to stay on as volunteer bloggers.


Unofficially, you can email  our Blogger Coordinator, senior Gabbi Hall, or our Assistant Director of Marketing for Social Media, Christian Camerota. This is the path that I took last summer, however this may not be an option this year - it's all up to Gabbi and Christian.


On a side note, last year in my pursuit to become a student blogger I emailed Alexandra, a student blogger whose blog I read religiously all last summer, and I actually still read now. I emailed Alexandra to ask how to become a blogger, and then met her shortly after school started. I'm so very happy to say that I'm not only great friends with Alexandra, but we're also both team leaders of LINK, one of the campus ministry groups on campus. (My friend Merrill had a similar experience of meeting Alexandra, being inspired to become a blogger, and being a new team leader of LINK just like me!), Here's an adorable Facebook status that Alexandra put up a few weeks ago:

So anonymous-question-asker, I wish you the best of luck! Blogging is a lot of fun & a great way to make friends! I'm glad you're so interested in getting involved at Saint Mike's! If you have any questions, send me an email or find me on Twitter!

New Vlog Post!

Yet another beautiful picture they chose here...

I apologize again for not blogging recently, but be on the look out for more blog posts soon!

If you have any questions, send me a message on Facebook!

Saint Mike's Bucket List

Hi everyone!

As the end of my first year in college is drawing to a close, I thought I'd make up a sort of bucket list of everything that I want to complete (at SMC & anywhere else) before I graduate three years from now in May, 2015. I've already completed a few things, but here goes:


-Become a tour guide
-Live in a Townhouse
-Get an internship
-Join a mentoring program
-Go swimming in Lake Champlain
-Attend an SMC sporting event
-Study abroad
-Road trip to Canada
-Go on a school trip
-Go to the Burlington farmers' market
-Go skiing at Smuggs
-Go on a Wilderness Club trip/hike
-Learn to snowboard
-Go to the Ben & Jerry's Factory
-Take a social media class
-Go climbing on the rock-climbing wall in the Tarrant gym
-Be in a flash mob
-Sing a solo in Liturgial Choir
-Make the Dean's List
-Graduate


Of course these tasks are of varying degrees of difficulty, but I love having goals for the three years I have left here. There's so much to do in Vermont, I need to make sure I get everything done! I'll be adding to this list in the future, and make sure to check out the links to to activities I've already completed.

I have about one week left here at Saint Mike's before I'm home for the summer. Before I leave I still have a bunch of school work (some homework, two final papers, and a final exam) as well as some fun things, like going to a Cristina Perri concert on Saturday & going out to Burlington to celebrate (or I guess 'mourn' would be a more appropriate word?) our friend Vick transferring at the end of the semester.

Congrats to everyone who officially committed to Saint Mike's for next year - I can't wait to see you all in the Fall! Ask me any questions on Formspring or by email. Happy Tuesday!

Fall Class Schedule

Three weeks and the semester is over! Ahh, craziness! Right now I'm a bit swamped with work, but it's all okay since summer vacation officially starts May 10!

A few weeks ago we all picked our classes for the upcoming fall semester and I GOT INTO ALL MY CLASSES! This is truly a miracle because it's the first time I've gotten all four classes that I tried for. And so my next semester's schedule is:

-Managerial Accounting:
 Tues/Thurs, 3:00 - 4:35 with Professor Doyon

This semester my learning style didn't match too well with my accounting professor and I ended up dropping the class. I've heard great things about this professor and he seems energetic and  hilariously passionate about accounting. This class will count towards my business minor.

-Introduction to Philosophy:
 Mon/Wed/Fri, 8:30 - 9:35 with Professor L'Hote

I have work study in the Academic Affairs office, so I work in some of the deans' offices. My work study boss and one of the deans helped me pick my classes for next semester and assured me that this professor is absolutely amazing! This class will fulfill an LSR, a liberal studies requirement.

-General Psychology:
 Mon/Wed/Fri, 9:45 - 10:50 with Professor Adams

This introductory class is taught by the psychology department head. I didn't get into this class during registration, but the professor was great about helping me petition into his class. I was able to get in the day after registration. This class will count towards my psychology major.

-Research Methods I:
 Mon/Wed/Fri, 11:00 - 12:05 with Professor Boynton

This is a statistics class and is another class that I didn't get into during registration. Since General Psychology is a pre-requisite, I had to wait until after registration to see if there were any open spots for me in the class. The professor was incredibly accommodating and let me take the class even though I didn't have the pre-requisite and the class was full. The professor helped me get into the class the day after registration. This class will count towards my psychology major.



I couldn't be more thrilled with all of my classes! All of my professors seem amazing and the classes themselves are really interesting to me.


 Also, I've blogged before about 'Horses and Healing', my First Year Seminar class last semester in which my class volunteered at a therapeutic horseback riding farm once a week. For next semester's 'Horses and Healing' class, my friend Merrill and I were chosen to be Teaching Assistants, meaning we'll help out once a week during trips to the farm. I'm so happy!


So many amazing things have been happening to me lately! Despite all the stress of finals, I can't help but feel so blessed! I have so much more to share; be on the look out for many more blog posts coming soon!

Ask me anything on Twitter! Please!

Wonderful Burlington!

Hello!

As many of you know, the local downtown hang out for us Saint Mike's kids is Church Street in Burlington. Church Street is about 10 minutes away (we take the CCTA city bus system for free with our Knightcards!) & has tons of delicious restaurants, adorable shops, & entertaining street performers. My friend Lauren also blogged about this a bit - check it out!


Last weekend a bunch of us headed into Burlington on Friday to go out to eat & watch the sunset over Lake Champlain!

First we ate at Sky Burger - pretty cheap and SO good!

Then we all walked down to Lake Champlain - the sunset was gorgeous

A bit hard to see, but this is one of my favorite street performers.

Here he's doing a hand stand on top of five precariously balanced chairs.

The rest of my weekend was amazing too! As I'm mentioned before, I'm a 'big sister' in LBLS (Little Brother, Little Sister) Mentoring through the Saint Mike's community service group, called MOVE. On Saturday I went to Pizza Putt with my 'little sister' and we had so much fun! Pizza Putt has arcade games, pizza, a playground, bumper cars, and mini golf...and we did everything! She had a blast and it's sad that I can't see her all summer.




THEN on Sunday, Saint Mike's had Earth Fest! It was held in the gym because it was supposed to rain and there was so much to do - free burgers with all local ingredients, bike-powered smoothies, an amazing band called Mission South (which I'm not obsessed with), tie-dye, a chance to plant some flowers, and free Ben & Jerry's!

My friends Cait & Vick after planting some seeds in Ben & Jerry's containers.

Overall I had an amazing weekend - with all that Burlington & Saint Mike's has to offer, how can you go wrong? This weekend is sure to be amazing too - like I said in my last post, it's parents weekend so I get to show my parents all around SMC & Burlington!

Be on the look out for more lovely posts, coming soon! Email me with any questions!

Video Blog

Ahhh my very first Vlog post!


Inspiration struck...after I saw my friend Lauren's vlog post (it's pretty funny, so check it out here!). I know that technically I'm stealing this idea, but vlogging is so much fun!

Attractive freeze-frame photo they chose, huh?

As you can tell, life is just grand! It's been extremely busy and slightly stressful, but I've just been especially happy lately - it must be all of the warm, sunny weather!

Like I said, find me on Twitter, Formspring, or Facebook (so many ways to contact me...) OR Email me with any questions! If it's not obvious, I LOVE helping prospective students & talking about Saint Mike's so ask away! Look for some more info-packed blog posts coming soon!

'I Love Reading your Blog'

Hi Alex!

My name is Victoria and I am about 30 minutes from Boston. I have been reading all of the SMC Blogs since being accepted and I really enjoy reading your blog. This may be because I also research everything like crazy and am not the most outgoing person. It was also interesting to read that your are not the typical college student, which is another way I am similar to you. I am coming to visit for accepted students’ day this weekend and now I am not as nervous about college life. I have never seen St. Mike’s so I’m hoping I love it.

Keep it Up!

Hey Victoria!

Thanks so much for your email - it totally made my day! It's so refreshing to hear that my blog is actually helping prospective students like it's meant to!

How did you like your visit to Saint Mike's? I'd love to hear whatcha think & of course feel free to ask me any questions. In fact, find me on facebook, twitter, or formspring!

Also, I definitely recommend attending one of our 'Knight Chats' if you have questions about SMC. Have you heard about them before? It's basically like an IM chatroom sesh with a bunch of the current student bloggers. We're having one today from 7:30 - 9 pm & I'll be on it. Here's the link!

Again, let me know if you have any questions. Thanks so much for your feedback & positive words!