Spring is in the Air

Good Morning!

The Monday after spring break, and it certainly feels like spring! It's going to be 70-80 degrees all week it's absolutely gorgeous here!

SO the week before spring break was a bit of a roller coaster for me. I wasn't doing too well in Accounting, and ultimately came to the decision (with help from my professor, advisor, friends, & mom) that I need to withdraw from the class. It was a pretty difficult decision to make, but after thinking about it & researching the repurcussins of withdrawing, I found that if I withdraw, my grade won't count & will not affect my GPA. Instead, a withdrawal will show up on my transcript, which is not a bad thing if you only have one or two early in your college career. Now, I'm pretty happy that I withdrew from Accounting so that I can focus more on excelling in my other classes.


Also, before spring break I found out that I'M A TOUR GUIDE! It may be obvious since I'm a student blogger, but I LOVE talking to prospective students. Since I was in that same place a year ago, I understand how difficult it can be to choose a college. At the same time, I am in love with Saint Mike's & I want to share that love! I couldn't be happier that I was chosen to represent SMC!


In the tour guide realm, I hosted a prospective student (for the day) on Monday. She came to class with me, then we had lunch with a few of my friends. I really enjoyed meeting her & her mom - it was so much fun to show them around campus, and definitely made me even more excited about being a tour guide! The best part? I'm pretty sure they had as much fun as I did (well, at least I hope they did!).



There's more to come later this week - all about my spring break, recent activities being planned to thank our wonderful & generous alumni, & of course my life her at Saint Mike's. Enjoy the beautiful weather! Formspring me with any questions!

The Saint Mike's Atmosphere

Saint Mike's: n. The absolutely wonderful college - with a loving, caring community, beautiful campus, and amazing teachers & staff - that I am lucky enough to attend.


Today I was working on tour guide applications with my amazing friend Cait (because I'm so enthusiastic about SMC that I would just LOVE LOVE LOVE to show some prospective students around!) & we were discussing the atmosphere here. Let me just put it out there...it's pretty much a killer atmosphere.


Since I toured Saint Mike's in high school, I fell in love with the campus and the community aspect that the school had. While I didn't commit to coming to SMC right away, I knew that this school was special (check out my very first blog post which explains this!) - and now I know that I made the right choice in coming here!

Today I saw on the 'Saint Michael's College Class of 2016' Facebook page, prospective students feel the same way as I did ! Here's a look into what some (possible) future Purple Knights are saying:

Another lovely SMC/Facebook moment that I stumbled upon the other day? An adorable status by a Saint Mike's senior:

I apologize for the funky formatting, BUT it just makes me so happy to see other Saint Mike's students/prospective students who love SMC as much as I do!

For any students trying to make their final decisions for college, I definitely recommend a campus tour - especially if you're interested in Saint Mike's! Also, high school seniors interested in Saint Mike's, join the 'Saint Michael's College Class of 2016' Facebook page - it's a great resource to ask questions & interact with other prospective students!

If you have any other questions, ask away! Tweet me or find me on Formspring!

The Benefits of Home VS. College

Hello!

It's another lovely, sunny day here at Saint Mike's! Earlier today I had Accounting, Spanish, and Psych, & right now I'm in work study. Soon I'll be back in my room studying (oh boy!).

So this past week we had Friday off - that meant NO CLASSES and a THREE DAY WEEKEND!

I actually had another class that was cancelled on Thursday (meaning I only had ballet on Thursday) so I left Wednesday night to visit my parents for the weekend in Massachusetts!


I had an absolutely amazing weekend at home! My weekend started off with a new season of Survivor Wednesday night - if you read my blog regularly you'll remember that I LOVE Survivor & even sent in an audition video earlier this year, which you can check out here. Thursday I did some homework & met my mom for lunch (since she was at work, of course). Then I mostly slept, watched tv, and did some hardcore relaxing for the rest of the weekend. I also saw my aunts & cousins at a family birthday party & made some rice crispie treats with my wonderful friends Michelle & Cait!


SO after having an amazing time being home, I decided to talk about the benefits of being at home vs. being here at school:

Benefits of Being Home:

1. My Giant Bed: At home I have a big, queen-sized bed. Compared to my twin bed at school, it's just so huge! Actually, it may be unnecessarily large for a short girl like me...

2. Home-cooked Meals: Don't get me wrong, I love Alliot! As far as college food goes, it's pretty amazing. There's always something delicious to eat & I love chatting with Steve, one of the chefs, while ordering. However, there's just something about eating homemade food - it's delicious!

3. Seeing my Family: This is a no-brainer! While I'm not the type of person to get homesick, I obviously miss my parents while I'm at school. I usually call them every couple of days, but being able to see them is totally different. This break I also got to see some of my aunts, cousins, and friends. After not seeing them for a while, it was absolutely wonderful to see them too!

4. Being Lazy: Of course I'm lazy at school as well, but I feel so much less guilty when I lounge around, watch tv, and do nothing at home versus at school. Plus there's so much less stress to do anything because there aren't any dorm socials or weekend events like there are at Saint Mike's!


Benefits of Being at Saint Mike's:

1. Friends: I am definitely more social at school than I am at home, mostly because all of my friends live so close! Whenever I'm bored I can usually find a friend who's not busy & wants to hang out.

2. My Roommate: This may seem like an odd addition to the list because most people don't like sharing their room. I definitely love having a room to myself when I go home, but I also adore my roommate - she is so sweet and totally hilarious! When I go home my room is just too quiet!

3. Alliot: Although I love home-cooked meals when I go home, it's also nice to have Alliot right close by. Being in the quad, I'm less than five minutes from Alliot. It's great to be able to stop in to grab a snack or some tea in between classes.

4. Activities: When I'm home I miss all my activities, like LBLS mentoring & Lit Choir! They definitely make my weeks here chaotic but I love being busy & seeing my 'little sister' and choir friends.


SO there you have it - in summary, being & school and being at home are both amazing! Now I'm off to get some studying done. If you have any questions formspring me! I love talking to prospective students & bragging about Saint Mike's!

SMC Choir Trip & Exciting News

HELLO!

So as I mentioned in my last post, I am in the Liturgical Choir here at school & last weekend we went on a trip to Maine!

This trip was absolutely amazing! We left Thursday afternoon after classes & returned Sunday evening. During the weekend, we sang at four Masses, two at Catholic high schools and two at local churches. Father Brian (one of the priests here at Saint Mike's who is head of the Edmundite Campus Ministry) came with us and said each Mass.

SO, since this trip was so absolutely fabulous, I thought I'd share some pictures, as well as a few tracks from past choir trips (because the recordings of our trip won't be ready until sometime after lent):

MUSIC:



"Standin' in the Need of Prayer" although this is from

last year, we sang this on the trip

The choir doesn't sing this song anymore,

but I absolutely love it!

We did sing this song on the trip - I love it!

The song starts at about 2:30, but the first

part is an instrumental by Jerome

We did not sing this on the trip, but we

have been singing it recently!

PICTURES:
(here's the really good stuff)

Amelia, Emma & Me at our first Mass

A little difficult to see, but this is Amelia

& Me in Portland when we had some time to walk around

and be goofy. Amelia found a juice bar

called the "Maine Squeeze" & we just HAD to take a picture

Emma, Me, Amelia, & Merrill in Portland!

Me & Emma at one of the high schools after Mass

FIERCE!

Group photo at the second high school!

We just needed to capture the

"NUN BETTER"banner

SO as you can probably tell, this trip was just so much fun! I love choir & it was great to be able to spread our happiness & faith through song! I had a great time with my friends & I really enjoyed getting to know the other choir kids a little more! I also have to give a shout out to Father Brian & Jerome Monachino, director of the liturgical choir, for such an amazing trip! They worked hard to make it a success!

On a side note: Saint Mike's was just named a Fair Trade College -- the first college in Vermont to get that title! Find our what exactly that means here!

If you have any questions about Saint Mike's or about the liturgical choir, let me know! Tweet me!

The Crazy Life of a College Kid

HELLO EVERYONE!

How are you all? I am kind of exhausted but I'm pumped to be back at SMC, getting stuff done and blogging like a boss.

But for real, I have been crazy busy since I've been back at Saint Mike's. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love it, and the chaos is partially self-inflicted. However, I thought I'd give you a little run down of a general week for me at SMC! This is my schedule for this whole entire week:

Monday:

8:15 Wake up & get ready for a fun-filled week!
9:15 BREAKFAST
9:50 Accounting class
11:00 Spanish class
12:10 Psych class
1:10 LUNCH TIME
2:00 Time to study like a boss
6:30 DINNER
7:00 More studying until bed

Tuesday:

8:15 Wake up
9:15 BREAKFAST
10:00 Work study
12:30 LUNCH
1:10 Christianity class
2:50 Ballet class
4:30 LBLS (I mentor a first grader every Tuesday)
8:00 Watching Glee & New Girl with my friend Emma (love those shows!)
9:30  Homework until bed

Wednesday:

8:15 Wake up
9:15 BREAKFAST
9:50 Accounting class
11:00 Spanish class
12:10 Psych class
1:10 LUNCH TIME
2:00 Time to study like a boss
6:00 DINNER
6:30 Lit Choir (I sing in the church choir & it is SO much fun)
7:30 SNACK TIME (my friend Merrill & I take a break & usually have cereal or ice cream in Alliot)
8:00 LINK (this is a faith sharing group through campus ministry that Merrill & I attend; we don't go every week, but most weeks we go)
9:00 Homework until bed

Thursday:

8:15 Wake up (by this time in the week, it's usually pretty difficult to get up)
9:15 BREAKFAST
10:00 Work study
12:30 LUNCH
1:10 Christianity class
2:50 Ballet class
4:30 Study time!
5:45 DINNER
6:30 Zumba!
8:00 Studying until bed

Friday:

8:15 Get up early AGAIN
9:15 BREAKFAST
9:50 Accounting class
11:00 Spanish class
12:10 Psych class
1:10 LUNCH TIME
2:00 A little more studying before the weekend
6:00 DINNER
7:00 Free for the weekend!


Wow, that makes me even more exhausted just reading through that. On weekend mornings, my friends & I get some delicious brunch in Alliot (they have make-your-own waffles!). Then, we study during the day & usually watch movies or head into Burlington at night.

So, here is a little video summary of the life of a college student:

Oh Arthur, what a good show, right? I kind of miss the days when it was socially appropriate to watch it...



This weekend I have a not-so-typical weekend - the Saint Mike's Liturgical ensemble is taking a trip to Maine! We leave Thursday night and return Sunday just before the Super Bowl. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures & fill you all in on the action. Until then, email me with any and all questions about Saint Mike's!

The SMC Life

Hello everyone!

I am officially back at Saint Mike's! It's been a crazy week full of work and activities, but I'm so happy to be back with my friends and I love my new classes! Since I have a ton of homework to finish up tonight, here's just a quick review of my week:



Sunday:
I arrived at Saint Mike's! On Saturday night my roommate, Lhanzi, took the train from Boston to Franklin (5 minutes from my house) and stayed the night. Then, Sunday morning, we packed up and headed back to SMC! My brother came along to check out my school and have fun in Burlington.

Monday:
Classes started! Monday/Wednesday/Friday I have Accounting, Spanish, and Psychology. After classes my brother and I went into Burlington and ate at the Skinny Pancake, a crepe place that has delicious food and adorable decor.

Tuesday:
More classes! Tuesday/Thursday I have my Christianity and Dance classes. Also, my brother left Tuesday morning via Megabus, which I've mentioned before as being so quick and cheap! They have a bus that leave from Burlington and arrives in Boston.

Wednesday:
After classes I had liturgical choir, where we practiced for an upcoming trip to Maine. In two weeks we'll be gone from Thursday afternoon to Sunday night, and we're going to sing at a bunch of high schools and parishes in Maine. I am so so so excited for this trip - it's going to be a blast!

Thursday:
Just more classes and getting some homework done in the library.My friend Emma and I studied together and caused shenanigans when we started laughing at EVERYTHING (...we were pretty exhausted). We also found a new amazing place to study!

Emma, Merrill, Me, and Vick - and yes, we all wore plaid

on Thursday on purpose.

Friday:
I had an absolutely exhausting week with so much school work! Friday night my friends Merrill, Emma, Vick, and I watched a movie and generally just had a crazy fun time together. I didn't realize how much I missed them over break!

Saturday:
We did SO MUCH HOMEWORK on Saturday. Merrill, Emma, Vick, and I spent about five hours in the library studying. Then we got some dinner and met up with our totally amazing friends Inali and Amelia! We all went to the Comedy Battle at Higher Ground. It was hilarious and we had so much fun! I saw my blogger friend Lauren there - check out a couple videos from the night on Lauren's blog.

Sunday:
So many errands! Since I now have my car on campus (go Saint Mike's for allowing first-years to have a car second semester!) my friends & I did a whole bunch of errands AND went to the Skinny Pancake for some breakfast (yes...I believe that I am addicted). After doing some more homework I went to church/liturgical choir, and now here I am!




So, I have had an amazingly chaotic but happy first week back at Saint Mike's! Being back here reminds me how much I love my friends, my classes, and my school! Next week is sure to get even busier with LBLS (Little Brother, Little Sister Mentoring) and ZUMBA starting up again! I'm excited but I'm feeling the tiniest bit stressed!

Be on the look out for some new posts coming about my classes, having a roommate, and a whole bunch of other good stuff. Tweet or Formspring me with any questions about SMC!




P.S. Check out these beautiful pictures of Saint Mike's:

The green just outside the library!

The library - it's gorgeous!

First Post of 2012!

HELLO!


As the end of vacation nears, I'm gearing up to start studying again at Saint Mike's! While I'm excited to see my friends (and okay, I'm a little excited to start classes - Spanish, Accounting, Psych, Ballet, and Christianity), I'm definitely going to miss seeing my family and being lazy!

SO as an apology to my lack of blogging this past month, here's a little review of my vacation:


1. Being lazy - and boy, have I been lazy! It's been really great to not have any school work and to sleep in most days.

2. Catching up with my friends - I have gone on so many mall runs and coffee breaks with my friends! It's been such a relief to hang out with my friends and see that nothing's changed with us - we've all just picked up where we left off.

3. Seeing my family - when I'm at school I really miss my parents and brother, and I've loved seeing them this past month!

That's my twin brother and I - charming, right?

4. Working - oh the joys of work! I actually like my job (I mean as much as you can like working). I work at a pet fish store, which has not only helped me learn so much useless info. about fish, but has also been fun. I absolutely love my bosses and the girls I work with.

5. Visiting Cambridge - I went to Cambridge twice this vacation - once with my family for New Year's Eve, and once with my mom to shop and get lunch. Here are some lovely pictures of my adventures:

Such an artsy photo - kudos to my mom.

This is a masterpiece - just me and Charlie Chaplin chillin.

Ahh, it's Harvard! I felt so prestigious on that campus.

Get it? Like Thelonious Monk the jazz musician...but a restaurant.

 Definitely the funniest mannequins I've ever seen.

 

6. Getting my Gold Award - I think I mentioned before that I was a Girl Scout for thirteen years, and this past summer I got my Gold Award, which is the highest award a Girl Scout can earn! About a week ago, I officially got my award, and I'm so happy! I'm waiting to get a couple pictures from the night, which I'll upload soon!

 

All in all, an absolutely amazing winter break! But now I'm ready to get back to SMC, start some new classes, see my friends, and go skiing! Most importantly, if you have any questions about Saint Mike's, PLEASE send me an email - I love to talk about SMC!