Deciding to take my final semester of college courses via an all-online format was not a smooth process. I went back and forth between a certainty that I was ready to move back to campus and a fear that if I did go back, I would not be as healthy of a student and person as I might be learning at home. Before the on-campus … Continue reading Making the choice to learn from home: The reason and the results
Last January, I went on a J-Term course to Iceland titled “Glaciers, Volcanos, Sagas, and Songs: Interweaving Culture & Landscape in Iceland.” A big part of the course was looking at how isolation both from the world and from other Icelanders shapes Icelandic culture. At the time I had no idea how intimately I’d get to know isolation. We spent a few days in Reykjavík … Continue reading Faith of darkness: Iceland and isolation
I could’ve sworn the air was fizzing as it’s that time of year again, Gusties. Flu season is right around the corner, and I’m here to encourage anyone and everyone to please, if you haven’t already, stop by Health Service’s handy dandy flu shot clinic to get vaccinated. Now, given that I’m requesting you get a needle poked into your arm, I feel obligated to … Continue reading Get your flu shot, folks
After three weeks of crying and cursing the school for delaying my move-in, I am finally back on campus; what a relief. Now all is well, and I am as happy as can be. Except that’s not true at all. Somehow, I’ve found myself unhappier than before. When the school first announced they would be delaying move-in day for upperclassmen, I was extremely frustrated, as … Continue reading Did I make the right decision?
As the second week of “on-caus” class begins for many Gusties, many of us are starting to realize that Zoom university from our dorm rooms is not much different than Zoom university from our houses. The sudden change that many students were faced with just days before move-in weekend took many students off-guard, including myself. Finding out that all my classes were to stay online … Continue reading The myth of in-person classes
If you read nothing but the first sentence of this article, I want you to know that being less social and taking time for yourself is completely respectable and a positive thing to do. If you know me, you probably recognize me as a very extroverted person who loves everything to be happening all the time. I love to go-go-go. I aim to find those … Continue reading Why it’s okay to be less social than usual
I could’ve sworn the air was fizzing as I drove up College Avenue on move-in day, bubbling over with a months-old accumulation of nerves and anticipation. Like many Gusties, I’d been eyeing this day for weeks, wondering when and if it would ever arrive. Now that it has come and gone, I have to say it was not what I was expecting from a COVID-era … Continue reading Upperclassmen move-in: Expectations vs. reality
The Evelyn Young Dining Hall (or, as Gusties prefer to it, the Caf) has always been the most prominent spot on campus for student life. It’s where students eat, study and socialize with friends. There’s something ominous about the way the Caf sucks you in. There have been many times when I’ve gone to breakfast with a friend and ended up staying until dinner. Time … Continue reading The Caf during COVID-19: Should we be concerned?
Gusties, it’s beginning to look a lot like fall here on the Hill. Although it may be trite to say, fall is absolutely my favorite season. It’s basically spring, but less wet. I cannot wait to step on some leaves on the sidewalk and hear that oh-so-satisfying CRONCH, for the mosquitoes to die from the cold, to traverse campus with an iced coffee from Dunkin’ … Continue reading Gusties Will Shine: So let our candles shine, too
We should all be thanking Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG) right now. And we definitely should have been thanking her before her death. The way that American women move through the world is radically different than the way they did over fifty years ago. While five decades may seem like quite a long time ago, consider the fact that you are only one generation away from … Continue reading Respecting a Lost Leader
