I am at that point in my life: Declaring a major. I could consider myself lucky. I mean compared to other European students I didn't have to make this epic life decision until now.

Academic Resources on Campus. The first time I heard about them was during my first campus tour; and to be honest I kind of tossed that information aside. Thankfully, however, during my Student Ambassador training I was reminded again of the academic resources offered on campus; such as tutoring in certain areas that you are struggling with, proofreading papers, and help with student resumesl!

Things are going smoothly for the most part. It's the middle of week 3 of Spring term. One of the more defining aspects of this term for me is the fact that I'm not enrolled in one of my classes. As a student, that is. This term I'm serving as an aide to Professor Minear, chair of the psychology department and a teacher who I can say is one of my largest mentors on the campus.

I was occupying my time one night by perusing the Internet, when I found a link on Facebook.  It led to a website called Kickstarter, highlighting a project by my friend and fellow C of I student, Katy Stewart.  

Certain moments leave a tremendous impact on your life that forever change the way you perceive the world.

For me this event occurred during Winter Break. Winter Break is an amazing time of year C of I students are blessed with that many other schools do not have. Therefore, when you are visiting your friends from other schools during Winter Break you can rub it in their face! :)

I have come to understand the word prioritization this semester. Yes, it is only day three of the term, and yes, I probably should have comprehended this word in its entirety prior to college. Probably even prior to middle school.

In studying Elementary Education, I learn many different classroom strategies and management styles.  However, one thing that stands out to me is a method called Tribes, in which students learn in a classroom that focuses on human growth and learning, with an emphasis on creating a positive learning community.

I like snow. I don’t like the after-product, which more often than not translates into monster puddles. We had our first real day of snow at The College last week, and to the amusement of the students, the Finney Fun Run occurred as usual. Although I had planned on staying on the sidelines this year, I ended up running for the second time, braving the winter cold in little more than a pirate hat.

Thinking back to this time last year I was knee deep in college applications and school work. If you are a student currently in this position you might be asking yourself; is this worth it? I certainly did. The answer (well, specifically my answer) is yes. Yes it is.

Advice to all of you incoming freshman: the more time you spend now finding scholarships, filling out applications, etc. is that much less stress in college. So do it! Acknowledge that you have to endure the rain to get a rainbow and that it will definitively pay off in the end.

We meet again, Winter Term.

3-5 credits packed into four tiny weeks…The sheer chaos begins!

In all honesty, Winter Term here at the C of I is quite nice.  Yes, you may have a workload that exceeds that of Apple’s CEO, however you have all day to do it.  The days feel long, but the weeks feel short, and everyone falls into a steady little rhythm.