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Summer

Today is the last day of classes! The Friday before finals week at Washington College is always declared a Reading Day, meaning that there are no classes held to give students a chance to tackle their studying early. The campus hosts a number of activities like Shorefest which is held on the green, or a lunch in the Campus Garden. It’s hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that this is my last day of undergraduate ever. I am equal parts sad and excited about graduating, but I have a super fun summer ahead!

After graduation I’m driving back home to New York with my parents. A week after the ceremony we’re having a grad party where I’ll get to see family and friends. My good friends from PA and TX are coming to visit which will be lovely. I’m getting my wisdom teeth taken out at the end of May, then heading out to Netherlands for a vacation with my boyfriend’s family. I’m then flying back to the US where I’m going on vacation with my family, after which my boyfriend also flies to the US and we celebrate his 21st in Maine. We then fly back to the Netherlands together at the end of July and I start grad school the first! It’s going to be a crazy summer and there’s not a super long transition between undergrad and grad, but I’m looking forward to it!!

Now that my thesis is pretty much done I have a lot of free time on my hands! Which is good, but weird. I like being busy so I’ve taken up running into town as a hobby. There’s a really nice trail that goes behind the college that’s about 1.5 miles, and it puts you right in the center of town. Once there, I like to have a pastry at one of the cafes or a salad from a restaurant. Figg’s Ordinary is a gluten free and vegetarian restaurant that opened only a year or two ago and their food is super fresh and delicious. Sometimes I’ll get a meal to go and sit by the water to enjoy it. Friday’s and the weekend offer other Chestertown speciality experiences such as First Friday’s where restaurants and stores are open late, or festivals like the Harry Potter and Charles Dickens one where the town is transformed which is awesome to see.

This post is also a shout-out to spring on the eastern shore when everything is blooming and green. It’s my favorite time of year on campus and the weather’s been gorgeous to complete the whole picture.

Making friends in a new place can seem intimidating but in a small community like Washington College it’s really easy! The most important thing I like to remind people of is that every other first year student is also looking for friends. Maybe there are some students who know family or people from high school, but for the most part everyone is in the same boat when they start college. This means that people will be at their friendliest and want to get to know you!

Another point that I’m particularly mindful of as I get ready to graduate is that it’s okay for friend groups to change. Every year I’ve had a slightly different set of people in my life due to classes, study abroad, living arrangements, etc., but I’ve always had the same core members there with me. It’s okay if your best friends freshman year aren’t in your life senior year. People grow and change and that’s part of the beauty of college! It’s always possible to meet new people.

Learning outside of the classroom!

Sometimes my whole blog seems like an advertisement for study abroad... Without a doubt though study abroad is the best example of learning outside the classroom there is. Above are pictures from New Zealand, the Netherlands, China (Tibet), and India. In all of these locations I participated in Washington College study abroad programs that had a classroom component, but I learned so much in the hours not spent in the class. Grocery shopping and going out to eat were opportunities to practice the language. Getting lost in back streets gave me a sense of bearing in a new place and allowed me to witness everyday life instead of only the tourist spots. Finally, I learned a lot about myself from these outside of the classroom experiences. Being outside of my comfort zone pushed me to be more outgoing and take advantage of every opportunity offered. While the classroom components of education are important, it’s important to take time to reflect on and learn about yourself as well.

Why Washington College?

As senior year draws to a close I have been trying to find time to reflect on my time as a Washington College student. To be fair, I’m trying to fit this in with thesis, finals, prepping for grad school, and trying to make the most of my last month here, so I haven’t drawn a ton of conclusions yet, but it has been heavy on my mind. The word I would use to describe my feelings for this college is gratitude. The reason I am who I am today, both as a student and a person outside of the classroom, is undoubtedly due to the places, experiences, and people I have encountered during my undergraduate career.

I’ll start with people. Washington College attracts students from diverse backgrounds. Some of my dearest friends here are from states across the country as well as other countries. This makes the classroom at Washington College a diverse setting that facilitates debate and important dialogues. My professors have provided me with knowledge that makes me feel confident in my field. They are also incredible people and I have immense respect for them.

Chestertown has taught me a lot about community and learning to appreciate the beauty in seemingly mundane things. I’m not sure if I’ll ever have the chance to live in a place that is so connected to nature and I know I will miss the Chester River and downtown C-Town for a long time to come.

Experiences? Countless. Priceless. I have gotten to travel and do research that I had no idea was possible as an undergrad. I have been encouraged to see new heights and look at the world differently. I am immensely grateful for the funding I received from WC and I know that these experiences have shaped my future plans and way of life.

Why Washington College? It’s hard to put in words but I can say that it was a decision that has changed my life.

In honor of April Fool’s Day, here’s one of the weirdest emails I’ve gotten during my time at WAC. When the seasons changed all the bees came into one of your academic buildings and covered the floors and some of the walls. Because Washington College is a certified bee friendly campus, they had to wait a few days to bring in a bee expert to relocate the buzzing colony. Lots of classes were cancelled or moved to different rooms to accommodate this!

Admitted Student’s Day

Tomorrow is the big day! The campus is buzzing getting ready to meet the class of 2023 and there’s going to be a lot of fun times in store! I’ll be participating in the academic fair so come by if you’re interested in international studies (but I can also talk about anthropology and Chinese!)

One big tip I can give for ASD is to talk to other admitted students. I went to admitted student’s day on my own, but even with parents by your side, take time to introduce yourself to people signed up for the same info sessions and visiting the same places. I met one of my closest friends at Washington College during admitted student’s day and it’s crazy we’ve known each other for four years now! The campus is small so even if you don’t end up making a best friend it’s always great to have a familiar face on your first day of orientation.

After studying abroad for three semesters and absolutely loving the experience, it was a really big goal of mine to go back to the Netherlands long term. I really want to learn Dutch to a more fluent level and travel to see more of Europe.

I wrote about this in an earlier post, but I’m super happy to say that I will be attending graduate school at the Univeristy of Maastricht next year in their Politics & Society program! I’m moving back to the Netherlands at the end of July and I am really excited. I also received a full scholarship so the whole experience is a dream come true. I know that without WC I wouldn’t have the academic background that impressed the scholarship committee and I feel very prepared to take on the next step!

Advising Day!

Near the end of the semester Washington College has an advising day when students are supposed to meet with their professors to choose classes for the next semester. As this is my last semester I had no meetings so joined in on some campus activities. My roommate and I went to a sustainability fair on campus and made pollinator hotels. A bunch were made and will be hung up around campus to attract bees and other pollinators to settle in and do their important jobs on campus. The activity was hosted by the Center for Environment and Society as well as some other groups and it was nice to have a hands on experience.

In the afternoon, I had a latte and sandwich at evergrain in town while catching up on some homework! Advising day is in the middle of the week so while it feels like a weekend there are commitments.

De-Stress

It is thesis season for seniors at Washington College. The library is busy at all hours and everyone is noticeably stressing out. Here’s a list of some of my favorite ways to destress!

1) Bubble bath

I love taking a bath at the end of a long day. I didn’t have a bathtub until this year so I am extra grateful for baths. It’s a great way to have some dedicated relaxation time, and I like to add Lush bath bombs or epsom salts for extra joy.

2) Get off of campus

Sometimes it is important to get away from the environment that is causing the stress! This can be as simple as walking into town and sitting by the water, or taking a day trip to a nearby city.

3) Shopping

My wallet may not approve of this, but I really like going shopping, online and in stores. It’s fun to have something new to show off in your outfit or dorm as well.

4) Spending time with friends

Going out to dinner, chilling in a dorm room, spending time together in any way is super relaxing. Friends understand what you’re going through and are there to listen when you need to complain about classes/homework/life after college/ whatever is on your mind.

5) Pet a dog

Enough said.

Grad Schools and Professors

When you get into your senior year of college, chances are you’ve taken a lot of different classes with a lot of different professors. You know which ones you like and which one’s you don’t! And that’s perfectly okay.

Something to keep in mind throughout college is that professors can really help you outside of course material. I’ve gone to professors for advice on internships, help with applications, and even just to talk about life. I’m especially lucky to have great relationships with the department heads of both of my majors, and I also am very close with my Chinese professor.

In December of this year, I decided I wanted to go to grad school. This is REALLY late in the game, and it was a major time crunch to get all my applications submitted by the deadline. I sent my personal statements to all of the professors I mentioned and they offered feedback that was so helpful and really strengthened my application. I also went to the Writing Center for peer feedback!

In the end, I applied to four graduate programs, 3 in the Netherlands and one in China. Two programs were in Asian/China Studies, one in Politics & Society, and one in Culture, Organization, and Management. I’m really happy to see I’ve been accepted (so far) to two of these programs and will be continuing my studies next year at Maastricht University in the Netherlands! I am eternally grateful to my professors, friends, and family for their support.

Over spring break I went back to the Netherlands! Surprise.

During my year abroad in Leiden and The Hague I really fell in love with the country, the people, the entire way of life. I applied to grad school in the Netherlands (I’ll talk about that in a different post) and my boyfriend also lives there, so it was a very logical choice for spring break. I visited three grad schools in three different cities, met up with a WAC student who is currently studying abroad in Leiden, and spent some time relaxing and spending time with my boyfriend’s family.

I also had a weekend away in Belgium where I ate as many Belgian waffles as physically possible and struggled with the French language. I also visited the Drielandenpunt, the location where the borders of Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium meet which is also the highest point in the Netherlands. It was a great break and I am finally getting over the jet lag of being back!!

Arts Day at WAC

This past weekend was Washington College’s Arts/Sciences/Business/Sophie Kerr Day! What a mouthful. It was really great to see so many new faces on campus and I hope everyone that attended was able to learn more about the school and see how they might fit here.

I’m not a super science-y, or business-y, or English-y person (I’d love a Social Sciences day, I guess) but I am involved with the arts on campus! Last semester I was in a SCE play directed by one of my good friends and former suitemates. Students who visited over the weekend had the chance to see an SCE production, and these are always impressive. A few weeks ago I went to WAC’s production of Godspell and was truly blown away with how well it was done!

I also do music at WAC! My roommate for three semesters was a music major, and I’m an ethnomusicology minor, so I have taken a lot of classes in the department. We have a really cool world music program and I’ve learned a few new instruments in these classes. During my sophomore year my roommate and I hosted a prospective music student for the arts day and they really arrange a great program.

Even if you’re not an arts major, it’s possible to get involved with these groups on campus, and the same goes for all the other programs highlighted this weekend!

My go-to meals at the dining hall lately have been wraps and homemade protein bowls. While it can be hard eating vegetarian at school, there is always rice available, the salad bar usually has beans and chickpeas, and the vegetarian section is decent at providing roasted veggies. Throw it all together and it’s a super yummy bowl that is filling and veggie!!

Wraps are great because you can stuff them full of cheese and veggies. I also love the sauces available, especially pesto mayo. One wrap is plenty for a meal!

Downstairs at Martha’s I’m a big fan of the bean burrito. I add my own salsa at home to spice it up even more!

TV Time

While falling down the Netflix hole at college can be dangerous, I also find that watching a great show or movie is a great way to destress. I really like watching stuff when I’m at the gym as it passes the time and lets me stay caught up with my shows while also working out. Great stuff.

My favorite show that I’ve found this year is definitely The Good Place. I’m a really big fan of 30 minute shows on Netflix because you can fit an episode in easily. The good place explores ethics and morality in a really great plot line, and the acting is amazing. The whole story is unexpected and it doesn’t fall into any of the typical sitcom traps. Each season ends on a cliffhanger and I highly recommend giving it a watch!!

The freshman housing process can seem super stressful, but I promise it’s not so bad! Even if you end up in not a great rooming situation you can move or spend time in your other friends rooms to have some time away.

When I enrolled as a freshman, I chose to live in Presidential Fellows housing. This was traditionally Kent House, but there was overflow to second floor of the all girl’s Reid Hall. I got super lucky with my freshman roommate, even though we don’t live together anymore she is still one of my closest friends! Pictured is us from freshman year birthday ball, to senior year. We met in the Class of 2019 Facebook group, she was planning on majoring in the same thing as me and liked music so we messaged a few times and decided to be roommates. It’s funny because I didn’t end up majoring in music, and she didn’t end up majoring in International Studies, but at the time it was a solid choice because our room was tiny and we spent a lot of time literally within four feet of each other. As I said I was extremely close with her, and our whole floor was really a good community. We’d leave our doors open and people would wander in to say hi or have a ranting session or eat each other’s food. I do know people that did not have great situations, but when it comes to second year you can choose your roommates and have a bigger space to live in as well.

Birthday ball!

Even though I’m a senior, because of the way my study abroad semesters lined up, this was only the second birthday ball I’ve gone to! I was really lucky as my friend who I met studying abroad, and have since traveled to Asia with and visited in Texas, flew up to attend the event and experience Chestertown. She went to school in Austin, a giant city, so I think she was really intrigued about small town life.

One of the best parts about birthday ball is getting ready. My friends and I all ordered Italian food from Luisa’s in town and had a great meal together before starting the prep process. As you can see in the pictures, we basically had a hair curling train going, and there was a similar process with makeup as well. We then took fancy pics in the CAC and headed off to the dance. A lot of alumni come back for the dance and it was great to see people I have missed since they graduated! At midnight the dining hall holds a midnight breakfast which is a super fun tradition to take part in.

Overall, I enjoyed the night and maybe I’ll come back one day as an alum!

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