Tessa Studies Something Somewhere

My name is Tessa. I'm a rising senior at Northeastern University currently pursuing a degree in Journalism with a double minor in CS and game design. I'm originally from LA but have basically made Boston my home these past few years. Currently a Production & Operations co-op at BookBub.

[introflessatessa]

I’m going to study something somewhere.

Hello! Hi. This is awkward. So I have not actually posted on this blog in forever and now it’s suddenly got a different name and url (and an updated description).

That’s because starting July 6 I’ll be studying abroad at Lorenzo de’ Medici Institute in Florence! (And also because I’m no longer an official blogger because as fun as that was I don’t really have the time for it anymore. But you can still ask me questions, I promise.) I decided to take Italian (after switching majors) because I’ve wanted to travel to Italy since I was 12 years old. And now I’m doing it. But that’s not all! I’ll also be traveling through Europe with Katherine, another former blogger, from the end of study abroad (early August) to August 22nd. We don’t have concrete locations laid out yet other than needing to be in Paris by August 22nd for my flight home but we’re getting there.

I’m super excited but also terrified because a) anxiety and b) I’ve never traveled in Europe without my family before. Right now I’m helplessly falling into spreadsheets and itineraries and official documents but I plan to document my journey here. But like I said feel free to ask Northeastern questions here too. I don’t know how to end these things (still) so

[introflessatessa]

I guess you could say I survived. #boston (at The Fens (Boston, Massachusetts))

[introflessatessa]

CONGRATS ON YOUR ACCEPTANCES, NEW HUSKIES!

If I haven't liked your acceptance post yet, let me know! I and the rest of the bloggers are here if you have any questions about student life. Also I'm incredibly in awe of how smart you young pups are. Like, the accepted GPAs and test scores go up each year and there's no way I could've competed with all of you. Congrats once again!

[introflessatessa]

I don't even want to talk about how many layers I'm wearing right now.

[caroalonsog-blog]

[heytiffanybee]

[holdingonforlove]

[northeasterncamd]

Over the past few years, the relatively new Department of Game Design has welcomed students from around the world who have contributed an incredible range of talents, ideas, passions, and ambitions to the program. Meet Julia, a sophomore Game Design major.

Name Julia W.

Hometown Ivoryton, CT

What is the favorite video game you are currently playing? Super Smash Bros Wii U.

What is your favorite video game of all time? Super Mario Galaxy 2, because it has my three favorite game mechanics: jumping, exploring, and Yoshi.

What has been your favorite Game Design course so far? GAME 3700: Rapid Idea Prototyping for Games, taught by Celia Pearce.

How would you describe the Game Design program? It’s a new program, so things are constantly changing and improving. They’re really open to feedback, and it’s great for students who are motivated to customize their major to their interests.

What was your biggest surprise about your experience here? At the Global Game Jam last year, I made a video game with a team of upperclassmen and the creative director from Harmonix. I was so psyched to be participating on such an experienced team as a freshman!

Why did you choose Game Design at Northeastern? I love games. As soon as I learned that Game Design was a major at college, I knew that that was what I wanted to do. At Northeastern, I can explore all the different parts of game design, from art, to code, to marketing, and more.

What is some advice to students considering Northeastern? You won’t find another game development and college community like the one in Boston. Be sure to check out the Game Development Club on campus, and other events like Boston Post Mortem and the Boston Festival of Indie Games.

[introflessatessa]

Check out my friend Julia who I worked on both Pression and STAR Submarine with AND made a bomb diffusal game with in Rapid Idea Prototyping for Games!

[climateadaptation-deactivated20]

Boston.

[pipistrellus]

soon they will be ripe

[sunsoutimout-deactivated2015030]

[introflessatessa]

I am a business casual onion.

So I’m currently 1/6 into my first co-op, where I’m a brand writer on the games team at Hasbro. Hasbro is located in Rhode Island, and I commute daily on the Providence train from Ruggles. And since I live off campus, this means I’m forced to layer up every morning to get through the Fens without freezing. And then I have to make myself look presentable at work by wearing something business casual underneath.

Or, you know, as presentable as one can get at 5 in the morning.

Here’s what I usually do:

1. Wear a beanie. Even if my hair is wet from the shower. Especially if my hair is wet from the shower. 2. Wear gloves. Because I prefer not to have ice blocks for hands. 3. Wear a down jacket with a cardigan underneath. I feel weird wearing big jackets indoors, but it does get cold at the office. Cardigans are useful for that. 4. Wear thick socks. Even with flats. You can always take them off at work. 5. Wear snow boots for the commute. Clearly my toes were cold the first couple of weeks.

And a bonus: keep a warm blanket at your desk. Of course, you can always just borrow your friend’s while she’s away from her desk (thanks Taylor!).

And if those don’t keep you warm, then I suggest filling your body with molten lava. Our using those heat packs you can get at REI. Your choice, really.

[introflessatessa]

So my phone wasn't working but now it's showing the images so yay! Responding to asks on the phone means no uploading pics, so I think this works (sorta). Anyway - hi anon! Sorry for the late response, but I hope you still like my blog! First and foremost, I figure you may appreciate this graphic on diversity on and off campus at Northeastern. From a real person perspective, I'd say Northeastern is pretty diverse, and I come from a really diverse city. People are people, but I'd say that for the most part people are pretty welcoming. I mean, in my third year I've joined three more clubs thanks to their super welcoming eboards, and I've made a lot of friends within my first three weeks of co-op. Most of my professors have also been welcoming, to the point that I've been visiting a few on my way back from work on Fridays. I've really loved my time at Northeastern, but I think that was due to my opening up and joining different student organizations on campus. My first year, I was pretty holed up in my room and stressed out about being so far away from home, but now I really feel at home here. I hope some of that helped!

[introflessatessa]

Hey guys, I'm blogging from inside of Hasbro. Only briefly though - I'm at work. I'm also not allowed to take any pictures inside of the building or disclose anything I'm working on. I can tell you all that I'm the Brand Writing co-op for the Games Academy, where I do a lot of writing and editing for Hasbro Gaming. I also get to playtest new games and run playtests for designers. Basically I'm doing a perfect mix of everything I've learned in school the last couple of years, which is pretty cool. The free toys and games on my desk don't hurt either. I've got to get back to work though - update coming soon, I promise.

[xochitlandboston]

Ryder Hall, Northeaster University (missing this place a lil)

[introflessatessa]

Hey everyone! I know we're two weeks deep into co-op and a week into spring semester but we already get a holiday this weekend! What's everyone doing for the long weekend? I'll be catching up on sleep, that's for sure. Full update (though extremely vague for reasons I'll disclose later) of my first two weeks of my co-op at Hasbro coming up soon!

[introflessatessa]

Happy 2015, Huskies!

As per tradition, I've taken it upon myself to create a list of New Year's Resolutions that I hopefully will take into consideration for 2015. To make this a lot easier on myself, I've decided to rope my friends into assisting me or joining me on some of these things.

Eat healthier. BuzzFeed is actually super fantastic when it comes to stuff about eating healthy and making easy but healthy and delicious meals. So far, I'm feeling really good about breakfast and lunch for this coming year.

Wake up on time. Alarms will be the death of me. But with my co-op starting on Monday (more on that later! I'M SO EXCITED OH MY GOD), I feel like I really need to break out of my winter break habit of going to bed at 2 AM and waking up at 2 PM. Especially since my workday starts at 8 AM. And my train leaves at 6:28 AM. Oh boy.

Create an exercise routine that is doable for my abilities and my schedule. I'm probably the worst at exercising out of all of the other bloggers (hi guys). I'm great at making up excuses for myself. I'm also great at sitting on the couch and watching all of Greek on Netflix while eating slices of cheese on triscuits rather than being productive. And the whole living off campus and not wanting to walk to Marino in the cold seems to make sense in my brain. However, after a lot of guilting from my mom thought, I've decided that I really do need to get into the habit of exercising. Marino has a bunch of classes that I used to take with friends, and so I'm hoping my friends (hi Divya) will be able to get back into the habit of doing zumba with me. Also, exercising gives you endorphins and endorphins make you happy so by Elle Woods' logic, exercising will make me a happier person.

Take some much needed relaxation time. If you scroll down to my schedule post, my last semester was crazy. I think I got, on average, 2-5 hours of sleep each night. So this semester I'm going to only be doing co-op stuff (plus my horrible commute), possibly NUStage's mainstage (because I love musicals and I love NUStage but no time maybe?!), and HA stuff. So that's...slightly less than before. And I fully intend on going on a Netflix binge (show suggestions anyone?)

Anyway, those are my resolutions, and I think they're pretty good for myself and not too hectic so I can actually stick to them. Let's do this, 2015!

[introflessatessa]

Fresh off the press

Hey guys, I hope you're all enjoying your winter break/holidays! I myself am still snacking on the three different cookie trays given to us at my family's annual holiday party. NUStage, the musical theater group at Northeastern that I am in love with I've been a part of since my freshman year, will be producing Legally the Blonde this spring, as well as a Disney-themed musical revue entitled Mouse. If you've ever wanted to participate in a musical - or even just get a taste of the stage - this is a great opportunity to do so!

You can check out more stuff on NUStage at the nustage tumblr.