real life

I’m graduating in three weeks & moving to Boston in three months. I don’t know how I feel about it. On one hand, I am sad to leave- I feel comfortable here and have worked hard to be where I am right now. I will miss being able to see the people that have been there for me throughout high school / college. I am leaving what has been my home for the past 21 years, and will most likely not be coming back. It’s a weird feeling.

On the other hand, I am excited to leave MD and start a new life. Excited to grow and mature as a person. Excited to live with just Nicholas (the boyfriend) and to focus on us and our future together. Excited to be going to school for something I enjoy and will actually use. Excited to meet new people, fall in love with a new city, and make new experiences that will further define who I am.

My four years at UMBC are something that I will always look back on fondly- I think that my time here has defined me and shaped me in ways that never would have happened anywhere else. For those coming to college in the fall- the time goes by SO quickly.  Get good grades, yes, but that is not what college is all about. Be spontaneous. Have fun. Make lifelong friendships. Challenge yourself. Give back to your community. Most importantly, take time to reflect on the person you want to be and make it happen

decision

So i finally made a decision on law school- I will be attending Boston College in the fall with a scholarship of $105,000!

I will be turning down Cornell, Boston University, and Emory University. It was a really hard decision, but I am super, super excited. Next step? Finding an affordable Boston apartment for me and the boy!

[[Although, now that I know where I am going,  senioritis has REALLY kicked in. I'm convinced it's a real medical condition ]]

visiting schools

This weekend (well, thurs-sun really) I got the chance to go to boston to visit some of the law schools that I have been accepted to, Boston University and Boston College. It was an amazing trip, and I must admit- going in I favored one school, but after actually seeing the campus and talking to students my opinion has been completely reversed and I now favor the other.

I didn’t visit schools during my high school search for an undergrad, and while I lucked out and happen to absolutely love UMBC, going through this process has really made me understand the importance of a campus visit. For all of you who are leaning towards one school or aren’t giving a school a fair chance, PLEASE visit. You have no idea how just a few hours on a campus can completely change your mind, or make you realize that there are aspects of a college that are really important to you that you hadn’t even thought of before.

Something else I also found helpful was to make a list of everything that’s important to you when looking for a college, and rank all of your possibilities in each category. You may be surprised when your “dream school” doesn’t actually fit in with your collegiate needs. Of course, this is not a fool-proof plan- you may be even more surprised when you step on campus and it just feels right,  something that you can’t necessarily get from a list. That’s exactly what happened to me, and it is certainly making me reconsider my previous opinions on my law school path.

Point is- no matter where you are thinking about going- visit the campus, and know what you are looking for in a school. It really makes all the difference in the world.

recruitment

so i’m in a sorority, phi sigma sigma, and our recruitment week just started yesterday. i must admit, it’s a bit bittersweet. i love meeting new girls and getting new sisters, but the realization is sinking in that this is my last semester as an active sister in my sorority, and as a umbc student.

still love recruitment, though! tonight’s event is learning to bellydance, taught by one of our sisters, Katie. I’m super excited- this is one of my favorite events that we do because it is so unique and soooo much fun.

ill give you all an update at the end of recruitment (which is sunday)

-jen

oh ps im going to see john mayer in DC on saturday and i LOVE him- so be on the lookout for updates about that

feels nice to be productive after a week of worthlessness.

So, as i’m sure you all know by now, we were off all of last week because of the snowstorm. Now, i took this opportunity to do absolutely nothing, because getting a snow day at UMBC is unheard of, let alone a snow week. I must admit, though, I’m excited to get back to the grind. I was feeling so worthless not doing anything lol. The days were blending together, I was losing all motivation for everything hahah.

I was productive all day yesterday- from 9a-10p- and i’m back up again at 6 this morning to do more work. it’s exhausting, but it actually feels good

im over this snow

had a great weekend [[i have been snowed in at a friends house]]- played lots of games, built a fort & a slide on a pile of plowed snow…and school is canceled today! It will probably be open tomorrow, however, and i really wish the streets were plowed so i could go home and do work. my weekend food supply is gone, as is my supply of clean clothes, and i could be using this time to study [[sounds lame, i know]]. i think the boyfriend and i are going to try to venture home [[about 20 mins away normally]] which will probably take over an hour

also i want pancakes.

also i found out that my BU law school acceptance comes with a $90,000 merit scholarship ($30,000 per year)- which is close to a full ride for tuition!

this post consisted of quite a bit of rambling- i think that’s what happens when you are stuck inside for 3 days haha.

I GOT ACCEPTED TO LAW SCHOOL!

YAYYYYYY!

I got the call in the middle of my 10am class, so I didn’t pick up. I checked my voicemail right after class thinking it’d be from a summer internship program I applied to, and instead i found out that I have been accepeted into Boston University School of Law’s Class of 2013.

I feel sooooooo much better knowing that after I graduate I have a plan- I am definitiely excited to hear back from the rest of the schools I applied to (Columbia, Chicago, Cornell, Boston College, UPenn, Emory, Georgetown), but hearing from the first is such a great (and relieving) feeling.

YAYYYYY!

i can’t believe the semester is about to start.

this is not just any semester…it’s my LAST semester at UMBC. i never actually thought i’d get to this point, but here i am. law school apps are in (all 8 of them), last UMBC bill is about to be paid, my final 13 credits are all registered for (although i might pick up another class)…man oh man it’s a weird feeling.

i think it’s weirder because i don’t feel like i had a winter break because i was so busy with STRiVE (a week-long leadership conference for UMBC students), work, and i went to maine for the holidays. classes start in a week and i really don’t know where my winter break went!

snow

as you know by now, MD was hit with about 2 ft of snow this weekend, basically ensuring that no one could leave their house for at least 48 hours.

my weekend, therefore, was spent with good friends, dominos [[the only place that was delivering]], football, movies, and board games. it was great….except that i have a final tomorrow [[my last one!]] and didn’t study at all. today, therefore, will be all about ECON 410. woo!

One final and two philosophy papers until i’m done for the semester! on wednesday, i’m heading to Maine with the boyfriend for christmas with his fam. can’t wait!

finals weeeeeek

it’s that time again- finals week! yayyy….

[[normally that yay would be totally sarcastic, but as a senior i'm excited to be transitioning into my last semester!]]

anyways, today was reading day- it occurs the day after the last day of classes and is a full day where no finals are scheduled. it’s meant to give students time between the end of classes and finals to study. some people use it to studay- others use it to relax and hang with friends and do whatever. for the first time in my 3.5 years here at umbc, i actually studied today! i have 2 exams and a paper due on thursday, a final on friday, and a final and a paper due on tuesday, so i really needed the time to study for my thursday finals.

also, during finals week the student government association runs stress free zone. it’s basically a place in the commons (our student union) where any student can go to take a break from the stresses of finals. there’s free food, games, and fun things to do [[this year's lineup includes manicures, crafts, and a bunch of other cheesy things that wwe can do to relax]]. i was in charge of this event for the past two semesters, and while it definitely benefits the students, i must say im a bit glad not to have been responsible for planning it this semester i am volunteering though- i’ll be there tomorrow and one day next week to help hand out giveaways, restock items, and just make sure everything is running smoothly.

anyways, i’m heading back to studying [[i know it's 12:38am- that's what finals week will do to you!]]