Week 1 Reflection

September 4, 2022

This week marked my first official week as a college student. If I were to describe how it has been, I would say it has been fun, overwhelming, stressful, exciting, tiring, and definitely eye opening. I have been having so much fun with the friends I’ve made this week and I am amazed at how close we have become in such a short amount of time. The picture above is of my two roommates Lily and Sam, my friend Laurel and her roommate, and our friend Sarai. It is great that me and my roommates have clicked so well together, especially since we were randomly assigned. Life in the residence hall has been perfectly fine because we get along so well. I am so used to having no privacy or personal space because I shared a room with my sister and cousin all through childhood, so having roommates has been totally fine. It is awesome living right next store to all my friends on our floor and hanging out every night in the common room.

I am taking five classes this semester and they all seem very interesting. I am definitely concerned about the workload and amount of homework for each class. Other than that, I am happy classes have started because now being a college student feels much more official. I am most looking forward to hanging out with my friends every night this term, but I am also excited to visit my family at the end of this month. I miss home but I am really looking forward to the new experiences to come this semester. 

Week 2 Reflection

September 11, 2022

This week was my second week as a college student. I have been having so much fun with the friends I’ve made in the past couple of weeks. Above is a picture of me and my friends at Freddy Beach a couple days ago where we went swimming and tanning. This week was a lot different than last week was because it felt like actual school. We got out of the “syllabus” phase, so I actually had to study and do lots of homework. I had a few late nights of staying up doing work, but other than that, I really like all my teachers and it seems like they really care about our education. I still like living in the residence hall because I get along with my roommates really well and everyone on my floor is really nice. This term I am most looking forward to going on the first Outing Club trip. I did an adventure class in my high school and we got to go rock climbing a couple times, which is something the Outing Club does every week. The only thing I am concerned about is having my first test. I have heard that college tests are way more difficult than the ones I took in high school, and here I won’t have the option to retake it if I get a bad grade.

Week 3 Reflection

September 18, 2022

This week was pretty good compared to the last couple of weeks. I didn’t have any classes this Friday, so I was actually able to go home to New Hampshire Friday morning. I was really excited to see my parents, my sister, and my cats because I have never been away from home for this long before. I rode the train back to school tonight and that was really cool because I have never done that alone before this weekend. Also, this week I was able to get a parking permit so now I can go home whenever I need to without having to take the train. As far as classes went, this week went pretty well. None of my classes were that difficult, and I didn’t seem to have much homework this week. I got assigned my first English paper and I will have my first Biology exam coming up which are my biggest assignments so far. I’m nervous for my Biology test because it will be my first high stakes college exam so I will have to study really hard for it. My dorm, Siena, is still going really well. I like the people on my floor and I’m excited to meet the rest of the people in the building as the month goes on. Above is a picture of the sunset from the dining hall window overlooking the bay. This view is probably my favorite on campus, especially when the sun is setting. 

Week 4 Reflection

September 25, 2022

This week went very well. It seemed to last a really long time but I had a lot of fun and my classes are going really well. I mostly hung out with my friends whenever I wasn’t in class or doing homework. We went on walks out to the water and around campus, we went to the beach, hung out in each other’s rooms, watched TV, and got meals together at the dining hall. My residence hall is still going well, I really like my dorm and everyone on my floor gets along really well. I am still nervous about my first upcoming exam for Biology on Thursday, especially since I’ve never taken a college level test before. I have been studying all this week for it, and hopefully I will do well. The pictures above were taken yesterday when me and my friends went apple picking at an orchard. It was a trip put on by the school and we got to take a bus to the orchard and pick apples for free. There was a pumpkin patch, raspberry bushes, flowers and so much more. We spent the day walking around in the beautiful fall weather, drinking apple cider and eating donuts. I really like all the different activities that the school puts on because they’re fun and they keep me busy. 

Week 5 Reflection

October 2, 2022

This week was really good, but also very tiring. It’s starting to get a lot colder, so I packed up all my summer clothes and switched them out for my fall and winter clothes. I have been trying to stay in contact with my friends at home as much as possible, and this week I had a lot of studying to do and overall was really busy with school, so I found that difficult recently. This week in Siena, except for the fact that it’s been a little loud at night. Recently me and my roommates have been being kept up by banging happening upstairs. Other than that, it’s been pretty normal. I basically studied whenever I wasn’t eating, sleeping, or hanging out with my friends. I had my Biology Test on Thursday. I think I did alright, I guessed on a couple questions but overall, I knew most of it so I think I passed. I was really relieved when it was over because I wasn’t as stressed out. Saturday me and a few of my friends drove into town and got Panera for lunch and then went shopping at Target. It was really nice to get off campus for the day. The picture above is us on our way back from shopping. That night we met up and watched a movie which was really fun. Today, my mom came up from New Hampshire to visit. I showed her around campus, we went to Portland and went thrift shopping, and then we went to dinner at Portland Pie. The only thing I’m worried about is turning in my first essay for English class on Wednesday. Overall this week was good but really tiring. 

Week 6 Reflection

October 9, 2022

This week was awesome. On Tuesday I took the 11 am bus to the train station, and then I got on a train around 1 pm to UNH. At UNH I met my mom and she brought me home. That afternoon I visited with my family and was able to play with my cats. When my sister got out of work I met her at her apartment, was able to see our dog and then we went to Manchester New Hampshire. That night we went to a concert at the SNHU arena where we saw the rock band Greta Van Fleet live. This was probably the coolest nights I have ever experienced in my life. The band members aren’t just musicians, but they know how to perform and do it well. I was exhausted the next morning, but my sister brought me back to UNE the next day and I was able to relax the rest of the day. On Thursday, I didn’t have any classes so I was able to go to the commons and catch up on all of my assignments for the week. One of my roommates went home for the long weekend, so it was just me and my other roommate in the dorm for the weekend. This was nice because we got lots of relaxation time and it was a very quiet weekend in general on campus. It was especially nice in the dining hall because it was very uncrowded and relaxed. On Friday I went on the school run trip to historic Salem. I went with 3 of my other friends (picture shown above), and we looked through museums, shopped, enjoyed the nice weather and sat in the sun in downtown Salem. Today is also Indigenous Peoples day, a national holiday, and me and my friends went to the grocery store today to stock up on some food. This week was a really good week overall.

Week 7 Reflection

October 15, 2022

This week was pretty good. I was much busier than last week because I had classes every single day instead of days off like last week. I went to the beach a few times this week on days when the weather was really warm and sunny. I went on lots of walks with my friends, had group dinners at the dining hall, and watched movies and Netflix shows with my friends. Whenever I wasn’t hanging with friends, I was studying for quizzes and writing essays for classes. For some reason I had multiple essays due in the same week so that was kind of stressful for me. I had lots of late nights so I’m very tired today. I will definitely try to go to bed early tonight. Also, Thursday was my mom’s birthday so I called her and we talked multiple times on Thursday. That was really nice to get each other all caught up about our lives. As for my dorm, everything is still going well. I’m still pretty close with the people on my floor and we often stay up late in each other’s rooms just hanging out and talking. My classes are going well, biology is definitely still my most challenging class but my grades are looking pretty good. Above is a picture of me and my friends at the beach on Saturday, where we spent the afternoon in the nice weather. Overall, it was a solid week and not much interesting happened!

Week 8 Reflection

October 23, 2022

This week was okay, although it was a little stressful compared to last week. The weather was really nice so I went on lots of relaxing walks by the water. I hung out with my friends a lot this week. We finally finished watching the Netflix show we have been watching together recently and we watched a few movies. We did lots of group dinners and breakfasts. Earlier this week I also went to the beach by myself to read and relax in the sun and take some time for myself. Friday night after dinner me and my friends all met up at the home opener hockey game. UNE won against Plymouth in double overtime. It was such an awesome game. Saturday afternoon me and my friend Sam went to the football game which was not a good game at all. UNE lost by over 40 points to 0. Although it was not a good game, me and my friends had a good time while there. After the game I went home and took a much needed nap, and then me and my friends went to the hockey game that night. This game was awesome as well. UNE was losing 0 to 3 at half, and then came back in the 2nd half, winning 4 to 3 in overtime. School is going pretty well and I still love the people on my floor. I have a biology test on Thursday which I am a little nervous about, but other then that things are going well. 

Week 9 Reflection

October 30, 2022

This week went pretty well. I studied a lot and hung out with my friends. After class earlier this week, we went to the beach on the day that it was very foggy. It was really cold and wet out, but the beach was beautiful. We looked for crabs, shells, sea-glass and just enjoyed the view. Pretty much every meal I spent with my friends in the dining hall. I also was able to sleep in a few times this week which was really nice to be able to catch up on some sleep. The weather was also beautiful this week for the most part, so I tried to go on at least one walk a day to get the most out of the sunny, warm weather before it gets too cold. Me and those on my floor also took a trip midweek to get McFlurries from McDonalds. It was nice to get off campus for the night, even though it was only for a little while. I went to the hockey game on Friday night which was a lot of fun and the women’s team beat our opponents! Above is a picture of me and my friends at the game posing with our “Chuck a Duck.” We unfortunately did not win the duck competition 🙁 but my classes are going well and everyone on my floor really likes my SpongeBob pumpkin!

Week 10 Reflection

November 6, 2022

This week went pretty well. I was unfortunately sick this week so that was definitely not fun at all. Thankfully it wasn’t covid, I had to go and get a covid test on Wednesday but I just had the virus that’s going around school. I slept a lot this week and didn’t go to the gym at all which was disappointing. The weather was beautiful so I went on a few walks, played a lot of pool with my friends (pretty much played at least a game a day!), slept in most days, watched movies, and called my friends from home. I also went to the hockey game on Friday night and UNE beat our opponents 10 to nothing. We actually left after the second period because it was a really boring game to watch. I had a couple quizzes this week which I did alright on, a test which I got a B on, and I had two essays to write. My dorm is still going well and my friends are great. Overall, this week was very busy and nothing too interesting happened.

Week 11 Reflection

November 13, 2022

This week was a very fun week. I did not have too much school work due because I got almost everything done last Sunday and Monday. I spent a lot of time hanging out with my friends either in my room or in the Commons. There was some beautiful weather this week, so I spent some time sitting in the sun reading and watching the sunset a couple times. I went to the beach a few times on very warm days to either go on walks or just enjoy the nice weather. I also did some fun things this week like going to a friend’s birthday party, watching the men’s hockey game on Saturday night, and playing pool and board games with my friends. I also went to the Harvest Fest that the school put on. It was super fun, I walked around and entered raffles, ate free meatballs and mac and cheese, and drank hot apple cider with my friends. My classes are going well and seem to be slowing down somewhat since midterms are over. Next week is class registration, so the most important thing I have to get done is making my schedule for the second semester. I decided to declare Environmental Science soon, so my advisor suggested signing up classes that will align with that major for when I do declare. Overall, I had a pretty good week. 

Week 12 Reflection

November 20, 2022

This week was a pretty hard week. I was very busy with my classes and homework, so I did not do much other than hang out with my friends in my dorm or the commons. It also was very cold this week, so it was pretty hard to get outside very much. The most stressful part of my week was class registration. Registration opened at 9 pm on Wednesday night, so I spent all of the weekend and Monday and Tuesday trying to find a schedule that worked for me. When registration came, all but 2 of the classes I applied for were immediately full, so I had to scramble to find alternate classes. I was put on the waitlist for 3, and was eventually accepted into them a few days later. I now have a finalized schedule for semester 2 which is a huge relief. I also declared my major on Friday afternoon, so I am officially a member of the Environmental Science major! After that, me and my friends went to the event at the campus center where we pet dogs which was super fun. Overall, this week was pretty stressful and I’m excited to go home for thanksgiving break. 

Week 13 Reflection

November 27, 2022

This past week was awesome. I went home on Tuesday for Thanksgiving break and I got to see a bunch of my friends and family who I haven’t seen in months. On Monday, my best friend from home who goes to school in North Carolina came up to visit me and meet all of my friends. It was so nice to introduce her to all my college friends and show her around campus. She helped me pack up in the morning and then she drove me home on Tuesday (I’m happy that I didn’t have to take the train home!). That night we went shopping and then my mom surprised me with a car when I got home! I am so relieved to have a car on campus now so that I don’t have to take the bus anymore and so that I don’t feel trapped on campus if I ever want to go out. Over break, I had sleepovers with my friends, spent time with my sister and parents, and on Thanksgiving I met my new baby cousin for the first time. On Friday, I did Thanksgiving with my mom and sister, and then I went black Friday shopping with my friends that night. I bought so many clothes and spent way too much money. Saturday and Sunday were more relaxing, I mostly just hung out at home and went out to a movie with my mom. I’m happy to be back but I definitely am excited to go home for Christmas break in a few weeks so that I can see family and friends once again.