Study Happy!

In high school I couldn’t study with a group of people because I would always get distracted. I’ve found in college that it’s the exact opposite. If I try studying by myself now I feel lonely, like I’m the only one in the world doing homework. Where in high school when I would study with a group of people I felt like I was the only one in the world not socializing when I tried to study.

But now here, I find that when I study with a group of people we socialize for a brief amount of time then one of us realizes that we need to study and we all hit the books. We’ll all be sitting at the table in complete silence doing homework, and I’ll just look around and feel like I’m not the only one that is buried in a mountain of reading–because I’ll see my friends around me doing the same thing. Then after an hour or so somebody will need a break and bust out some Michael Buble on their laptop and we’ll all take a study break. We’ll talk about our plans for the weekend, or talk about how amazing our tennis team did today at the ITA Regional Tournament! That way we stay awake, get some talking out of our system and then get back to work.

The nice thing about studying with a group of people here is that we all understand that we have to get our work done no matter what. Where in high school, I had friends that cared about homework a lot and friends that couldn’t have cared less. And when you put that together in a group, it was always a battle trying to focus while some people were trying to and others were socializing non-stop. Here, the socialization comes in bursts. Obviously we socialize, we have to, we’re college students! But our number one concern is our studies, and that’s what unites us around that table along the window paneled wall of the Penrose Library late in the evening. When we’re burning the midnight oil and It’s time get that essay done (like I’m doing right now!), or cram for that exam the next day (like my roommate is to my left!)–I’ll be studying with my friends knowing that they are working hard too, and if I need motivation I just have to turn to my left or right and see that it’s all going to be okay, cause I’m not the only one awake. And instead of dreading what I’m doing, I can simply look forward to our next study break as I keep trucking along doing my homework.

Michael Buble’s I just haven’t met you yet is over, so I should probably get back to work now. But feel free to listen to it and feel happy!

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The First one

I’m going to just jump right into it.

School has been going great so far.  Starting my sophomore year I have zero complaints. However, I find myself often letting my mind drift back to my freshman year at Whitman. Whenever somebody asks me what it was like, the first world that comes to mind is “Magical”. Obviously there aren’t unicorns and elves running around campus (or are there?). And when I think back to my first year, especially the first few weeks on campus I always remember my mom calling me after the second day and asking “how do you like it all the way out in the middle of nowhere-land-Walla Walla?” and I responded with “I love it here! It’s so magical, I swear I could find a unicorn here if I looked hard enough”.

Aside from meeting new people, doing ridiculously fun activities and engaging in Whitman first year traditions; there was a sense of community I was thrown into, and thats where the magic really was. I felt like wherever I turned there was somebody that wanted to get to know me or there was something amazing happening that I wanted to join in on. It was all new, it was all shiny, and the thing is–every person there was feeling the same way. Maybe that’s why the bonding came so easily, or maybe it was the fact that we were all out in the middle of nowhere on our own for the first time–together. It was all of our first times in college, all of us were excited for what’s to come even though none of us knew what to expect. Our curiosity to discover together was what got us to start connecting, then our enthusiasm for what we discovered is what kept us, and frankly, still keeps us together. That’s a magical feeling isn’t it? Making connections so easily and keeping them alive and eventually making them into your life. During our very first section meeting of our year, our RA asked each of us to go around the section lounge and say anything that was on our minds at the time. This was on the very first day, and the first person who went was a very well built guy. He looked like a football player upon first seeing him. And what he decided to say was that he didn’t like being pre-judged as the “jock”. He told us that he wanted us to stop and get to know him before labeling him as something. This set the tone for the rest of us. As we went around the room, all of us started telling each other our feelings, what we were worried about for college, why high school was hard for some of us, etc. When it was my turn, I told my section mates (who were all male, because I was in one of the two all male sections in the hall) that I was worried that it would be difficult for me to be friends with them since in high school the majority of my friends were girls. We as a section bonded over knowing what was on each and everyone of each other’s minds. And this happened on the very first day. And from that time on, we began to become absolute best friends. And even me, the one who was worried that I wouldn’t be able to get close with a section full of guys–I felt like I had a second family when I was around my section mates. They became my best friends, and I attribute that to the community feeling that Whitman fosters in its students.

During our first year we connected over the one thing all us very different students had in common from day one–Whitman College. As our first year continued, that common bond that brought us together allowed us to learn from each other, share amazing experiences together, cry in each others arms, and embrace in celebration too. My first year never was boring–just magical.

I may find myself letting my mind drift back to the magic of my first year at Whitman. But when I come back to reality, I realize that the magic is still here. I love this place.

MORE TO COME!! Stay tuned! Unicorns FTW.

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