Organization: I Owe Everything to it

Being here more than a month now, I have come to appreciate organization more than ever. I have post it’s, a planner, 2 calendars, folders, and numerous alarms on my phone to alert me about meetings, practice, and everything else my busy days holds. Just by writing things down, I feel more at ease and less stressed when it comes to conquering the day. I’m that kid that cannot remember anything unless it’s written down,and if you were to give me a list of things to do off hand. I’m bound to report back with something incomplete. I cannot commit much to memory but because I recognize and address this memory problem, I am able to remain organized by creating my own little system. While I was decently organized in high school, it was not until college that I saw the importance of establishing good habits of planning. I learned to write down the little things, like feeding my fish, after killing 7 fish in just a month. When I woke up only 5 minutes before softball practice and had to sprint the entire campus, I learned to set a back-up alarm. While getting into the swing of college is a learning process, organization is a key skill to have before-hand. So prospective students, take it from someone who has had to learn about fish care the hard way, and sprinted bare foot all the way to practice: it is so so vital right now to find a method of organization that works for you and getting into the habit of using it by the time you begin college. While I have had a few near disasters, it has made my transition into college a relatively easy one and if it were not for the method I set up for myself, I would be totally lost.

It's YOUR Time

As the title says, college is now your time. You decide what to do with your time. Everyone here uses their time to go to class, get work done, and hang out with new friends. Once classes start, you will see that after going to class, you will have a lot of free time on your hands. You find time to do things like work out in the AHLC, go to a sports game, or even just hang out in the campus center. There are so many things to do here on campus, but what comes before all of this: school work. You will have homework to do, notes to take, and classes to attend. My advice to you, manage your time wisely. Not everyone on campus goes to parties every weekend or every night. Do what you want to do. Get involved with things that interest you, like the Residence Hall Association, Student Senate, a sports team, or a club related to your major. The better you manage your time, the more fun you will have in college. So, you will hear it a lot, but it is the best advice to get, learn to manage your time, and continue to manage it throughout life.

Do what YOU want,
-Jason

Your Neighbors Could Become Your Closest Friends

Being in the dorm with a couple hundred other freshmen does not only mean sharing a similar space but also sharing commonalities and, of course, differences. Coming from all over the country and some from all over the world, we all share the same space in one city. Living here for me is not only where I sleep or do my work, it’s also where I have the most fun. I live in Commonwealth dorm on the second floor, and I live with some of the most outgoing people, so why not get to know most of them, considering you’ll be living side by side for the next year? On my floor, already I find myself having “door wars”, sitting in the hallway chatting for hours with my neighbors, or ordering late night food together. I find that having fun within your hall makes dorm life more than just a place to sleep, eat those famous Ramen noodles, or endure hours of homework, it makes it a HOME. While your hometown and your familiar bed is what we like to define as home,in reality, you will spend 98% of the time living in the dorm, the other 2% only VISITING home. So to adjust to this significant environment shift, your best solution is to immerse yourself in dorm life and enjoy yourself with your neighbors and soon enough, you too will come to call this a second home.

Finding My Place

Hey everyone, another update here from Maria. Already hit the four week mark and still loving WNEC! Everyone who tells you college will fly by is right because it already has. With that being said, (and confirmed to be true), taking advantage of every opportunity and embracing it has proved to be crucial thus far. Although each day is an adventure, it comes with a challenge. Me, myself and I have become pretty close friends. What I mean by that is I have gotten to know myself very well these past few weeks. But, no matter how alone you may feel, you never really are. Classes are getting progressively more involved, as are clubs, sports, and on campus activities.

All of this being fun and exciting, my advice this week is don’t over-commit. I am involved in just enough activities thus far. I like to keep busy, but I’m not overbooked. I am on the softball team, Residence Hall Association Hall Council President, in Sport Management Association, have work study job, and despite all this still have time to bring you the weekly blog. You can’t be in every club, sport, or have multiple jobs and keep up with school at the same time. College is all about balance, in every way shape and form (this includes diet). Variety is the spice of life, but don’t let yourself lose any sense of routine. Here at WNEC there is so much to do you don’t ever want to lose yourself, but on the contrary, that is exactly how I have found my home here at WNEC.

Much Love,
Maria

Here's to the Present

So I have been here for a month, and I am finally coming down from my cloud. I realize that I am here in Massachusetts, and I am getting used to it. I also came to a realization that it’s time to really work hard. I like being at Western New England College, so why not do the best I can do? I appreciate putting in the time, and seeing a good result. It’s definitely rewarding looking back and seeing all the time I put it in and know it was all worth it. I see opportunities that I wouldn’t have unless I did as well as I could in my classes. I went to the Study Abroad fair today, and I was really excited about the possibility of studying in Italy or Spain sometime in the future. I know if I work hard in my classes this opportunity will happen. Although, I shouldn’t dwell on the future when the present is here, I can take advantage of everyday, and be as productive as I possibly can. Here’s to the present.

-The Kid from Cali

Jay Thall

Actually Living on Campus

One of the first new things that you experience at WNEC is the opportunity to live with another person. Your roommate for the year will become like a brother or sister to you. They will become the person you turn to with any questions and they are always there to talk to. Here at WNEC, you are allowed to pick the person you room with. This allows you to make a new friendship with someone, one that could last a lifetime. They might be the person that gives you that dream job or you might be the one to hire them.

Along with your new roommate, you also get a new room. What you hear about the residence halls (NOT dorms), might be true and other things might not be. The residence halls are very nice here. I am living in Berkshire Hall with a friend from home. I was able to choose to live with him, and pick the residence hall we preferred. People on your floor also become your new friends. They are also people you can turn to. Each hall has a common room that you can go to and hang out. Living in a residence hall is a new experience, but then again, so are most things in college. You get to be independent, which is also great.

See you in a Residence Hall next year,
-Jason

Almost a Month Now...

It is hard to believe I have been at WNEC for nearly a month! Just yesterday I was packing my things and moving away from home. Now, living here is not only an experience, it truly is my life. We are into the swing of things, most of my professors know my name and face, and my classes seem less intimidating. I am getting used to my surroundings and every day I wake up excited for something new (even if I am a little tired for an 8 am class). Welcome to college, here you are home. I find myself referring to my dorm as home, and to me, it really is. Let WNEC be your home, and you will be comfortable here. Your floormates, your teammates, your classmates are your extended family. When you have a bad day or want to go home, there is someone to be there for you. I am proud to call WNEC my home, and after being here nearly a month, I can say I’m looking forward to the many more months to come!

Cali Meets Mass

At the end of my third week of school, I can already feel myself getting more comfortable. It’s starting to set in that I’m in Massachusetts, coming down from the cloud I guess you can say. I just got a job as the video coordinator for the hockey team, and I can wait to start. It’s not my ultimate General Manager job that I want, but it’s a start, and I’m really excited about it. I know that it will take time to get where I want to go, but I know I will get there so it makes it all worth it. Sports are my passion; they are a part of me and I know that coming to Western New England was the right decision based on my experiences so far. You learn to take every day as it comes, and make the most of it. I’m starting to feel at home.

The kid from Cali

Jay Thall

Independence at its Best

Entering college, I had this preconceived notion that to be successful here means to properly blend in, intermingle, merge, fit. Though I have found new words to describe what it means to be successful here: stick out. Less so in high school, college requires strict time management and independence, but it also encourages involvement. While in high school, students bolster their resume with involvement and service to get into their desired college, making themselves “look good on paper”. College involvement, while it still builds your resume, is individual, it is something you place yourself in for personal fulfillment and self-advancement. Students can fall under this false impression that involvement is minimal, and the social scene is what is more important, failing to realize that participating in things such as Student Senate, Residence Hall Association, various clubs, to name a few, are social scenes too in a more literal sense; students communicating for a goal.

Being here, a first year student, there are no parents to pressure you to become involved, no one badgering you to improve your resume, someone isn’t taking attendance at meetings, YOU decide what you choose to do with your time outside class and work. While for you, reader, this may sound like common sense, but after being here a few weeks, I have felt a new, unfamiliar, but exhilarating feeling of being independent. With smart independence, I have found that immersing myself in numerous activities and a varsity sport, I can be successful by sticking out and breaking the mold.

What Should You Expect in Your Classes at WNEC?

In high school, you were probably known by your name. You got to know who your teacher was and they got to know you. Guess what, that does not change here at WNEC. The classes are not that big. You will learn what your professor’s name is and they will know who you are. Your professors WANT to get to know you and they WANT to see you succeed. If you are having any issues, they are willing to take some extra time after class to help you. You never know, your professor from freshman year might just help you land your dream job.

As for the classes themselves, that changes, but not too much. There are no more notes on the board. The notes you take are the notes from what you hear and the notes from what you read. The work load is now starting to depend on what YOU put into it. Don’t worry, it is not the end of the world, professors will make sure you are on the right track. Remember, they want to see you succeed.

See you in a class next year,

-Jason

My First Weeks at WNEC

I was the kid that was way more than ready to go away to school. I was more than happy to leave my high school life behind me and start anew. Not everyone has these same feelings when going away to college. Some feel nervous, insecure, anxious and even sick about leaving home. I definitely experienced some of those feelings too, but I knew that to get the most out of my experience here, I had to put the commitment forth.

There are so many opportunities to get involved (big and small) on campus that it would be foolish not to. There are trips, events and clubs that help you meet so many different people, it is also hard not to make friends. If you are a shy person, outgoing or don’t even think you are a club type of person, there is something for you. You won’t regret trying new things on campus, if you gain anything at all maybe it’s making one new friend. To me, even if I just met one person doing something, it was worth it to me.

The first couple of weekends are crucial for becoming comfortable here. It is natural to feel lonely the first week and think you have no friends. Trust me, each day you’ll find yourself waving to more and more people and everyone finds their place eventually. Everyone here is willing to help you, no matter what the issue is. The events are really important too because you will see many new and familiar faces in one place. WNEC Palooza was this past Labor Day weekend and it was an amazing time. Everyone comes out and there are activities, music, games, food and we even saw Ryan Cabrera in concert! I have only been on campus for a couple of weekends and I already know there is always something to do. Certainly there are times for work and play, but it’s not too hard to balance once you fine tune your schedule. I am getting excited for sporting events this weekend already! Hopefully it will be another weekend of perfect Western Massachusetts weather with lots to do!