End of the Semester!

Hey everyone! Well, here we are…the end of the semester. While it seems like just yesterday we were moving in and starting school, it also feels like I’ve been here for ages! I have mixed feelings about going home. On one hand, I’m going to be sad to leave my family here. I call them that because it’s true – it’s amazing how fast your friends become family at college. However, while it’ll be hard to leave WNE and my WNE family, I can’t wait to go home for a whole month, see my family, my friends, and just have some time to relax. I absolutely love it here at WNE, and this semester has only showed me that I made the right decision to come here. I stick by my decision and fully believe I will spend all my undergrad years here. It’s an amazing place, and I’m happy to say I’m a student here. But, no matter how great the school, or how ready you think you are, your first semester of college is tough, and that needs to be acknowledged. Know that it will be tough, because it’s different than anything you’ve ever experienced, but in the end, you CAN do it, and you will.

I’m heading home back to Shrewsbury tomorrow (Sunday) morning, after an 8 AM Psychology final (hopefully I wake up in time!). My first experience with finals hasn’t been too bad. It’s definitely been a lot of studying, but I already know I got a 92 on my math final! I’ve included some pictures of a study session for my psychology final, including some pints of Ben and Jerry’s to help with the finals stress, and my friend Mindy using our psych book as a pillow instead of for studying…but I promise we did get stuff done! I’m going to sign off now, but it’s been great blogging my first year experience for you all! I hope this has helped you, even if in just a small way. I look forward to continuing with blogging next semester, but until then good luck!

Happy Holidays!

-Jen

Freshman Finals!

Yesterday, I had my first-ever college final. Just my luck, it had to be my Chemistry final! I spent ten hours studying with my friend John for this final. It was worth it to a point. Much to my surprise, the final was not nearly as difficult as I had anticipated. The final had to cater to all the Chemistry classes and was easier, though much longer, than the other Chem exams I’ve taken this semester. I wish someone had warned me about that earlier. Then maybe I would have only spent 5 hours studying and not ten!!! I still have my Calc final on Sunday and my Bio final on Monday. I also have a paper due Monday. But I’m more than ready for the challenges ahead; especially with the promise of vacation just around the corner!

I have mixed feelings about going home for a month. Though I miss many people back home, I know for sure that I am going to miss WNE and all the people here as well. As they say, “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” One truly notable thing about going home: It’s going to be amazing to have home-cooked food for a month! You learn to appreciate the little things. I’ll be catching up with you all soon enough!

Cheers!
Brandi

WNE: My Home Away from Home

This semester has been a learning experience and I have definitely grown from the first half of my freshman year! I have made new friends and tried new things and I will continue to branch out and try things I have never done before. I can't believe it's almost over already! I can remember move-in day like it was yesterday, and I never thought I would be here writing about the last full week of my first semester! I can honestly say I am comfortable here and I am really glad this is where I ended up. To me Western New England University is like a home away from home. Going home for the break is going to be hard because I will end up missing my school friends, even though I get to spend time with my friends and family at home. I'm so excited to be home to relax, see my loved ones and work to save up some money! Hope everyone has a wonderful, safe vacation and see you next year!

-Erica :]

Bright Nights Ball

Around Christmas time the Spirit of Springfield puts on a magnificent light display in Forrest Park where you can drive through and listen to Christmas music, it is truly a great way to get yourself in the Christmas spirit. I was fortunate enough to volunteer at the Bright Nights Ball at the Sheraton in Springfield which is a fundraiser to help put in the actual light display. I was able to meet extremely important people, such as the mayor of Springfield, the VP of Comcast, and the owner of abc40. As a Public Relations major it is extremely important to network and put myself out there so I am able to meet as many people as possible, so four years from now when I am looking for a job I will be able to contact people for a possible interview or connection. The holidays are a magical time and Springfield really helps bring them out, so even though I cannot be with my family right now I can still have Christmas cheer with a little help from Bright Nights and The Spirit of Springfield. (Below is a picture of my friend Sarah and I volunteering at the Bright Nights Ball.)