Specialized Resources
Hometown: Dartmouth, Massachusetts
Major: Psychology
Minor: Human Development
Pathway: Bodies/Embodiment
Activities: Student Adviser, Admission Tour Guide, Yoga Instructor
Favorite aspect of Connecticut College:
My favorite part of Conn is the small, tight-knit community. On my very first tour, I could feel it. The people, the place, all of it just has this welcoming feeling. Coming from a small high school I knew a small college would be right for me as well, but now I really understand the beauty of this small school. I love that the student body here is not competitive. There is no race to the finish line instead we all seem to work together and help each other out. Our community holds students to a high standard, creating the warm, kind environment we have and manage to uphold.
Favorite memory at Connecticut College:
My favorite memory at Conn so far happened during my very first week on campus. I was walking around with my little group of women who lived on my floor. They were my first friends, but of course I was still looking for more. We stopped on the green to watch some kids playing games ranging from Frisbee to Spikeball. There was a woman walking by herself also watching. My friends were in a group together, so I decided to go over and introduce myself. She was so friendly and asked if I wanted to go on a walk and check out the Connecticut College Arboretum since we both hadn’t seen it yet. We took the walk and got to know each other and had more in common than we thought, especially connecting on the idea we were both pretty homesick. Our friendship grew from then on and we are still close, often going on runs and walks in the Arbo!
Favorite activity in New London or the region:
I love anything near the water. I enjoy runs along the water through the Coast Guard Academy, going to Ocean Beach Park in New London, or going to Muddy Waters Cafe in downtown New London and enjoying the view of the boats.
Every year in New London when the sun starts to shine and Tempel Green becomes busier and warmer there’s a hopeful and happy feeling in the air. This year especially, it feels even more special to get to gather with friends outside and the feeling of hope finally feels present.
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Senior spring is like the bibliography part of a paper. You’re at the very end and it’s a struggle sometimes. This metaphor came to me as I sit here attempting to finish a paper of my own. The assignment is very manageable and I know exactly what I’m writing, yet I find myself taking far too long to complete a single paragraph. This is when I realized that–– and made the excuse for myself—I have senioritis!
Continue ReadingLast year if someone had told me I would not only have applied but been accepted into one of my top choice graduate schools I assure you I would not have believed them. While this pandemic has certainly taken away many good things from my senior year, it also provided me with something even bigger. During the past year, and summer, I had time I never had before. For the first time since I can remember, I had nothing going on and nowhere to go, and nothing to do other than learn to be with myself and sit with my own thoughts. This turned out to be the most productive time for me. Through my remote summer internship working for The Crisis Text Line, I discovered that I wanted to pursue my studies in Psychology. However, rest assured–– this was not something I woke up one morning and decided. It was a slow, long process of researching, thinking, and more researching.
Continue ReadingI love a good to-do list, especially ones when there is a longer timeline. Applying to graduate school can be a months-long process, so I hope this helps! I would also like to note that timing may change based on your program of choice, school, etc. I received guidance on my timeline from the American Psychological Association’s website as I applied to Psy.D. programs. So, if your program has a website similar to this, check it out!
Continue ReadingIs it possible to still have camel moments in your senior year?! By your second week at Conn you will know (and probably will have heard it said a million times) what a camel moment is. We define this as a time (in my case, many times!) that you felt and knew you were meant to be part of this community. For some, this happens before they even begin their first-year. For others it happens at the end of sophomore year, and for me they happen all the time. I had yet another camel moment this fall when I was introduced to a camel alumna who has taken the time to not only help and guide me through the graduate school application process, but has gotten to know me on a more personal level. Ida is a student working towards her doctorate in clinical psychology — the same path that I will begin in the fall of 2021.
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This is easily my favorite time of year. It always has been. I love all of it, especially right about now during the holiday season. Although this year looks different, coming home for Thanksgiving Break felt just as, if not more, special. I hadn’t seen my brothers since August and hadn’t seen my parents much either due to travel restrictions. Thanksgiving Day was different, but not in a bad way for us. We still woke up, watched a bit of the Macy’s Day Parade and began our cooking, enjoying the day just the five of us. We hadn’t been together in so long we didn’t really notice how different our holiday was this year.
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I can so vividly remember touring Conn as an overwhelmed senior in high school. I aimlessly wandered around after my tour and info session trying to digest everything I had just learned. I had already applied Early Decision, so there was no more thinking about applications for me. I moved on to thinking about other things like: What would a major in? Who would my friends be? What even is a Pathway? It was easy to delete the thought of a Pathway from my mind—the last thing I wanted was to add something more to my plate.
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After being apart for 6 months, my friends and I could not wait when Conn announced we’d return to school in the fall for our senior year. Soon enough the plans began to take shape, and even though the senior year we envisioned in our heads had changed, it worked out for the best.
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In the fall of 2019, I studied away at the IES Liberal Arts and Business Program in Barcelona. Going abroad is full of firsts and I got to experience plenty.
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New London Hall
This has become my favorite day-time studying nook. Whether I have journaling to do for my Pathway course or I need to outline a paper, it’s the perfect spot to do some work while also enjoying the view of everyone walking between classes. For me, it’s a good thinking spot where I can brainstorm and look around. It’s also usually quite easy to find a quiet spot as classes are not always taking place on each floor.
Everyone has their own way of clearing their head. Maybe that’s going for a walk, playing a game or taking a drive. For me, I turn to my yoga practice. About two years ago I discovered Buti Yoga. I immediately fell in love with this type of yoga and have been practicing it ever since. With its upbeat music and incorporated dance, it helps me release energy. Buti Yoga not only puts me in a good mood but doubles as my workout. The practice also consists of breathing awareness and patterns, creating a sense of clarity and focus in times that I am stressed or feel distracted. All these aspects of the practice have taught me how to ground myself and create a better sense of self-awareness. As someone who previously struggled with injuries from sports, this has been a healthy and healing form of exercise. Buti Yoga has led me to find not only a new passion but a healthy way to de-stress after a busy day of sitting in class.
Continue ReadingEvery college student dreams of having a four-day weekend. In fact, most students try to plan out their schedules to avoid classes on Friday, just for that extra day. Speaking from experience, this can be harder than you’d think! I have never been one to care much about my schedule, as long as no classes overlap and I’m taking classes I enjoy. A few months ago, I sat down to plan this semester's classes with my adviser, professor Jillian Marshall. I selected all of my classes and then drew out my schedule on paper to help visualize my week. Professor Marshall read aloud the days and times each of my classes met while I color-coded my schedule, and that’s when we realized I had somehow managed to have no classes scheduled for Monday or Friday. I quickly looked back to check that I had written in all four courses, thinking perhaps I’d missed one. Nope, that was it! I was pleased with my choices and already looking forward to these continuous long weekends!
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Even when you don’t have an important exam, it’s still important to reset your brain and take a break. This has been something I’ve been good at for the most part, but this year, with my schedule much heavier, it’s something I forget often. In my Psychology of Disorders and Dysfunctions class, we learned about Mindfulness Meditation— a type of meditation where you focus on nothing but the present and yourself in that moment. For a few weeks every class, we would take five minutes or so to do what was called a body scan. We all put our heads on our desks and listened to the voice of the women guiding the meditation, doing as she said, aware of our breathing and surrounding sounds. I found this to be a nice break, helping us to regain our focus for the remaining hour of class time. We were then assigned to practice this five-minute exercise, five days a week, for five weeks. After the five weeks was over I realized how helpful these types of exercises are for me, along with other breaks like running outside or going to yoga. It’s tempting to just climb in bed and take a nap after a long day of classes before starting some homework, but you end up being so much more productive if you take the time to get some fresh air or just do anything that works for you to reset your brain.
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One of my biggest fears going from a high school class of 45 students to a college of about 1,900 was how I would leave all of the clubs and activities I was involved in and somehow restart in a different, much larger place. It’s hard to imagine having to transition while also trying to find places, groups and clubs on campus that you want to get involved in. When I arrived at Conn for my first year it was important to me that I joined clubs and took on other responsibilities outside of academics because I wanted to meet new people that I had shared interests with.
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I went to a small, private high school in East Providence, Rhode Island, where I had countless tools and people who helped me and guided me through the college process. I am forever grateful for their support. Despite this, I could not seem to figure out what I wanted and what I didn’t want in a college. I had toured multiple schools and thought they were all fine, but I hadn’t had that “falling in love” feeling every high school senior talks about when they find their new home.
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