Student Blog: Back to Campus

Second semester may mean that I've been on campus for four months, but that didn't stop me from running around frantically attempting to make it to my first class at 8:57am.

I still had a few minutes until the 9:05 start time, but standing in the middle of a quad of buildings trying helplessly to find the names, I had no idea what to do. Because despite being in college for a grand total of four months, I had never once visited the buildings three of my five classrooms were housed in.

In musicals, when something is going wrong, you sing a song. Unfortunately, I was in the middle of a crowded lawn full of students, and in real life, people don't really burst into random song and dance. Fortunately, I was in the middle of a crowded lawn full of students, and one of them was able to direct me to my university writing seminar.

As a college first-year studying at Brandeis University, a large portion of my first semester was spent trying to navigate around campus. It only took me a few days to figure out where my classes were, but whenever I needed to find a new building, I would pull out my trusty map and then promptly get lost.

It only takes fifteen minutes to get from one end of campus to the other, but that's not counting if I go off campus. I can walk to the nearby town, visit an off-campus house, or go to the nearby Chabad on Shabbos. The furthest is around a half hour's walk, which typically would be nice, except I'm currently experiencing Massachusetts winter.

One of the biggest changes that came with my return to campus is the weather. I spend my days bundled up in hats and coats, refusing to go outside unless I've got a pair of boots and my favorite gloves. Sometimes the sun is out, a complete contrast to the chilly breeze or the melting snow. It was cold in December, with my Uggs making their triumphant return, but February takes winter to a whole new level.

I walk to my classes with my hands curled in my pockets, earbuds practically glued to my ears. After my university writing seminar, I cross the quad and head straight to my econ class. It's a prerequisite for the business minor, which will complement my creative writing major. My two-hour lunch break lasts from 11 to 1, and then I'm right back in the same quad - different building - for my course on close reading. This schedule repeats every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and on the latter, I run from close reading to my writing workshop, which focuses on the art of writing a novel. My Tuesdays include a dance class and an econ recitation, and I've got Fridays completely free.

It's a little hectic, especially on my four-class Thursday, but I'm happy with how my schedule turned out. Three weeks into the semester, I've started to fall into a regular routine. I began a new job this week working at the campus card office, and I've been doing some editing for the novel I'm currently writing. I've got auditions for the musical theater cabaret tonight, so I'll keep you updated on how that goes!

Photo Credit: Sean Berman