Natcat At WAC!

#1)Stress is cumulative.

You’ve probably heard something similar pertaining to sleep. What it means when people say “sleep is cumulative” is that your sleep debt builds over time. When I was in high school, classes started at 7:20AM. Then one year, they pushed back the start time to 7:40. Although it didn’t seem like much, every day we would get 20 extra minutes of sleep, every day for five days in a row. This meant that at the end of the school week, we had paid off over an hour of sleep debt.

The same applies to stress. It will only build unless you take a little bit of time each day to deal with whatever is on you plate.  

#2) Procrastinating:

A wise man once said:

“Percentage wise, it is 100% easier not to do things than to do them. And so much fun not to do them!  Especially when you were supposed to do them.“

Procrastination is so easy to do, and so hard to deal with. To avoid procrastinating, take these steps to maximize your productivity:

1.Put your phone on do not disturb. Zac Efron’s tweets can’t bother you if you’re not getting the notifications!

2.Right now, your screensaver probably says something along the lines of: “Natalie’s computer,” or maybe it’s, “Property of Natalie,” or “Zac Efron’s Wife.” It’s in your ABSOLUTE BEST INTEREST to change it to something more mean.  This way, when you stop doing classwork on your computer, and instead mindlessly begin scrolling through your phone, all of a sudden, your screensaver will be yelling at you saying something like: “You’ve got a long to-do list, young lady,” or maybe it’s: “You should be doing that thing. Go do the thing,” or my personal favorite: “Who cares about the 10 best easter eggs you probably missed when you watched Quentin Tarantino’s movies?? Get your butt off Buzzfeed Natalie!”

The mathematics department at Washington College is so great! Even if math isn’t your stongstuit, the professors here will do everything they can to help out! (this is true for all departments, really). Anyone taking a math class can visit our Quantitative Skills Center, which is located in our library. Students can come for free help, from other students, in any math class! This includes physics and computer science.

It took me almost a full two years to decide on a major. I thought I maybe would end up with psychology, but it didn’t work out. Then it was math, then sociology, then back to psychology, then human development, then psychology again, and at one point it was psychology with a math/secondary education double minor. And then, a week ago, I settled on Communication and Media Studies with a concentration in film and a minor in math.

What’s funny is that I was super shy in high school, didn’t talk a whole lot, hated people in general, almost never went out on weekends, only ever communicated with my cats like a lonely maniac, and now my major is centered around how people exchange information with other people. 

Having a roommate for the first time can be scary. I was so nervous about who I would live with for many reasons. I’m a slob. I have a strange taste in music. My favorite movies are “intended for children,” or “for ages six and up,” or whatever. I was not ready to live with another human. 

At WashColl, you have the option of choosing another person who you would like to have as a roommate, given you are both freshmen, or you can have someone randomly assigned to you.

If you choose to do the random assignment, it is in your best interest to answer as honestly as possible and ALONE. DO NOT let your parents/guardian hover over your shoulder as you describe your own neatness (or lack thereof). When I answered the questions alone, with 100% honesty, I was matched with the GREATEST person ever. Not only did we have basic compatibility (neither of us smoke, we had similar sleep schedules), we also got along super well and are still friends! Here is us at Birthday Ball last weekend:

(That’s me on the left and Destiny on the right and our mutual buddy Maggie in the middle.)

Last weekend was Birthday Ball! Every year around George Washington’s birthday, our Student Events Board puts together a huge ball in honor of our favorite president! It’s similar to prom, but it’s open to every class (not just the seniors) and there’s a free breakfast at midnight afterward! 

Idiots indeed, Ron! Anyone who doesn’t attend Birthday Ball or the breakfast is missing out! here are some of my pictures from last Saturday.

There’s a lot coming up in the next few weeks! One thing I am really looking forward to is my project for my favorite class, Contemporary and Popular American Film and TV. For this class, we have watched (and will continue to watch) popular shows and recent movies and discussing them in class. These include Silicon Valley, The Hills Have Eyes, Black Mirror, The Fall (the 2006 film) and more!

 For our final project, we get to pick a movie or tv show, present it to the class, and argue why it should be included in the syllabus. I’ve thought of so many movies to do for this project and I cannot seem to make up my mind! I will probably end up choosing either InsideOut (2015), because of my Pixar obsession, or Legend (2015), because of my Tom Hardy obsession.  

I don’t have just one favorite book. I simply cannot choose! If I had to narrow it down to two, it would have to be The Hidden LIfe of Trees by Peter Wohlleben and Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews. 

The Hidden Life of Trees is a nonfiction piece that explores how trees and forests live and feel. My copy was given to me from my favorite people in the world, my grandparents! <3.

If you’re on the fence about applying to WashColl, here are some reasons why you should totally add our school to your list:

1. Please.

2. Even if you don’t know what you want to study, this school will help you every step of the way and do everything to help you.

3. Washington College sticks out. Most colleges you’ve visited have probably all blended together. But WAC isn’t like the others. Just think, what was the last school you visited that had something like this: 

or this:

not to mention this:

In Honor of We Love WAC Day, I’ve made a list of ten things that make WashColl so loveable:

1. Small class sizes that make it easy for students to seek help

2. Being right on the Chester River/ having the ability to kayak whenever I feel like it

3. Very, very pretty campus

4. Very, very small campus, which means it never takes too long to walk anywhere.

5. Awesome events that happen on the daily, like comedians, bands, and games.

6. FREE STUFF at said awesome events

7.We are home of The Sophie Kerr Prize, the largest undergraduate prize in the country for writing. ($60,000)!

8. Dining Hall Waffle Fries are like no other.

9. Soooooo many clubs, so little time

Chestertown is a great little place! It’s perfect for a college. Here some of the things you can do in town: 1. Fountain Park-Fountain Park is on the 200 block on High Street. It’s right in the center of downtown and lots of benches to sit on, trees to look at, and of course, a giant fountain. Every Earth Day, Ctown hosts a big environmental-themed-festival and the fountain is officially turned back on for Spring. There is also a farmer’s market every Saturday from 8:00 to noon in Fountain Park. 

2. Twigs and Teacups- Twigs and Teacups is a small little shop full of small gag gifts and cute toys. They also have two cats that roam around the store. Sometimes you can catch them in the window!

Fair warning, for this post is dark and full of nerdy references. 

It’s cold here at WAC.

And Winter Is Coming. 

The best way to stay warm on your way to classes is to wear layers. It won’t be as warm as the dark cloaks of the Night’s Watch, but it is far less windy and snowy than a Westeros winter. Make sure to have hats, gloves, scarves, a big winter coat, and plenty of hot cocoa to get you through the cold.

The Wall is not the only place that gets mountains of snow. Be sure to bring tough boots to Chestertown that can get wet and muddy. 

Don’t let a little bit of snow get in the way of you getting to class!

Winter Break was so fun! It snowed a whole bunch and was SUPER pretty! I spent lots of time with my family (cats included). We even went on a couple hikes (cats unincluded). On one of my last nights on break, I celebrated my grandpa’s birthday with my mom and dad and grandparents. Here are some pics! 

Hello!

Last week was Thanksgiving Break and I had a blast at home 🚀 I spent time with both sides of my family. I celebrated my cousin’s birthday, went to my brother’s concert, and did lots of other shenanigans with the whole family :)

Cook!

This is my cousins’ very annoying dog, Timber. He feasted, too. 

This is me, thinking about all the food I just ate, and my bro, who is also thinking about all the food he just ate. 

Happy Birthday to this one! 

More cook!

We ate lots of yummy yummy food. This is the holiday that I really realize how thankful I am for the human digestive system. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to consume all the yummy yummy food. 

Thanksgiving Break is done and now we are all back in classes studying for exams.