Dorm Dimensions

This week in Mason the girls talked about the college process! As senior year starts winding down seniors are faced with the scramming horror of finding a college. In our dorm, we have a selection of students who took different paths for the college process. After looking at all the different sorties we are left to wonder, what college process is the best, or is there any positive college process at all? The college process is a rollercoaster of emotions, it comes with more responsibility than ever and an overwhelming amount of pressure. In mason we were able to see a variety of strategies to tackle the college process. Now girl applied to over 80 colleges, one used sports and academic to get her way into a highly competitive school, a separate girl committed back in fall for lax, one girl got all deferrals and a few girls still haven't applied. With 7 out of our 14 girls already enrolled in a college next year, we have been able to have some good conversations.

First things first, college acceptance is a huge money grab. With each application about $60 a pop student's are pouring our money to raise their chances of acceptance. With the ED/EA systems schools start taking their full boat payers first. This, however, is not mentioned in any college information session, and it really through our dorm through a loop. A girl in our dorm who has a very competitive application, with 5 AP classes and a leadership position, but who was looking for financial aid was deferred form a school with a 48% acceptance rate. Yet a girl who was a full boat payer and had no leadership position and 2 APs was accepted and enrolled. Both these girls obviously had strong applications but what people failed to mention to our grade was that money matters. We talked about how we though colleges were “need-blind” a term meaning colleges accepted to students who they thought earned their spot and then looked at their fincale aspect.

We also talked about sports, 3 girls in our dorm used sports to help them get into college. One girl committed to a college with a very low acceptance rate early on using lax to give her an additional in alongside her report card of A’s. A separate girl applied ED to a reach school using her high grade point average and 3 varsity season record to draw the school in, she plans on walking on to their field hockey/ lax team. And thirdly a girl used the advantage of application weavers form coaches to apply to 83 colleges. With her parent's plan for her to pay for her own college, she broadened her horizons and by applying to many schools and military scholarships in hopes of lessening her student loans.

This week the girls in Mason took on some heavy conversations and we talked about recent rape cases in the media and at boarding schools. This was inspired by Ke$ha’s performance at the grammy’s.

As our girls cuddled up on Sunday night to watch the grammy’s we were inspired by Ke$ha’s moving performance of “Praying.” A few of girls in our dorm starting poking fun at how aggressive she was singing. A group of us explained that Ke$ha’s song and prefromance stood for her own sexual assault by her producer and all of the Hollywood rape ceases that are coming to surface. Her performance featured herself and many other woman singing in white dresses. Her passionate prefomnace Brought girls in our dorm to tears. Over the past couple of months many woman have came forward about being sexually assaulted in the upper rankings of society. For the first time in history celebrities were stepping out of the darkness and admitting to being raped or sexually assaulted. Bringn this to the attention of some of the girls in our dorm we started talking about rape cases we know hat our age. Living at a boarding school we have a bigger stereotype for rape stories. Some girls in our dorm opened up about rape cases their friends were involved in and some even spoke up about times they were personally assaulted. This conversation is never an easy one. Some people hold dark secrets even at the age of 17 girls in our dorm have fallen victim to sexual assault. Ashamed or embarrassed some girls never opened up about their experiences but in our dorm some girls found the curage to open up. Girls talked about boys who were violent, drunk, sometimes both. Some Giles opened up about controlling boyfriends or abusive companions. Some of these girls opened up to me alone in privet and some opened up right in our common room. Sexual assault is a problem all over the world of girls of all ages. The recent movement of celebrities have inspired woman old and young all over the country to step up and tell the truth about their sexual assault.

This week in mason dorm the girls are talking about high school relationships. We talk about the difference of relationships at boarding schools and day schools and we talk about how some girls deal with long distance relationships.

In Mason dorm we have girls who have been dating the same guy since freshman year we have girls who are dating boys who have graduated from BA and are at a new school, we have brand new relationships in the honeymoon phase and we have new relationships that are more to a Rocky start. We have decided that boarding school relationships are much more intense than your average high school experience. When at boarding school your friends become more like family because you eat sleep and live together. When you date someone at boarding school your paractlly do the same thing. Obviously, you don't live together but it gets intense fast. In my dorm girls get up to got to breakfast with their boyfriend, go to school come back to their dorm with their boyfriends, go to sports than spend the next few hours with their boyfriends and finally they take nights out to do homework with their boyfriends. Outsiders may think this is odd but to girls at our school it's completely normal. At boarding school, we all live in close quarters meaning that you see everyone constantly. Once in a relationship hanging out with your significant other is as easy as taking 20 steps to their dorm. Not to mention that any time you want to see your boyfriend over break they usually have to sleep over at your house. Girls in my dorm started questioning if this was a good thing or not. Some thought that it brought younger relationships to a new leave making them more prepared for relationships later in life. While others thought it was too much pressure for such young kids.

This week in mason dorm we are discussing the changes that come with winter and flu season. (Dramatic music) We talk about the most recent illness and some of the ways we can prevent getting sick in a dorm.

This week about half of your dorm got hit with the stomach bug. That meant late nights with planned bathroom breaks. Two of our girls were hit hard and went home this left a gap in the hearts of mason dorm. While getting sick is very common in the winter living in a dorm makes you very susceptible to the illnesses going around. However, it also places a new responsibility on you because they're aunt any parents to take care of your sick friend. Girls in our dorm really stepped up to staying up late to help their roommate or friend. With girls coming in and out of mason dorm all weekend we never had a full house in fact 2 girls are still home and they are different girls than the ones who left this weekend. Half of your dorm is fighting off sickness and the other have is fighting to stop getting sick. In an odd way, this phase of the flue has brought our dorm a lot closer. I'm really proud of our dorm and super thankful to have such a caring dorm parent.

As one of the girls who hasn't gotten sick yet (fingers crossed) I have some advice for dormers who are trying to avoid the horrors of the stomach bug. Number one, water is your new best friend. I'm sure most people already drink the correct amount of water a day but being dehydrated is one easy way to become a target for the flu. But don't just drink water, get a cool mist humidifier to put in your room to keep your throat from getting dry. Make sure to get the cool mist because germs thrive in warmth and the warm mist humidifiers are just a playground for the next new set of germs that may take our your germ. Number two, sanitize everything. Get some wipes and spray and clean down your room. Make sure to clean off surfaces where germs are usually found. Like door handles, light switches, desks and anything and EVERYTHING in the bathroom. If your roommate is sick sleep in a different room. This weekend my roommate was gone and I had one of my dormmates sleep in her bed because her roommate was throwing up all night. Number three, stay prepared. Do your rite Aid trips early, get lotion infused tissues, congestion medication, cough drops and ginger ale just in case you find your self starting to feel bad. Plus you could always help a girl out and give her some stuff to make her feel better.

This week the girls in Mason talked about cuffing season and the stress it can cause on friendships

Many girls in my dorm have found a cuddle buddy just in time for the cold months of winter. Every year at prep school the trend of couples coming together in the early months of winter is known as cuffing season. Cuffing season the: the time where boys friend girls friends or vice versa so they are not alone for the cold long winter months. Unfortunately, this has caused some tension in mason dorm. About half of the dorm is all cuddled up in the common room while the other half of the girls feel locked away in there lonesome. The girls with boyfriends want to spend as much time together as the days seem to go by slowly without a little company. But the girls who don't have boyfriends feel like they cant use the common room and don't know what to expect when they walk into the dorm. Procter’s have made an announcement asking girls with significant other to be cautious of everyone's comfort. The girls with boyfriends reacted with an upset manner, insisting if there is ever any discomfort girls should just confront them. But how are you supposed to confront people in the middle of there canoodling? That leaves the remaining question... what are we to do?

A girl in our dorm has never engaged in the online trend of sending nudes, yet a boy jokingly threatened her by saying if she didn't tell him a secret he would send out her nudes.  (THAT SHE NEVER TOOK OR SENT) This sparked a conversation about digital footprints and finding boys you trust.

 In my opinion sending nudes is a very risky and intimate thing that should not be taken lightly. In this day and age, people have the ability to save and disperse private information faster than ever. Apps like photo vault are a breeding ground for unhealthy sexual behavior. I have heard many stories about guys who collect nudes and organize them alphabetically or by category, ex: butt, boobs, mirror, selfie and so on. Obviously, those are extremes but that's revolting. I doubt half of those girls intended for that picture to be sent to anyone else. In my mind nudes should not a casual request, boys cant treat it the same way asking to borrow a pencil in class. It should not be that normal. I think that every girl should be able to make the choice if they want to send nudes or not, I believe in your body your choice. However, I strongly think that girls should be able to do what they want without the fear that the whole student body will see them naked. I'm not against the idea of nudes, I’m against the idea the distributing nudes of others is thought as socially acceptable. Well, guess what, it's not legally acceptable so why would it be socially acceptable. The idea that blackmailing girls with their nudes as a productive way to get something out of them is one of the most degrading behaviors I have seen in high school.

We’ve all heard the horror stories of nudes getting spread around and coming back to hunt girls in the later year. When I was younger a girl from my town made it to American Idols final three constants she was just out of high school and making a name for herself. Our whole town was watching her every move in support but a boy she once sent revealing photos to upload them to porn hub, where everyone could see it. It really tainted her reputation, and she had a hard time dealing with the bad publicity.

Girls in my dorm are constantly saying that they don't go on dates because there is nothing to do. This new culture of just hanging out on a couch as a “date” every night is odd to me. My friends asked me how I could help this repetitive “Netflix and chill” habit. There is nothing wrong with a night in but when you start thinking that a guy might just be spending time with you to hook up there is a problem. Today I am here to give you some ways to avoid this from happening.

Taking a break from some serious girl topics lets take some time to talk about fun fall dates. Fall is, in my opinion, the best season for dates. Fall gives you time to get outside and enjoy the weather before we are blanketed in snow. There are so many activities in the autumn that will bring out a fun side in your relationship!

Apple picking: Nothing better than going out into the orchards with the apple of your eye ;). Apple picking is the perfect time to bundle up in your cute plaid scarf and have some fun to get fruit. Many apple orchards have animals, fresh donuts, and warm apple cider. This timeless fall ritual lets you take your date out without breaking your wallet. Maybe even go home and bake some apple pie, you earned it.

Pumpkin Carving: Okay maybe the smell of pumpkin guts doesn't seem romantic but not everything in your relationship has to be. Pumpkin carving is a fun tradition and will bring you and your loved one back to the days of trick-or-treating fun. Be creative with your pumpkin and crave something you and your partner would both enjoy.

Haunted Houses; Haunted houses are defiantly a way to explore your risky side with your date. Mazes or classic hunted houses host the perfect environment to catch a scare. Its a perfect date night for the more Halloween enthused couples. Its also a really fun group date allows you to get a lot closer to your partner. Because there is nothing more vulnerable than peeing your pants as clown chases you.

Foliage hike: Maybe for the more outdoorsy couple hikes are a great way to really get outdoors and explore. New England is full of wonderful hiking trails that are simply upgraded with the famous fall foliage. Being outside gives you and your partner time to talk and catch up on some small details you might have missed. Collect some colorful leaves and take some scenic picots, just get away from the world for a day. So lace up your shoes and take in the view!

Are you the girl on the side?