“If Walls Could Read”: An Open Letter to my College University

Dear Kutztown University,

You were new, exciting, and terrifying all at once. I was 17 years old when I woke up in my cozy house (where I had only resided since the day I was born) and looked into the bathroom mirror to wash my face before I began to cry. It was college move in day, and I couldn’t have been more scared.

I talked the whole car ride up, after saying goodbye to my high school boyfriend, who wouldn’t last much past the first month of you. It seemed easier to fill the air with insignificant babble than to say what I was actually feeling; that I was horrified of moving two hours away, which at the time felt like a lot, and that this was quite possibly just one big, giant mistake. 

After arriving to the dreaded, un-air-conditioned dorms, carrying box after box of useless crap up three flights of stairs and pretending that I was going to be okay, my parents left, leaving me officially out on my own for the first time in forever. I had no idea what your new, small town and the next four years would have in store for me, but I was suddenly the most excited I had ever been in my life.

I never listened when people told me how quickly you would come and go. My first love, you actually might have been. You gave me, the moody, unconvinced little girl that I was, hope for a career, a passion. I learned that it was okay to make new friends, it was okay to lose old ones, and the ones that mattered would always be around. I found out what it was like to live with four other girls at a time, and how outraged you could feel over an increasing pile of dishes. I came to realize how much a two hour call to home can really mean, even when it was just supposed to be a quick hello. I grasped the fact that it’s okay to live off of ramen, just don’t tell your Italian mother. I met new people, I tried new things, and I loved your campus classroom walls and the family-owned shops in town more than you know. You could sometimes feel like my own personal hell, but mostly you just felt like home. I can never put into words all that you gave me.

I fell in love in Bonner Hall, I fell out of that same love in 330 W. Main Street three years later. I met two girls I couldn’t stand freshman year. I managed to sneak into Shorty’s by the time I was a sophomore. I cried my eyes out hugging and singing with those same two girls, who easily became my best friends, on the same dance floor the night of graduation. I loved when I came to realize it was worth being involved in campus organizations and clubs for reasons beyond putting them on my resume. I got my first D before switching my major, which I still need to thank that professor for, as it was undoubtedly the best decision I ever made in my life.

I unsurprisingly made mistakes, amazed myself when I made right choices, and over time, I learned right from wrong. I learned it’s more important to sit with someone who’s alone at lunch or in the classroom than to miss out on making a new friend. I found personal dignity in realizing that one bad grade didn’t decide my future, as how one good grade would not do so either. I learned that life wasn’t always easy, or fair, but you would always point me in the direction I needed to go. 

When it came time to leave, I wouldn’t admit that I was just as terrified as I was on the day I moved in four years prior. I acted like I was over this point in my life, that I was ready to go and to move on. I told everyone I was glad it was over, but between you and me, I didn’t 100% believe my own words. As I write this, it’s almost exactly four years to the date that I moved in to that hot, brick building next to the dining hall, and only three short months since graduation. I’ll be the first one to admit that the same tears fell from my eyes on my very first move-in day as they did on my last move-out. The same feelings arose, and the same questions were asked, but indisputably, you were my most favorite life choice I had the pleasure of making. My first big adventure and my least favorite goodbye.

I know you’re just a cluster of buildings with fields and trees in between, with a small town just down the road, but to your students, you’re more. A perfect, wonderful little memory for me, a big, unknown world awaiting for new, scared incoming freshman, and a place past and present students will always adore to call home. 

I’ll see you at Homecoming,

C

The Ultimate College Bucket List: Four Years, Endless Fun

Sure, sure, we go to college to get an education. But there’s no denying that there is endless fun to be had in those four years that fly by all too quickly. The following is (what I think to be) the ultimate college bucket list – some of which I was lucky enough to check off myself, and others I wish I had done!

 

1. Get a bunch of your friends together, guys and girls, and hit up the nearest strip club. There is nothing more fun than tossing a few back while getting to experience a fun night of throwing dollar bills in the air and laughing about it the next morning! College might be the only time this is acceptable, so go out and do it!

2. Road trip to another school, preferably on one of their biggest well-known party weekends (example: State Patty’s at PSU) or even a trip to Atlantic City/the nearest casinos! It’s fun to let loose with your friends somewhere besides your regular college-town bars and have a weekend away!

3. Run a 5k with your friends. Go online and find a 5K close to your school and sign up! There’s nothing like getting a group together for a fun day, a good workout and a great cause!

4. Hike, explore, or find an out-doorsey adventure. Some of the best days in my college career were the ones where we took a break from day-drinking on a Saturday or Sunday and found a mountain to hike, a lake to swim, or quarry to explore! There are so many neat places, you just have to go and look for them.

5. Attend a sporting event. There’s nothing better than dressing up in your favorite team’s gear and heading to a tailgate and game! Or head out to a minor league game (they’re usually cheaper, anyway!).

6. Host an unforgettable party. Sure, you’ll attend plenty of awesome ‘keggers’ and all-nighters throughout your college career, but everyone needs to hold at least one of their own that people won’t be able to stop talking about the entire next week. Even if it takes you three days to clean and costs you a noise violation from the police, it’s a story you’ll want to tell for years to come. “Remember that time we threw that one party and…”

7. Take at least one spring break trip with all of your friends to somewhere tropical. You’ve put in the work all semester, and the warm weather is finally back. No reason you shouldn’t book yourself a seat on the next plane to somewhere where the drinks come garnished with pineapples. There is a reason college spring breaks are so long!

8. Host a Pinterest party. This one is for the girls. Get a bunch of your girlfriends together, set a date, and host at your place. Tell every house of girls to be in charge for a separate thing (appetizers, dessert, entree, drink, craft, etc.), have them find a recipe/idea on Pinterest, and bring it over that night! Everyone gets to make something new AND try something new! It’s a ton of fun and you can finally put those hours of pinning to good use.

9. Have a slip’n’slide. Who said it was only for little kids? On a warm day, grab a tarp, a hose, some dish soap, and a ton of friends for a day of slippery fun! (Keg not needed, but highly suggested)

10. Stay up one night just to watch the sunrise. Whether it’s after stumbling back from the bar, indulging on pizza and talking until the sun comes up, or just a long night of heart-to-hearts and wine with the girls, you need to have at least one night that turns into mornings with friends who’ve turned into family.

11. Volunteer. There is nothing more gratifying than doing something for someone else with a good group of friends. The parties will always be there, but it’s good to get out there and do something for others every once in a while!

12. Hit up a Chuck’E’Cheese. This sounds ridiculous, but is actually awesome. The best time to go is during or after a stressful finals week. Nothing allows you to feel like a kid as much as a couple of hours playing some arcade games does! (Sidenote: You ARE allowed in a Chuck’E’Cheese without a child – you’re just not allowed in the tubes!)

13. Have a giant sleepover in your living room. Gather up the roommates and lug those mattresses out to your living room! Fill up your wine glasses, make some yummy snacks, and rent at least three Redboxes. These are the nights you’ll remember why you love college!

14. Make “house goals” and try to accomplish them throughout the semester/year! It’s always fun to sit down with the roommates and make a list of silly things you’d love to say you did! To make it even more fun, have each goal worth a certain amount of points. Each roomie can add up their points and designate a prize for the winner!

15. Get into the bar at least once before your 21 (and don’t get caught!). I’ll never forget the first time I was able to sneak into the bar at the age of 19. I thought it was so cool to be able to hang out with my older friends and have drinks handed to me!

16. Have a “bottle night”. Who said these were just for sororities/fraternities? Host (or attend) a party where everyone gets really dressed up and has a date – Each pair brings their own bottle of choice!

17. Host a game night. Break out the monopoly, twister, candy-land, etc. and call all your friends! It’s fun to get together and kick back – you’re in for a good night and a lot of laughs!

18. Go horseback riding. Find a nearby farm/ranch and grab some close friends to embark on something fun and different for the day! There is nothing more relaxing than putting down the cellphones and having a fun time outside with your new animal friends! Some places even offer an outdoor dinner and/or bonfire following your ride – so check out some places near you!

19. Head out to a school sporting event! Unless you come from a school such as Penn State, it’s not always second nature to wake up on a Saturday, put on your school’s colors and grab a seat at the football/baseball/basketball game. But these experiences are fun and they need to be had every once and a while!

 

How many of these things have you crossed off your college bucket list? Can you think of any others? I’d love to hear – Comment below 🙂

It’s More Than Just Talk. Communication Studies: “What do you want to do with that?”

No matter the major, no matter the university you attended, we all dread the terrifying question: “What do you want to do with that?” Unless you’re walking away with a degree in nursing or teaching (which come with enough terrifying questions of their own, god bless you grads), it’s hard to explain exactly what you picture doing with your life. It’s even harder to explain to your mother’s, cousin’s, son’s, wife who, in reality, probably doesn’t even care. But, because you spent the last four years or so perfecting this damn science, you feel that you at least owe it to yourself to have a good answer to this question (that if you hear one more time you might have to excuse yourself for another margarita), right?

The truth is, you probably don’t know the answer to this question. Or at least not an exact answer to this question (and if you do, the rest of us secretly hate you, don’t take it personally).

I changed my major once throughout my college career. This was a big deal, since I went off to school eighteen years young (it felt older then, trust me), knowing everything there was to possibly know about the world and the people in it (duh), and thinking I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I was an Electronic Media major and I was so set on sticking with it.

I have never been more wrong.

I was in a department with professors who told me to leave, peers who fed off of competing with one another, and a whole lot of C’s at the end of my first semester.

Besides knowing that this was not what I wanted to do with my life, I knew I was lost. I felt confused and distressed. The one and only class I looked forward to attending was my public speaking course, which my professor found as odd, seeing as how most of the kids have to take the class at least twice if they want a decent grade. I awkwardly had to sit through one girl cry herself through a speech, another run out of the room during, and one who – I swear, I could not making this shit up even if I tried – threw up immediately following. Let’s just safely assume they’re all nurses or teachers now 🙂

Because I had found my newfound admiration for the College of Liberal Arts and every course, professor, club, and student that came with it, I made the official switch to Communication Studies in the middle of my sophomore year.

From the bottom of my heart, I can honestly say majoring in Communication Studies was the best, no, the greatest thing I ever decided to do.

If you’re a Communication major, you probably know that f-ing awesome feeling of saying the very last line of your speech. You spent an hour the night before in your bedroom mirror, or maybe in front of your roommates, perfecting the tone of your voice to say that ending, I know, I know. And you probably rocked it. You also well know the feeling of accomplishment when you hand in your twenty-five page research paper or your public relations campaign media kit. Damn, does it feel good to see your name on that cover page. You’ve never felt prouder than sitting in a gen-ed course on syllabus week and hearing the echoing moans of students around you when your professor announces that there will be presentations. Psh, you’re used to that stuff, it’s what you do. You’re probably also beyond familiar with all-nighters, group projects (which really should just be re-named “the biggest headache you’ll ever encounter”), and mental, sometimes even physical, break-downs from what seemed like never-ending many speeches, campaigns, projects, and research papers. I can’t help but to notice that some tend to look down on those who choose a path along the lines of Communications. And that’s because they’ve never experienced it. And damn, do I feel sorry for them. People see our major as something easy, a ‘get out of jail free card’, or even just plain unimaginative. They’ll never have that pride, that feeling of family within a classroom, or that connection to their degree. And that’s okay, because they’re probably in a major that suits them and their personality just fine. But we, we Communication majors know that fine just isn’t for us.

 

So the next time you encounter a Communication major, and you even dare to ask them, “What are you going to do with that?”, maybe they don’t know exactly what this field has in store for them, but you might want to be prepared – because talking is what we’re good at.

 

 

– C

College was the pre-game to life. Hello world, this is me.

Hello world. I am a recent college graduate from the tiny, perfect, occasionally hell-like, Kutztown University. Forty courses, one internship, experimental all-nighters with Adderal, involvment with two campus organizations, a whole lot of tequila, endless papers, and a ton of memories later, here I am. I hold a diploma – well, will hold a diploma as soon as they decide to mail me mine… – that reads “BA Communication Studies” and a whole bunch of other crap w/a president or a staff member’s copied signature. I still think I should have minored in napping.

Is it just me, or did those four years go by a little too quickly? Don’t get me wrong – I was more than ready to leave. But now what? I’m back at home with my new roomies, mom and dad, applying to numerous jobs a day with a resume that may or may not be correctly formatted (because apparently there’s twenty-six different ways of writing one) and a cover letter that constantly has to be edited to fit this job description which I am probably not viewed as applicable for because you need two years of experience in just gaining experience. Ugh. Remind me again why we always desired to grow up so quickly. If this is adulthood, I’m going to need more margaritas.

I have faith that my experience and hours of work over the past four years will eventually land me with a job. You should, too, so don’t panic. But over the past couple weeks of my new-found “adulthood”, I’ve come to realize a few things…

1. Finish the damn application. Even if it cuts into an hour and a half of your Netflix addiction. Maybe the company just wants to see who is willing to finish the entire application, because they’re probably the candidates worth an interview. No one ever said that applying to job postings was going to be easy – but in the end, it’s (supposed to) be worth it.

2. Networks are important, but never a guarantee. Sure, you’ve spent the last half of a decade making connections. But just because your dad’s, co-worker’s, brother works at some company you’ve never heard of, and maybe even gets your resume to the top of the pile, doesn’t mean you have the job. Keep in mind that if you’re lucky enough to get an interview due to a connection of a connection, you better be prepared because to this interviewer, you’re just another entry-level, college graduate.

3. Keep building your resume. Just because you’re done school does not qualify you as experienced. A company doesn’t want to hire someone who sat on the couch following their graduation date. Take initiative. Start freelancing, blogging, researching – whatever. A diploma is not an excuse to call it quits until an opportunity arises (which also does not happen by magic, go figure.)

4. Do not envy your peers who are seemingly “doing better” than you. Trust me, I know the feeling of seeing “Congratulate so-and-so on their new job” on your LinkedIn timeline. You’re thinking, ‘oh, please, I’m more qualified than her/him!‘ And so you may be. But hey, green was never your color and your professors prepared you that it is a dog eat dog world out here. There is no reason to feel discouraged. If anything, be happy for those surrounding you and know that this, too, means there’s a fighting chance for you! Your time will come; just be patient and keep working your ass off doing what you’re good at.

5. Don’t stress. Don’t panic. Don’t spend too much time treading the water just to forget how much you’ve always loved to swim. Take every job application and every interview with a grain of salt, a slice of lime, and a shot of tequila (afterwards, of course). You are no where near as lost as you think you are. Your opportunity will come. Visit new places, learn a new hobby, dream big. Do all the things you’ve always wanted to do because now is your chance to do so. Twenty-something is not nearly as old as we like to think it is. You were lucky enough to walk away from four years (maybe five) of college with at least some of your sanity still intact, so don’t blow it now – no matter how many people ask you the terrifying question, “What are you going to do, now?” Tell them that you? You are on your way.

 

Happy job hunting,

– C