Wittenberg University

Hello Everyone!

I can’t believe it’s already the last day of September. The past six weeks have literally flown by. I’m not even sure I can say that I hate Mondays anymore, time passes that quickly. I know what you’re doing while reading this; you’re shaking your head and thinking “she’s crazy.”
But it really is true. The way that time passes at Witt is incredible to me. I’m surprised every Friday morning because it still feels like it should be Tuesday. Not that I’m complaining of course! As time has passed I have grown to truly love being here. Class is difficult and, of course, demanding ,but the people I live and interact with make everything so much easier to handle. Support seems to come from every direction, whether it be from my roommate, who brings me cookies from Post when I’m studying, or my fellow Myers Hall residents who love to sit in the lounge until the wee hours of the morning doing work, or better yet, just talking. It’s a wonderful feeling to know that no day passes without something good or at least funny happening.

At this point, I’m happy to report that I’m managing my time better than I actually thought possible. Though sitting in the library for hours originally sounded pointless and boring, I’ve actually grown to love having a quiet place to study. Plus, I get about twice the amount of stuff done in half the time than I do when I study in my room. One of the only negatives of having an amazing roommate is definitely that we talk way too much haha.
 I remain nervous for the weeks and projects ahead but I am much more confident with my ability to handle assignments and papers at this point which seems to make my parents happy at least…

As we enter the month of October, I have three more points of advice for college freshmen to adhere to:

1) Decorate for holidays. It’s not only fun but it makes your room feel a lot more homey. I can’t wait to put up my Halloween stuff.

2) Spend some time away from your friends if you have a lot of projects/papers/reading due. I hate to have to do it, but spending a few hours in the library every night seems like the only way I can get everything done without having to stress out.

3) There is nothing wrong with napping. Seriously. My roommate and I have bonded over our 2 P.M. naps.
Speaking of which, I think I’m due for one now…

Until next time!

~Julie

This is what happens when your A.C. asks you to bring
the Myers Hollow chairs back from the dorm that stole them….
You take a few breaks along the way

Hello Wittenberg!

It’s been about two weeks since the last time I posted so it felt like the time was ripe for a new one. At this point I have been at Witt almost a month and I’m definitely getting used to life here. I have a general routine that I follow and I’ve met even more people than I believed possible two weeks ago. School has been what it’s expected to be: difficult but rewarding. Getting my first college paper back was strangely exciting, although that probably makes me a nerd….
Everyday I’m given a new reason to believe Witt was the perfect choice for me, whether its getting to see an amazing sunset after a night of studying or running around with my vera bradley umbrella because the crazy Ohio weather decided to dump three days worth of rain on us. In the weeks to come I’m sure I’ll find even more reasons to love it here and I’m excited to find out what those will be.

On another, much more somber note, today was the tenth anniversary of 9/11. From the ringing of Myers Hall’s bells at the times of the attacks to the candlelight vigil in the evening, Wittenberg came together as a community to pay tribute to those those who rose up as heroes and those who lost their lives that fateful day. I am proud to say I go to a University that is so full of people who truly care about their country and the world around them. If there was a way to express the feelings of the generation who grew up after 9/11 I’m sure there would many books written upon it. But it isn’t possible at this point, and probably never will be. However, I will remain content to know that, in a world full of trouble and strife, there are enough people that truly care, and who always will, that light will always be able to shine through darkness, much like candles lit on a silent night in September.

I leave you with this quote:
“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace”

Goodnight Wittenberg, until next time.

Hello everybody!

Since this is my first blog post ever I should probably introduce myself. My name is Julie Cascino and I am currently a Freshmen at Wittenberg, living on the fourth floor of Myers Hall. My hometown is a suburb of Buffalo, New York, approximately seven hours drive away from Springfield. I’ve been here on campus for about ten days and I’m still getting used to being away from home. It’s definitely a different experience living with a roommate and amongst 40 or so other girls on my floor. Especially when you all share one bathroom! So far, so good though. I was genuinely surprised by the way the girls on my floor clicked as a group. From the second night when we all dressed up together for Casino Night to this past Saturday when a bunch of us watched High School Musical in my dorm room, I have felt  lucky to have met such an incredible group of people as those of whom I will live with for the next year.

As far as school goes, the first week of college was stressful but enlightening. It was much like the first week of high school; time passed in a blur and everyone seemed just as nervous as myself. I will likely never be able to recall all the details of what passed in my first five days of classes, but I will always remember how my RA sat in the middle of our hall with us the night before classes attempting to soothe some of our nerves with silly anecdotes of her time at Witt. So far I think that’s the best part of attending this University; there is always someone out there that can relate to your situation, always someone willing to listen and give advice. I’m happy to know that I chose a school small enough, and friendly enough that I can wave to someone I know almost anywhere I go on campus.

I’m still a bit homesick but hopefully that will pass in the coming months. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the year has in store for me!

Until next time,
Julie

P.S. Three things I learned in the past week that I think are especially important to remember for any college freshmen:
1) If you live in a dorm without air conditioning (Yeah Myers) fans are a godsend. There are five in my room currently.
2) If you miss your pets, consider getting a fish if its allowed. Picking one out is a fun fun way to bond with your roommate. Our future fish is named Herman.
3) Laundry is heavy. Keep that in mind if you don’t have an elevator. Not at all kidding.