Roz Wills and Eli Cohen

Happy Halloween everyone! I’m performing in Rocky Horror Picture Show this evening (I’m Riff Raff) and tomorrow I’m going out to CVS to buy lots of on-sale Halloween candy (it’s a tradition). Hope everything’s going well, keep e-mailing me if you have questions.

This has been Eli Cohen, with a post almost worthy of Twitter.

So yeah…Eli’s been much better about this than me, so it’s my turn to regale you with my little nuggets of wisdom and avoid writing an English paper.

I guess with that leadup, a good thing to discuss might be time management. One of the things that is fantastic about college life is that for most of your classes, you are given total responsibility for getting your work done on time. In some cases (language classes, for example) you have pretty regular assignments; for others, you’re given a syllabus with the plan laid out for you and the words, “Here’s when your papers are due. See you in December.” And the rest of class is just lecture or discussion or whatever and they don’t really remind you again until they tell you to hand them in.

This can be both a blessing and a curse. On the good side, you get to pretty much choose when you do your work, you have a lot more time in which to do it, and you have total responsibility for whether or not your stuff gets turned in on time. On the bad side, you have no reminders, no one will be holding your hand, and you have total responsibility for whether or not your stuff gets turned in on time.

The biggest problem is the temptation to slack off and do everything the night before it’s due, and I won’t deny that a lot of the time that’s what people end up doing. The point is that it’s a choice — you have the option of being really on the ball, being a complete slacker, or finding your own balance in between, and I think it’s one of my favorite parts of college that your schedule is so open that you have the optino to make that choice at all.

I obviously don’t *recommend* being a complete slacker, and you should definitely do your best to keep hold of your schedule and make sure you keep track of everything that’s going on at once. But one of the points of this blog was to talk about some of the things that you are going to find changing during your college experience and this was definitely one for me. There’s a lot more freedom to do whatever you want, and it’s an important thing to keep in mind, as it will change how you look at getting your work done and planning your life and activities.

A lot of people ask me “Hey, Eli, could you lay out your day for me in painstaking detail?”

Okay, nobody asks me that, But I’m going to do it anyway.

On Monday, I wake up around 9:45AM, take a shower, and head to Spanish for 10:30. At 11:30 class gets out, and I eat breakfast at Stimson. (more of a brunch, really). When I’m done with lunch, I lounge around for a half hour, then go to psych (12:30-1:30). I do my Philosophy reading (which I’ve inevitably procrastinated on), then go to philosophy at 2:30 (note: I do NOT endorse doing reading for a class an hour before the class. I’m just being honest; I do it, but I’m rarely happy with myself when I do). When philosophy gets out at 3:45, I get to hang out with friends and/or Emily for a few hours. We eat together, hang out some more and/or do homework, depending on the load that evening. Then at 8:30 I head to work at the CTLT (I make brochures and teach people how to use digital arts software. If you want to learn how to Photoshop people’s faces onto other people’s bodies, I’m your man). At 11:00, I’m done with that, so I head back and do whatever homework is left, then go to bed.

It’s interesting to see what changes in college and what doesn’t. If you had asked me in high school if I would be able to stand going to a class BEFORE eating breakfast, I would have said “absolutely not.” In high school, I was very hungry when I woke up, and I couldn’t really function until I had food in me. Both this semester and last semester I’ve been on this schedule, and I like it. I *could* get food before class if I wanted, but I just don’t feel the need.

I’m certainly not saying that this is the specific thing that will change for everyone; it’s not. In fact, it’s pretty unpredictable what’s going to change. The best thing you can do is pay attention to your body and your mind and figure out what works best for you. At the risk of being tautological, the best advice I can give is to keep and open mind.

See you at Explore Goucher Day!

So, as the class of 2012 makes friends with each other, I’m finding that I get fewer and fewer questions about where buildings are and who to talk to about different issues. It seems like people are A) figuring out the answers themselves or B) finding friends who know the answer. Thus, I think I can call the Orientation of the class of 2012 a success, and move on to you new folks! The class of 2013!

That’s right, class of 2013! Most of you probably still think of yourselves as the class of 2009, but soon enough, you’ll have that magical moment when 2009 is in the past, and you’re looking forward to the next four years. Or maybe you won’t. Maybe it will be completely insignificant. Either way, it’ll happen. Just like in elementary school, middle school and high school, you go from the oldest group of kids around to the youngest group around. You’re the most experienced, then you’re the least experienced.

No worries, though. There’s help along the way. If you’re a high school senior thinking about Goucher, the best thing you can do for yourself is visit (if you haven’t already). Take a tour, sit in on a class, whatever you have time for. Come to Explore Goucher Day. It’s buckets of fun, and you’ll get to see me and my pyrate friends selling delicious cupcakes. As always, ask questions. Lots of questions. I say it every post, but send me questions at eli.cohen@goucher.edu. If you’re considering Goucher, you’re doing yourself a disservice by not getting all the information you can about it. There’s a lot more here than just in the brochure.

-Eli

So, these six days of orientation have been great. I like how at the beginning of the first day, everyone’s confused, wandering around with their parents, unsure of what’s going on or how to find anything. By the end of the day, everyone’s met at least a few people who they can remember the names of. By the end of the second day, everyone has at least one or two people they might end up being friends with. By the end of the first week, a lot of people have established groups of friends. Of course, these circles change constantly, and nobody should feel bad when they inevitably break off with a few of the people they were friends with initially. Still, friends are friends until proven otherwise.

I was having a conversation with a group of seven or so first-years about false expectations about college. We’re all given a ton of information about college, especially from our parents’ friends and other respected adults. I thought I’d need rolls of quarters for laundry machines. Turns out we use swipe-cards. I also thought I’d have to coordinate shower usage with roommates/hallmates. Turns out everyone wakes up at different times, so there’s always a shower available. I might make a list of shattered expectations, between me and my friends. I’ll post it when it’s done (if I don’t get lazy/busy).

Opening ceremony is tomorrow. Looking forward to good food and FREE MONEY FOR THE CLASS OF 2011 (’cause we’re totally going to win the most-people-wearing-our-color contest).

-Eli

…I know a place where there’s still somethin’ goin’ on.
-Dylan

So, summer’s over for me. I’m back at Goucher, prepping for the upcoming freshman move-in. Orientation Committee is working hard to put together the last few things for this Thursday. There’s a surprising number of people here already. I knew about some of the people coming early, and there’s the Early Immersion programs, but I thought it would amount to 100 or 200 people coming early. Turns out it’s more like 500, which is 1/3 of the school. I have no idea if that’s typical or not.

I’m glad to be back on campus. I enjoyed going home and visiting my friends, but I really missed Goucher people, and I’m excited to be back. Can’t wait to see the class of 2012 all together. It’s going to be a blast.

I wish I had one solid piece of advice to give everyone, but the fact is, everyone has their own challenges coming into college. Some people will have trouble with homesickness, but others will be glad to be out of the house. Some will have to deal with having to deal with basic things like food and laundry on their own, if they’ve never had to do that themselves before. Others already have those skills. Some people will deal with being in a new social scene well, others will have trouble overcoming their own shyness. Everyone has their own challenges. Yes, that’s right, you’re all unique and beautiful snowflakes. Or something. I guess.

Anyway, I can’t wait everyone comes together. I won’t give away any of the secrets of what’s going to happen at orientation, but for those of you who were at summer orientation, I can tell you that there will be more ice-breakers on the Pearlstone lawn. I *love* those things. It’s great because everyone makes friends during them. I know that’s cheesy, but it’s true, and not for the reason you think.

9/10 of the students are always totally into it and are willing to be goofy and have a good time. The other 1/10 aren’t, and would rather make fun of the games than play them. But those people make friends too. All the lame, boring, cynical people find each other and make jokes about how silly the whole thing is, and they bond over it. Funny how that works, huh?

Freshmen and transfer students: I’ll see you Thursday.
-Eli

…because it’s all a matter of perspective.

I haven’t posted for a few weeks because I’ve been back at home. I had a lot more free time on my hands when I was working. Now that I’m not doing work, I’m all busy (it’s so ironic!) I’ve been back in Amherst, MA, catching up with friends from home. Although I miss a few of the people in Amherst, the location of Goucher feels like home to me now. As great as three weeks of free time is, the anticipation can grow stale, and I’m looking forward to getting back into things at Goucher.

Upon returning home, I found that everyone sort of clicked back into high school mode, because our new interests didn’t match up quite as well anymore. I couldn’t bring up all this Goucher Pyrate Alliance stuff with my old friends; they have no interested in Irish music and sea shanties and all that (I can’t blame them, it’s not for everyone). Likewise, two of my friends have cultivated their interests in the natural sciences, and while I respect them greatly for it, I just can’t follow their conversations because they assume that everyone knows what a polyphenol is, and what its function is. Nobody’s at fault, it’s just that our interests diverge. So we snapped back to the things we have in common: video games and long philosophical conversations about life. I love both those things, but there’s a niche, filled at Goucher by the Pyrates, which I’m not filling here at home. That’s why I’m excited to go back.

On an unrelated note, I’ve had a number of people tell me I’m doing a great job with this blog… but they’re all people who work for Goucher (hi guys!). As much as I love them, they’re not exactly the target audience. If you’re an incoming freshman or a prospective student (or, I dunno, a parent. I have no idea who randomly clicks their way to this corner of the website) and you’re curious about college life and have questions, or just want to share an experience, please do so. Tell me what to post about, I’m open to suggestions. Send me an e-mail, Facebook me, whatever. eli.cohen@goucher.edu.

Class of 2012: I’ll see you on the 28th. I’ll be the bearded guy. You know, the really good-looking one.

-Eli

I want to address a question I heard a few times at summer orientation, and I noticed a few people asking on the 2012 Facebook group. What are the dorms like? Especially Stimson, seeing as that’s where the largest chunk of freshmen end up. I lived in Conner 115 last year, and I’m in Lewis 202 this coming year. Roz lived in Wagner 409 (as did my girlfriend, if you read back to the first post). A few of our other friends were in Stimson as well.

I’ve heard people show concerns that Stimson is somehow a worse hall than… I’m not sure. Some other hall, I suppose. I think that comes from two things people have heard.

A) There’s no AC.

B) Freshmen live there, so that must mean it was the last thing picked, so that must mean it’s the worst.

I’m going to address the second one first. That’s not how room draw works, as you’ll find out at the end of your first year. The freshmen class, as a whole, “pick first” in a sense. Before seniors, juniors or sophomores pick rooms, a bunch of rooms are set aside for freshmen. These rooms are spread around campus, with the largest concentration in Stimson, followed by Froelicher, plus a bunch in the T, Mary Fisher (especially Bacon), and Heubeck. Sondheim too, by application only. These were set aside ahead of time. You haven’t been given “leftovers.” They spread it out so you have a shot at living anywhere, though Stimson is a bit more likely than the others.

As far as the quality of the dorms… everyone’s got their own likes and dislikes about each building. It’s always going to depend on who you talk to, and what your preferred living situation is. The thing that affects most people is definitely AC vs. no AC. It’s true that Stimson has no air conditioning. The first 3 weeks you get here and the last 3 weeks before you leave for the summer can be hot. If you don’t deal with heat well, invest in a good fan. That’s really all I can say. Other than that one minor drawback (which not everyone even sees as a problem) the hall is great.

The rooms are big. Certainly bigger than I expected my dorm room to be. My friends who were already in college told me to expect a closet-sized room. Stimson rooms are pretty spacious. In fact, you have the option of bunking your beds, to make the room even bigger. That’s a decision between you and your roommate, and I’m sure Roz can be convinced to talk about that in more detail. What I will say is that she had bunked beds, and I will say that with bunked beds, there was enough space to fit a couch in the room, with the box the couch came in in the middle of the room as a table. We were inventive. Plus, there was still enough room for Emily to have a huge pile of unsorted crap in the corner, a microfridge, and of course, the two desks that came with the room. PLUS floor space left over for Roz to do her Set Design homework on the floor (it involves a large piece of canvas). Without bunked beds, we could have done all that, minus the couch. The rooms in Stimson are nice and big. Also, you get to live right next to the main dining hall, which is always a plus.

The concern about Stimson has a lot to do with the AC bit. It does get hot… but seriously, has anyone not experienced heat before? I suppose we might have one or two students coming down from the Yukon, but other than that, I don’t think there’s anyone who hasn’t experienced 90 degrees before. When it gets hot, you might sweat (*gasp!*) and you’ll want to drink more water than usual (OMG!) and you might even want to do less physical activity than you otherwise would (holy bejesus!). On the really hot days, you might even want to go hang out with a friend who lives in a dorm with AC (*shock and awe*).

Heh, I know I’m bordering on passive-aggressive sarcasm on the AC point. I do love AC as much as anyone else. I’m from Massachusetts, where it does hit 90, but not quite as often as it does here. I did find the hotter days mildly uncomfortable. After those first couple weeks, it’ll cool down, and you won’t have to think about it anymore. And really, when it’s hot you’ll end up going “wow, it’s hot” then move on, and do something fun. Heat won’t RUIN your dorm living experience. Do you really need me to tell you that, though? I’ve been going on for two paragraphs, but you know your body better than I do. If you find yourself immobilized on hot days, then you’ll find yourself immobilized by hot days in Stimson. If you find yourself mildly uncomfortable and sweaty, but you can go about your day as usual, that’s what will happen in college.

A lot of things change when you get to college. One thing that probably won’t change too much is your physiological needs. And that’s all I have to say about that. If you’re living in Lewis, especially Lewis 2, I’m sure I’ll see a lot of you. Heck, no matter where you live, I’ll see a lot of you. I’m on Orientation Committee, after all, and you’re reading my blog, so I’m sure we’ll get along. If you have any questions, dorm-related or otherwise, my e-mail is still available, eli.cohen@goucher.edu. I check it all the time. Or Facebook, I suppose, if you have a desperate fear of e-mail. I do somewhat prefer e-mail, though.

Much love for the class of 2012,

-Eli

*************************

Roz here — just gonna throw in my two cents on top of what Eli has already said — he’s already covered most of what I probably would have said, but I will second the comment about the bunk beds. We started out as a triple, so the beds were already bunked plus another one on the other side of the room, and there was still a fair amount of room, although the dorm was supposed to be a double and it showed. When our third roommate left, however, we didn’t bother unbunking and it really made life comparatively spacious — I highly recommend getting your beds bunked if you can.

Also, with regards to the A/C — once you get into October or so, it really is not that bad at all. I won’t deny that the first two or three weeks of my particular freshman year were murder, although that was in part because of a heat wave that swept the area at the time. But honestly…you can go hang out in Pearlstone and chill out (literally), or you can bring a fan. I did both, and I got through pretty much unscarred, and if I can do it, you can too. So if you got assigned to Stimson, don’t stress about it — I for one had a fantastic freshman year there.

– Roz

So, I’m going to be even more of a posterboy for Goucher. I’m already on orientation committee, I already write this blog, and I’m captain of the Goucher Pyrate Alliance (which practically makes me the president of the world, really). Plus I have crazy hair. Well, in addition to all that, Communications asked me last week if I would be willing to be interviewed for their Student Profiles feature on the front page of the website. Y’know, the thing near the top that says “Education without boundaries,” and you click it, and there’s information about the kid and what they like about Goucher. Yeah, I’m doing that.

On one hand, it’s a bit weird for me because when I was applying for schools, I didn’t see the kids on the website and in the brochure as real people. They seemed like talking heads. On the other hand, now I’m one of them, and I’m hoping some people will recognize me (from the website, or this blog, or whatever) and strike up a conversation with me. I like being approachable, and I like answering people’s questions. If I can help someone out, I’m glad to do it.

But enough about that. The point of this blog is to talk about stuff that a freshman might run into. How about… professors?

Most people (and I recognize there are exceptions here) do not develop close relationships with their high school teachers. There may have been that one “cool teacher” who students felt they could talk to outside of class about everyday life, but in my experience, there’s usually only a few of those at any high school, unless it’s a very small school.

At Goucher, things are different. Professors are expected to engage the students. You’ve probably heard this all over the place, but you can e-mail your professors whenever you want, and most of them will get back to you quickly. Professors all have open office hours, when they’re in their offices just waiting for questions. To be honest, if you show up when it’s not their official open office hours, they’ll still talk to you, as long as they’re not mid-meeting. There are a handful of professors who haven’t nailed down this attitude yet, but I’d say about 2/3 of my professors would just stick around and chat with me after class for a half hour, as long as they didn’t have somewhere to be right away.

This takes some getting used to for most students. I know that when I had a problem with an assignment, especially one that was my own fault, I just waited until the next class to get it sorted out (at which point I would have been behind on something). But I saw no alternative. I thought the professor would disapprove (or get frustrated, or think I was dumb, etc.) if I sent an e-mail saying “Hey, I procrastinated and now I have a basic question two days before a two-week project is due.” In reality, they want those e-mails, and as soon as you have a concern, you should send one out. They might end up saying something like “you might want to talk to the Academic Center for Excellence about time management,” but they will still help you in any way they can. Talking to them about academic issues tells them “I handed in this paper late because I procrastinated, but I’m working on time management” which is way better than “I just handed in a paper a week late, ’cause I felt like it, bye.”

It is embarrassing, especially if you thought of yourself as a “smart kid” in high school, to admit your imperfections, or to go to a place for academic support. You’ll be better off in the long run, though, if you at least stop by and talk to them the first time you recognize a problem.

Roz here — Eli’s being efficient and helpful so I feel like I should at least chime in on something here. So today’s topic: Campus Things I Probably Didn’t Take Enough Advantage of Last Year.

– The Gopher Hole: Goucher’s on-campus coffee house. The Gopher Hole can be a real different experience depending on when you go down there. Sometimes there’s a real hard-rocking band playing loud head-banging music, sometimes there’s slow jazz, sometimes there’s the radio, sometimes there’s karaoke, sometimes there’s nothing at all. All of that can be a lot of fun depending on your mood, but the main point is — don’t get put off if it seems too loud, too slow, too crowded, or too empty for your taste the first time you go. I didn’t really take enough advantage of the Gopher Hole last year either as a hang-out spot, or a comfy place to do homework with a snack close at hand, but it can serve both functions admirably and I highly recommend you check it out.

– Concerts: I’m a music person, and I know not everyone is, but there are a TON of great concerts on campus. It’s easy to say, “Ah, I’ve got other things to do,” and not bother, but it’s well worth the effort to get hold of an events bulletin and check out the music department events. From student performances to guest artists, there’s a lot to see and it can make for an enjoyable evening.

– Pearlstone: This one seems kind of obvious, and it’s possible that I’m the only one who had this experience. But I didn’t start eating at Pearlstone until the last two months or so of freshman year, and it kind of changed my entire approach to dinner. I’m not saying that you should eat all the time at Pearlstone, or even most of the time, but I think I kind of went into freshman year thinking that Stimson was the only option, and it’s not. Still not much of a fan of Heubeck, but Pearlstone can offer a great rush meal if you’re heading for class, or a little variety from the general Stimson fare.

That’s all I can think of right now, cos it’s late, and I’m tired. But I’ll do some more of this type of post as I think of things, and Eli will, I’m sure, have things to chime in.

Feel free to e-mail me at rosalind.wills@goucher.edu if you have any questions or just want to chat about Goucher. I’m usually around.