My college career in pictures

This is almost my last blog for Hope College.

Which got me to thinking, how could I sum up my Hope experience? There's so much to talk about (which I am covering in my lifeview paper for Senior Seminar, but you don't really want to read 15 pages...at least, I don't think you do).

Then, I remembered. A couple of my good friends, they take LOTS of pictures. I take out the camera once in a while (mostly for Instagram or my Photography class), but I really have relied on friends to document my college experience. And thankfully they've done a good job.

Freshman year:

Sophomore year:

Junior year:

Senior year:

What do I bring to class?

So, you've decided on Hope.

You're fretting about your roommate, clueless about what dorm you want to live in, convinced you won't be able to ever say goodbye to your high school friends.

You get a packet in the mail naming all the classes, and you start to freak out more. The words "four-year plan" are enough to make you throw your cap and gown in the garbage disposal.

What's one thing that's easy to figure out?

What to bring to class.

No matter what classes you're going to, you will need some staples to ensure that even if you're not prepared for what the next four years have to offer, you are prepared to be a good student.

First, you need a bag or backpack. The first couple years I sported a brown Jansport backpack, but in my grown-up phase of student teaching, I invested in a Fossil tote (best purchase ever).

My student backpack and my teacher bag!

What's in it?

• Pilot Pens (minimum Pink, Light Blue, Purple, for taking notes)
• Micron Pens (Black, for illustration)
• Moleskine notebook (for writing)
• Moleskine planner (for planning)
• iPad (for taking notes, planning, etc)
• LOTS of methods for organization (four-fold folder or accordian style file folder)
• an external hard drive (WAY better than a flash drive)
  
• a flash drive, too
• TWO pairs of headphones (one earbuds for socializing and music, and one noise-cancelling for focusing and music)
  
• Sketchbook (when it's not in my studio)
• Waterbottle (I LOVE Camelback waterbottles)
  
• Chapstick, enough said.
  
• Cough drops (the fancy ones with the burst in the middle because when aren't college students sick?)
• Wallet (with ID, credit cards, loose change)

What is sometimes found in my backpack/bag?

• My computer — though it's heavy, most days it is necessary for the library or Lemonjello's when I really have to get stuff done!
• Books! Okay, books are always found in my backpack, but the kind of book depends on my classes. Sometimes books from the library for a Art History research paper or novels for my writing classes.
  
• My sorority binders (President or Rush Chair)
  
• A snack (usually almonds, an apple, a clementine, or those super good yogurt pretzels from the Cup and Chaucer!)

So, even if you are unsure about everything else, maybe what to put in your bag is the one thing you can be sure of!

Here comes the sun!

It's been a long winter here in Holland, Mich., but spring is finally here! The sun is shining, the students are hammocking, the athletes are running outside.

Last week when the temperature hit 40 degrees, I put on flip-flops. My housemates demanded I take them off, but that little hour I got to wear them was so sweet. I actually haven't taken off my capris since the first day of spring. Why? Because the sun makes me feel good. It makes everyone feel good.

So what is there to do at Hope when the sun is out?

Drink coffee

Take a friend to Lemonjello's and drink coffee outside! The coffee's warmth will outweigh the fact that it is really only 40 degrees...

Kendall and Lauren know how to enjoy the sun at LJ's!

Rollerblade

Rollerblading is quite possibly my favorite outdoor activity. If you have rollerblades sitting at home and you're thinking, "no one in college wears wheels on their feet," you're WRONG! It's the perfect way to have fun in the sun, get some exercise, and chat with friends!

Tip: the sidewalks closer to campus are less bumpy — the further away you go, the rougher the ride.

Another tip: Don't take pictures while rollerblading. Yes, I took my own advice :)

Bike

I am so glad I brought my bike to college. Whether it's just biking to class or taking a after-dinner cruise with a friend, biking is the most efficient transportation around campus and a great way to feel the sun and get outdoors!

Okay, this is actually from a bike trip in Vienna, Austria...but it's with Hope students!

Hang out in the Pine Grove

Grab a blanket or a hammock and read, socialize, nap, or play guitar in the middle of campus where the sun is always shining! But, really. I don't think there's any time I am more content than when napping or reading in the Pine Grove.

Double hammocking in the Pine Grove — true skill.

Frolf, Intramural Sports, Powderpuff, etc.

Hope has so many organized outdoor fun to take part in! There are tons of intramural teams from soccer to ultimate frisbee to softball. You can also play Frisbee Golf on campus, with the official Frolf course.

Every year, sorority's compete in a Powderpuff tournament that's tons of fun (Although I think the practices are the best part).

Powderpuff — it was cold that year!

Make up games!

There's so much to do at Hope that is organized outdoor fun! Hope offers a variety of intramural sports, from soccer to inner tube water polo! We even have a Quidditch team! I play Powderpuff Football every year with my sorority, and it's a ton of fun (actually, the practices are the most fun).

My sorority creates SIB Olympics every year, involving a tug of war, egg toss, mummy wrap and other events! So much fun, and a great way to enjoy the sun and fun!

SIB Olympics! (Yeah, white team won!)

Yeah, I was the Anchor for our Tug-o-war. And, yeah, I took it too seriously.

There are so many things to do outside at Hope to enjoy the sun. My goal for the rest of my time at Hope (which is a month, eek!) is to spend 20 minutes outside everyday, doing something active. Join me!