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So, it's been a while. Since I last posted, I. . . graduated. From college. I'm done with Smith. This is really really sad but it's not really hitting me so it's OK. I kinda still feel like I'll be back in fall, and by the time fall hits hopefully I'll be all embroiled in life and getting started on my own and stuff. We went furniture shopping for Katie today and it was lots of fun, so that's got me kinda excited about getting an apartment. I'm very concerned about finding a good one, though, and about paying for it, because I won't be making a lot of money. But I'm a low maintenance woman, I'll be ok.
So, about commencement. I won stuff!! I won one of the religion department prizes, which is apparently technically for "excellence in the field of biblical studies" but in practice is pretty much an essay prize. Either way, yaaaay! :D It came with $500 so that's awesome. I was really excited about winning and I didn't even remember that there were going to be cash dollars. Well, check dollars.
And I got inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa society - apparently one of America's oldest and most prestigious academic honors societies or something? The letter said my GPA had to be in the top 10% of the class so that's exciting. :D And I graduated cum laude, which is top 20% or so. . . one of my close friends graduated summa cum laude - the 11 students in our graduating class with the highest GPAs, which is incredibly amazing. Needless to say, she was also inducted into Phi Beta Kappa - we have photos of us doing the (not-so) secret handshake.
So yeah, I got straight As, although I only got grades for 3 out of 5 classes. The other two I took pass/fail (or as we say, satisfactory/unsatisfactory) but, you know, I passed them. Which is good cos otherwise I wouldn't have graduated. I ended up with a GPA of 3.78 for my Smith career. (I have no idea how to give that context for people who don't use the GPA system. It's out of 4.0 which would be if I'd gotten straight As throughout college and because I was in the top 10% of the class I'm assuming it's good, but I really don't have a good grasp of context myself. Because with regular grades, in high school and stuff people would compare so I'd always know how those around me were doing but in college you don't really do that. . . although I obnoxiously tell people my grades sometimes cos I'm horrible like that but anyway!)
Actually, everyone in my family got straight As this semester, which is a minor miracle. I'm really proud of Katie and incredibly proud of my brother, who is back at community college after dropping out of school probably about 5 times, I think. Twice at a 4-year college and two or three times at 2-year ones. So that he actually passed is a real feat, and to get As is fantastic!!
While I'm putting all my bragging under this cut. . . There was an event for parents to meet professors, and it was really hard to find people but I only really wanted to introduce them to two of my professors and I was able to track both of them down. One of them is my advisor, who I still need to send a thank you letter for being such a good advisor and a good professor. The other was my Japanese history professor, who, in addition to being utterly sweet, also really loved me. And she's a Smith alum, which is awesome! :D So cute. And she had all sorts of nice things to say about me to my parents and she asked for a copy of my midterm to show other students and she said she kept a copy of my final on file as well. Which was really cool cos I wasn't sure how I did on it. And she said I was a model student. ::beams::
OK, sorry for that. Commencement was lovely. Smith does a whole two-day extravaganza. Actual graduation is on Sunday, but on Saturday we have Ivy Day, in which all the seniors wear white dresses (or suits or whatever) and hold red roses and line up and all the alums back for reunions wear white and parade past us and they all have signs with year appropriate stuff, like the class of 1943 had signs that said "The Greatest Generation" and the class of 1998 had signs that said "We used to stay up to cram for exams, now we get up for midnight feedings" and stuff like that. (Cos they're all having babies right now - I know. Their headquarters was my house and they had these ridiculous parties and kept their babies up til midnight. It was SO WEIRD having them there and they stole my corkscrew.) The really old alums for some reason move me a great deal, so as soon as I saw the class of 1943, back for their 65th reunion, I pretty much started crying. And kept crying all through the class of 1958. I don't know what it is - I think about how much they've been through and how different the world is since they were at Smith and it makes me really weepy.
After all the processing there's a big awards thing and lots of names are called and we all sing Gaudeamus Igitur. And the president of the college and the president of the senior class transplant an ivy together. It was ridiculously cute. The president dug around with a gold trowel and then the class president watered it with a golden watering can.
Saturday evening is illumination night, which begins with all the seniors gathering by the pond and lighting candles, and then they light up a big sign that says "Smith 2008". What is supposed to happen next is that the whole campus is hung with Japanese lanterns, but it was too windy and rainy so that was cancelled. :( Very sad! I would have loved to see the campus lit up like that. Still, we thought it was going to rain the whole weekend and we actually had really nice weather for both days apart from that, which was a minor miracle. So, can't ask for too much. We did have sophomore push, in which a bunch of sophomores who stay for graduation sing the seniors really cheesy pop songs with re-written lyrics to be about Smith and then push us gently off some steps.
And then the Lawrence house seniors (and guests) gathered to drink champagne and play the "Santa Claus or Mrs. Claus" game, which was loads of fun. Until this girl I hate, a sophomore, came in and ruined it. But then Katie and I just went upstairs and watched DASH and what-not.
Sunday was all graduation, for which we line up by house and I got to be next to my first year roommate and one of my best friends, because within the house our names are alphabetically adjacent. Graduation mainly consisted of a lot of proceeding. There was a bagpipe band, however. And our commencement speaker was entertaining and had a lovely voice. She didn't really help me make sense of leaving Smith, something that I still don't feel like I've psychologically addressed, but I guess I don't need to. XD After the ceremony, which was about 3 hours or so (we started lining up an hour early. Then lots of waiting), I slept for a long time. My mom was very very sweet and entertained herself while I did that.
After I woke up on Sunday afternoon, mom and I went to explore the other houses! Most of my friends are in my house, so I haven't gotten to visit the other ones that much and there's significant variation and character to each house - there's a lot that I've really been dying to see, and it was so much fun! It was the perfect time for it because a lot of people were moving out so the doors were propped open - I got to see all the ones I wanted to except one. And a lot of the doors to the rooms were open too! It was great. It was lots of fun exploring and it just felt like a really good way to spend my last afternoon at Smith. Very satisfying.
Since we've been home things have been pretty busy. I had my interview on Tuesday, which I think went fairly well. I'm still interesting in the job and he seemed genuinely interested in hiring me. I have an interview with the DOB this coming Wednesday for a job that I'm less interested in. I haven't done any job searching since I've been home. :( I suck.
But after the interview I got to see Katie's new apartment, which is in Queens and it's absolutely fantastic!! It's got me nervous, I'm all "I won't be able to find an apartment like that, and if I did I wouldn't be able to afford it." Plus she used a real estate agent which cost her $1500 which I don't really have to spend. But I'm trying for nervous optimism. XD Anyway, I'm really happy for Katie. It's really a great apartment, so so nice. In a really nice neighborhood, and it's got a large family room and a large living room. Small kitchen, but enough room in this little open area in the hallway to put a little dining room table for two.
Then I think Wednesday we went to my grandpa's to see family, and on Thursday people came here and I unpacked and cleaned up and stuff.
And tomorrow I'm going to meet Carlito in Brooklyn and we're going to wander around and scope out some neighborhoods that I might want to look for apartments in. Which is such a great thing to do, to give me some idea of where to start and get a feel for places. Factors are cost, safety, commute. Commute means primarily subway access, but the specific subways are important, and we don't want to be too far from the city even though it means higher cost. Plus, my roommate will have to get to school, and I'll have to get to work and I don't know where that will be, plus I'd like to have fairly easy access to Katie, too.
And then a week from Monday I'm going to Manchester, from the 3rd to the 11th. I'm really excited. It's a really good thing to be doing right now, as I start real life. It gives me this little time before I go to relax and it really creates a gap, and I have an excuse to take a break. Plus, I'm really excited about seeing my friends again.
So yeah. That's what I've been up to. Lots and lots of stuff. Which is why I haven't written. If i haven't been physically tired, I've been emotionally tired. The last week at Smith was so intense. And since then not only have I been busy either doing stuff or just watching JE stuff with Katie, I've also been off caffeine so i'm sleeping a fair amount. XD I'm trying to cleanse my body a little before I start 9 to 5-ing it again. I should have been in bed at least half an hour ago, actually, but I wanted to get some of this stuff down.
So, about commencement. I won stuff!! I won one of the religion department prizes, which is apparently technically for "excellence in the field of biblical studies" but in practice is pretty much an essay prize. Either way, yaaaay! :D It came with $500 so that's awesome. I was really excited about winning and I didn't even remember that there were going to be cash dollars. Well, check dollars.
And I got inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa society - apparently one of America's oldest and most prestigious academic honors societies or something? The letter said my GPA had to be in the top 10% of the class so that's exciting. :D And I graduated cum laude, which is top 20% or so. . . one of my close friends graduated summa cum laude - the 11 students in our graduating class with the highest GPAs, which is incredibly amazing. Needless to say, she was also inducted into Phi Beta Kappa - we have photos of us doing the (not-so) secret handshake.
So yeah, I got straight As, although I only got grades for 3 out of 5 classes. The other two I took pass/fail (or as we say, satisfactory/unsatisfactory) but, you know, I passed them. Which is good cos otherwise I wouldn't have graduated. I ended up with a GPA of 3.78 for my Smith career. (I have no idea how to give that context for people who don't use the GPA system. It's out of 4.0 which would be if I'd gotten straight As throughout college and because I was in the top 10% of the class I'm assuming it's good, but I really don't have a good grasp of context myself. Because with regular grades, in high school and stuff people would compare so I'd always know how those around me were doing but in college you don't really do that. . . although I obnoxiously tell people my grades sometimes cos I'm horrible like that but anyway!)
Actually, everyone in my family got straight As this semester, which is a minor miracle. I'm really proud of Katie and incredibly proud of my brother, who is back at community college after dropping out of school probably about 5 times, I think. Twice at a 4-year college and two or three times at 2-year ones. So that he actually passed is a real feat, and to get As is fantastic!!
While I'm putting all my bragging under this cut. . . There was an event for parents to meet professors, and it was really hard to find people but I only really wanted to introduce them to two of my professors and I was able to track both of them down. One of them is my advisor, who I still need to send a thank you letter for being such a good advisor and a good professor. The other was my Japanese history professor, who, in addition to being utterly sweet, also really loved me. And she's a Smith alum, which is awesome! :D So cute. And she had all sorts of nice things to say about me to my parents and she asked for a copy of my midterm to show other students and she said she kept a copy of my final on file as well. Which was really cool cos I wasn't sure how I did on it. And she said I was a model student. ::beams::
OK, sorry for that. Commencement was lovely. Smith does a whole two-day extravaganza. Actual graduation is on Sunday, but on Saturday we have Ivy Day, in which all the seniors wear white dresses (or suits or whatever) and hold red roses and line up and all the alums back for reunions wear white and parade past us and they all have signs with year appropriate stuff, like the class of 1943 had signs that said "The Greatest Generation" and the class of 1998 had signs that said "We used to stay up to cram for exams, now we get up for midnight feedings" and stuff like that. (Cos they're all having babies right now - I know. Their headquarters was my house and they had these ridiculous parties and kept their babies up til midnight. It was SO WEIRD having them there and they stole my corkscrew.) The really old alums for some reason move me a great deal, so as soon as I saw the class of 1943, back for their 65th reunion, I pretty much started crying. And kept crying all through the class of 1958. I don't know what it is - I think about how much they've been through and how different the world is since they were at Smith and it makes me really weepy.
After all the processing there's a big awards thing and lots of names are called and we all sing Gaudeamus Igitur. And the president of the college and the president of the senior class transplant an ivy together. It was ridiculously cute. The president dug around with a gold trowel and then the class president watered it with a golden watering can.
Saturday evening is illumination night, which begins with all the seniors gathering by the pond and lighting candles, and then they light up a big sign that says "Smith 2008". What is supposed to happen next is that the whole campus is hung with Japanese lanterns, but it was too windy and rainy so that was cancelled. :( Very sad! I would have loved to see the campus lit up like that. Still, we thought it was going to rain the whole weekend and we actually had really nice weather for both days apart from that, which was a minor miracle. So, can't ask for too much. We did have sophomore push, in which a bunch of sophomores who stay for graduation sing the seniors really cheesy pop songs with re-written lyrics to be about Smith and then push us gently off some steps.
And then the Lawrence house seniors (and guests) gathered to drink champagne and play the "Santa Claus or Mrs. Claus" game, which was loads of fun. Until this girl I hate, a sophomore, came in and ruined it. But then Katie and I just went upstairs and watched DASH and what-not.
Sunday was all graduation, for which we line up by house and I got to be next to my first year roommate and one of my best friends, because within the house our names are alphabetically adjacent. Graduation mainly consisted of a lot of proceeding. There was a bagpipe band, however. And our commencement speaker was entertaining and had a lovely voice. She didn't really help me make sense of leaving Smith, something that I still don't feel like I've psychologically addressed, but I guess I don't need to. XD After the ceremony, which was about 3 hours or so (we started lining up an hour early. Then lots of waiting), I slept for a long time. My mom was very very sweet and entertained herself while I did that.
After I woke up on Sunday afternoon, mom and I went to explore the other houses! Most of my friends are in my house, so I haven't gotten to visit the other ones that much and there's significant variation and character to each house - there's a lot that I've really been dying to see, and it was so much fun! It was the perfect time for it because a lot of people were moving out so the doors were propped open - I got to see all the ones I wanted to except one. And a lot of the doors to the rooms were open too! It was great. It was lots of fun exploring and it just felt like a really good way to spend my last afternoon at Smith. Very satisfying.
Since we've been home things have been pretty busy. I had my interview on Tuesday, which I think went fairly well. I'm still interesting in the job and he seemed genuinely interested in hiring me. I have an interview with the DOB this coming Wednesday for a job that I'm less interested in. I haven't done any job searching since I've been home. :( I suck.
But after the interview I got to see Katie's new apartment, which is in Queens and it's absolutely fantastic!! It's got me nervous, I'm all "I won't be able to find an apartment like that, and if I did I wouldn't be able to afford it." Plus she used a real estate agent which cost her $1500 which I don't really have to spend. But I'm trying for nervous optimism. XD Anyway, I'm really happy for Katie. It's really a great apartment, so so nice. In a really nice neighborhood, and it's got a large family room and a large living room. Small kitchen, but enough room in this little open area in the hallway to put a little dining room table for two.
Then I think Wednesday we went to my grandpa's to see family, and on Thursday people came here and I unpacked and cleaned up and stuff.
And tomorrow I'm going to meet Carlito in Brooklyn and we're going to wander around and scope out some neighborhoods that I might want to look for apartments in. Which is such a great thing to do, to give me some idea of where to start and get a feel for places. Factors are cost, safety, commute. Commute means primarily subway access, but the specific subways are important, and we don't want to be too far from the city even though it means higher cost. Plus, my roommate will have to get to school, and I'll have to get to work and I don't know where that will be, plus I'd like to have fairly easy access to Katie, too.
And then a week from Monday I'm going to Manchester, from the 3rd to the 11th. I'm really excited. It's a really good thing to be doing right now, as I start real life. It gives me this little time before I go to relax and it really creates a gap, and I have an excuse to take a break. Plus, I'm really excited about seeing my friends again.
So yeah. That's what I've been up to. Lots and lots of stuff. Which is why I haven't written. If i haven't been physically tired, I've been emotionally tired. The last week at Smith was so intense. And since then not only have I been busy either doing stuff or just watching JE stuff with Katie, I've also been off caffeine so i'm sleeping a fair amount. XD I'm trying to cleanse my body a little before I start 9 to 5-ing it again. I should have been in bed at least half an hour ago, actually, but I wanted to get some of this stuff down.
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no subject
Date: 2008-05-24 01:23 pm (UTC)Also, congratulations on your awesome grades! They're surely something to be proud of! (And how amazing is it that your siblings also managed to get A's?!)
I hope you're successful with your appartment-hunt! Post some pictures when you've found one and settled in! *cheers you on*
Good luck, too, with your job interviews! I'm sure you'll do just fine. ^___^
And - you're going to Manchester again?! HOW COOL! I'd love to go to England and see the folks there again! ^-^
no subject
Date: 2008-06-02 04:20 am (UTC)Thanks for the interview luck! I think they went well, but I'll find out results next week. Super-scary! I actually have to talk to my dad about what to do if I'm offered a job I want or don't want - how to accept and reject them. And I have to talk to him about it tomorrow since I'm going away and I might hear by email while I'm away, but I want to be able to talk to him in person. Eep!
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Date: 2008-05-24 02:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-02 04:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-05-24 04:55 pm (UTC)Good luck in the apartment hunt and new job, and, seriously, I FEEL REALLY OLD NOW. You *graduated*!!!
no subject
Date: 2008-06-02 04:22 am (UTC)I think I'm transitioning into the phase where it's a little exciting to think of myself as a college graduate, rather than just completely scary. XD