Finals Recap

While it felt impossible at the time, I did finish my fall finals and live to blog about it! Luckily all of my essays were about topics I was genuinely invested in, but even so the tasks at hand felt daunting at times. As a first-year I couldn’t even fathom writing 40+ pages during a finals period, but I’m grateful to Athena for slowly but surely guiding me up to this point. No matter how many hours I spend in my carrel, there’s something rewarding about holding that huge stack of papers in your hands.

Everyone has their own studying style, but I think it took me until sophomore year to really fall into mine. I went to a rural public high school in Maine where strenuous studying wasn’t a regular part of my routine. Bryn Mawr has pushed me (in a good way!) to not rest on my laurels and really challenge myself in a way that feels productive and engaging. Perhaps one of the greatest things about a small liberal arts college is that no matter your academic background, there are resources in place to help you succeed and reach your potential. I’ve grown so much as a student and I attribute much of my success to Bryn Mawr.

But that’s not to say I didn’t manage to fit in some fun, too! No matter how hectic everyone’s schedules seem to get, my beloved Radnor always finds time to take our annual holiday photo.Though a relatively new tradition, I think it definitely has staying power and is a welcomed break to studying!

Wintry sunsets from my dorm window

Wintry sunsets from my dorm window

More photos below!

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Belated Halloween

Halloween and Lantern Night always seem to piggyback each other at the Mawr. My freshman year Lantern Night even fell on Halloween proper for an especially memorable evening. This year it was a double-weekend affair with plenty of on campus and TriCo gatherings. One of the more low-key festivities I partook in was a pumpkin carving party at a friend’s apartment. The vast majority of students opt to live in the dorms (I mean, who doesn’t want to live in a castle?!), but there are also opportunities for students to rent apartments independently or through the college. This specific apartment is quite literally across the street from my dorm, providing a nice on-campus/off-campus balance. Plenty of delicious snacks were served and we watched Hocus Pocus, a seasonal favorite of mine. One of the things about Bryn Mawr I cherish is finding balance between social and academic life – whether that means a concert in Philly, a night in with Netflix, or a party in a dorm. I love taking each week as it comes.

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Spooky ghost garland from Radnor Halloween

More photos below!

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The Great Outdoors

One of the things that drew me to Bryn Mawr was the climate. The minute the temperature reaches 55 degrees, students flock to the greens. Because my dorm is slightly u-shaped it creates a private niche of green known as “Radnor Beach.” I love coming home from class or the library and grabbing a spot on a blanket next to several other friends and hallmates enjoying the sun. There’s always music being played, articles for class being read, nails being painted, and general lazing to be had. Because I’ve consciously made the decision to live in Radnor for my four years, the Beach has become a significant part of my experience. No early fall or spring is complete without it.

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Radnor as seen from prime lazing spot on the Beach

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Halloween & the Hurricaine

Autumnal charms aside, this October also finished with a vengeance.

First and foremost, the month culminated in my dorm’s annual fête, the legendary Radnor Halloween. This year was a great success with plenty of students from the Tri-Co and beyond (Drexel, Temple, etc). I also got to sport my costume at some events in Philadelphia to much acclaim (I went as Maeby Fünke from Arrested Development).

However this October did go a bit rogue. After Hurricane Irene’s underwhelming appearance on campus last fall, I wasn’t terribly worried about Sandy. While it seems devastation struck everywhere else, Bryn Mawr fared quite well with only a few downed trees and about 19 hours of lost power. The silver lining? A two-day hurrication. Continue reading

Speaking of Radnor…

Did I mention Radnor was in the New York Times? A photo I took of our dorm banner was submitted (unbeknownst to me!) and subsequently featured on their site. You can check it out here.

“Radnor What? Radnor Love!” is our dorm’s official cheer and is as popular as the anass, Bryn Mawr’s Greek cheer.

A Customs Week tradition, each Dorm Leadership Team creates a banner to represent the dorm and welcome new first-years. We wanted our banner to integrate our three hall themes: pop art, vintage Bryn Mawr, and superheros. We decided upon a reconstructed Rosie the Riveter that was devoid of skin tone or facial features to best represent the spectrum of Mawrters. I kvell whenever I see her in the foyer.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways…

I’m never shy in expressing my undying love for my dorm– it is the banner picture for this blog, after all. The smallest traditional residence, Radnor is marked by an unbreakable sense of community and pride. We frequently host dorm-wide barbeques in the spring and have our own secret traditions. Having lived here all three years, Radnor is as much my home as Bryn Mawr is.

Now a Hall Advisor on the second floor, I’ve been charged with the duty of decorating my hall. While initially at a loss for what my theme should be, I finally had an epiphany: vintage Bryn Mawr. I’ve long been obsessed with ephemera. Whether it was looking through stacks of old yearbooks at my high school or pouring over abandoned photographs at flea markets, I love finding lost or underappreciated relics from the past. So when Vintage Bryn Mawr was started last year by a friend and recent BMC graduate, I fell in love. It was a perfect theme– both visually pleasing and simple to pursue. Check out some pictures after the jump.

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