Tag Archives: Scripps

New Kid Starter Guide

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I have been so excited to write this first blog post, and now HERE I AM.  I can hardly believe I have been at Scripps now for almost a month. If you have not read my biography, which is on our website Beyond the Elms(under Meet the Bloggers)I just transferred from NYU (Go bobcats!) So, to say that I am in a different environment is an understatement. Although, I am happy to report: so far, so good

I have only been here a month, so I can’t confidently tell you I know all the “ins and outs”or “do’s and don’ts” of the transfer process yet, but in this blog post, I am going to attempt to tell you what I think the “new kid” on the block should know about coming to Scripps, and (sort of) the 5Cs. I want to share what I wish I had known some of these small facets about the 5Cs before arriving.

Not sure how much this will interest those students already here, but…who knows? It might refresh your memory on all there is to do on our campus. It might even encourage you to be a little bit gentler to that new kid, as they attempt to navigate a whole new world.

      Theri’s Do and Don’t Guide For Scripps Beginners

  1. DO ride a scooter, skateboard, etc. around campus-

I could not stress having wheels on campus enough. During my first week, I walked to and from my classes, between the various colleges, and it was exhausting. I envied those with skateboards whipping by me.  Many of you have cleverly kept all your classes on campus to avoid the walking hassle all together. If only I had thought that far ahead. At this point, you may be asking yourself, “How did this girl survive New York City if she hates walking?” The short answer is: I am still alive but barely breathing.

On the second week, I dragged myself to Target and bought a kid’s scooter for $39.99, and MAN was it the best investment of 2018 (thus far). Instead of taking me approx. 10 minutes to walk to my daily 8am at CMC, it was now taking me 1/2 that time with my new Razor scooter! #Scootergang Although, let it be known, I know how dorky riding a kid’s scooter may sound to you, so if you know how to ride a skateboard, do that, because #Tbh skater girls are the coolest #Sorrynotsorry Bikers are cool too.

 

 

 

 

 

2. DON’T go home on the weekends if you are a local

If you are tempted to go home on weekends, like I am because I live in LA, consider not going.  Especially if home is nearby i.e., Pomona, Claremont, Anaheim, Los Angeles, etc., it can be tempting to want to go home. I came home the first couple weeks of the school year because it felt comfortable to be at home, but I realized that I was feeling some major #FOMO as I watched snap, instagram stories, etc. of various friends getting together. The next week, I nearly missed a SCORE community event on campus because the traffic from LA to Scripps was so nightmarish. There is plenty going on around campus and so many new people to meet. On a side note, I think all the beautiful Scripps study spots make doing homework actually enjoyable. Take care of yourself, but my advice is to push your comfort zone and create some new roots here.

     3. DO utilize all of Scripps facilities and resources

OK, maybe it’s over stressed, but the facilities and resources on campus are truly extraordinary. Whether you are done with studying or just need a break, I highly recommend our pool at the Sallie Tiernan Field House. I mean our field house is essentially a hotel spa, with all the accommodations you could ever fathom: yoga classes, zumba, running, walking, spinning classes, and so much more. You also have your Motley coffeehouse for your daily bagel and caffeine fix. Read the Scripps Voice since its the official Scripps newspaper on campus, and happens to be a club I just joined (so you should come, so we can become friends) If you’re thinking AT ALL about going abroad, I suggest just dropping by  Office of Study Abroad to see if you can make a meeting with one of the advisors to talk about your questions and concerns. Stay up to date on SCORE events which you can find in your emails from SAS; Finally, check in with your one of the career counselors at CP&R once in a while…

      4. DO visit CP&R

Regardless of where you are in the career journey, Career Planning & Resources is here to help. Feeling overwhelmed by different passions and just want someone to pick one for you? CP&R can help you sort things out. Whether you’re are a freshman or sophomore and still have loads of time to think about your major, study abroad, or whether or not you want to apply for a fellowship, or if you are an upperclassmen, and need help planning your next steps for internships or job opportunities – Seriously, make an appointment with CP&R as early as possible in the term to see what steps you need to take, and how to stay on track – there is no limit to the number of appointments you can have, and you can also utilize their drop in hours Monday – Friday 10am – 5pm if you have quick questions. Take a deep breath, try your best try to stay organized throughout the semester, get to know your resources, and connect with the staff on campus here to support you. Yay for small liberal art schools and a rigorous amount of individualized attention!

5. DO hang in there… Fall break is right around the corner!

   Well, that’s all for now folks. Today has been a beautiful day to save lives.

 

 

 

 

 

Xx,

Theri

Embracing the Gray: the Beauty of a Liberal Arts Education

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I have always been what people would describe as “good at school.”  I love to read and write; I’m passionate about art, theatre and dance; and I thoroughly enjoy science and math classes.  I have been #blessed with a thirst for knowledge and a support system that pushed me to excel in my academic career.  Because I liked so many different fields of study and could see myself pursuing a great variety of them, I had a difficult time deciding what to focus on in my college search.  Did I want to go to a school with a great English program? What about one that I could take highly regarded acting classes and minor in theatre? Once I figured out that I wanted to go into the sciences, my search got easier, but not by much.  There was so much that I wanted to do, study, and experience whilst in college, and I wanted to do it all with great professors and peers by my side.

As you may suppose, this love for interdisciplinary learning led me to Scripps College and a liberal arts education.  I like to think that I have made the most of this cross disciplinary academic approach during my last 3.25 years here: I have taken a variety of classes in both the humanities and sciences, and not just for GE credit either.  I’m studying Science, Technology and Society , one of the most interdisciplinary majors that you can find at the 5Cs.  I have been given the space to design my curriculum to best suit my learning needs and passions.  I’ve learned that college doesn’t have to be only arts or science, black or white.  It can be both, and Scripps embodies this concept.  From my liberal arts education, I have experienced firsthand how to embrace the gray areas of academics and life.  As a pre-vet student, my experiences working in an art gallery and taking voice lessons have enabled me to explore my creative side and tap into new, “non-scientific” problem solving methods.  I can approach my future life and career with a perspective informed by multiple backgrounds and experiences, and I truly believe that this will make me a better veterinarian, scholar, and person.

Ultimately, the benefits of a liberal arts education can be summed up in the idea of freedom.  At a liberal arts institution, you are not confined to taking courses in your major or minor: you can take any classes you want, in any discipline you desire.  You are free to explore potential interests and study subjects for fun.  You are free to design your own academic curriculum, one as varied or single subject as you wish.  You are free to become your own person and grow in your individual interests, mindsets, and goals.  I was free to dip my toes into every and all disciplines and journey down academic paths I didn’t realize existed.  I didn’t have to limit myself to science and pre-health classes, and you don’t have to be either thanks to a liberal arts education. I am so grateful that Scripps has provided me with the space to grow in multiple disciplines, and I look forward to relishing the fruits of my interdisciplinary, liberal arts academic labors in the years after Scripps to come.

What do you think about liberal arts education? Leave a comment and share your experience!

Art Safari: Observing Animals and Art

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“Please don’t touch the art.” This statement is oft quoted by my friends and family in reference to my on campus job.  Officially, I am a guard at the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery here at Scripps College.  After hearing this, you would probably think I’m an art major, minor, at least some sort of art connoisseur.  None of these are particularly true, and if I had to title my role in the art world, I would pick something along the lines of art appreciation specialist.

4-1 I really love looking at art, I love my job and my coworkers, and I even spent a good chunk of my time and money abroad getting lost in art museums and galleries in a variety of European cities.  However, my academic knowledge and understanding of the art world is fairly limited.

I am a Science, Technology & Society major and aspire to be a veterinarian one day.  An art gallery really seems like the ideal place for me to work, right?  Now you probably understand why my loved ones chuckle whenever I mention my job.  Animal medicine and art protection seem like absolutely opposite ends of the job description spectrum.  However, I’m here to tell you that I’ve learned a great deal about my future career in animal care from my time working in the gallery.

4-2Sitting immersed in art for eight hours a week has helped me to learn how to really look at my surroundings.  I’ve always been an observant person, and I’ve always been critical of the world around me.  I like to know how and why thing are the way they are, and I work hard to understand the things that I see.  Art isn’t an easy thing to observe.  It is subjective, and different people find different meanings in it.  A piece that I find inspiring and filled with movement and life, another could find oppressive and representative of human adversity to confinement.

Just as art isn’t an easy thing to see and analyze, animals are just as difficult to really look at.  Animals, just like paintings, can’t tell you verbally what they are about.  It takes a critical eye and dedicated mind to see what is wrong with a dog and diagnose it properly.  You have to know where to look and how to look.  Working in the art gallery has refined my abilities for critical observation, and I am confident that I am going to be a better veterinarian because of it.  By looking at animal medicine as an art itself, and not just a science, I have expanded my mindset and critical thinking skills.

4-3Even though my job on campus is seemingly as far as possible from what I want to do in the future, it has helped me to develop skills that I will use in my career one day.  Did I expect this to happen? Absolutely not, but I am so glad that it has.  I encourage you to go out and gain experience in any and all work environments.  I guarantee that you will develop networking, practical, and/or observational skills that will help you grow throughout your future path. Whatever those newly refined skills are, you will be happy you have them, and you will learn more about yourself, your interests, and your future career along the way.  So if even if you have a job that on paper seems like it has no relevance to your desired path, no need to worry!  The lessons you learn will be relevant to your life experience, and those lessons can be applied to any career, so long as you are willing to open your eyes and find them.

Join the conversation! Comment below with the life lessons you’ve gained from your on campus jobs.  Let’s compare observational notes and see what we can learn from each other!

The Beginning of the End

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Normally, I wouldn’t really consider myself to be an overly sentimental person. I don’t like to dwell on things, and try my best to look towards the future rather than stay rooted in the past or the present. As senior year draws on, however, and the end of this semester seems only a few short weeks away, the sentimentality attached to this being my final fall semester at Scripps has started to permeate all of my interactions and experiences–both here and at the rest of the 5C’s.

For example, I have started categorizing a lot of what I do, see, and feel as “The Last _____” or “The Final ______.” This has become a sort of mantra in relation to specific events on campus (“The Last Toga Party,” or “The Last Halloweekend with Suite Group Costumes,” etc.), but can absolutely be applied to a lot of other experiences on campus, as will definitely be the case in the next few weeks when the dining halls start rolling out their Thanksgiving menus (aptly titled “The Last Thanksgiving Crawl 2k15,” in which my friends and I vow to hit every single dining hall that serves Thanksgiving food, even if we have to flex ourselves in to a second lunch or dinner to accomplish this feat).

This is about as accurate as it gets. Thanksgiving Crawl 2k15 is not for the faint of heart.

As I find myself labeling things in this way more and more often, I’m still trying to decide how I feel about this bittersweet attachment to the finality of this year. On the one hand, acknowledging that it is indeed the last time that I will be able to do a group costume with the wonderful gals that I live with, or go to one of my favorite themed parties on campus, gives a sad sort of tinge to the experiences as a whole; but, it also incentivizes me to make the most of what I have here at Scripps, and enjoy every last moment that much more. I don’t want to look back on my last two semesters here with any regrets about things I could have been doing or involving myself more in, but I also have to maintain a balance that will allow me to devote the necessary and important time to cranking out my thesis, as well as succeed in my other classes. It can feel overwhelming at times, what with the “But it’s the last time you’ll ever _________!” argument always weighing in the back of my mind, but figuring out how to maintain a harmony between the work and the play is very important in creating a memorable and productive senior year.

I know I said I’m not a sentimental kind of person, but I can’t deny that I am pretty comfortably attached to Scripps and the 5C’s, in more ways than one. Unlike my senior year of high school, when I couldn’t wait to get out of there and head right to college the second I graduated, some of the apprehension about leaving that naturally accompanies the ambiguity of my next steps post-Scripps (unlike in high school, where it was pretty heavily assumed that the next step was a good college or university), stems from the fact that there is no “set” place for me to go. I have talked about this before (in case you missed a previous post of mine–shame on you!) but all this sentimentality and nostalgic longing to return to my first year at Scripps and never, ever leave has brought these thoughts back to the front of my mind. So much for not being sentimental……

If these past few weeks (and the reflection on all I have said above) have taught me anything, it’s that giving into a little sentimentality isn’t a always bad thing. It’s senior year! Why shouldn’t I get a little misty-eyed thinking about how this will be the last time I get to bust out my sweater collection for the Claremont autumn weather I have been waiting for ever-so-patiently? Or wistfully look forward to my last Holiday season here with festive foods and decorations in every dining hall? Remembering to savor these little, last times–but balancing this appreciation with other work and responsibilities–is what I would consider a key factor to making the most of my last year at Scripps.

Besides the sentimentality, what do you think is important and necessary in creating the best senior year ever?

Putting Yourself Out There (Even if You’re a Horrible Dancer)

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One of my favorite things all through middle and high school was driving in the morning with the radio turned to my favorite station. I loved hearing the next big hits, but I also (guiltily) loved listening to the radio hosts interact with each other. For me they were glimpses into two people’s lives that I would never otherwise see. One of the other women I interviewed this summer, let’s call her Liz, is currently a radio host. However, she also works as a freelance writer in order to always make ends meet. As she said in her interview “radio is very volatile.” Even though she had one of the most popular shows in Portland (one that has received high recognition), a few years back they were taken off the air. However, because she had the initiative to always be trying something else, she survived. It didn’t hurt either that everything worked out in the end, as the show was brought back due to high demand.

What stood out to me the most about Liz was her drive to do everything she could to gain experience. While at Scripps, she got involved with a local PBS station that helped her work towards her former goal of working in documentary film. Her mentor would “set [her] loose. She would say what she wanted done, and [Liz] would end up doing all the research, all the interviewing, and all the prep.” While that may sound like a huge task to put on a new college intern, Liz said that it completely prepared her for her first job out of college. She moved to New York and worked for a great company for 8 years where she made documentary films.

Furthermore, Liz during her college years had an internship at a TV station. When she was on a tour of the station with their boss, he turned to all the interns saying “Everyone say what book you are reading right now.” While all her fellow interns started listing autobiographies of famous TV anchors, Liz was flustered. “I just happened to be reading Heart of Darkness so I said that because I couldn’t even make up a book about an anchor because that’s not my thing.” However, her honesty served her well. The boss immediately turned to the rest of the group and told them “That’s the right answer. Don’t be pigeonholed. Read as broadly as you can, take in as much culture as you can from the world at large and you’ll always be good at what you do.”

I have always been that girl that does a little bit of everything decently. My parents made me try ski racing, tennis, soccer, softball, swimming, sailing, ballet, gymnastics, singing, piano, guitar, violin, and so many other activists growing up. I never was fantastic at any of them, but I mostly was able to keep up (not ballet though…my mom actually made me quit because I was so bad). Through high school, I was able to consistently keep up with about five or six of them. While there were activities that I easily could have dropped—I wasn’t a huge fan of the crazy piano teacher that made me make her toast, coffee, you name it—they always told me the same thing Liz’s boss at the TV station told her: that it will come in handy in ways I couldn’t then understand. And honestly, the advice is so true.

^^My relationship with ballet

I have gathered such a weird range of skills from participating in so many different programs. For example, tennis taught me how to center myself and focus on nothing but the task in front of me. Singing taught me poise and confidence in front of large masses of people. Ski coaching taught me how to handle a screaming herd of 7 year olds. All of these skills have come into play for this internship (well…maybe not the screaming herd thing…but I also had to be super organized for that job in order to handle said children). I had to spend hours focusing on getting the job done, confidently speak to women that are living in the real world, and stay really organized to meet various deadlines and appointments.

Last year I kind of let myself relax a bit. I let myself transition into a new environment, and I’m really happy I did so. However, this year I came back ready to take on everything and anything. I think trying new things and experiencing everything is so incredibly important to succeed. Just because you want to be a scientist doesn’t mean you can’t do acappella. Just because you are an English major doesn’t mean you can’t take economics classes. Experience builds a resume and character. You never know what characteristics your future employer is going to see in you that makes you stand apart from everyone else.

            So, what do you think? What experience are you bravely going to try to gain next?