An Open Letter to my Undergraduate University

A month ago I graduated undergrad. I said goodbye to friends who have become family, a community that has become home and an institution that has impacted my life irrevocably.

I want to thank my college for all the free T-shirts and sweatshirts. My sleepwear is set for a very long time and I will be reppin' my college for years to come.

Thanks for all the free food ... over the years, midnight munchies and steak night has kept me fed throughout some rough weeks. It is so nice to have a college that feeds you.

I am so thankful for all the professors who pushed me, taught me, challenged me and were always there for whatever you needed. Going to an institution where there was an open door policy to all professors was something I took for granted and was so lucky to have.

I had so many opportunities to get involved and have leadership positions. I did varsity sports, led organizations and was able to become more well rounded.

I enjoyed going to college surrounded by cornfields. Though it was boring at times, it was a small, homey town full of charm and I could not have imagined four years anywhere else. I also never felt unsafe, which was a relief to both myself and my parents.

I am beyond grateful for the study abroad experience my institution offered. I was able to go to London and receive credit and have my life changed in the process.

I am glad that a bunch of really cool people decided to come to the same school so I could make some lifelong friends and have four years of amazing fun and memories.

I am glad I got to move out on my own and stretch my legs as an adult. Learning to cook and do laundry was pretty valuable in the long scheme of things.

I am so happy to always have a community to fall back on. I will always be a part of something bigger than just myself and my education; I was a member of the class of 2016 and a part of the greater alumni association. I will proudly have that alumni sticker on my car from now on.

Moving on to home ownership, marriage, grad school and a new city, I am finding myself growing very nostalgic about this little college community that has taken great care of me for four of the best years of my life. Though at times I hated everything about it and other times wanted to be anywhere other than the library or basement classroom, I know these are things I will look back on fondly saying "those were the days." Someday, I will bring my kids to visit my undergraduate college and show them the room where I had that horrid math class and the table I always sat at to study for big tests and my favorite smoothie at the coffee shop. I will tell them that this was the place where I grew into an adult and had some of the greatest times of my life. Then I will leave and say, once again, thank you for my perfectly unperfect four years of undergrad. 

5 Ways Studying Abroad Changed My Life

After my junior year of college, I spent three weeks studying abroad in London, England. Needless to say (as my family can attest to because I never shut up about it), it was an absolutely life-changing experience that I can never forget. I am so thankful I was able to study abroad and make the memories that I did. Beyond that, studying abroad truly changed me as a person in five major ways.

1. I became independent.
Prior to studying abroad in London, I had never traveled anywhere without my parents, friends or fiancé. I took off to London, England, all by myself with a suitcase, a backpack and a whole bunch of plans. While I did become very close friends with my fellow classmates and we did a lot of things together, this was still something independent for me. I planned an entire trip to Ireland 110 percent by myself; I also completed a large research project by myself. I figured out how to navigate the Tube by myself. The sense of independence I gained while studying abroad is priceless to me because it helped me to give up some of my shyness and need to hide within a group. I gained the confidence to do things on my own and strike out with my own ideas and adventures and see where they lead. I cannot express how much I value that growth of independence within myself that I gained while studying abroad.

2. I opened my mind.
Prior to London, I had never been out of the U.S. unless you count Canada and Mexico. Going to a new country with a new culture made me open my mind. I learned to accept and embrace cultural changes. I learned to try new food and drinks. I am normally a very closed and sedentary person; I like things a certain way and to stay comfortable. Studying abroad thrust me totally out of my comfort zone and made me open up and go with the flow. I have tried to maintain that upon coming home. I try to say yes to things more often than no and seek adventure instead of hiding at home.

3. I learned it's OK to get lost.
I am a type-A, OCD-planning fanatic. I plan everything right down to the minuscule detail. Case in point: before going to London, I had every single day planned out and day trips booked. I was packed two and a half weeks in advance, and I had even Google mapped the route from my apartment to a grocery, the nearest Tube station and The University College of London where I would be studying. Despite all my obsessive planning, things went awry and plans did not work out. Sometimes I had a certain event planned but something better came up and I just went with it. Usually, the experience I had in replacement of my planned event was more memorable. I got lost for two hours one morning while trying to find a museum. Instead of getting upset like I normally would have, I embraced the experience and all the neat things I saw along my route. I still love to plan and have things go according to plan, but when things go awry now, I try to embrace it and see where it takes me because some of my best memories in London came from being completely lost and confused and stumbling upon something great.

4. I learned to appreciate my home.
Though I love London and am dying to go back ASAP, my time across the pond made me appreciate my sleepy little Ohio hometown. The minute I officially committed to study abroad, I was so excited to get out of Ohio cornfields and explore one of the most cultured cities in the world. By my third week there, I was definitely ready to come back home. I missed my family, my friends, my pets and the wide-open spaces. I realized how wonderful my little town is, even if it is not anything like London. I would visit London over and over and over and even live there for a brief time, but Ohio is home. Ohio is where I want to raise my children and live out my days. If I had not studied abroad and fallen in love with London, I may have never learned to appreciate why home is home.

5. I became empowered.
The biggest way studying abroad changed my life was that I became so empowered by the entire experience. Something about traveling the world on my own and making memories for a lifetime left me feeling like I could take on anything life throws my way. Going to law school can't be any more intimidating than planning an entire trip to Ireland by myself and staying in hostels, and yet Ireland was one of the greatest experiences of my life. Buying a house? Can't be anything harder than navigating the night buses at 3 a.m. trying to get back to our flat (which I did successfully in order to get home). Going to London was scary and intimidating. Living in London for three weeks was an experience that was not easy, but yet it's something I accomplished and I made the memories of a lifetime. If I can conquer traveling abroad at 21 years old and alone, I feel like I can do anything.

I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to study abroad in my college career. I cannot express how much of an impact the experience had on my life. Saying goodbye to London was hard, but I know I will go back someday. I left a little piece of my heart there and it left a pretty big impact on me.

Senioritis

In high school, I thought my senior year was rough ... I thought that was the time of "senioritis." I was wrong. College takes it to a whole other level, my senioritis affliction is currently pretty darn serious but in a different way. In high school, I just wanted to be done and go off to college and live on my own. I was facing exciting changes, and I was dying to feel like an adult. Now, I have been an adult for four years, lived on my own, paid my own bills and realized being an adult isn't quite as glamorous as it seems. Facing some huge life changes and even more "adulting" is making me want to stay in undergrad forever. I think it is the fact that I am facing such major life changes after graduation (marriage, home ownership, moving to a new city, law school) that is making me want this semester to never end. The fall semester of my senior year seemed to drag on forever, and now this spring is flying by. I have so much homework and so many things to do and graduation is creeping up on me so fast, and I am not ready.

My wish to stay in undergrad is not making me any more productive ... I have so many papers and so many presentations and final exams to study for ... yet all I want to do is cuddle with my puppy and binge watch "The Office." I have so much work just looming over my head and absolutely no motivation to do it. I may be over the schoolwork of undergrad, but I still am not quite ready to leave.

I have also started to realize that college is one of the most fun times of your life. Never again will I get to live with my girlfriends and eat cookie dough while avoiding studying. Never again will I have a part-time job that is fun and easy and not terribly serious. Never again will I think it is OK to skip class and watch Netflix until noon. Never again will I have summers off to travel the world or go home to my parents and have them do my laundry and cook me dinner. Never again will I have free access to a really nice gym.

I went to undergrad in the same town I have lived in since I was 10 years old. I have called this adorable little town "home" for a huge portion of my life, and I love it. My undergraduate institution is also both of my parents alma mater. It had always been a huge part of my life even before I was a student. Though I lived on my own through college, my parents were only 10 minutes away, and I could go home for a home cooked meal or to have my mom wash my dress pants. I am comfortable and safe here, and now I am moving away and leaving all that behind ... I am moving to a new city that I do not know much of anything about. I have to start at a new college that I have no attachment or affiliation to. Though it is exciting and a new adventure, it is a little bit scary to leave somewhere I have called home for not only my four years of college but also my pre-teen and teenage years.

Senioritis for college is turning out to be rather strange ... I am so ready to be done yet at the same time I am scared to death to leave the comfort of my calm, small town and liberal arts college. My four years here have been a rollercoaster of emotions; they have been hard, stressful, emotionally trying and there have been days I wanted to quit. They have also been fun, mind opening, empowering, full of lasting friendships and memories I will cherish for a lifetime. I would not change my college years for anything and I am cherishing my last few weeks here. I may have "senioritis" but I am happily afflicted and enjoying every second.

Making the Most of Study Abroad

Study abroad..... a life changing experience to any who have done it. My 3 weeks in London were some of the hardest and most empowering days of my life. I cherish the experience so much and I am so thankful that I had the opportunity. Studying abroad can be a bit daunting and scary.... especially if you have never been out of the country (that was me). All I can say is try to limit your worries and just let the experience happen and shape you. I can honestly say that study abroad changed me as a person and I could not be happier because of it. Here are some of my tips for enjoying the whole experience and making the most of studying abroad. 

     1. Do it ALL. Join in on you friends adventures even if they aren’t typically your thing. It will probably still end up being a fun and learning experience. When it doubt, don’t worry and just do it and make the best of it.

   2. Do as much as you can: 3 weeks goes by SO fast. Make all the memories you can. Take all the pictures you can. Live it up. My motto while there was “I am not in London to sleep, I am here to explore”. I averaged 2-5 hours of sleep a night and was so exhausted and yet happy as a clam because I was jam-packing my time with memories and experiences.

  3. Start walking before you go because 13 miles a day, up and down stairs to the Tube stations and living on a 5^th floor flat with stairs only access can make for some sore muscles. This is also why good, comfortable shoes and insoles become your best investment and best friend.

 4. Don’t be afraid to go outside of your comfort zone…. That’s kind of the point of study abroad. Explore, inquire, and immerse yourself completely in London. Go off by yourself, get lost, try new food…. Do it all. You're only there for 3 weeks and fill them with experiences upon experiences; even the ones you think you will hate may surprise you and turn out to be some of your favorite memories.

5.  Talk to Londoners when you get the chance. It is so cool to just hear from someone of another culture and learn from them…. And those accents!!! 

6.  I am all about budgeting and saving money but there comes a time to put the budget aside and just do the things that may be once in a lifetime. Take those experiences and pay it off later; I promise the memories are worth it.Don’t neglect your research project or classes; after all, that is the reason you get to do this experience. Find a way to weave the project into other activities you want to do and try to keep everything balanced. For example, if you want to do a day trip for a whole day, find a project relation within that trip and expand upon it. The most obscure things can be the most interesting sometimes.

7. Get to know your fellow classmates- you may be surprised by how close you get after even just a few weeks in another country. Of the 7 girls I went with, I became BEST friends with 3 of them and we literally did everything together from the moment we woke up until we fell asleep in a heap of exhaustion on the couch at night. We had the same focus for the trip of wanting to experience everything and we did. It was so fun to experience everything as a group and help each other through the experience. Having someone else to rely on can be the difference between being scared and just doing things while you are there.  When my uncle died while I was abroad and I could not attend his funeral, these girls held me while I cried and helped me make a tribute to him at Abbey Road. Without them, I don’t know how I would have gotten through that heartbreaking time. I also got to join in on some of their experiences that I otherwise would not have done and it was a blast. Also, you then have photo takers, map readers, someone to sit next to on the tube and someone to share your worries and excitement with. I still talk to my London girls almost daily and I am so thankful to have shared this experience with them.

8. If you are not best friends with your fellow classmates, it’s okay. The other 3 girls in my group had a totally different focus for the trip and we did not see eye to eye and it was fine. We went our separate ways, did our things and got along fine. You can’t make everyone see the trip in the same way as you and sometimes you just have to go with it. It can be frustrating but do not let it ruin your trip. They don’t have that kind of power. This is your experience and make it great no matter what everyone else is doing. It is a great time to exercise your independence and to do what makes you happy.

It’s is not going to be easy or perfect. If you think everything will work out perfectly and 100% according to your plan, change your thinking ASAP. Problems will arise, you will miss your family, you will get discouraged, you will not get to do everything you planned, you will get lost on the tube or buses, you will spend too much money on something by accident (in my case it was 10 pounds worth of water at Pizza Express), you will feel awkward and out of place but don’t get down. Embrace it all and take it in stride. It will be a perfectly imperfect experience that may just change you as a person forever. I know it did for me and I am forever thankful for this opportunity and experience. 

Always remember, "Not all who wander are lost" - J.R.R. Tolkien. 

Wander, get lost and enjoy every. single. minute. 

Ch-ch-changes

Ahhh David Bowie (RIP Father of Glitter Rock)... Classic song. Fits my life pretty well at the moment. I'm in a time of extreme transition. I am 22 years old; I am graduating undergrad, buying a house, getting married and starting law school all within a 4-month span. Needless to say, I am extremely excited and slightly terrified about my upcoming life changes and transitions.

Graduating undergrad Magna Cum Laude with a double major in Pre-Law and History is a light at the end of a long, difficult tunnel. College is hard and I worked my butt off in tough classes, extracurriculars, part-time jobs, leading clubs on campus, maintaining a high GPA and working to into Law School. I have loved my college years but I am ready to move on. I will be sad to say goodbye to my beloved undergraduate university, teachers and hometown but I am ready to spread my wings and explore somewhere new and transition into professional graduate school.

My fiance and I are moving to a new city where he begins his full-time job and I will attend Law School. Instead of renting, we decided to jump right in and buy a house. As exciting as it is to be budding homeowners and have our own space it is a daunting task. Loans and yards and furniture and budgets and possibly having a fixer upper..... Oh my. I am watching HGTV in every spare moment I have to try to prepare myself and I feel like I email my realtor every 5 minutes. Thankfully she is patient. I truly feel like I am #adulting hard core and it's quite scary. It is also exciting to look forward to decorating my own space and nesting. My fur-babies will love having a yard to run in finally! We are all over the roommate/sharing space/college lifestyle.

In July, I get to marry my best friend, my soul mate and the person who has put up with me for 6.5 years since we were little baby 15 year olds with acne. This is one transition I am not the least bit scared of. I cannot wait to be married to the man of my dreams and have the best support system I could ever ask for through all these other changes. Wedding planning is stressful and expensive and a pain but it will all be worth it when I can call this amazing man my husband and wake up next to him everyday.

My final and scariest transition is starting Law School in August. Everyone else says I am ready and will do great and the Law School obviously agrees as they awarded me a full tuition scholarship. Though I have prepared extensively and read everything I can, I still feel terrified. Law School is HARD. They set it up to weed out those who are not up to the challenge. I am just mentally preparing myself as much as I can to give my life away to case books, outlines and highlighters as of August 22nd and I hope I am up to the challenge and can live up to the standards I have set for myself. Tune in later this year to see how much of a stressball I am.... should be entertaining....

So yeah.... it is a time of transitions; some are exciting, some are scary and all are a part of growing up. Currently I am listening to Disney songs on Pandora to try to pretend I am not a real adult and remind myself of those carefree days where I had no responsibilities beyond entertaining myself and playing with my cat. I think it is safe to say that I am #adulting hard core. As much as I am nervous and scared, I am so ready for all these changes and moving into more of an adult life. I think I am ready.... we shall see. It will certainly be one big adventure and as Albus Dumbledore wisely said, "Let us step into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure".

I am ready to pursue the flighty temptress and if Harry Potter can defeat Voldemort at 17, I should be able to survive home ownership, marriage and Law School at 22.

P.S. You can now follow my adventures or misadventures throughout my transitions on Instagram @TheLegalDuchess and on Tumblr @the-legal-duchess. Follows would be appreciated :)