The Truth of the Butterflies

The Essentials Mattress Pad Twin XL Sheets Comforter or Quilt Broom/or Small Vacuum Laundry Detergent Dryer Sheets Hamper Hangers Umbrella Headphones Desk Lamp Clorox Wipes Paper Towels Clock Bath Towels Shower Caddy Shower Sandals Febreze Trash Bags Tide-to-Go Pen Backpack Keychain Under-bed Storage Fan Makeup-Storage: I used one of those clear trays and put it in one of my desk drawers, but a lot of people use those small things with three pull-out drawers Duffle Bag for going home for weekends/small breaks Clothing Rain Jacket Sweatshirt  Sweaters T-shirts Leggings/Sweatpants Jeans Shorts for beginning of the semester Sneakers Sandals Rainboots/Waterproof shoes Slippers/Mocassins Bras/Sports Bras Robe Underwear maybe 1 pair of heels Pajama Shorts Depending on your major or if you'll be going to interviews/business fairs: WORK CLOTHES ARE VERY IMPORTANT. Black slacks/Dress Shirt and/or blazer, black shoes Electronics Lapto...

For my junior year of college, myself and five other friends have decided to rent a house out in Amherst. It's a split level, with five bedrooms, and two bathrooms. It is fairly nice, but definitely needs some work done to it. Here's where the shit started, when we talked to her about the lease she wrote it down on a scrap piece of paper, never did any research, didn't put any thought into it. We brought it to student legal services to make sure that we wouldn't get screwed over. We have the worst landlord though, our lease started June 1st (we don't plan on moving in until the end of August) but she hasn't moved out of the house but I'm still paying rent.....? Which I think is complete bullshit. Also, she told us the house would be done being painted by the time our lease started, as of Monday, no progress. I also emailed her and asked if she wouldn't mind having the house cleaned before we move in and if she could fix the front lock...."Before Aug...

Today is my last day as a sophomore at UMass Amherst & I am just overwhelmed with emotions, I am freaking out about my physics final that is later on today, I am already packed & I just have so much stuff. Also, this is my last year in a dorm while at UMass because I decided to rent a house off campus next year. Besides having a horrible roommate, I absolutely loved the dynamic of my dorm this year, it was calm & friendly. They had events in the basement, and we would all watch movies together, we would eat meals together, sit in the hallways talking until 2 am. It was really really peaceful & it warmed my heart. But at the same time, I am so ready to go home. I miss my family so much & I just don't want to be doing finals anymore, this was the toughest semester so far so I struggled which is more of the reason I want to leave so badly. But I made a lot of friends & also got a lot closer to the friends that I already had & that means a great deal to me ...

I just want to get this off my chest, we are only twenty years old, we are not required to know what we're going to do for the rest of our lives. We should be doing what makes us genuinely happy. We should be making unforgettable memories, we should be embracing our friends. We should be going on road trips, going to concerts, staying up until 4 am. Listening to loud music, and dying our hair crazy colors.  Also, we are allowed to experience our emotions, no one can tell us what we are feeling is wrong. Different things affect people in different ways, people go through hard times at different points, they just need the support from the people who love them.  We shouldn't be embarrassed by our decisions, we shouldn't be embarrassed by our emotions. But what we do need to be embarrassed about is being selfish and ignoring other peoples emotions while on the journey to "benefit" ourselves, you sho...

Lately, I've realized that I have just been lazy. My family is paying a great deal of money for me to go to school, yet I notice that school is not what I am focused on. I am more focused with my social life and Netflix than I am with school, which is ridiculous. At night time or when I have breaks during the day I should be reviewing and reading for class. I should be doing homework, but instead I end up doing my makeup, watching YouTube videos, or online shopping. This Week: I have a paper, a test, a discussion, a lab, a quiz, and then a test next week. Right now, I am reading for one of the discussions that I have due this week (clearly taking a break currently though) I do think that working four days a week has made it harder to keep up with my work, it makes me think about all the fun things I'm missing in the dorm so when I get back after work all I want is to socialize. I should be focusing on my grades so I can bring up my GPA. I need to make sure that the classe...

I did not go anywhere tropical this year, but I'm not that sad about it. Instead I spent a lot of time with my family and friends. My sister picked me up from school Thursday (3/10) and we got dinner at Chili's because all I wanted was a burger and fries. And Amherst doesn't have any normal American food.  Then on Friday, I was the only one home because I don't have Friday classes and went and shopped by myself (which I find very relaxing) and I got myself some new skincare and a new pair of Vans that I have been obsessed with since I got them. Later that night, I went to church and helped prepare the St. Patrick's Day dinner my family was hosting the next day for the community. I got to cook with my dad and it was so much fun, it was nice to spend time with my dad because I always miss him a ton when I'm at school.  Then on Saturday, I remembered that I had a job interview on Monday and I don't own any professional clothing because I am a slacker, ob...

In high school I was comfortable, I had plenty of friends that made me happy, high school wasn't that challenging although I did not make high honors. I never tried as hard as I could. I definitely let myself down. When you apply to college you instantly start to worry that you didn't try hard enough. You might get into all your colleges but probably not that one school you applied to for "shit and giggles" although you actually really, desperately wanted to go. And you're secretly super sad about it and pretend you never look at whether you got in or not...but in reality you know you didn't. You knew that you weren't going to get in, and even if you did you never would have been able to afford it. So you choose your college, and of course you were too stubborn to apply to the college close to home that would save $13,000/yr, so you choose the next cheapest and it's $26,000/year which is revolting. So your stuck going to this school you never looked a...

If everything goes the way I want it to from here on out this is what would happen.... I will get a job at Alternatives near my house and get paid around $13/hr and love every second of my job. Then I will go on a road trip to Vermont and Canada with my family and have an amazing time like we always do. I will move into my off campus housing next year with Jordi and my three other friends and we will all get along and the bus will always be on time. I'll have my own room that is perfectly decorated at a college students budget. I will take German and ASL, and somehow flourish in at least one of them. My advisor will help me with my schedule so that I can make room to go abroad to Germany the fall semester of my Senior year. I will become great friends with my housemates in Germany and we will travel together and attend Oktober fest and my parents will come and join, too. I will graduate college and work for 3-4 years, maybe even 5, then get my AuD for Audiology. Then I'll st...

I am majoring in Communication Disorders and minoring in Linguistics (that's the plan at least) and I have taken a lot of electives/gen-eds and thought I would tell you about my favorite classes so far. My first semester I took Linguistics 201: Intro to Linguistic Theory and did really well, and also really really enjoyed it. It focused on speech sounds and syntax which surprisingly really caught my attention and really related to my major in school. I also took Microbiology 160: Biology of Cancer and AIDS which was a difficult class but it was so interesting that I never skipped a lecture. The teacher was super smart and made the class interesting and tried to think of things that would help us remember what he was talking about. Luckily, I had some friends in my classes so I had study buddies. But this was one of the most informative classes I've taken. It's about real life, it just informs you about the actual science of two major diseases. My second semester ...

If you're ever stressed out of your mind, if you're ever overwhelmed with absolutely anything in your life and you are around or go to UMass Amherst I highly recommend heading to the Durfee Conservatory that is right in front of UHS. There is something about it that just makes your stress disappear for the moments that you're inside. There are some seats and benches inside in case you want to make your stay longer than a stroll right through.  I do believe that nature has this power over us, a healing power. When you walk into the conservatory you immediately feel as if you're in another world. Everything is so beautiful, the aroma is sweet but natural at the same time. The temperature is always different inside too. My favorite part is the lighting, the natural lighting definitely helps with the soothing, relaxing power.  Whenever you're walking by and they're open, go in. It is so worth it, and if you haven't been inside before you probably loo...

I have started my second year here at UMass and to be honest I'm feeling pretty confident in myself. My roommate from last year who ended up being one of my best friends is studying abroad this semester so the friend train is pretty much non existent right now, but I'm working on it. I plan on being more involved with UPC (our university's programming council). There are a few kids from last year who are also doing it again so I'm hoping to becoming closer with them. I have a few friends from high school on campus but we all have super different schedules and some of them are in relationships which always makes life a little more hectic. UMass has construction going on everywhere as usual, but this year it is getting in the way of my shortest routes to certain places. Also, going to the gym has been a major struggle because I feel like I constantly have reading or some sort of work to do that I feel like I can't put aside like 2 hours or the gym. I have a few ...

Born and raised in Massachusetts, and now continuing my education in Massachusetts. I desperately wanted to go to school in Boston, but had to settle for UMass Amherst due to money reasons...and maybe my lack of motivation. Let me tell you a little bit about my experience at UMass Amherst, at first glance it seems as large as a city and it is sort of overwhelming, and coming from a town that's population is 1/3 of UMass', I know. For the first couple of weeks...okay maybe just until you start classes, the campus is intimidating and walking to your friends dorm across campus feels like it's across the country. But once classes start and you have a general idea of where things are, the campus shrinks tremendously. You find efficient routes, shortcuts, secret beauties like the conservatory for some reason. I decided to live in Central Residential Area and was assigned to live in Van Meter and was devastated at first because it is on the top of a hill that feels like a mount...