#dormlyfe

Who thinks dorms are cool? Anybody... anybody...? Yeah, probably not... But at Gonzaga, you have to live in the dorms for two years, and while this might seem lame, I actually love it.

You see, a lot of my friends from back home didn't live in a dorm at all freshman year, and they were lonely...  Maybe even miserable... They didn't have any friends, or if they did, they didn't have many.  And while having friends shouldn't matter by quantity, but by quality, you learn pretty quickly that quantity in college can really matter.

When you have those moments where you think to yourself "I don't want to be around these same 5 people anymore," the easiest thing to do is go hang out with your other friends... unless you don't have other friends.

This is why I think that #dormlyfe is so important.  (I also feel like you should all know that my hashtag is completely sarcastic)  In my freshman year of college, I made a ton of friends... but often times I didn't feel like I was good enough friends with them to actually go out on a weekend or hang out with them during the week... You have to build up to that.  And usually, one year of school (or even life) isn't really enough to do that.  I mean, very few relationships even make it to a whole year... so why should dorm life last any less than that... (If that makes any sense...) I really think it takes more than a year to really find yourself on a college campus, let alone your friends. (especially a campus without a greek life)

I hope that in my second year of #dormlyfe, I continue to make new friends, but also improve the friendships I've already started.  Because I really think that's what real dorm life is all about; getting to know people.

Also, heres a quick pic of my dorm, Cushing hall on Gonzaga University's campus!
(PS, I kind of love decorating...)

-Katelynn René <3

Taking the 'Pro' out of procrastination

   Let's face it, we all put the 'pro' in 'procrastination' way more often than we should.  It's a fact of life that as we grow up, we avoid doing things we should and end up rushing to do three hours of work in 30 minutes.  I find myself procrastinating daily, and regretting every time as I rush to write a 6 page paper or vacuum the entire house in half the time it should take me.  Even over this last weekend I had to write four posts on my Philosophy class's blog, and I didn't write any of them until 16 hours before they were due.  It's idiotic how much time I spend twiddling my thumbs, catching up on shows I don't even watch and reading the same Facebook posts 10 times.  Maybe we are hard wired for being lazy until the last possible minute, but I doubt that.  I think the truth is more along the lines of, unless we are in the perfect environment for our personal learning, we find it very hard to actually focus, buckle down and do work.  Unfortunately, unless we find that perfect environment, we will forever be stuck in a limbo of procrastination and then rushing at the last minute.

    Figuring out where that perfect environment is can be hard.  For some people, it's the library.  But that's easy to figure out, it's the first place you go when you know you really have to hit the books.  I hate the library, though; It's kind of like a homework hell.  Some people find an empty classroom, or just an empty room in general.  Others do really well just sitting at a desk or on their bed in their room.  Yet, none of these places work for me.  My place is a Starbucks, or a coffee house similar to Starbucks.

    I reached a point during my freshman year of college where I was absolutely miserable.  I felt stuck in my room, stuck with just five or so friends, and lonely when none of them were available.  I always felt like I was doing nothing.  I went through a period of time where I was depressed.  This feeling isn't like depression, it's not that hard hitting, and it's much easier to come out of, but it still sucks.  I felt depressed for about four weeks before I did something about it.  At this point I called up a counselor, and made an appointment.  But before I even went to the counselor, I changed one little thing in my life.
    On my college campus, we have a building called Crosby Student Center.  Basically, it's like the social center of campus.  Our mail room is based out of Crosby, there is a coffee shop, tons of tables, big comfy couches and it's always busy.  But it has a feeling about it that just makes it feel like home.  Crosby also puts on an event every Wednesday night where live music comes in and they perform for about an hour.  Fittingly, it's called Coffee House.  One of my friends and I decided to go one night, about 5 weeks before school got out.  And this one little choice changed my college life.  I figured out in that one visit that if I wanted to get homework done, study, or socialize with more people, Crosby was going to be my place.  After that I spent hours there every week, actually doing homework.  There was even one week where I had all of my homework done for the entire next week, and it was only Thursday night of the week before.  I had finally taken the 'pro' out of 'procrastination.'

    What is hard about college life, however, is that then you have to return to your home, and readjust how you get things done at home, too.  I took a six week online class this summer, and I spent the first five weeks barely making the deadlines.  I have one week left, and I am planning on spending a lot of time at a Starbucks.
    What makes it work for me is the white noise, the fact that I know I could have a conversation with almost anyone, but know that I also need to focus.  What also makes it great is I can get coffee whenever I need... and who doesn't love that?

<3 Katelynn René

The Friend Rule

Remember that song you probably used to sing all the time when you were little? (and probably even more often if you were a girl scout) It went like this:

And who doesn't love a little bit of kid artwork... all though it is a little strange.

I honestly think that song was on to something... maybe not so much that you have to label your friends as being either silver or gold... and let's face it, you probably thought about which friends went in which category at least once. But I think that realizing you can never have too many friends is the general message of the song.

Yet, I also realized growing up that each friend has their own role in your life, whether or not you realize it.  There are just some friends you wouldn't go to with certain problems, and others that you would, and you realize it.  This leads me to what I like to call the friend rule.

Now, the friend rule has a few key roles and characteristics that each person fills.  And you might find that each role is also filled by more than one person, and that's cool.  You probably have multiple friends with similar traits.  But I think it's necessary to have at least one person to fill each spot...

So here we go, The Friend Rule;

1) The Realist - This is the person who is honest. They don't sugar coat what they are saying to you, they tell you straight up what they're thinking.  If you need someone to be optimistic for you, this is not the person you want to go to.  But when you need to hear the truth, there is no one better to talk to.  And that is what makes them great, because you can sit down and talk to this person for hours, and feel like you have solved life problems, because nothing was sugar coated.  This relationship is often the most raw and open because lying will get you no where with this person.  Sometimes, the truth may hurt, but when was the last time you really got, and then stayed, mad at someone who told you the truth.

2) The "I've done that before" - This person, no matter what you have done, has probably "done that first."  Or at least that's the way it seems.  Your conversations with them probably sound a lot like this, "You are getting your wisdom teeth out? Well I got mine out last month and it was the worst thing ever, like thheeeee wooorrrst!" And while this may get annoying sometimes, this person probably just needs to feel more important than you.  It's hard to deal with sometimes, but in the end they are a good person, and they probably humble you.  There's a good chance this person also needs a great friend, someone who they bond with and can go to, and they might just see you as the person for the job.

3) The Cheerleader - Don't want to hear the truth yet? The cheerleader is the person to go to.  They are always optimistic, always telling you that "you'll do better next time," even if you actually can't sing a single note on key.  This may sometimes get annoying, but you know they will always have your back because they care for you and want to see you succeed and be happy.

4) The quiet one - It probably took a long time to become good friends with this person because they are soooo reserved.  But that probably means your friendship is really strong, because you have had to try to become friends and you have succeeded.   They might not always have a vocal opinion on your life, but they are willing to listen and let you talk through things.  They are probably also always up for whatever, whether or not they seem really excited about it.

5) The person of the opposite sex - Not the boyfriend, but the best friend.  You know what I mean, no attraction what-so-ever, (or at least not yet) but they are willing to be your best friend.  He gives you different kind of insight than all the girls.  But don't lead him on, and don't him lead you on.  Make sure if any lines start to be crossed, and you aren't comfortable with it, CLARIFY! If he can't respect that, then he's not actually as good of a friend as you think.

6) The "sibling" - You do everything together, talk about boys, college, your future plans, everything.  You aren't really related, but you are together often enough you mights as well be.  And no matter where life leads you in the future, you will always be friends, because sisters always keep in touch.  And no matter where you leave off, you always pick back up in the same place.

So there they are, the must have friends.  Trust me, you probably have them all, just look around and realize what role each friend fills.

<3 Katelynn René

Nothing Good Ever Happens After Midnight.

Here I am, 12:55am on the day of my last final for Freshman year, and rather than sleeping I suddenly decided that I was going to start a blog.  But the best decisions are made after midnight, right?  Well, I think it's actually nothing good ever happens after 2am according to How I Met Your Mother, but whatevs... We can hope something good will come out of this.

So before I go to sleep, I figured I would take a moment to reflect on the last 8 months.  I arrived at Gonzaga University as a freshman and knew absolutely no one.  Like no one.  At all.  Basically, I was a little loner.  But next thing I knew I was meeting people and making friends.  Now here I am, at the end of my freshman year and I can't believe how far I've come, how many friends I have made and how much fun I've had.  

Lets just make a quick list to realize how much things can change in less than a year;

1) I went from being an only child, to living in a dorm with 40 other freshmen girls.  Sounds small, and like it wasn't much of a transition, I know. But truth is, despite how much I hated how small my dorm was by the end of the year, I think I would have hated a big dorm at the beginning of the year.  Plus, I've learned how to live with others, that knocking before entering a room is a good thing no matter what time of day it is, and that we have way too much fun procrastinating.

(BTW, nothing like this ever happened, it's just too funny... Plus I love cats)

You also learn very quickly that the walls are far too thin, there are people you won't get along with and that every roommate has their flaws...  Some more than others...

All in all, living in a dorm is a great experience, no matter how much you like or dislike your specific dorm.  The friends you make are unforgettable and the laughs too many to count.   And next thing you know, having a roommate is the best thing ever and having people to be around 24/7 is wayyy better than being at home and sitting on the couch on a Saturday night with a bowl of ice cream watching HIMYM with mom and dad.

2) At first, it may seem like you will never make friends, but by the first weekend you will be going to dinner with girls from your dorm and chances are you will have found at least one person who is willing to pretty much be your best friend.  They may not be your roommate, and that's great!  In my case, my roommate and I didn't really click. Like at all. But the girl two doors down and I get along great... And now we are roommates instead.  The only thing better than that is having a group of friends to spend time with, and that comes with time.  Next thing you know you have all new friends and while alone time is great, being with them is better. 

3) Speaking of alone time... Wait... What is that again? I went from having alone time most of the time at home (I'm an only child... so that's normal for me) to never having any.  Those five minutes you get alone on a Wednesday night when your roommate hasn't come back from dinner yet and all your friends are 'doing homework' are the most precious minutes of the day. Swear to God.  THE BEST. You also learn quickly that if you want to get homework done, you either have to lock your door or leave the room/dorm. 

                                       

 For me, I'd go to the student center.  But that's besides the point...  It's kinda like when you want to be alone, you have to leave not only the room, but the dorm, and probably the campus too.  Or take a shower... I mean, which ever fits best into your schedule.

4) One last thing that changes drastically is (at least for me) what you do on the weekends.  At home, I was a total homebody.  I wanted to be at home with my cat (and parents, I guess) every weekend.  That's just what I did, and sometimes I would see friends.  But in college that all changes.  Whether you go out and get drunk every weekend, or just go to the movies, the weekends are way more fun that they probably were at home.  Like, what do I do now when I go home?  I don't want to sit at home on Friday nights anymore!  

I can't wait to get back to college in the fall just so I can have fun again without having to ask mom and dad if I can go out.  

Freshmen year here at GU made me realize just how much things can change in a year.  But I wouldn't take any of it back for a moment, nor would I change where I go to school.  I love this place way too much for that!  

And in regards to freshman year,  I think if anyone could be a college freshman again, no one would turn down the opportunity.  I know I certainly wouldn't.

So now that I'm finishing the post up (It's actually 10:30am now, I got tired last night) I can't believe this year is over... But on to the next; I'm already excited to come back!  And as for it being after midnight when I started this, I think it was a pretty great choice.

-Katelynn René