September 2022
Hellooooo from Ann Arbor! I’ve missed this place so dearly, and September in college is magic. I’m sitting on the porch with Casey, soaking up the sunny weather before fall makes a permanent appearance.
Being back in university is strange, but so familiar and comforting. There’s many things to do but they’re all things I’ve done before (this is different than the busy-ness of a city that I felt this summer). It’s been very easy to ignore the impending reality of postgrad. Campus also felt really weird when I first got back- the younger kids looked and acted so young, and I felt weirdly old and out of place. The same anxiety and stress that used to plague me about life after college uncertainties have been pushed to the side, replaced by very fun distractions and “living in the moment”. It’s true: college is simply a lot of pure fun.
This past month has felt like I’ve just been on autopilot: wake up, go about my day, talk to my friends, go to bed. Having all this fun combined with the same old city and same old routine means little time and thought put into reflecting. So today I’m taking some time to do just that: sit down and reflect on how my first month of senior year has really gone.
School: I’m taking some cool and more relevant classes this year which has contributed to my overall well-being and satisfaction. These include: SI 482 (Interaction Design), SI 388 (Putting the H in HCI), SI 407 (Part 1 of the UX Capstone), BA 476 (American Business History), STRAT 390 (Corporate Strategy), and TO 300 (Business Info Systems). None of these have copious amounts of groupwork, so my courseload and schedule are much more manageble than last year. I’ve been trying to participate in class as much as I can (which is only hard for Strat because I feel dumb in comparison to the other Ross hardos). One goal I had was to get to know my teachers, which I still haven’t done. But I plan on going to office hours for all of my classes at least once this semester, to ask my profesors about how they got into academia. I figure if I’m interested in the field, I might as well do some of my own user research while it’s still accessible to me :) I’m also working part time at the Times which has kept me occupied. I’m glad I’m doing it because I get to learn while also making some extra cash. Cash is always welcome- especially with all these Ricks nights adding up.
Friends: My friends are the reason college is so beautiful and wonderful, and I feel very blessed that I’m able to share my college experience with them. My intern friends couldn’t wait to graduate college which is a very… unrelatable… thought. The Big 10 college experience, especially the Michigan college experience, I think is unparalleled (at least for my type of personality and interests). I know I sound like a broken record when it comes to these statements, so I’ll share some quick specifics:
I’m lucky to live in a house with 5 girls that can make me laugh, where I feel comfortable being wholly myself around them. Aryan had mentioned on senior retreat how when we all first met, we were friends. But now we really know each other, with all our quirks, and our friendship feels so real. I finally feel like I have somewhat of a friend group- tight enough where there are the core “friends” I hang out with regularly, but where there’s room for me to hang out with other people I don’t see every day/week.
For the friends who hold me accountable and call me out on bullshit. And for the friends who care enough to reach out to me when we haven’t spoken in a while. These people are gems that I strive to be more like.
At first I hated being the oldest kids at school, but I’ve adjusted to it. I miss the older kids a lot though. I need people that are wiser and better than me to guide me. I miss being taken care of in the little ways that older kids tend to do (even if unintentionally). <3 Miss you Varun, Akul, Ashish, etc. Wish you were here.
Lots of new friends! Being a senior is weird because suddenly underclassman notice you??? And want to meet you?? It’s weird and I don’t feel any wiser. But I do appreciate people caring and being curious enough to start new friendships.
As an overall note, I’ve been recently struggling with balance in friendships. Hanging with new people, making time for old. Just a thought I’d like to note here and see if anything changes next month.
Personal: Overall, I want to set aside more time for reflection. September is usually one of the busier months of college, so hoping this is just a first month thing I couldn’t do. I’m really proud of the schedule I set for myself with senior year- I’ve been going to the gym regularly, getting enough sleep, while completing my work and socializing a good amount. It’s all possible I guess, as long as you hold yourself accountable. Working out makes such a positive difference on one’s life. Funny enough, I actually mised lifting and I’m happy to be doing it again regularly. I think overall, I feel a bit weird because I’m not actively.. improving… myself in a certain area of my life right now. I would like to be better about calling my parents and brother, maybe I’ll start there?
Not to sound corny, but my life soundtrack for this month/this moment would sound something like Tongue Tied by Grouplove. Some happy indie song. My problems seem far away- I know this isn’t a forever reality, but for now I don’t want to jinx things. I can think of the future in peace without actively fearing what it will actually entail (working a job I might not love, not being in school and living with my besties anymore, moving to a city I might loathe). Those are all later concerns. Life is splendid right now, and the facts of my future seem to be pretty good. That’s all.
I hope life has been sweet to you this month. Thanks for reading.
Love,
Rachel
