Alexis Montes

On obsessions

When I was 16, I was obsessed with many things. There was a navy blue throw pillow that I hugged every single night and I swear it made sleep 10x better. Though it was more than three years old and very smelly, I couldn't get myself to give it up. My mom threw it away...

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So what happens next?

It's been about three weeks since my senior year at the University of Rochester has begun. It's been a great time so far. I've been keeping up with my work just fine and things feel more routine than ever, in a good way. So, while I'm being blasted by dozens of emails...

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On rule-breakers

Some thoughts I had earlier tonight on leadership and game-changers: Lately I've thought a lot about how individuals we now recognize as major cultural icons must have felt when they were first starting out their career/movement. I've thought about how insecure they...

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You & I can change it all

There are a lot of things that the pretty college brochures that will/have attacked your mailbox don't show. Sometimes they forget to mention how outrageously pricey the school's dining plans really are, and other times they forget to tell you that you might be the...

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Introspection

I'm two days away from officially beginning my junior year here at the University of Rochester. I can't believe how different I feel from when I first came here in 2011. I feel as if I've been reborn. Though I've learned many great things about the world and about...

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The Peter Pan Syndrome

Another year is done! This fall, I’ll be coming back to Rochester as a junior…wow. The past two years have been some of the most challenging I’ve ever faced. I think the biggest issue was coming to terms with being a grown-up. As children we always say to ourselves,...

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The Liberty

As I hugged my mom one last time at the airport, I took one last look at the scenery beyond the large window panes. “My new life starts now.” I thought to myself. My first year of college was extraordinary to me. It represented the materialization of a fantasy that I...

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Things DO get better!

As you may or may not remember, I started off my first semester of my sophomore year in a rocky place. I felt extremely angsty about the future and life in general, and that all took a bit of a toll on my friendships and my grades here in school. Fortunately, I’m here...

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Let go.

Alex Montes (University of Rochester '15) gives an important tip for those eager current high school seniors awaiting college life.

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