Blog Find advice and follow the college experiences of our current first-gen student bloggers.

Getting my first college acceptance letter doesn't exactly feel like it does in the movies anymore simply because you really get it in an email first. BUT, that doesn't take away from the special moments you get from opening up the thick package in the mail filled with all of…

I am about to enter week 9 out of 10 of spring term of my junior year at Dartmouth. (That's so crazy!) One of the hardest things about the quarter system is how late we end. It’s definitely exhausting to see your friends enjoying the summer already and I’m still…

It has almost become second nature for me to spend the entire school year waiting for summer break. Then, when summer break rolls around, I start to get restless, even if I have obligations, and I anxiously look forward to the start of the next year. Then, the cycle repeats…

The other night I decided to be creative. I boiled some penne pasta, cooked some shrimp, and pulled out my favorite brand of pesto. After the pasta was cooked, I drained it in the colander and returned it to the pot it was in. Then, I poured the shrimp on…

All throughout school you compare yourself to others. “Susie got accepted into five internships already and I haven’t even heard back from one” “George is graduating a year early while I have to take an extra semester during the summer just to catch up.” The comparisons are really difficult to…

Midterms and Finals have the ability to affect our mental and physical health in such a way that it is practically unfathomable. Without even factoring in the unknown of virtual exams, in person exams were peak stress. You can study your heart out and still feel like some things came out…

As a student Freshman year, I decided to take a position as an on-campus tour guide. This job has been such an amazing blessing! I have been able to meet other students here around campus, getting to improve my speaking skills, and getting to interact with pro-staff who work in…

As the college application process ends and the college decision season begins, I've been thinking back to where I was this time last year. A year ago I was just like you all, biting away at my nails, waiting for college decisions, and wondering constantly if all my efforts these…

I still don't know how I convince myself that there will be an ominous figure waiting outside my bedroom door if I attempt to leave my room before the sun has come up. Sometimes I am able to quickly hop out of my bed, turn the knob to the door…

The past month has been filled with a number of uncertainties for me personally. With class registration coming up there are a lot of unanswered questions about what returning to in-person class is going to look like in the coming fall. I know Illinois State's Covid plan has always been…