Leslie's Life

I'm a Junior. Wait, what?

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:22:09 -0400

I know that everyone says this, but time flies. I can’t believe that I am going to be a Junior in college! I am so proud/happy/relieved/scared about all of it. This year was hectic and challenging in many ways. I got involved more around campus, worked, maintained our little apartment in the Christiana Towers, and juggled increasingly harder classes. Although it was difficult, this year was really rewarding and I’m sad to see it go. Moving out is totally crazy and as a result has me pretty stressed out. Organizing, cleaning, and transporting all of my stuff has been a long and daunting process but is soon to be over! I leave the towers on Thursday and head up to my Mom’s in Manhattan! I am staying with her for about a week and then heading back down here to start work on June 3rd.

I think one of the most amazing aspects of my life here at UD is that it is all captured and documented right here on my blog. I can always scroll through and read my past posts and look at my old photos. It creates a personalized yearbook. I love that!

This summer I am working as a Summer Blue Hen Ambassador so I will be on campus! I’m looking forward to working and making new friends in the process. Also, I will be returning to Chicago for the week of July 4th to see my friends and family, so that gives me something to look forward to as well.

I’ll be blogging regularly over the summer so stay tuned! :) Thank you to everyone who made this year a memorable one!

Sunrise 1965 | Roy Lichtenstein

Sat, 18 May 2013 18:58:03 -0400

Sunrise

1965 | Roy Lichtenstein

This weekend I flew all the way out to Tucson, Arizona for my...

Mon, 13 May 2013 18:01:00 -0400

This weekend I flew all the way out to Tucson, Arizona for my older sister’s college graduation from the University of Arizona. It was really an amazing weekend filled with good food, fun, and family. On Friday, I arrived at the JW Marriott Starr Pass during the day and spent some time at the pool, followed by the graduation at night. It was held in the stadium, which hadn’t been done since the 70s. The energy was insanely high making it a good time. On Saturday, I spent some quality time with my sister followed by a really nice dinner with my whole family. Finally, on Sunday we had a really nice Mother’s Day brunch. Having my family all in one sunny and warm place for my sister’s graduation and for Mother’s Day was really amazing and a nice relaxer before my big week of finals!

Who else caught the rainbow after the rain this evening? So...

Wed, 08 May 2013 19:33:00 -0400

Who else caught the rainbow after the rain this evening? So beautiful!

BHA 2012-2013 group photo! :)

Thu, 02 May 2013 12:01:19 -0400

BHA 2012-2013 group photo! :)

View from the South Green today

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:38:00 -0400

View from the South Green today

Today, my roommates and I went to our future apartment to look...

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 21:16:45 -0400

Today, my roommates and I went to our future apartment to look at what furniture the previous owners wanted to leave behind and such. They were so nice and helpful and really seemed to love the place, which makes me excited. Since I will be staying here in Newark this summer working as a Summer BHA, I will be living in this place starting June 1st! I’m looking forward to decorating it and having a little extra room to split among 4 people!

Another beautiful spring day! Even though I love how amazingly...

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 17:49:00 -0400

Another beautiful spring day! Even though I love how amazingly beautiful our campus looks this time of year, I am suffering from allergies/stress/exams. On the bright side, after tomorrow I am done with exams until finals (YAY)! I hope everyone is having a fantastic week so far! :)

Couldn’t help but take a picture under this beautiful tree...

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 10:23:54 -0400

Couldn’t help but take a picture under this beautiful tree yesterday at Decision Days

Just some college cooking!

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 19:00:39 -0400

Just some college cooking!

Hey, I'm going to Delaware next year and I have some questions! What exactly is the winter session? And do you know anything about the new freshman residence halls that are opening this fall, like the type of rooms, location, name? Thanks :)

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 18:16:37 -0400

First of all, congratulations! So, here at Delaware we operate on a traditional Fall/Spring semester, but we have “special sessions,” which are winter and summer. Winter session is around 4 weeks in January where you can take classes, study abroad, work, or go home. Taking winter session for credits is not mandatory for any academic department here at UD, making it completely optional. For example, this year, winter session started on January 3^rd and ended on February 1^st. The 2013 spring semester started on February 4^th. If you choose to not take classes or be on campus, your winter break would last from late December until early February, making it a little unusual.

As for the new residence halls, here is what I know. They are located on east campus along with Harrington, Lane, Thompson, and Russell. They are going to be predominately honors housing, but will be open to non-honors students as well. The expected completion date is July 2013, so they will be available for the class of 2017 in the fall! They do not have names just yet, but they should be announcing them soon (check www.udel.edu periodically). As for type, they will be communal style. That means all of the girls on one floor will share one public bathroom, as will the boys. They will be doubles, so two people to one room.

I hope this answered your questions! Like I said, keep checking the University’s website for more information on the residence halls, once they are complete they will absolutely inform you of all the amenities and options you have. If you have any more questions please feel free to ask!

PHOTO FRIDAY: I think it’s springtime in Delaware! TGIF! I hope...

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 14:25:00 -0400

PHOTO FRIDAY: I think it’s springtime in Delaware! TGIF! I hope it’s this beautiful out tomorrow during Decision Days. I’m excited to meet some amazing future Blue Hens and their families!

"Waste Land" Official Trailer, 2010

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 10:00:53 -0400

"Waste Land" Official Trailer, 2010:

I watched this documentary for my Latin American Art class. It is about a modern artist, Vik Muniz, who travels to the Jardim Gramacho, the largest landfill in the world located in Rio de Janeiro. He creates large-scale mosaic like photographs from garbage of the amazing “pickers” who work there, raising over $250,000 for the community. I highly recommend this, I really enjoyed it!

Today, I finally got to wear my name tag on tour! Feeling pretty...

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 15:17:00 -0400

Today, I finally got to wear my name tag on tour! Feeling pretty official!

I went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art today to see two...

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 14:23:29 -0400

I went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art today to see two exhibitions. One for my american art class entitled “Great and Mighty Things Outsider Art,” and another for my Art of Latin America class entitled “Journeys to New Worlds: Spanish and Portuguese Colonial Art.” It was a beautiful day with minimal traffic so it worked out pretty well! Enjoying my spring break so far.

Visiting friends at the University of South Carolina this spring...

Sat, 23 Mar 2013 18:32:59 -0400

Visiting friends at the University of South Carolina this spring break! Checking out the campus today.

What's the value in UD?

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 22:22:34 -0400

I remember recently my dad told me he thought UD was of good value. I know that my parents are pleased with the education that I am receiving here at Delaware. I know that they’re happy that I’m happy and discovering what I’m passionate about. It’s a pretty well known fact that college is expensive and it’s frustrating to me that because of the price tag college isn’t an option for everyone, which makes me always remember how fortunate I am to have the opportunity to be at such an amazing university like UD. So, what’s the value in college? Is it worth it? Do I feel like this university is doing everything it can to make me succeed? These are all good questions.

One aspect of UD that I do appreciate is all of the recent renovations happening on campus. I like that I will be able to utilize new buildings, resources, and amenities that my tuition helps to pay for. The new Bob Carpenter Sport’s Building, freshman residence halls, and renovations in Perkins Student Center make me feel as though the money being put into the school is being used to make our lives here as students a better place. After all, we do live here 8 months out of the year.

Not only do I enjoy the new facilities but I also appreciate all of the opportunities I have received here Delaware that I don’t think I could have found anywhere else. I’ve been so lucky and been able to get involved in the Admissions office where I’ve met amazing UD staff and students and been able to actually work and make a difference by being a blogger, application manager, and a tour guide. I’ve also met my amazing friends, especially my roommates, who are not only my support system, but my sisters, who I don’t think I could live without. Most importantly, my educational experience has been so rewarding. I have learned more than I ever imagined I could in these two short years about topics more than art history including anthropology, wildlife conservation, geography, psychology, and French. I’ve learned interview skills, improved my public speaking, learned how to cook, do weekly grocery shopping with an allotted budget, and balanced my social life with studying. These may seem like small things, but I’ve grown so much as a person since I moved away from home two years ago, I’m so proud of myself. I really do feel like a well-rounded student and that’s all thanks to UD.

I guess what I am trying to say is, yes, I do think that UD is of good value. I think the facilities are nice, the campus is clean, professors have student’s best interest in mind, the Wi-Fi really does work all over campus, and most importantly, the students here are happy. Everyone has such varying perspectives on what “value” is and what the price for it should look like, so, check out some of my fellow blogger’s thoughts on the value of college: http://udadmissions.tumblr.com/

Also, check out the University of Delaware’s “Finance my Degree” page: http://www.udel.edu/admissions/finance/

Any questions are always welcomed!

Hi I just got accepted to UD and I'm super excited to go but I was just wondering if any dance classes are offered. I know there is a dance team but I'm not sure if I'll be able to manage my time with studying and that commitment but are there any dance classes that I can take?

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 13:45:49 -0400

First of all, congratulations! That is very exciting! There are many opportunities for you to continue dancing here at UD without a huge commitment. There are free dance classes and fitness classes, such as zumba, which are offered through the school that are open to all students. Also, there are classes you can take ranging from one credit to three credits such as hip-hop and ballet (ie: DANC101). I also know of a club dance team on campus called Delaware Dance Fever (here is the website: http://delawaredancefever.weebly.com/) I hope this answered your question! You could definitely find something that would fit in with your schedule. If you have any more questions please do not hesitate to ask!

Congratulations Class of 2017!

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 11:00:55 -0400

Congratulations to the University of Delaware class of 2017! I know that acceptances went out this week and I can only imagine how excited many prospective students are. It is your time now, as the student, to start making some decisions!

What made me make my decision? What do I like best about my university? I’m here to tell you! I’ve picked three aspects of the University of Delaware that I think make it amazing, fun, beautiful, and one of a kind.

1. Main Street—Main Street is awesome. It has restaurants, bars, boutiques, coffeehouses, a post office, a pharmacy, a bowling alley, a dollar store (college student necessity), and the UD bookstore. The fact the main street is integrated with our university and easily accessible the student just makes the experience here that much better. You can find anything you may need here, which allows an amazing outlet to campus if you ever find yourself needing one. I didn’t want to feel “stuck” on campus. Main Street allows me to never feel that way.

2. Size—This may have been my number one reason for applying/coming to UD. It feels as though UD is one of the only mid-sized institutions around. With 16,000 undergrads you feel part of a large, influential, growing, and powerful community. Yet simultaneously, you will receive individualized attention, have small class sizes, and be able to walk everywhere on campus.

3. School Spirit—If you ever come and walk around campus, the amount of Blue and Gold you’ll see will bring a smile to your face. Everyone is wearing Delaware tee shirts, sweatpants, jackets, and hats. Students love it here, and for good reason! School spirit is important. You want to be in a positive environment, one where the students have pride for their school!

If anyone reading this has any questions, comments, or concerns about UD please do not hesitate to ask! Go Blue Hens!

UD is my home, make it yours!

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 20:20:00 -0400

UD is my home, make it yours!:

Video made for the University of Delaware Undergraduate Admissions. Watch and enjoy!