This post was written by Peer Advisor Naomi, a CCAS junior studying biology and English.
Finals have finished, your bags are packed and you’re about to say bye to your friends for the first time since you met them. You get some snacks for the road and head out of the dorms for three weeks.
You try to control your excitement as you imagine sleeping in your bed, seeing your family and probably doing no school work during this much needed vacation.
Except you’re forgetting one important thing: The freedom that you have enjoyed for four months won’t be present over these next three weeks. You will be living with your family again, following their rules, and doing what they say. It’s difficult, considering you have been able to decide your own curfew for the past four months … will you be able to adjust?
When I left West Hall mid-December to make the (soOoOo incredibly long) trek back to Mclean, VA, I had to keep reminding myself that being back home after four months of college would be familiar, but different. And that is not necessarily a bad thing! There would obviously be great home-cooked food and a lot of Netflix with the family. My parents are very understanding and gave me a lot of freedom in high school (hi Mom!), but when I came back for break, I was expected to adhere to rules and still do the same chores as I did as a high school senior. I still had to tell my family where I was going before I headed out for the evening and was told I had to be back before 12. All these rules were not difficult to follow, but make sure you are able to sit down with your family before winter break is well under way to discuss guidelines. Will you have to check in with your siblings or parents before taking the car? Does your mom want you home on the Sundays for family dinners? The earlier you have this conversation, the more stress free your winter break will be!
Family time is awesome, sometimes. That’s why we have our friends back home: for complaining, laughing, crying and everything in between. Hopefully, some of your friends from high school will be in town at the same time and you all will get to catch up! Don’t feel disheartened if your friends seem to have changed a little bit. You never know: maybe they think you have changed as well! College is an essential part of finding ourselves. Through our various experiences and interests, we develop a personality by a combination of the new and the old. Talk about these new experiences and reminisce about the old with your friends. Grab coffee at your favorite place in town or go bowling at the neighborhood bowling alley! Things may not be the same as high school, but nothing is stopping you from having a good time like before.
Winter break will always be bittersweet, but it is all about attitude. If you approach break with a general idea of what you want to do, whether it be catch up on sleep, friends, family or all three, you will feel much more energized come spring semester when it is time to crack down for class!
Tag: AY1516
Gingerbread House Decorating Party
‘Tis the season to throw a bunch of icing and candy on some architectural cookies! That’s right, the UHP is hosting a Gingerbread House Decorating Party! Or just come and eat a lot of candy and hang out with your friends. Stop by between 1 and 3 on Friday, 12/11.
Gingerbread House Decorating Party in the Townhouse
Friday, December 11 from 1-3 PM
Click Here to RSVP!
The UHP's First Ever Yule Ball!
The Programming Board will be hosting the UHP’s first ever Yule Ball this Saturday, December 5 from 8-10 PM in Post Hall! See more details are below!
Tickets will be available in the Townhouse on the following days:
M 11/30 – 2-4 PM
T 12/1 – 12:30-2:15 PM
W 12/2 – 9-12 PM and 3-4 PM
R 12/3 – 11-12 PM
F 12/4 – 1-5 PM
Professor on the Town Event to The Phillips Collection
On November 14, 2015, Professor Helen McManus and 10 members of her Origins & Evolution of Modern Thought class participated in a “Professor on the Town” event at The Phillips Collection.
As our class focuses on Work & Rest within the origins of modern thought, it was fitting for Professor McManus to take us there to a place she describes as her favorite gallery in DC because it is a restful place for her.
According to Professor McManus, “most restful (though intellectually most like hard work) is the Rothko Room, a tiny gallery for four enormous paintings. Before we left for coffee, I made sure every student was able to find that space.”
We each had our own favorites as well. Personally, I thought it was very interesting to see and hear about the history of the artwork and how it ended up at the Phillips Collection. In particular, I enjoyed Jacob Lawrence’s “Migration Series” because it was moving to consider the history behind the content of the pieces, but also fascinating to hear about the methods Lawrence used to create it and how the piece evolved to be divided into separate galleries.
Other classmates of mine enjoyed the gallery’s most famous piece: Renoir’s “Luncheon of the Boarding Party”. Sara and Stephanie both found enjoyed hearing about why and how Renoir depicted each character the way he did and all the various stories behind Renoir’s artistic decisions as well as how it got to the Phillips Collection.
Still, some of my other classmates preferred to focus on some of the small intricacies of the gallery. Kelsie, while enjoying the Van Gogh and Chagall pieces, also appreciated the story of the tiny Paul Klee painting that was stolen from the collection but was eventually returned after a responsible person purchased it on the black market!
However, not all of the amusing parts of the trip even came from the artwork itself! Ethan really enjoyed hearing about the development of the Phillips Collection which made the experience of the gallery an active one rather than a passive one that you might expect to get at a gallery.
In the end, we learned most about how the collection is the product of a family’s vision and love for art, which made the whole experience so much more meaningful. This, along with the community building opportunity for our class truly made this trip worthwhile! I’d like to thank the Honors program for its support and Professor McManus for exposing us to such a fascinating DC exhibition!
Student-Faculty Dinner Tickets on Sale Now!
Join us on Wednesday, December 9 for an all you care-to-eat Chinese buffet at Chalin’s Restaurant (1912 Eye St. NW) from 5-7 PM.
Let’s all take a moment to acknowledge that the Student-Faculty Dinner is the closest thing the UHP has to a premiere social event of the season. It’s the place to see and be seen.
Make sure to purchase your $5 ticket from one of the UHP offices! You MUST purchase a ticket to attend this event!
#HonorsProblems: Setting Expectations for Yourself
This post was written by Peer Advisor Michaela Stanch, a junior in SEAS studying Civil Engineering and minoring in International Affairs.
I, like many UHPers, hold myself to a certain level of excellence. In the spring of my sophomore year, I wanted to maintain this level in all aspects of my life. I had an internship, leadership positions in multiple student orgs, and I was going to take 19 credits: four engineering courses, two honors courses, and LSPA 1037, or Indoor Soccer. Due to many unexpected and traumatic circumstances, I ended up taking three incompletes, dropping two leadership positions, and missing at least five weeks of my internship. The only thing close to the standards that I had set for myself in January was the “A” I got in Indoor Soccer. By the time I finished my incompletes, my GPA for that semester was a 2.57.
In order to stay in the University Honors Program, you need to maintain the mathematical possibility of finishing with a 3.4 GPA. While yes, you can do this by keeping your GPA above a 3.4 all your semesters, that’s not required. Your overall GPA doesn’t need to be a straight line; it can (and probably will) go up and down, as long as it ends at or above a 3.4. You are in the UHP because the UHP knows you are capable of that.
I took Indoor Soccer last spring for fun. I am no Ella Masar nor Meghan Klingenberg, but I genuinely enjoy the sport. However, after our first class, I knew two things: I was bad, and everyone else in the class was good. Some days, I was really bad; I passed the ball to the other team, I kicked someone’s shins instead of the ball, and, the one time I was allowed to play goalie, the ball slowly rolled right in between my legs into the goal. Other days, I was actually decent; I blocked goals with everything besides my arms, I passed the ball to people on my own team, and I even scored a goal once.
However, my bad and good moments also didn’t really matter to my teammates nor my coach; what mattered was that we played together and were healthy and happy. When I got a mild concussion from getting hit in the head by a ball, my coach made sure I got rest and didn’t go to class. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t there on the team; my health was more important than any goals, passes, or blocks I missed. After making a comment about how bad I was in April, my coach said “You’ve really grown this semester. You’ve gotten to be a pretty good defender.” At that moment, I felt a little closer to Masar and Klingenberg.
I’m pretty bad with metaphors, but by the end of that semester, I felt as if LSPA 1037 was a metaphor for me and how to approach my life. I learned that you won’t be at your level of excellence all the time, and that’s OK. It is OK to not be perfect. Your mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional health are far more important than being at the ridiculous level of excellence you set for yourself. You may not know all the rules, and that’s normal. That doesn’t mean that you can’t play. Most of all, I learned that it’s not about each good or bad moment; it’s about how you feel at the end. It’s about knowing that win, lose, or draw, you played your hardest in the circumstances you were given, and your team couldn’t be happier with that. It’s about knowing that you are meant to be in the position you’re in, even if you don’t believe you’re supposed to be there.
This semester, I’m taking 17 credits (two LSPA courses), focusing on fewer student organizations, and I have a fun, very casual job as an usher at Lisner on the weekends. I see a therapist every week. I could not be happier with the position I’m in, because I know that my circumstances and I have changed to where I can succeed academically without sacrificing my health. And hey, next semester I’m registered for Indoor Soccer. Maybe I’ll score two goals this time.
Food for Thought w/ Prof. Malone-France (Take Two!)
Please join us for December’s (rescheduled) Food for Thought on Friday, December 4 at 12 PM in the Club Room! Professor Derek Malone France will be discussing “Religion, Science, and Philosophy: Considering the Limits of Human Understanding from Three Very Human Perspectives.”
It’s going to be a good one! Make sure to RSVP here so we can make sure to have enough sandwiches!
GW Undergraduate Research Award – Deadline Approaching!
Planning a research project this summer? Apply for funding!
The GW Undergraduate Research Award gives promising undergraduates the opportunity to engage in a well-defined research project under the guidance of a faculty member in their chosen fields of study. All research projects must be independent but undertaken with ongoing input and direction from a faculty mentor. The URA shares a common app with Columbian College’s Luther Rice Research Fellowship.
Student applicants must be full-time undergraduate students at GW and must be enrolled throughout the tenure of the award. The award provides $5,000 meant to support the student’s research-related expenditures, living expenses, travel, materials, and equipment. Faculty mentors receive a stipend of $1,000.
Note: there two deadlines for the award but for both funding is distributed in the Spring. Applicants who apply for the winter deadline but are not awarded will receive feedback on their applications from the review committee and are invited to re-apply in the Spring.
Winter Deadline: Dec. 2nd
Psychology Internship Opportunity with NDU
Hey psych-y UHPers! Looking for a unique type of internship for this spring semester or summer? Look no further.
Internship applications of highly motivated undergraduate psychology students are currently being accepted for The Eisenhower School at the National Defense University. If accepted, students will be members of the Leadership Fitness Lab and work with Dr. (COL) Stephen Bowles on various topics including:
- PTSD
- Military Couples Resilience
- Leadership
- Health and Fitness Resilience related to Mind-Body
- Psychological Healthy Workplace
- Strategic Leadership and the Human Dimension
- Well-being
We are looking for someone with an interest in research, particularly in military-related psychology, but not necessarily exclusive to that topic. If interested, please review the Application Process below and submit the needed documents to Dr. (COL) Stephen Bowles at stephen.bowles@gc.ndu.edu
Application Process:
- Submit CV
- Submit Writing Sample (3-5 pages)
- Short Interview
Hours preferred:
- 16 hours per week during school year
- 36 hours per week during summer
Hours can be flexible depending on class and work schedules.
“I highly encourage anyone who is anticipating graduate school to apply to this, as it is a wonderful opportunity to assist with research at a highly distinguished institution. If anyone has any questions about the program or application, they can reach me at: Morgan Cohen, mcohen20@terpmail.umd.edu, or (443)-257-1807.”
CI IS HIRING! Apply to Cab!
Colonial Inauguration is hiring! They are looking for fun, innovative, and passionate student leaders in the University Honors Program to help integrate new students and their families to the GW community! Interested? Attend an information session to find out more about Colonial Inauguration, the Colonial Cabinet and CI Staffer roles, and learn more about the application process. Please contact CI at CIHQ@gwu.edu if you have any questions!
Friday 11/13 2:00 — MSSC Room 209
Saturday 11/14 10:00 — Marvin Center 402-404
Sunday 11/15 3:00 — West Hall B108
Monday 11/16 8:00 — Thurston Piano Lounge
Wednesday 11/18 5:30 — SEH Basement Lobby
Friday 11/20 10:00 — Marvin Center 402-404
