(no subject)
hey all. it's been a whiiiiiiiiiiile since i've posted anything, but I figured an update on my new life would be a good idea.
Mills is AMAZING! coming here was the best life choice I could have made. everything is wonderful and all in all I am the happiest I can ever remember being.
My classes rock hard core. they are easier than mount holyoke, both in terms of amount of reading and professor expectations. but i find that even though there are slightly lower final product expectations, there is a much stronger emphasis on the process, the thinking behind it and the amount of effort one puts into it, which results in having higher grades next time, because the professors are really there to help you every step of the way (sometimes whether you want it or not). having less reading means that, first of all, you actually have time to get all of your reading done for all of your classes and still have a life. it also means that I have more time to think about and absorb the reading, rather than just memorize it. almost half of mills students are non traditional in some form. 25% of the student body are resumers (over age 23) and a significant number have children. almost everyone I know has a job to support themselves. mills professors are really understanding of the fact that most people have other classes and full live outside of school, and that understanding turns into an amazing amount of consideration and helpfulness. I have learned more in one semester at mills than i did in 3 semesters at mount holyoke.
the other academic piece is that I am majoring in psychology with an emphasis in infant mental heath (infant=birth thru 5 yrs), and am on the 4+1 infant mental health masters track. my mentor/advisor/head of imh is one of the major major researchers in the field of infancy and attachment theory. it is so amazing and inspiring to be working under her. basically, i want to be her. i think she's realized that. luckily, no awkwardness has ensued :P
the people at mills are what makes the biggest difference. the school is much smaller, 950 undergrads, 450 graduate students, and only 500 or 600 students live on campus. this makes the campus much more intimate and friendly. everyone smiles at you, whether you know them or not. unless in a rush, most people are happy to stop and chat for a few minutes. again, in one semester at mills, i have met and had non academic social interactions with far more people than i did in 3 semesters at moho. funny enough, my friend who lives next to me also transferred from moho (Veronica, yes rosie, your Veronica). she's as happy as I am at mills, though her academics didn't work out as well as mine (she has 3 intense writing classes and is accordingly stressed). the first few days i was there there was no one in my dorm except for 4 other transfer students, and we all got really close.
being close to Zeid is SO FUCKING AWESOME OH MY GOD!!!!! no more cross country commuting for us! our relationship is better than ever. he is such an amazing person who loves me so much. it's such a wonderful feeling to be loved like this and it's completely mutual. this is the first time we've lived in proximity of each other since amherst/moho, and the first time since our relationship moved past the sex fanatic phase. it's like the honeymoon period has commenced a year and a half after meeting each other, which is really great, since we've already gotten past most of the awkward stuff (like farting in front of each other lol). though we butt heads occasionally (generally about who should be doing the dishes) and encourage not-the-best habits in each other (like eating unhealthy food and procrastinating), all in all it's been happiness, fun, wonderfulness and so much mutual love.
I also can't complain too much about the weather. it was 75 degrees yesterday! it's sunny most of the time, which has made a much bigger difference than I expected--constant sun=happy sam!
there is one thing i miss about moho, and that is the library. the library at mills doesn't compare in the least, which is a huge huge bummer. but it's a fair trade-off, methinks.
i believe that is it......if there's anything i've left out, let me know and i'll be happy to update on that too :)
Mills is AMAZING! coming here was the best life choice I could have made. everything is wonderful and all in all I am the happiest I can ever remember being.
My classes rock hard core. they are easier than mount holyoke, both in terms of amount of reading and professor expectations. but i find that even though there are slightly lower final product expectations, there is a much stronger emphasis on the process, the thinking behind it and the amount of effort one puts into it, which results in having higher grades next time, because the professors are really there to help you every step of the way (sometimes whether you want it or not). having less reading means that, first of all, you actually have time to get all of your reading done for all of your classes and still have a life. it also means that I have more time to think about and absorb the reading, rather than just memorize it. almost half of mills students are non traditional in some form. 25% of the student body are resumers (over age 23) and a significant number have children. almost everyone I know has a job to support themselves. mills professors are really understanding of the fact that most people have other classes and full live outside of school, and that understanding turns into an amazing amount of consideration and helpfulness. I have learned more in one semester at mills than i did in 3 semesters at mount holyoke.
the other academic piece is that I am majoring in psychology with an emphasis in infant mental heath (infant=birth thru 5 yrs), and am on the 4+1 infant mental health masters track. my mentor/advisor/head of imh is one of the major major researchers in the field of infancy and attachment theory. it is so amazing and inspiring to be working under her. basically, i want to be her. i think she's realized that. luckily, no awkwardness has ensued :P
the people at mills are what makes the biggest difference. the school is much smaller, 950 undergrads, 450 graduate students, and only 500 or 600 students live on campus. this makes the campus much more intimate and friendly. everyone smiles at you, whether you know them or not. unless in a rush, most people are happy to stop and chat for a few minutes. again, in one semester at mills, i have met and had non academic social interactions with far more people than i did in 3 semesters at moho. funny enough, my friend who lives next to me also transferred from moho (Veronica, yes rosie, your Veronica). she's as happy as I am at mills, though her academics didn't work out as well as mine (she has 3 intense writing classes and is accordingly stressed). the first few days i was there there was no one in my dorm except for 4 other transfer students, and we all got really close.
being close to Zeid is SO FUCKING AWESOME OH MY GOD!!!!! no more cross country commuting for us! our relationship is better than ever. he is such an amazing person who loves me so much. it's such a wonderful feeling to be loved like this and it's completely mutual. this is the first time we've lived in proximity of each other since amherst/moho, and the first time since our relationship moved past the sex fanatic phase. it's like the honeymoon period has commenced a year and a half after meeting each other, which is really great, since we've already gotten past most of the awkward stuff (like farting in front of each other lol). though we butt heads occasionally (generally about who should be doing the dishes) and encourage not-the-best habits in each other (like eating unhealthy food and procrastinating), all in all it's been happiness, fun, wonderfulness and so much mutual love.
I also can't complain too much about the weather. it was 75 degrees yesterday! it's sunny most of the time, which has made a much bigger difference than I expected--constant sun=happy sam!
there is one thing i miss about moho, and that is the library. the library at mills doesn't compare in the least, which is a huge huge bummer. but it's a fair trade-off, methinks.
i believe that is it......if there's anything i've left out, let me know and i'll be happy to update on that too :)