Ellie's Blog

Back in a Routine...

eporges@scu.edu (Ellie Porges) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST

This week I am back in the routine of school. It feels as if I never left SCU in the first place. Waking up early on MWF seems totally normal and doing laundry myself isn't too bad.

I have had some hiccups in my daily habits, though. First off, I was sick for a couple days which was really unfortunate because it was the first time I have been sick away from home and I missed being in my bed at home while watching TV and being taken care of by my mom. Second of all, intramural soccer has started. I am on a team with my core group of friends, so it is really nice to bond with them in a new way. It is freezing outside, by freezing I mean it is in the 50s but it is a tad windy and has rained, by rained I mean drizzled a little, so playing outside has been cool, get it cool…because it is cold. (ok bad pun).

We lost our game on Sunday 0-2, yes the same day the 49ers lost to the Giants 17-20 in sudden death overtime.

This week was fun, though…I saw and did things that were a little out of the ordinary. Earlier this week I saw some freshman jump fully clothed into the fountain and there was a flash mob in the cafeteria. I also slept for 12 full hours for the first time in my life. On Saturday, a few of my friends and I borrowed an upperclassman's car and went to valley fair. We ate at Cheesecake Factory and walked around the mall,which was really crowded considering it was cold and dinner time.

All in all it was a pretty good week and I can't wait to see where this new quarter will lead.

I'm Back!

eporges@scu.edu (Ellie Porges) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST

I am so excited to be back at Santa Clara! Winter break came at just the right time, every one was getting a little antsy and the pressure of school had reached its peak. Getting away was just the right thing to give the Santa Clara community life again.

Winter break was great; I got to see family and friends from back home. I went to Australia and saw my extended family and got a nice tan on the beach, and then I went to my hometown, Philadelphia, for a bit and spent time with some people I’ve really missed. It was so much fun catching up with family and people from high school, but it was so weird being back together with them after not seeing them for months. A lot happens when you are isolated on the West Coast. By the end of winter break, I was ready to come back to warm Santa Clara and see my friends here again.

Last quarter was really hard, I didn't allow myself time to adjust to being in college and I underestimated how much faster classes move, especially on the 10 week quarter schedule. Coming back this quarter, I know how important it is to view each quarter as a marathon instead of a sprint and how important time management is. You have so much time but you have to use this time wisely in order to succeed. On the first day this quarter one of my professors said something very wise, “Allot 3x the amount of time you think you need to each class, at least in the beginning of the quarter, that way you will always have enough time for all the work you need to do for an assignment.”

Not only is time management important, but also self-awareness and understanding are vital to flourish here. Last quarter I overwhelmed myself by taking too many classes and trying to get involved in too many things. This quarter I am taking a balanced course load, combining classes that I am interested and classes that I need and having a good mix of Math and English courses. I better understand how much time each activity will take and what I need to do to keep up with everything. I have learned that it’s important to prioritize, but also do things efficiently and effectively so that you are not sacrificing quality or your state of mind.

I also have recruited my friends and we have all created a game plan so that we keep each other focused. Friends are fabulous both at distracting each other and pushing each other. I cannot wait for the new quarter to begin and I am ready to get back on the horse and ride it all the way! Good luck with the new quarter, it is going to be a good one.

Giving Thanks and Giving Back

asibole@scu.edu (Allie Sibole) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 11:21:00 PST

It’s officially the holiday season here at SCU, and not just because my suitemates have started listening to Christmas music. They’ve been listening to Christmas music since September, so that’s not exactly a reliable indication. No, the real evidence came this week, with the Thanksgiving interfaith service, the daVinci Thanksgiving potluck, and the many opportunities to serve people in need.

Thursday afternoon, I attended a prayer service that brought people of all faiths together in the spirit of Thanksgiving. Representatives from the Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, and Sikh traditions shared how members of their faith give thanks. Afterward, we had the chance to mingle with others and share Thanksgiving-themed snacks. As one of the Campus Ministers said, our theologies may be quite different, but all religions share a spirit of gratitude for what we have been given.

The early Thanksgiving celebration continued later that night with an annual daVinci Thanksgiving potluck. My RLC supplied the turkey and mashed potatoes, but the rest of the dishes came from Casa Italiana residents. I love Thanksgiving food, but having it before the big day ruins the anticipation for me. Luckily, I still filled up on the enchiladas, quinoa, and banana bread that also found their way to the table. Weird combination? Maybe, but it was all so delicious that I didn’t care.

In the spirit of being thankful for what we have, clubs, RLC’s, and the school Activities Programming Board (APB) offered many opportunities to share our blessings with others. Core Christian Fellowship encouraged students to pack shoeboxes with gifts to be distributed to children around the world. I discovered that Safeway actually has a great selection of toys (grow-your-own dinosaurs!), and the chance to shop for kids in need was an excellent reason to put off my homework. Individual RLCs hosted service projects, like Project Open Hand, which took a group of Casa Italiana residents to serve food to terminally ill patients in San Francisco. Campus-wide, a new event called Can-struction challenged each RLC to donate canned food and use it to build sculptures in the Locatelli Center. These events not only embraced the gift-giving spirit of the season, but also did so in a way that was very accessible to college kids on limited budgets. I’m thankful that I go to a school that truly values giving thanks and giving back.

Back East for Thanksgiving

eporges@scu.edu (Ellie Porges) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 11:20:00 PST

As much as I love Santa Clara, there is something really amazing about getting away from it and seeing family. I now consider Santa Clara home, but being away in my grandmothers home is definitely a breath of fresh air. Thanksgiving break is only a week but I still cherish this time and miss my Santa Clara family.

There are so many wonderful things about being away from Santa Clara that I don't miss when I’m there, but I no longer take them for granted. I love being at Santa Clara, but this truly is the most wonderful time to not be there. Finals are just 2 weeks away and instead of stressing about them in the same environment where I would end up in a kind of slump, I am able to be more productive in a new environment full of a less stressful energy. Not only is this the perfect time to catch up on schoolwork, but sleep too. Sleep is a sought after commodity in school, but here…ahhhh…I wake up to no alarm and I fall asleep when I am tired and not solely when I finished everything. Eight hours of sleep is such a relaxing and wonderful concept. Benson serves some amazing food, but home-cooked meals, real dinner tables, cloths, plates and utensils are so wonderful and treasured.

Thanksgiving is a time of thanks and giving: thus the name, very self-explanatory. In my family it is a big deal. It is one of my favorite holidays because everyone gets together from all over the country to have dinner and catch up. It is a time to reflect, love, and give thanks. It is so peaceful and relaxing. It also comes at the perfect time when I am getting somewhat homesick and am starting miss my family.

What are you thankful for during this holiday season?

Abundant Meal Points

eporges@scu.edu (Ellie Porges) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 09:42:00 PST

As any college student knows, food is the most important and the most conversed about topics. Santa Clara has meal points that students use to buy food on campus. There are two plans: the Preferred and the Basic. There are signs around Benson that show how many points you should have left, depending on your plan. Most people have the basic plan and that is PLENTY. Even my guy friends think the basic plan is enough and most of us girls aren't even close to the amount that we are supposed to have spent.

Benson is a great place to get food; they have tons of options and attempt to appeal to everyone. Everyday each station has a new special; they have customizable food as well as convenient ready-made choices. My favorite food is The Elvis smoothie from the Cafe, or the make-your-own pasta bar at The Bistro. The different station's hours are very interesting and encourage you to try various venues. I enjoy, every once in a while, getting off campus to eat or making your own food. Like any restaurant, after a while you need to change it up.

Off campus there are plenty of great places like Yum Yum Tree, Subway, Kramer's Bagels, and Blondies. About once a week my suitemates go out and get a delicious meal at one of these places and that epitomizes a good day.

One of my suitemates got the preferred plan and we use her extra money to stock our snack cabinet with delicious snacks. Since we all have surplus points, the Cellar is becoming our new best friend. Last week I was at around 900 points, I'm on the basic plan and was supposed to have around 500, so I went down to The Cellar and got a lot of food. I had so much that the cashier allowed me to take a cart back to my dorm so that I could carry it all. It's amazing. It's like a little grocery store where you don't have to spend real money. It has everything, from Luna bars to random household items to fruit and vegetable to baking supplies! Whatever you need or want you can probably find a variety of, or you can request it and they might stock it.

Casa also has a pretty good kitchen on the first floor so about once a week my friend buys supplies at the cellar and makes some delicious treat for all.

With so many great food options here I feel like I'm being spoiled and don't ever feel deprived of good healthy food.

Birthday Week!

eporges@scu.edu (Ellie Porges) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 10:27:00 PST

My friends are the best! It was my birthday this past week and it was without doubt the best. Before my actual birthday, my friends took me to Apple headquarters in Cupertino, where we shopped in the company store. It's really nice to rent a Zipcar once in a while and get off campus. Hanging out with three of my good friends away from all the commotion of college was a breathe of fresh air. On this trip I tried my first In-N-Out burger, which was not quite as good as Five Guys, but still pretty good…almost living up to the legend. Overall it was a beautiful day in Cupertino.

After such a great day with my friends, my actual birthday had a lot to live up to…and it was great! I was so spoiled by my friends here and I can’t imagine better ones. I spent the night before my birthday doing a lot of homework and chilling in my suite. After my homework was done I stayed up until midnight with my friends playing games using the whiteboard in Casa Long Hall Commons. My first present was a lanyard for my Access Card, which I have to say was a much appreciated and much needed for Access Cards can get lost very easily. I have lost my card about once a week and now I always know exactly where it should be and I haven't lost it in about a week.

Then, all day on my birthday people randomly said happy birthday and my family called all day. My brothers also left me a voicemail singing happy birthday, which was quite a surprise. It didn’t help with getting over my homesickness, but still was amazingly sweet. After all my classes I came back to my RLC and my suitemates made a poster for me and put up pictures around our suite. I almost cried from all the love.

That evening we went out and had Panda Express and I got a pillow pet. There is a reason I can't shop with people…I am very slow at making decisions! I got home to the best present…my friends had spent hours, during my classes, to make me some of my favorite desserts. It was wonderful and tasted so yummy and sweet just like the memory of that day is. It was the perfect ending to the perfect birthday.

Friendships for Life

eporges@scu.edu (Ellie Porges) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 10:13:00 PST

Relationships move at a different pace here in college. The friends made here are going to be friends for life because these are deeper connections than friendships made elsewhere. I would spend a few hours or so a week with my friends back home, but here I am literally living with my best friends. I can see them whenever, for any reason. We study together, live together, eat together, and play together. I have only known most of my friends here for about three weeks and yet it feels like I have known them for years. Some of them know me better than most people back home just because I literally am with them ALL the time.

I have found a special bond with the people I have met at Santa Clara. These aren't high school relationships and we aren't in high school anymore. Some people haven't realized this yet. But since we are around more mature people and are creating more esoteric friendships, hopefully these petty problems will pass. Superficial cattiness isn't the only personal hurdle we have be careful of. But because of the constant contact, the drama erupts much more fiercely and quickly. The little things that irk you and push your buttons are multiplied because of the constant exposure, and so one minute you’ll be best friends the next you wouldn't be able to be in the same room as the other person. We all need a little space and that is very hard to get at SCU since it's so small and everyone is so close.

It is important to choose your friends wisely now. College can be the best part of your life and lead to countless opportunities. A major part of this divergence is about the people you hang out with. I am fortunate enough to have found a wonderful group of people who are nice, motivated, smart, and just all around good people who are amazing influences. I am so grateful for them because even if I end up growing apart from them later on, right now when I need them most, they are perfect for me and are making me the person I need to be. I know that if I had allied with others, I might be in a deeper hole and more homesick. Everyone needs at least one person that they can rely on and in a school of over 5,000…you must make sure that you choose wisely because you don't know where your friendship can take you.

The Santa Clara Bubble

eporges@scu.edu (Ellie Porges) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 09:47:00 PST

College is it's own little bubble, and this bubble permeates all facets of a college student's life. It's not just school, it is life, especially if you live on campus. Like island time, conventional measurements of time aren't always applicable. In life outside of the bubble at 1:30 am, one is expected to be sleeping. In college, it's presumed that you are awake and productive. At Santa Clara, it's not just hours that are effected by this space-time continuum bubble, but also days. The week isn't normal either and the days are totally messed up. For instance with my schedule the only days that I have the same schedule are Mondays and Fridays, every other day has a different set of classes. Outside of classes, Tuesday are laundry days and Wednesday nights are party nights. Sunday is not a weekend day, it’s a day of recovery from the week prior, as well as a day to catch up on everything you have coming up the next week.

In the “real world,” everyone's schedule is different and planning events is difficult due to various locations and different agendas. Here it's pretty easy to get in contact with people and coordinate plans. There are always events going on campus-wide, within the RLCs, and with the school’s many clubs. Everyone is doing different things but still if you’re trying to find a person, it's not going to be that hard. Everyone on campus is in the loop about what's going on and the bubble allows everyone to have a telepathic-like understanding of everyone else’s schedule. There are not that many places on campus and there are “bases” where you will most likely to run into them at least a few times a day – like their RLC, in Benson, or in one of the academic buildings. Since we are all on the same wavelength it's not at all weird to know where random people live. But…you probably should never let just random people you talk to know where you live outside of college, it’s a bad idea.

Remember this is college. You can't expect life to be this harmonized elsewhere. Santa Clara is it's own little synchronized oasis.

Not All Fun & Games

eporges@scu.edu (Ellie Porges) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 12:22:00 PST

College is not just about socializing and having fun. Many of our families have spent a lot of money so that we can get this amazing education, meaning that we need to study and go to class. This doesn’t have to be all terrible, though. That's the wonderful thing about college – having so many choices – you can take the classes that you are interested, most of the time.

I needed to switch up my schedule, so in the advising office I was told that in order to fit the required classes I had to drop an extra class. I was distressed because I love all of my classes and wanted to fit them all in. All of the topics are somewhat interesting but it’s really the professors who make the class what it is. They love the subjects they teach and are enthusiastic about working with students. This energy motivates and energizes students so the classes are dynamic. I actually want to learn not just in the classroom, but also through homework because. It’s really that interesting and I feel the need to know more. A few nights I have stayed up until 3 am taking notes and coding this thick text just because I can, I've also causally pulled out Calculus at breakfast or when I am just chilling with friends. It's not just me though, it's a contagious bug. One day before one of my friends Computer Programming classes he pulls out his computer and starts teaching it to me. So learning is actually fun!

Okay, so studying is still studying and no matter how eager we are to learn, it gets tedious and somewhat boring sometimes. Well, guess what I have a solution for that…group study sessions! You don't have to be studying the same thing or even in the same class, just get a group together and say, “hey, I have work to do, let’s study.” Most likely you will be ultra productive because everyone is quiet, not distracting each other, being studious and then when you’re in need of distraction a conversation will start, but eventually that will die down and you will be even more focused because you've taken a short break. It's awesome and it's a good way to get your work done without taking away from friend time. We all have work, why not do it together?

Once in a while with this ultra social community, it’s sometimes good to just take a few hours to yourself. It might be my Quaker schooling coming out, but I have found everyone needs some quiet, focused, alone time. My favorite times are either when all my suitemates have gone to bed and I have the common room all to myself or during the day during classes there are great tables in the shade right outside the library, pop in your headphones and you are set for a peaceful few hours. It's vital to take a step back at least once a week. We all have the time.

But no matter what kind of learner you are there is a time and place for you to tap your inner student and take advantage of the resources and reasons that are here.

Code-Named Kids Next Door

eporges@scu.edu (Ellie Porges) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 10:26:00 PST

I am loving the suite-style living in da Vinci! First of all, you enjoy so much more privacy than the other RLCs. I have both my bedroom which I share with one girl AND I have a living room. This gives me so much more flexibility because if I have to stay up late I don't disturb my roommate when she wants to go to bed earlier. I can do my work in my room without being disturbed if others feel like chilling out. We can have a lot more people over without it feeling over crowded or claustrophobic. Almost everyday this week at some point there are more than 10 people in the suite at once and seriously how hard would it be to fit everyone in a normal size dorm room.

Da Vinci is great at making the community feel like a home away from home. The first night of every quarter is Prima Notte in da Vinci, where the upperclassman invite the lowerclassman into their apartment and make dinner for them before heading to the da Vinci Commons for a da Vinci-wide dessert social. This connected me with people that I don't think I would have talked to otherwise. Those scary seniors and juniors are actually down-to-earth, nice, and totally willing to help out and show you the ropes. When my suite got to the upperclassmen’s apartment, one of seniors actually asked us each very individualized icebreakers. Because the dessert social was right after, everyone went and I met some fascinating people who I would have barely seen because we don't have classes together or they live on a different floor. Da Vinci also host all sorts of other events and activities every week that just bring everyone together. We even have classrooms in our building and a class that is only for us da Vinci-ans.

It's not just the dorm in its entirety that’s pretty cool, suitemates are awesome too! Living with suite mates is like having seven super cool sisters. We have classes, hang out and sleep together. The fabulous thing is that we have an entire school to socialize with, so we don't have to stay a group but its groovy to have a group of fun, schnazzy, smart young women with whom you connect near you during this exciting time. All of us are different and come from all over so its crazy that we click but after only a few days together we have really bonded. We have started to care about each other in a very sweet way. It feels as if we are here to support each other, lift each other up and help each other grow, not to be cheesy or anything.

Seriously, with all the figuring out and logistics that went into this first week I don't know if I wouldn't be still tripping around campus like a lost puppy dog without the help of my super cool suite mates and da Vinci.

Feeling Very Welcomed

eporges@scu.edu (Ellie Porges) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 12:27:00 PST

First I want to say Welcome Class of 2015! This year is going to be the best year yet! We are a stupendous class and I can't wait to meet all of you. We are going to ROCK IT!

The journey began for me two weeks ago when I had to pack up all of my stuff and ship it. I never knew how much stuff I had until I had to try to fit it all into a trunk. I also learned that I only wore about half the stuff I owned, unfortunately. It was sad to part with my stuff and very strange wearing things I didn't wear as often. Skip ahead to last Thursday, my last day. Saying goodbye to my town, my pets, my brothers, my house, and my friends who had not already left for college was extremely difficult. I am going to miss them all so much. But, with excitement about my new adventures in California, my mom and I hopped on a plane headed out west.

Saturday comes around and it’s time to move in to my new room! I picked up the trunk I had sent a few weeks back and loaded it in the car along with all my other purchases from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. While waiting in line to check in to my new RLC, Da Vinci, was reunited with people from my orientation in July. It was wonderful knowing I was moving in with friends.

After the group of us from orientation checked in, we ventured up to our rooms, anxious to see what we would be living in and who we would be living with for the next year. I got to my room the door was open and there was my new roommate unpacking. I may be saying this prematurely but I think we will get along great! It was such a relief being able to meet her in person and not only knowing her through Facebook. With moving in, unpacking, organizing, and meeting new people, Saturday morning was chaotic to say the least.

The time came when I had to say goodbye to my mom. It was a very sappy and emotional goodbye, of course, in the parking lot. As she left and I went back into Casa I was teary eyed, wearing my sunglasses inside to hide it but it was actually very hard to stay choked up with everyone being to happy and inviting, by the time I got to by room my sunglasses were off and I was smiling with everyone else.

Since Saturday morning, I have been excitedly running around campus with all my new friends. Classes begin tomorrow…I guess that means I have to get back to business. Wish me Luck!