Gabbi, is it pretty easy to meet friends in your dorm building and floor? Thanks!

There is NOTHING easier. Over orientation weekend, it's a great time to "make the rounds." Most people have their doors open and are open to visitors. And when move in is happening on Thursday from 9 am - 1 pm, the main dorm doors are open so you can go meet people in the other buildings.
In my experience, I found that when I wanted to go to meals in the beginning I'd ask a girl on my floor. It was how we got over the awkward stage. Nothing like an Alliot meal to build friendships. :-D
My big tip is: Keep your door open over Orientation Weekend as much as possible. At one point my roommate and I had 20 people playing some screaming word game in our room and I'm still friends with quite a few of them!

Ask away. There is always more to learn.

Concrete Poetry

So I was creeping around the SMC news and I saw with a concrete poetry garden on campus now!
I thought I'd post a video about it that was posted on You Tube! I think it will be very cool!

Can you list some necessities to bring to college as a freshmen? for dorm rooms, for classes, for going out...etc.

WARNING: MY LONGEST FORMSPRING ANSWER EVER

Wow, that's broad but I'll give you the top ten things I can think of.
1) 2 sets of sheets, 2 pillows, a mattress pad, and a comforter
2) At least two towels, a shower basket with shampoo/condition/razor/soap ect. that you can take to the bathroom
3) A microwavable plate, cup, and bowl plus utensils
4) A refrigerator and microwave (you only need one of each per room so talk to your roommate)
5) A pair of appropriate pajamas so you aren't embarrassed or frantically putting on pants when someone knock on your door.
6) A desk lamp and a "desk set" with pencil holder and other organizing things
7) Laundry basket/soap/ dryer sheets
8) One "family appropriate" business casual outfit for something like the Block M Athletics Dinner or Dean's List Get Together.
9) A pair of jeans and a million t-shirts that you can wear with them for that lovely 8 am class as well as a pair of sneakers you can just throw on.
10) Pictures of home, friends, and posters to decorate your room with. I did a beach theme and had some great pictures of Hawaii collaged on my wall.

Obviously, you can take what you want, but I think these can get you by for a while. All school supplies can be purchased at the book store or you can catch the bus to town and get supplies at the Rite-Aid. Bring clothes you are comfortable and confident in. And my big piece of advice is: DON'T CHANGE WHO YOU ARE WHEN YOU COME TO SCHOOL. Seriously. Be yourself and emphasize your best qualities, but if you try to totally reinvent yourself it might go spiraling out of control.

Ask away. There is always more to learn.

An Update from New Zealand

Hey Everyone!
First, I will say that I have been getting a ton of Formspring questions, which I love because it keeps me busy while the coaches are having their meeting and I have to wait for a ride back to my lodge. If you want to ask questions, there is a box on the left side of the blog or you can click here: http://bit.ly/bOhfum and check out all the answers! If you want to ask another blogger, you can head to SMC Blogs and go to their blogs where there should be Formspring boxes. :-D

Okay, now back to my trip. If you don't know, I am in Lake Wanaka, pronounced Wanika which I always screw up, New Zealand. I am here with Treble Cone Racing Academy to get in some summer training and racing in.

We have skied at Treble Cone and SnowPark, which is like Boreal. For all you west coasters, that means a small hill that is mostly a park with one or two groomers for us racers. :-P (Don't deny that you always secretly wished you could wear a speed suit, or cat suit as the British kids here call it. )

This is a view from Snow Park in the morning. It's absolutely beautiful and that is an old dilapidated van that I want to write my name on with spray paint.

This is a view from the side of the house I am staying at. We are in a beautiful valley about 10 minutes from the lake. I have actually seen people water skiing and it's the middle of winter and I am always cold. They are CRAZY!









And this is Kelsey. She will be an incoming freshman at Saint Mike's Class of 2014. This is a giant hand in the park by the lake and I just think this photo is funny.






Well, that's a quick update on my trip. We have a day off tomorrow and I have my fingers crossed that we can venture into Queenstown which is about an hour drive. I will find out in a few minutes as the coaches are still in their meeting. Ugh. We are also getting the team jackets tonight which I am sooooo excited about :-P and like a total dork I'll probably post photos at some point.

xoxo
Gabbi

I got placed on north campus, can you tell me anything about north campus? How far away from regular campus is it? do we need to take a bus to get there? Anything you know..

The North Campus is less than a mile down the road from the main campus and can be walked to via a sidewalk or you can take the school bus that runs every 1/2 hour. If you would like to walk in the Fall/Spring, you may want to consider bringing a bike to ride from dorm room to main campus. There are bike racks all over the place and it makes the trip shorter as well as allows you to be on your own schedule.
You might be freaking out, but don't. A lot of people actually prefer it because they feel like the get off campus to "go home" as opposed to being a 2-minute walk from the classroom. Several of my friends opted to live "up north" for that reason.
While the main dining hall is on main campus, there is a dinner dining option up north in Sloane which is restaurant style, complete with reservations and waiters.
I hope this is helpful!

Ask away. There is always more to learn.

when can I change my classes? I've already registered for them, but is there a time at the end of the summer when I can switch them around?

I don't have an exact date for this summer, but I believe you will be able to switch your schedule around after the last registration day at the end of July. Around Aug. 1st, you can log on to Knight Vision and see what classes are still available. If you can't switch on the website, just call the registrar's office and they will be more than happy to help you if there are available spots. If you can't get in before school, there is week period at the start of semester to drop/add classes and you can go directly to the professor and see if they will take extra students. You could also email the professor before school starts to get their policy on adding extra students. Ex: Professor Kim Sultze is ksultze@smcvt.edu
Good Luck!

Ask away. There is always more to learn.

Bricks are to SMC as Sheep Are To NZ

Hey All,
This is just a quick update from New Zealand. I arrived early this morning in Queenstown and am now near Lake Wanaka. I am staying with an older couple and an incoming freshman at SMC. It's absolutely stunning here. While I don't have much to say about events as I've been here less than 12 hours, I have taken a few photos.

The view from my bedroom. :-D

Lake Wanaka

More Lake Wanaka

I'm going up to Treble Cone for some skiing tomorrow morning and I will update you all when something interesting happens.

xo
Gabbi

Hi! I was wondering how much money you recommend putting on the Knight Card as an incoming freshman...My parents and I aren't sure!

The amount you put on your Knight Card depends on how often and for what purposes you will be using it. I usually out about $20 dollars at a time for laundry, coffee refills, and other small purchases. I use a debit card for other larger purchases. However, I have many friends who often use their Knight Cards in Burlington at places like Boloco and the Skinny Pancake because they use their card more often and the parents are willing to supply it. To start out, I'd suggest adding $100. That way you can either do a lot of laundry or go out to dinner with friends. However, the minimum deposit is $20 so it's up to you.

Ask away. There is always more to learn.

If you already covered this, sorry, I must have missed it. But what is the deal on lofting beds in frosh dorms?

No problem, so here's the deal: You have the option of lofting your bed mid-way (chest height) or tall (Close to the ceiling.) I'd recommend that everyone loft their bed to create some extra floor space. You may actually be able to do bunk beds with one of the companies. Lofting is great because you can put dressers, trunks, and if you have a high loft, your desk under there.
You can either book a loft ahead of time or get one on move-in day because the companies will be in the quad. I'm not sure if it's less expensive to do ahead of time, but I just did it the day of when I had the epiphany "No way is all my ski stuff going to fit without a loft." People will come in and assemble them and at the end of the year they will come pick it up. It's super easy.
The two companies are: http://www.loftmeister.com/ and http://www.vermontloftandfuton.com/default.asp

Ask away. There is always more to learn.

Hi Gabbi- your blog and the questions you answer here on formspring are tremendously helpful to me!! Umm, I know you covered this a bit in your blog, but could you tell me where in Joyce are the laundry room and post office and how they work? Thank you :)

I'm so glad that I can be helpful and ease the transition in college life.
Okay, I will start with laundry. The laundry room is in the Joyce basement on the side of the building near Ryan Hall. There are washers on the left side and driers are on the right. You put your clothes into one and swipe your card on a machine next to the door. It charges your Knightcard. For those of you who don't know, you (or your parents) can put money on your card that can be used at school and places all over Burlington.
As for the mailbox, the mailboxes are also on the lower floor of Joyce (for all students) and you will have the same box all four years. Your address will be: One Winooski Park, Box #xxxx, Colchester, VT 05439. You can have packages, magazines, or anything else shipped there! It's really easy. We also have a mailbox on campus to send things. You can buy stamps and envelopes in the Bookstore in Alliot.
Hope this helps!

Ask away. There is always more to learn.

Why don't you answer every question asked?

My Formspring is affiliated with Saint Michael's College and because of that there are certain topics that are inappropriate to be placed on my profile. I take it upon myself to decide whether something is acceptable. I'm sorry if this is a problem for you. However, I try to answer all appropriate questions to the best of my abilities.

Ask away. There is always more to learn.

I am really confused on what I should take for classes. Is it best to take the lsr classes the first year? And should I take some classes that I may be interested in for my major? (because im doing exploratory, but i have ideas for what i want to major in

Because you are an exploratory major, I think it is best to take LSRs. However, some major requirements can also fufill LSR requirements. For example, you could take Mass Communications and Society and the would fulfill the literary studies requirement as well as a requirement for the Journalism major. Someone who may want to study music, could take Chorale and that fulfills your art requirement and a music requirement. I would say concentrate on taking LSR's and then worry about what you may want to major in later. Chances are that along the way, you will be fulfilling requirements for both. Don't stress about it. My one recommendation is: Get your language done and get your science and math done if you don't like those.

Ask away. There is always more to learn.