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No, my post title is not the number of days left of school until graduation (sadly that is fewer than 50 at this point). It's the number of laps in the 1650 yard freestyle, also known as "the mile," which is the longest race you can swim at a swim meet. Not only do I swim this lovely event, but it was also the last event of my swimming career. Yup, I was in the pool for the longest I could have been (but luckily not as long as the last time i swam the event).

And so comes the first of the big "endings" of this year, aside from the end of Fall semester. It was definitely weird to have swimming be over, especially since there was another session of the meet after I was finished. However, it was so exciting to watch the team swim fast and improve so much during each session. Cheering for the final races of my fellow seniors was great (and also emotional). We have all been members of the team for all 4 years, stuck through the hard times (especially this year, with a change in coaching) and have made it through.

It's been nice to have the break from swimming (though I get pretty antsy if I don't exercise) and we'll all be back together at the pool soon for the start of Alumni Swim Lessons, where we get to teach the children of alumni and faculty/staff. It's a way for us to give back and earn some money for the team.

I'm trying to get the best use out of my extra hours in the day (though they're not really extra anymore, they've been filled in). My schedule is SUPER crazy this week, so I'm not sure when I'll update next, but I will soon (with pictures from my Ice Climbing adventure on Sunday). Here's some photos from Swim Championships:

Common Ground

Hey all,

In a furthr response to the last qusetion about Common Ground, I have some more info. Mairead just did an entire post on the SMC club, so click her name to go and check it out!

-Christine

Do you know any one in Common Ground?

I'm not actually sure about this. I'm sure that I know somebody who is part of Common Ground, but I just don't know that they are.

Sorry this wasn't too helpful. If you're looking to get in touch with someone from Common Ground, let me know and I can ask around and find someone for you :]

What do you want to know about SMC?

hey so i know you led pow over the summer and was wondering how people got chosen to do that. what kind of work did you have to do to prepare for it?

POW leaders are chosen by the students who are heading the three POWs, so there's no application process or anything. They choose people from all different backgrounds that have show interest and/or are student leaders in some way.

Once chosen, there are weekly meetings set up during second semester to go over who is in charge of what for POW. Anyone giving a talk will practice it for the group and get feedback. A lot of the work is to help the team get to know each other better so they can work well together on the weekend.

Hope this helps :]

What do you want to know about SMC?

What program did you go through for study abroad? I was seriously considering API in Florence, Italy but it seems like there aren't very many Psych courses offered there. Did you find that Psych credits were hard to transfer over?

I went abroad with API Florence and loved it. I can't say much in the way of psych offerings. I took 1 psych class while I was there, and was able to count it as a 300 level course for my major. Typically students tend to take many LSRs abroad and keep their major classes at SMC, but if you did find a class that would transfer, you just need to get it approved by the department head and the registrar by giving them a course description. Hope this helps!

What do you want to know about SMC?

what is accepted students day like?

It's awesome! I definitely suggest it as a way to get another look at SMC, meet some of your potential classmates and peers, and get all of your questions answered.

The first thing you do at an accepted students open house it take a tour of campus with one of our student tour guides (who are awesome, and I'm not just saying that because I am one). They can answer almost any SMC question you have, and you'll get another look at campus (or perhaps a first look).

Next you get to hear from some SMC VIPs, including a current student. After that, you'll either head to lunch or hang around for the academic fair in the gym, where all of the academic departments are represented along with other organizations such as internships, study abroad, the Wilderness program, fire and rescue, and more. Then the two groups switch off so if you were at lunch you go to the fair or visa versa.

After that, there are separate panel discussions for students and parents before everyone comes together with closing remarks. It's a full day event but well worth it to meet so many people at SMC and get the info you want to know.

Call 1-800-762-8000 to register for the April 9 or April 16 Accepted Student Open Houses!

What do you want to know about SMC?

I really need to work on getting good recommendations for grad school. I'm worried that if I study abroad, I won't have enough time to develop good relations with my professors. Any advice?

First of all, sorry it took me so long to answer this question!

I definitely don't think that going abroad will hurt you in getting recommendations for grad school (especially since it will beef up your resume for that school anyway). I'd say that if you have professors that you work with on a regular basis, try to keep in touch with them while you are abroad. Maybe you can send them emails, or maybe you keep a blog and you can send them the link and tell them to keep up with you.

I'd also recommend trying to take a professor more than once, so that they really get to know you. You can do research with a professor, work closely with your advisor, or get to know a professor who goes on a trip with you, monitors your sports team, or has something in common with you.

It's really easy to make close relationships with professors, so don't worry about study abroad getting in the way!

What do you want to know about SMC?

My Major and My Room - VYou

Is there anything you wish you had known before you did your study abroad semester?

I wish I had known how quickly the time was going to go by and how much there was to see and experience just in Florence alone. I have no regrets about what I did or where I went, but looking back I wonder sometimes if I had more time to spend in my city and what I would have discovered. I guess I'll just have to go back!

What do you want to know about SMC?