Hey everyone! My name is Mindy and I am Human Development major here at Oswego. This is my first time living away from my home and it has been a fairly easy transition surprisingly because I am very close with my family! I am living in Hart Hall, which is the international dorm here on campus. My roommates name is Yang, but her american name is Lilian and she is from Ningbo, China. She is very busy and is really never in our room unless she’s sleeping. She said there are “too many differences to count” between here and China. Living in the international dorm might not be for everyone, you do have to enroll in a mandatory IST course where you have to attend 6 approved events a semester, write a one page write-up for each, and participate in 10 hours of community service. It might sound like a lot, but you get one credit and your dorm is right in the middle of everything! Which is a main reason why i choose it. Being small, I heard the wind would blow me down during the winter time! So with having a dorm about a 2 minuet walk from all my classes was very strategic!
The first day here, I cried of course, but then I went to go meet with my transfer mentor Ali. She is awesome and willing to help me with any problems I have. She even helped me pack for my dorm! After the transfer mentor meet and greet there was a giant picnic in the middle of the quad. Me and my long-lost friend from elementary school Erika (Who would have known we would be so similar!) got some delish picnic food and sat down at an empty table because we really didn’t have anyone else to sit with. Then this man came and asked if he and his wife could sit there. At first we just thought he was someones grandfather that came to help move, but we soon discovered that he was Dean of Graduate Studies and Research! The man who will one day decide if we get into Oswego’s school counseling graduate program! He told us that when applying to graduate school grades were not the only thing that matter, yes you must have a high GPA, but if someone has a GPA of 3.4 and was involved on campus and in the community he would be more apt to choose them over someone with a 3.8 GPA and no extras. I have clung to his words and am trying to participate in as much as I can.
I am taking 17 credits right now, counting the credit I get for living in Hart. I am thinking about joining a service learning class (another upper level credit) where i go to local nursing homes and places along those lines and just chill with the residents there. Granted it is work involved, but I feel the experience will help me understand my HDV 120 class even more!
The best advice I can give you this week is to not be afraid to say Hi to anyone. I am a shy person and I have already met some girls that I am sure to be friends with for a long time. Before I even came to Oswego I had joined a FB group and met some transfers from there, Its nice knowing you know someone you can have dinner with that first night!
