The Rockstar Toilets of Sloane

My friend Brendan took me to Sloane to check out the art building some time ago. I was thrilled to see how cool the bathrooms were and - as a North Campus tourist - snapped some photos of their rocker wall decor. Here's one of the amenities art majors enjoy... 

On a side note, a few of my friends have been wanting to be introduced to you readers - so here are Brendan (who brought me to Sloane), Dillon (who you might recognise from the fly-fishing interview) and Lhanzi. Lhanzi is in my macroeconomics class with Prof Natarajan and they all live in the first-year quad with me.

100 Tips for Life at Saint Mike's : The Final 91 - 100

Here are 1-10, 11-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51- 60, 61-70, 71-80 and 81-90. 


91. Don't be scared to pull an all-nighter in the academic buildings. I was hesitant at first, since I was scared I'd be alone in an empty building, but there are a surprising amount of people who need to work in a classroom at night. 

92. If you have clothes that need to be hand-washed, take them with you to the shower and hang them up on the notches to dry while you shower. 

93. Everyone on campus is super helpful and friendly; it's not like high school where freshman can be perceived to be nuisances so don't be scared for your first few days on campus! 

94. Though the official overnight stay programme has been cancelled, it's possible for prospective students to contact the admissions office to ask for an overnight stay. I'd really recommend this, as I wish that I had known what campus culture was like before I had arrived here as a first-year student. 

95. Don't overload yourself with too many sources when writing a research paper; limit yourself to 12-18 sources for a 10-page paper. I made the mistake of trying to read 35 sources in two weeks for a paper and got really frustrated with myself.

96. Buy fingerless gloves for the winter - this way you'll still be able to get a grip on things.

97. Always read assignment instructions and highlight requirements before starting on it - it helps you focus on what you need to get done. 

98. Make sure you narrow down your research topic before you start doing research or your search will be too vague. 

99. Request to live in Joyce Hall for your first year; the building has the mailroom in the basement and it's also the closest dorm to Alliot which has the dining hall, bookstore, MOVE office, the Knightcard office, Wilderness office and the campus ministry headquarters. 

100. All residence halls have representatives that attend weekly SA meetings - if you're having any problems that you think should be brought up, talk to them and they can represent your voice at the next SA meeting. Two other great resources are your RA and RD - they're usually super accessible and friendly. 

Media Labs on Campus

As a journalism major - and a student of the Living Digital first-year seminar - I spend an exorbitant amount of time in media labs around campus. There are four media labs that I know of; two on the second floor of Jeanmarie and two in Bergeron. They're all equipped with Adobe Creative Suite 5 (which has programs like Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign) and colour printers. Here's one of the labs in Bergeron. The staff of the college newspaper, The Defender, spends their Sundays prepping the next edition here. 

100 Tips for Life at Saint Mike's : 81 - 90

Here are 1-10, 11-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51- 60, 61-70 and 71-80.

81. You can request songs on the college radio station (88.7 WWPV The Mike) at 802.654.2887. I've requested a song on my friend's show - it's pretty cool hearing your name/song on air. You can also access the schedule of radio shows and playlist online. 

82. Get a miracle shirt from Brooks Brothers; they're button-up shirts that you can throw in the regular wash and dryer without worry and they come out perfectly pressed. A bit pricey for a student budget ($80-120) but they come with two spare buttons and you'll never have to worry about dry-cleaning your fancy clothes.

83. Learn to take notes with paper if you've been using your laptop a lot; most profs don't allow use of electronics in the classroom - I've never actually met one who let me use my laptop in class.

84. As part of the Consortium of Vermont Colleges, it's possible for students at Saint Michael's College to take courses at surrounding universities for SMC credit (meaning that your grades count and that they don't take away from your study abroad credits.) Apparently UVM isn't included in the selection because it's public, and there's been talk that Middlebury College has joined the list.

85. The Blendables yogurt parfaits at the Knightstand are delicious - they're yogurt mixed with blueberries or strawberries and granola bits. It's a bit difficult to eat (since the granola is stacked so high) so I wouldn't recommend going to class with it, but it's easy to grab for a snack or for a late breakfast if you miss out on the Alliot hours on the weekend.

86. If you need a recommendation from a professor, check in with them at least two months before your application is due. They might not be able to write it for a while since as professors, they're inherently incredibly busy. It's also useful to give them information on the programme/university you're applying to, what admissions officers are looking for and how you did in the professor's class (as well as one or two samples of your work.)

87. You can subscribe to receive repeated packages of shampoo, toothpaste, razor blades, etc. from Amazon in case you don't want to go into Burlington to buy these types of things in the middle of winter. It's also possibile to buy just one or two of them and shipping is free. I do it for make-up cleansing wipes, boxes of tissues, shampoo, conditioner and Q-tips.

88. There are a few mini hiking trails around campus - the walk to the quarry is a nice one to go on with friends. It'll take around an hour to walk around that area and back.

89. Don't be afraid to ask your profs for extensions; the worst they can say is no but most of the time, they're very understanding and accommodating as long as you put in a decent effort throughout the semester.

90. Applications for most study abroad programmes are on March 15. Make sure you book an appointment with Peggy Imai, the study abroad co-ordinator, at least two months before the application is due. Also look out for e-mails from her regarding deadlines in your SMC inbox.