{"id":368,"date":"2023-02-04T14:31:15","date_gmt":"2023-02-04T19:31:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mediahub.alfred.edu\/fiatlux\/?p=368"},"modified":"2023-02-06T09:20:34","modified_gmt":"2023-02-06T14:20:34","slug":"__trashed-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mediahub.alfred.edu\/fiatlux\/2023\/02\/04\/__trashed-4\/","title":{"rendered":"First Semester at Alfred University"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Hi! My name is Alina, I\u2019m a first-year student from Ukraine. I have never been to the USA before, not to mention that university is a new stage of life for every student, so I got it all in 2022. I want to share some insights from my experience and say goodbye to the first page of my university life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Playing Sports <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My first year started with tennis. Our coaches, Jordan Crouch and Tori Pellegrino, and both tennis teams helped me to adapt to my new surroundings, and I can confidently call every single person a friend. Staring at an empty room in Tefft in August, I realized I was totally unprepared to live by myself. Thanks to my team, I gained a lot of knowledge and experience, which I value more than anything else. As most tennis players are upperclassmen, I had an upper hand with university, sports, dining halls, and anything needed. In addition to everything above – I combined my favorite sport and academics. We reached Empire 8 playoffs and have more power for the next season. And I am excited to support the men’s team in the spring!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding the Right People<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an international student, I met many people from all over the world in our first week. We helped each other to get used to the culture, buy necessities, and explore the USA. The six-week series was fun and bonded us even more. Even though I was still playing tennis and attended only two trips (Niagara Falls and the farm), I can confidently say they were the best ones. And a special shout-out to our exchange students, Sid, Marta, X\u00e8nia, and Lulwa, who spent only one semester at Alfred, but created so many memories. We love you guys!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clubs on Campus<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the season, I got involved in a bunch of clubs. As a part of the college of business, the marketing club was among the first organizations I joined. We hosted a lot of events and fundraisers and had a lot of fun in the process. I also spent half of my time in the media lab – a shared space of AUTV, Fiat Lux News, and WALF, located on the first floor of Powell. I joined FLN and WALF where we started brainstorming ideas and renovating the space. And now we are planning a podcast to interview students and faculty, so if you are interested in doing something similar or participating as a guest – reach us on our Instagram page @au_walf89.7 or email us at walf@alfred.edu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Time Management<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am double majoring in business administration and music, so I have a schedule full of classes, practices, clubs, and social occasions. It sounded like a lot last semester, but miraculously I am managing to juggle everything successfully. I mainly used Google Calendar, which I found to be super easy and helped me be productive. I love testing different apps and techniques, and I hope to cover my discoveries in the next issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next Semester<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sitting on the plane to Rochester and writing this article, I know I am ready to start a new episode of college life. I am excited to study more about the music and business industries and try to balance my sleeping schedule. As a Co-President of a newly created Global Studies club, I have a lot of projects in mind. Our club wants to contribute to Alfred\u2019s fun and thrilling environment this year. You better keep an eye out for updates!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How was your semester? And how is New Year going so far? DM me @momentsource with any questions or concerns!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instagram pages to follow:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n