![\"\"](\"http:\/\/hunterword.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/pub1.jpg\")
<\/a>Olivia Mittman. Picture by Alexandra Ali<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Angelica Vergara Daalling. Picture by Alexandra Ali<\/p><\/div>\n
This article is the final in a series of articles about the beginning of the school year.<\/p>\n
Manhattan resident Gabriella Gavidia, a 20-year-old English and media studies major, wearing a black hoodie, a red tank top and blue jeans, said she chose Hunter because it was \u201cin the city” and that she “didn\u2019t want to be in the middle of nowhere.\u201d Gavidia, interviewed on the 12th floor of Hunter West, said she expected to have more internship opportunities. Her ideal internship? \u201cMaybe something in publication\u201d because of her two majors, she said.<\/p>\n
Another student interviewed on the Hunter West 12th<\/sup> floor, Olivia Mittman, 20, wearing a black lace top and blue jeans, said life at Hunter as a junior was easier in an \u201cunexpected\u201d way. \u201cI\u2019m used to it now,\u201d the Manhattan resident said. \u201cIt\u2019s always really busy, and there\u2019s a lot of reading but you get more used to it as you go on. It\u2019s less overwhelming.\u201d<\/p>\n Gabriella Gavidia. Picture by Alexandra Ali<\/p><\/div>\n However, 19-year-old Brooklyn resident Angelica Vergara Daalling felt otherwise about the start of her junior year. \u201cIt\u2019s been kind of hard, honestly. I think at this point, I\u2019m just getting tired,\u201d she said in her interview. The human biology and sociology double major, wearing a graphic tee and ripped jeans, sat in the cafeteria and said, \u201cScheduling wise, this has been my worst year. When I was a freshman, I had classes back to back, but now I\u2019m just tired.\u201d<\/p>\n Christian Van Norden, 29, a media studies major reflected on his six year journey on campus and his looming commencement day in the spring. \u201cI legally couldn\u2019t start at, financially, until I was considered an independent by the government at age 24,\u201d he said. \u201cSo I started at BMCC as soon as I turned 24, graduated and transferred to Hunter to finish my bachelors.<\/p>\n Regarding choosing classes for his penultimate semester, Long Island City resident, Norden said, \u201cAfter 11 semesters I really mastered the art of picking the classes I know I\u2019ll enjoy.\u201d<\/p>\n Brooklyn commuter, Khalin Vasquez, a junior and English major, said she felt \u201cmore focused” and more confortable now. “I\u2019m more aware of how I work in a college setting now, what works for me and what doesn\u2019t. So, now I have a better idea of how to take care of myself which directly translates into how well I do in school. I\u2019m also less afraid of reaching out to faculty with help for school assignments when I am confused.”<\/p>\n The students said they found time to balance other obligations with their school work. Said Mittman: \u201cI\u2019m in student government. Most of the time I help out with events and coordinating things.\u201d Mittman is on USG\u2019s faculty committee and plans social events. She said spending funds for a student social gathering can benefit students by giving them some time to socialize because it can be hard to see them because of their busy schedules. Mittman also said she loves to put together a movie night or informal event for students to get together and bond outside of the classroom.<\/p>\n Vergara Daalling said she was about to become treasurer of a new poetry club, Hunter Slam. “I figured it would be a great experience with leadership and it wouldn\u2019t look too bad on a resume either,\u201d she said.\u00a0Hunter Slam will focus on the art form of the spoken word. \u201cI\u2019m excited to hopefully get our club to compete at CUPSI (College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational). \u00a0https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/College_Unions_Poetry_Slam_Invitational \u00a0“My position requires me making a budget to make this goal a reality. It\u2019d be a great way to spend spring break,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Daalling described CUPSI as “the Olympics of slam poetry. Basically, colleges form slam poetry teams and the best ones go head to head, tournament style. Hopefully that will be us this year.\u201d<\/p>\n Gavidia has little time for club life. \u201cI wish,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve been here for four semesters, and it\u2019s just about going through the routine. It\u2019s become a habitual thing to me. I wake up, come to Hunter, take classes and do anything else I need to. But then I come home and have a part time job babysitting. I never have time for clubs.\u201d<\/p>\n Norden also said she didn’t have enough to joint a club. \u201cI work at the Plaza, full time and then some. It\u2019s pretty much impossible to have a social life at this point, especially trying to graduate with honors,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Asked how Hunter could be improved to benefit students, Vergara Daalling said she no longer cared about changing the school now that she\u2019s a junior. However, she said, \u201cIf I was asked this at the beginning of sophomore year, I\u2019d say I wish they were more involved with the student body. Maybe the school could have found a way to bring us all together. I feel as though because Hunter is a commuter school, it doesn\u2019t lend itself to the togetherness a lot of us want.<\/p>\n Gavidia said she has enjoyed incredible growth as a student. \u201cJunior year is less nerve-wracking than freshman year. I had no expectations, no experience with college. Now I have two years under me,\u201d she said. She said she will continue to learn and grow even after her expected graduation in May, 2019.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Alexandra Ali\u00a0can be reached at\u00a0 <\/em>Alexandra.Ali96@myhunter.cuny.edu<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Article by Alexandra Ali<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n
\nFive students were ask to reflect on their experiences in the early part of the semester.<\/p>\n