Fall Break, Disney World, and my First College Midterms
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I’m back from my first fall break, and it was much needed! I took my first ever road trip to Orlando, Florida, home to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Disney World. If you ever want to feel two years old again, I highly recommend it! Needless to say, it was a magical trip.
The two weeks before fall break were my busiest so far in my first year at Duke. Midterms were quite overwhelming. At one point, I had two exams to study for, one debate to prepare, and a 25%-of-my-grade paper to write!
The best part was that everyone was going through the same thing. It pretty much was a bonding experience over Starbucks Frappuccinos and whatever other items our vending machines had to offer – although do avoid the Lilly Library’s vending machine; it will eat your flex points! (Flex is our currency here at Duke and will run out before you can say krzyzewskiville!).
During midterms, the libraries became our temporary home and sleepovers were common, especially in Perkins (the West Campus library). Perkins has comfy couches of all shapes and sizes for all-nighters. However, the Thomas History Reading Room, aka the Chinese Room, is hands -down the best (and prettiest!) place to work on campus.
Duke Libraries
I would describe college work and high school work as ‘same same, but different.’ It’s a Thai saying actually, and by this I mean that while the content of college work may be more mature, and the workload a bottomless pit, the process of doing the work itself is pretty much the same. If you worked hard in high school, you’ll have gained the skills to do well in college. Whether you put the skills to good use however, is another matter entirely.
At Duke, I find that people work really hard, but they also find time to have fun, and that balance is what I love about this place.
I’m glad to be back at Duke after fall break, and I just realized how much of a home campus has become for me. I can’t believe I’m half way through my first semester, but for now, it’s time for bed. Goodnight!
About the author
Sah-wah-dee Kha, Bonjour and Hello! My name is Nadia, and I’m proud to say that I’m the only International student here from Thailand in the Class of 2015; that’s 1 in 1665 freshmen! Apart from my Thai passport though, I also have a French one and this allows me to fulfill one of my greatest passions: travelling! Academic-wise, I’m one of those ‘Major-Undecided’ kids but I’m probably going to pursue something along the lines of Public Policy or Political Science, but then again I’ve changed my career path a dozen or so times. I’ve always loved to write and reflect and so this blog is the perfect opportunity to do both!
3 Comments
Hey Ivana! I wanted to know more about how you’ve felt about public policy so far?? I’d be interested in pursuing that major at Duke, and I know the Sanford School is a great program. Tell me everything you can about it! Did you say that a debate is part of your midterm? That sounds sickk. Thankss
Dear AvidDukerr,
So far at Duke, I’ve taken one public policy class and that is Migrants, Managers, and Multiple Citizens in a Global World, and I absolutely love it! What I’ve gathered from being here a few months, is that public policy is a mix of ethics, politics, economics, and of course the policies that make it all work (you can definitely find out more at http://www.sanford.duke.edu/). Some people double major public policy with political science because many of the classes overlap (as did former Duke basketball star and special assistant to Obama, Reggie Love!). The Sanford school itself hosts a number of brilliant guest speakers. Just last week the school hosted Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano. I don’t yet know whether public policy is the major I want to pursue, but it’s definitely up there on the list.
The debate was part of my public policy midterm. It was on the topic of dual citizenship: whether it should be rejected, tolerated or embraced in the US. It was an amazing experience that went on for two and a half hours!
But yes, I’ve loved the one class I’ve taken in public policy. I’m sure to take more in the future and ill make sure to let you know how it goes!
If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask!
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I LOVE U and this is great!!!!!