Staying Healthy and Fit in College

Longwood’s Fitness Center offers lots of options for staying in shape, including classes, a climbing wall, cardio and weight-training equipment, and an indoor jogging track.

Being a student in college you have to really be mindful of how you eat and when to get your physical activity in. Sometimes you don’t have the time to make food, eat healthy or even make time to go to the gym to work out.

For me, with lacrosse, we are expected to work out every day even if we don’t have practice. We have weight training three times a week in Iler Hall, which is the athletes’ weight-training facility, but there is also the rec center to get in extra work.

All student-athletes here are required to do weight training and practice on and off season.

If you don’t play a sport, the rec center has so many options to make working out fun!

There are also trails around where you can bike and run, like the High Bridge Trail, or even around campus.

All in all, Longwood is a great place to focus on academics while having a good balance with bettering yourself in a healthy way!

Longwood’s Fitness Center offers lots of options for staying in shape, including classes, a climbing wall, cardio and weight-training equipment, and an indoor jogging track.

My Home, My Place, My Town

Bella and her mom, Deborah.

Despite the fact that I’ve been away from home now for almost seven weeks, I really haven’t gotten my first bout of homesickness. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I miss my family. But when I’m back home, I miss my new life in Longwood even more!

From the time that I was 9 years old, I spent four weeks every summer at camp. I can remember my mom saying she waited by the phone that first week convinced I would be calling her to come and pick me up. But I never did make that call.

My mother brought me up to be adventurous, and together we have traveled the world.

But that first night that I spent in my own room in Curry Hall at Longwood, I realized that I had found my home, my place, my town. I was in love!!!

This past weekend I came home to help care for my mother after she had surgery. It was so good to see her and be with her, but I couldn’t stop thinking of my new home—Longwood.

I’m sure I will continue to have bouts of loneliness and at times I will question what I’m doing. But, for right now, I’m loving my new life, and I am ready to enjoy every minute of it!

Living the Dorm Life

Heather (left) and her roommate, Jessi, have figured out how to get used to sharing a dorm room.

Most people know what a college dorm consists of: a really small space in which you have at least one roommate. At Longwood, you’re actually required to live in a dormitory your first year. As to why this rule exists, I couldn’t tell you, but living in a dorm is definitely a unique experience that everyone should have (maybe that’s one reason behind the rule).

Living in a dormitory is unlike any other living situation you’ve most likely had. Some dorms are coed (meaning guys and girls are on the same hall; my dorm is like this) or some are strictly for boys or girls. As I just mentioned, my dorm is coed, and I was very unsure about how I would adjust.

In movies and in TV shows, living in a college dorm looks super fun all of the time. However, I was really scared to live in a dorm. I actually thought about how I was going to get used to living with a roommate and sharing a bathroom with suitemates more so than the difficultly of my classes!

This fear most likely stems from my being an only child. Throughout my whole life—up until going to college—I always had my own bedroom, bathroom and space to myself. So the thought of always having to share my space and always be considering other people’s class schedules (for the bathroom) was a really scary thought to me.

On the bright side, you’ll be happy to know it’s not as bad as I thought it would be.

When sharing a small space with someone else, it helps if you can get along. Luckily for me, my roommate and I get along very well. My suitemates and my roommate and I get along pretty well also. So if you luck out and get a decent roommate and suitemates (or request to live with someone when choosing housing), then that makes everything else run more smoothly.

As you can see from the photos, the dorms are small, probably even smaller than you think, so getting along with your roommate is key. That being said, one big tip about housing that I remembered from Orientation was that you don’t need to be BFFs with your roommate. As long as you can both respect each other, that’s really all that matters.

It’s something to remember when you’re trying to adjust to living in a shoebox with a complete stranger.

Living in a dorm can be a little challenging sometimes, I’m not going to lie.

Always having to consider others and not really having that much time to yourself can be hard to get used to, but, trust me, you’ll get used to it more easily than you would think. Take it from someone who grew up always having her own space and didn’t even want to go to sleep-away camps because I didn’t want to live with other people!

Just be open-minded, work out a bathroom schedule and find a place of your own to escape to sometimes when you want some privacy and you’ll be fine.

A Change of Plans: I Want to be Closer to Home

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been communicating with Virginia State University because I’m planning to transfer there in the spring semester.

I made this choice because I would like to be closer to home, especially because I commute. Virginia State is also a good school, and it’s about 25 minutes from my home. Right now it takes me about 1 hour and 15 minutes to get to school every day from where I live. The drive isn’t so bad in the morning, but in the afternoon there is so much traffic.

I’ve decided that Longwood University isn’t the place that makes me happy, and it’s not what I expected. In the beginning, I was so happy to become a part of the Lancer family, but as weeks went by I realized what really makes me happy and that there are other things I wish to do.

I’m excited about being closer to home, and I can’t wait to discover what opportunities I may come across in the future.

Why I Chose Commuting

I recently started commuting to school.

It’s been almost a month since I made the transition. What made me chose this decision is that living with a group of girls is fun and all, but I like to have my own space. I also like to be alone sometimes and have personal time to myself. Living on campus wasn’t for me, and it’s not what I expected. I’m used to being alone, so that’s what I realized I preferred.

It was a small process to go through to be able to commute. I had to give my reasons for why I wanted to commute to the residential housing office. I was waiting for about three days to find out what their decision was. They finally reached out to me while I was in class, and I was so excited and happy to be commuting.

Once I got the decision, I made my way to my dorm and started packing my things. I called my mom and told her what was happening, and that’s when she came to pick me up. It was a long day that day, but it was all worth it because I was finally happy and not homesick anymore.

Serious Help or Serious Fun: Longwood Has It All

As the semester progresses, Brooklynn is discovering what study strategies work best for her.

Whether I’m looking for something to do or somewhere I can get help — I don’t have to look far to find it here at Longwood.

As far as getting help, the Writing Center is a good example. The center is such a great resource to help me do the best that I can with my writing—which is not one of my strengths. I recently went to the center for help with an assignment in my Society and Media class, which is for my major in communication sciences and disorders. I had to write a paper about a famous person who has brought public awareness to a disability.

The students who work at the Writing Center are very patient and kind. They helped me with my grammar and punctuation, and with writing a stronger conclusion to the paper. I was really nervous when I first went to the center, but now I am feeling confident. They helped me realize that I’m not a bad writer—I’m just still learning.

I’m also becoming more confident in my study skills. I had my first test recently, and I have discovered that flash cards and study groups are the best way for me to study. Also, studying a little each night helps. The library has really nice group study rooms.

To take a break from my homework and assignments, I have gone to some of the Lancer Productions events!

There were a lot of people at Casino Night. A bunch of friends from my floor went together. We played roulette, black jack and poker—not with real money, of course. We used play money, and any that we had left over at the end of the evening we could use to “buy” raffle tickets for cool prizes. The evening also included an airbrush artist who was giving temporary tattoos, a person making balloon animals and a big selection of great desserts.

On another occasion, I went to a show by a really awesome magician, Daniel Martin.

I also went to a fun craft night inspired by Pinterest. I made fabric coasters, a dray erase board photo frame and some “slime,” and I painted some jars. All the materials were provided, including a bunch of different fabrics to choose from for the coasters. The slime was really fun to make and play with.

Seven-pointed Princeps crowns can be found throughout campus. Princeps is a student organization devoted to developing leadership skills.

 

As the semester progresses, Brooklynn is discovering what study strategies work best for her.

A Door to Adore: “The Lauren”

Jayla and her roommates got in the fall spirit by decorating their door, inspiring some of the other students on their floor to do the same.

As the season begins to change and upcoming holidays approach, we wanted to be the cheerful part of the third floor of our hall.

Laya, Lauren and I had a blast decorating our dorm room door. We ran to Walmart grabbing everything that we felt was fall. As we picked up all of our door decorations, we joked and played around getting lots of ideas.

When we came back to the dorm to decorate, we played our music. We sang with no thought of being too loud. Everyone could hear us laughing and our jokes. They got curious and came out into the hall. They stood around watching and eating snacks like we were performing in a full show. They kept saying, “That’s so cool and cute.”

The other people on our floor were so inspired by our little door that we happened to set a trend of door decorating. We even encouraged a door-decorating contest for Halloween.

I guess it’s stuff like that gets you comfortable with dorm life. This little thing we did for fun definitely helped us get used to the people around us and to make new friends. It was great because living away from home takes time to get used to.

 

A work in progress.

Student-Athletes Support Each Other

Go team! Averee and her fellow lacrosse players with their new Longwood scarves.

After being here for a little over a month, Longwood feels like home.

The people I surround myself with make it so much more fun and enjoyable because you’re never really all alone. Being a part of the women’s lacrosse team gives me an opportunity to meet so many new people, and I get along with them so well.

As you know, the Longwood community is small. All of the activities are a lot of fun, but it is all about what you make of it—such as the athletics events. My suitemates are field hockey players, so you will see me watching most of  their home games. Before I came here, I had never gone to a field hockey game because they didn’t have it where I lived. It was a thrill to watch! The soccer games are also a lot of fun to watch, and basketball season is approaching as well. There’s always a sport going on throughout the year.

The best part about it is that you see all the athletes around, and everyone knows each other. You go to everyone else’s games, and they end up coming to yours. You always want a crowd watching your game for spirit, so it is really nice to support each other and cheer on our school!

I can’t wait for spring to come around for our season so everyone can come out and watch!

Lacrosse practice somewhere over the rainbow.
Lacrosse practice somewhere over the rainbow.

College and High-School Classes: A Comparison

Classes in general are more enjoyable in college than high school.

The best part about them is that you can have a break between classes and get other things done rather than sit in multiple classrooms in a seven-hour span. Although college classes may be more difficult, the challenge is nice because you can accomplish so much more and take what you learn and turn it into something that you may do in the future.

Some differences between the two environments: The professors are not as lenient in college, and you have to get everything done that is asked and turned in on time. In high school, teachers were more tolerant with assignments and let you turn in things later without punishment. Also, in college an abundant amount of classwork and homework is done on the computer. It is very important to keep track of your responsibilities and agendas, especially if you have extracurricular activities.

There are not many similarities, as I have found. College life is so much different. You are on your own with everything, but it is not too bad. I was told to not take high-school habits with me into college, and that was the most useful piece of advice that I was given.

I am still learning and getting the hang of things quickly.

Your Not-So-Typical Friday Night

Dinner with Cecily and Abby in Dorrill Dining Hall — a.k.a. D-Hall. They’re both also members of the Cormier Honors College.

When people think about what happens on college campuses on Friday nights, most think of parties, loud music and crazy young adults. However, for me, none of those events takes place on a typical Friday night.

I’ll be honest, most Fridays I don’t really do much of anything. I usually just go get dinner at Dorrill Dining Dall (a.k.a. “D-Hall”) with my roommate or another friend, do some homework and then go to bed. I know, that sounds super exciting right? You might be wondering why I don’t participate in the typical party scene on Friday nights, and the reason is simple: I’m tired. After working really hard throughout the week, I just don’t feel like doing much of anything by the time Friday night rolls around.

That being said, I did mix up my routine a little this past Friday.

After my last class, I went back to my dorm and started working on some homework. I had an assignment due the next day (Saturday) and I wanted to go ahead and get it done so I could work on other assignments. After spending about 2-1/2 hours on homework, I thought I should take a break and go get some dinner. On my way to D-Hall, I saw one of my friends and she was on her way to dinner as well. We met up with one of her other friends, then all ate dinner together.

After that, her friend went back to her dorm, and we were just hanging out. People were going out for the night, and my friend asked me what I had planned for the rest of the evening. I said I was just going to continue working on some homework. To my surprise, she said she was planning to do the same thing. We went to a study lounge and started on our assignments. We talked, told stories, ate some gummy bears and managed to get everything done that we wanted to. After we got done with our assignments, we just hung out again until we were tired and wanted some rest.

As you can see, I didn’t go to any crazy parties on my Friday night, and I still had a really fun time. You don’t need to go out to have fun—you can just hang out with a friend. You can do homework or do nothing at all.

In college, it’s important to prioritize your time. It’s crucial actually. But it’s still important to do some fun things with friends from time to time because everyone eventually needs a break. But if you’re like me and parties aren’t your scene, it’s OK.

Not everyone at Longwood goes out on Friday nights. I usually study or hang out with a friend—or both.
What the Shrek? I love Shrek and couldn’t resist taking a photo with this pillow that one of my friends’ roommate brought from home.