Undergraduate Admissions

This journal is an archive of the experiences of a UB student in the 2007-2008 school year; it’s no longer being updated.  If you’d like to read about some current UB students, please check out this year’s bloggers.

It’s insane that the weather has still been under 45 at night, and it’s the last week in May. It’s hardly been nice enough to sit outside at all since classes have been over. But it’s fine, I sleep until noon anyway. We’ve been trying to do something fun every day, but we still have a lot left to do. A couple restaurants we haven’t visited before, the zoo (again, waiting on a sunny day), and so on.

You can absolutely tell that it’s summer from looking around the parking lot in my complex. The same cars are here day in and day out, and everyone has left our building but us. As of 3pm this Saturday, my entire building of twelve people will be gone. Super sad, since some of them have been here since we moved in. It’s strange how close we’ve gotten with random people in the complex; I have a lot of phone numbers and plan on keeping in touch.

Seems like only yesterday I moved in here…

Nothing to say. I am really one of those people who bugs out when I have nothing going on, so I’ve just been sleeping in, eating and shopping. We’ve been exploring downtown a little more, and have checked out a couple places on Hertel and some places in the city. I can’t believe how much we’ve been missing out on. Pearl Street at night is even better than during the day: we went for dinner and drinks (21, don’t worry!), and then spent about three hours in the game room playing pool. Even better, it’s right next to the subway, which makes it a no-brainer for a fun night out.

Still waffling about grad school. I don’t wanna talk about it.

OK. So. I don’t mean to be obnoxious, or use this blog as a soapbox, but I feel it’s my duty to tell you that there is one Buffalo landmark that ABSOLUTELY does not live up to it’s reputation, much to my chagrin. Not going to drop any names, but you could say it’s an ‘anchor’ of the downtown food scene. Get it? Really over rated. Really overpriced. I would recommend the wing place much closer to campus. And that’s all I have to say about that!

We’ve been doing a lot of barbequing, aka sitting outside and enjoying the cool nights. It’s very much like being around the Thanksgiving table at home: at some point during the festivities, someone has to crank out the “this could be the last time we’re all together” speech and everyone gets all emotional. We’ve all been planning our reunions for months already, and we haven’t even left yet.

Someone is shooting off fireworks in the parking lot. Gotta go ohhh and ahhhh.

Summer has been ok so far. Ever since I stopped working in Admissions, I’ve been getting all the sleep I want and watching a TON of reality TV (what else is new?) I haven’t done my hair in a while, since the humidity has no pity, so I’ve been going out and buying a new bottle of hair gel every few days. My hair is an unreasonable beast.
I really miss Pitches. I’m super sad every Sunday night when I have this panicky feeling that I SHOULD be someplace, and then it occurs to me… Pitches is over. It’s really been the best part of my life in college, and I can’t believe that it’s probably the end of the road for me.

I’ve been walking around pathetically beat boxing to myself for two weeks now. Someone needs to intervene.

This has been a pretty depressing day overall.

I had my Honors Convocation on Friday night, which I considered to be the last word in Maddi graduations. By the skin of my teeth, I have held on to my place in the Honors program and graduated Magna Cum Laude (I have over a 3.5… just barely). So then, my mom and aunt came up on Thursday night, took me to dinner, and then Friday was devoted to pre-graduation errands. My aunt finally got to meet the boyfriend, and then we all went out for victory dinner afterwards. Packed up the SUV (I think I got about ½ of what I own in the car, not a bad start) and headed to bed. It was also my mom’s birthday, so overall, there were many reasons to celebrate.

Saturday was a whole lot of nothing, as Wednesday began the dreaded temperature-change-induced cold that I have become infamous for in college. Nasty fever, bad cough, etc. Literally alternated between couch and bed all day, watching Cops and the MTV True Life marathon.

But yes, today. Besides being Mother’s Day, it was also the huge College of Arts and Sciences graduation. Since I decided not to walk, I was to sit with my boyfriend’s family to watch the ceremony. I had a handful of close friends graduating in the ceremony, so I was happy to go… except the whole getting up at 7am part. But I got dressed up and went, met a new family member, and walked over to Alumni for the ceremony. Whereas the Convocation was a little more demure, this was very ‘bells and whistles’; there was a huge message to the graduates written in blue and white cupcakes! They were also handing out fortune cookies with little UB fortunes in them, very exciting. I held it together pretty well, but when President Simpson had the graduates move their tassels over, I lost it. So sad.

I had lunch downtown at Pearl Street with Scott’s family, and it was AMAZING. I’m sorry I haven’t tried it before.

All in all, it was a celebration day, but I can’t help but feel really down about it. It’s all very final. People are starting to move out, talking non-stop about jobs and the future. I still have no plans finalized. Except to watch Cops. In bed.

Packing has been excruciating. Cramming two years worth of Forever 21 addiction into a few scant boxes is a total nightmare that I would wish on no fashion-conscious girl. My winter boots alone would probably fill an Xterra.

Still no decision about grad school. It’s between staying at UB and going home to New York, and I can honestly say I’ve never had to make a tougher decision. I know both schools are more than reputable, and the curriculum will be enjoyable. Both will prepare me for a good future in my chosen career. But I’m scared that the main reason I’m being swayed to stay here is for my friends. I have made a family here, and that’s going to be really hard to let go of. I also know I would have a blast here- I know the city, I know the school, it would be an easy transition to make. I’m not sure if that’s a good enough reason to stay.

I only have another week or so to decide, so thanks be that I don’t have anything left to work on but thinking and graduating. Which could be good or bad.

Any of you high school seniors who have struggled with these kinds of decisions, I’m with you 100%. Leaving home and my family was the scariest thing ever, but now I have two homes and two families. Either one will have positives and negatives, but I can’t seem to get the table to not balance. Please pray for some divine intervention on my behalf, or I may pull all my hair out. Soon.

What an exciting week I have coming up!

Tonight, we’re recording the last segment of our new album!

And then, tomorrow night, I’m having all the Pitches to my apartment to listen to all of our recordings and choose which tracks are going to make the album. At this point, I think we have over sixteen songs to choose from- only twelve MAX can fit. This is sure to turn into an argument (actually, we never argue, we disagree), but I am a super genius and am ordering pizza to keep everyone’s tempers under control.

Tuesday is a big end of the year party with the Buffalo Chips at their house. We’re going to have a bbq and sing songs, which is always how things go when musical people get excited about something.

And then Wednesday, a few friends and I will be doing an Iron Chef challenge at my apartment. We’re having one of my roommates go out and buy something secret-y while we grocery shop. At the end, each participant will have three dishes and only one can win.

As long as it isn’t asparagus, I should be a shoe-in for the win.

Undergrad has been an incredible experience- I had no idea, when I first started college, that I would have even HALF the fun that I’ve had here at UB. I’ve been remembering a story lately that makes me half sad and half cheerful, so I think I may share it with you, who may shortly be feeling the same thing.

I had a very close group of friends in high school, and there were very few people up in Buffalo who I would know. My best friend from high school was also coming to UB (her older brother went here), and 2 other kids from my graduating class as well. However, we all decided to live on our own and make new friends for ourselves. I was ok with it, but I was secretly terrified that I wouldn’t make any new friends, since I hadn’t needed to in so long. So I convinced myself that, no matter what, I would survive college. Even if I didn’t make ONE friend, I would have a 4.0, I would learn everything there was to know, and I would graduate and move on to bigger and better.

Four years later, I have made more memories and more friends than I’d ever had before. I don’t have a 4.0 (3.5?), but it’s been worth it to me. Getting involved in one thing on campus led to another, and another, and another, until I couldn’t walk two feet on campus without running into someone I knew. UB is a fantastic place to make connections and memories, and I can only wish that any of you college seniors will be as lucky as I’ve been to see and meet the best of what this school has to offer.

Graduation is right around the corner, and I find myself having the same thoughts again. What if everything after this is scary and lonely and difficult? I’m trying to learn from my own lesson and be hopeful. Growing up, how bad can it really be?

Obviously it’s going to start pouring in about five minutes. Sitting through a 4 hour Pitches practice soaking wet is going to be just glorious

(That title is from “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”, which I saw with my boyfriend on Friday night. Eleven stars. Highly recommended. But don’t bring mom. The first 5 minutes features some comical, but jarring male full-frontal nudity. Unless your mom is a hep cat, leave her on the couch for this one.)

Yeah, the countdown to the concert is coming… less than 6 days away, and we still have 1.5 songs to learn. Wish us luck! Passing stuff off to the new directors has been interesting, it’s hard to coordinate schedules, so I’ve been trying my best just to give them quick memos of what I’ve been doing to get us ready for the show. I have high hopes.

Now begins the week of messy finals, as well (couldn’t come at a better time for a Pitch!) The weather outside has been delightful for most of the week, and now it’s become impossible to get any work done. All my professors have rcommended studying outside, which, while certainly well intentioned, has never worked for me. One fluffy dog passes by and the Civil War is nothing but a flickering memory.

There are only a handful of papers and tests keeping me away from graduation, and sadly, I’ve given almost no time to any of them. What better way to explain being a college senior. You’re lucky I’ve sat down long enough to write this here blog!