My name is Erin McNamara, I am a Junior psychology major from Lewiston, New York. Lewiston is a small town about thirty minutes from the city of Buffalo. I live with my mom, dad and sister Emily (when she isn’t away at college in West Virginia). An interesting fact about me is I went to a small all girls school. When I tell people that I went to an all-girls school, their first question is if I hated it because of all the drama. I always tell them I loved it, there wasn’t a lot of drama and since it was such a small school, we all knew each other and felt like we were all friends. I also met my best friend there, who transferred to SUNY Geneseo with me during our second semester of freshman year.
She was attending University at Buffalo and I was at West Virginia University. We both liked our schools, but they were so big and we didn’t feel like it was the place for us. We had a few friends that attended Geneseo and came to visit them on a long weekend. We liked how small it was and is a good distance from home so whenever we felt a little homesick we could go home for a weekend. We decided to transfer and dorm together for our first two years here. We’ve always gotten along well so I knew transferring and living together would make the transition much easier. First semester, I joined a sorority and made many friends. In West Virginia, it was hard for me to meet people because I’m not an outgoing person, but here, it was different. I became close to the girls in my sorority and met so many other people making my first two years here the best yet.
Going into my Junior year is definitely different than the first. I’m living in my sorority’s house this year and I’m so excited. I worked all summer preparing everything for my room. I wanted my room to be where I returned to and relax after a tiring fifty minute class. Living with twenty-one other girls may seem like too many people under one roof but it’s so much fun. Someone is always down to hang or just do homework. The house is right next to the academic buildings making it easier to get up and go to my classes. The extra fifteen minutes I can sleep in before class makes a big difference, believe me.
The course load is obviously heavier, but I’m interested in all the classes I’m taking this semester. Almost all my classes are psychology based now so I’m interested in everything I’m learning. I struggle with science and I’m currently taking Biological Psychology so I’m already anticipating needing to get a tutor so I don’t fall behind. I’m interested in everything I’m learning. I feel motivated to do my work, go to class and study. My expectations for INTD-105 this semester are to improve my writing skills and be able to participate in class discussions while being in a group setting. In just the first three weeks we’ve had a lot of activities where we break off into small groups to discuss specific topics or share our writing. I think I’m already getting better at listening to what a group member is saying and how I can add to their point. I’ve only had to do a handful of papers in the past couple of years, so hopefully, the writing tools I’ve learned in the past will come back to me and I’m sure I’ll learn a lot throughout the semester.
While reading They Say, I Say, I’ve caught myself comparing a lot of the stuff it discusses to my own writing and to how I engage in class. In one of the chapters, the author explains how to best respond in a class discussion. How to add on to the person before me had said, or reiterate what the person before them had said, so others in the group know what I’m referencing. In several chapters, the author also gives examples of how to summarize or refer to someone else’s work without boring the reader, basically repeating what the author said in their piece and keeping the reader engaged.
As it is only four weeks into school I don’t know how the rest of the semester will be but I expect to do well in my classes and have fun with my friends. Most of my classes being psychology classes will hopefully keep me on track and not fall behind which I tend to do easily. Being a junior I already feel like college is going by too fast and I’m scared I won’t make the most out of it. Living with 21 of my closest friends makes it easier to make memories. I can’t wait for the rest of the semester and the next 2 years.
While reading They Say, I Say, I’ve caught myself comparing a lot of the stuff it discusses to my own writing and to how I engage in class. In one of the chapters, the author explains how to best respond in a class discussion. How to add on to the person before me had said, or reiterate what the person before them had said, so others in the group know what I’m referencing. In several chapters, the author also gives examples of how to summarize or refer to someone else’s work without boring the reader, basically repeating what the author said in their piece and keeping the reader engaged.
As it is only four weeks into school I don’t know how the rest of the semester will be but I expect to do well in my classes and have fun with my friends. Most of my classes being psychology classes will hopefully keep me on track and not fall behind which I tend to do easily. Being a junior I already feel like college is going by too fast and I’m scared I won’t make the most out of it. Living with 21 of my closest friends makes it easier to make memories. I can’t wait for the rest of the semester and the next 2 years.
