Graduating from high school marks a significant chapter in a person’s life. It symbolizes a shift that propels a person forward into a life far away from home. Students are separated from their friends and families and are expected to form bonds and connections with new people on their own. It can be hard to build a stable bridge between the relationships that already exist in your life and the ones that are being constructed in college.

In my first year of college the transition to life amongst new friends and new people felt quite natural. I jumped at the chance to participate in campus events and other social engagements that Pace University had to offer. I worked with people in class and found like-minded peers who shared similar interests with me, prompting out-of-class studying and socialization. 

My sophomore year, I joined the Nature Club and made friends with some of my fellow club members, finding a small but strong community of people who care about the same things and enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking. However, I am most thankful for making an effort to form strong relationships with my freshman year suitemates. Both of my suitemates were on Pace’s Swim and Dive Team and because we became such close friends, I was often invited to social gatherings with the rest of the team, despite not being a swimmer myself. I found some of my favorite people on this team and I am forever grateful for making the connections that I have, even when the connections seemed so simple to begin with. This process of making new friends was never easy though, as a lot of these friendships took time to build. Some relationships did not last very long, with some of them ending very badly and some of them slowly deteriorating over time. I only ever joined one club and I have never been a part of college athletics, but I did my best to take advantage of situations where I was surrounded by new people to create a fresh life for myself. 

It was very challenging to make enough time for friends and family back home amidst the influx of work and the new friends that I was trying to build relationships with. In order to maintain these relationships with old friends and my family, I made an effort to text them as often as I could throughout the week. We would exchange stories and give updates on our separate lives so that we stayed involved and engaged with each other even while we were physically apart. I would try my best to schedule Facetime calls at least once a week with friends and family. It helps to communicate over text but when you really miss the people you love it can be hard to go without seeing their faces and audibly hearing them laugh. I found a lot of value in making time for those Facetime calls. Sometimes things would get extremely hectic and busy and our schedules wouldn’t align in time to make a call, but we wouldn’t let it discourage us from making a call the next chance we were free. I found it very important to make that sort of communication consistent as much as possible, and I have stayed close friends with those who I remained consistently in contact with. 

Beyond making time for your relationships with others, it is important to fit in enough time to maintain your relationship with yourself. It can be overwhelming when it feels like there are so many different people to spend time with, but it is also necessary to allot certain points in the week purely and solely for yourself, free of others. I found that going on periodic walks helped to clear my head and give me the alone time that I needed every once in a while. There were certainly periods of time when I felt suffocated by socialization and I realized that I needed a break from dedicating so much time towards others.

The key to juggling relationships is just working out a plan, either mental or physical, that divvies up enough time for all of the people that you care enough about. Putting in the time and effort towards others emphasizes care and compassion; no matter how hard things are or how busy things may get, consistency is essential.  

By Ryder Huseby

Ryder is going into his Junior year as a Writing and Rhetoric major at Pace University in Pleasantville, New York. Ryder is a passionate reader and enjoys going to the movie theater as often as he can.

For over 25 years, the Campus Clipper has helped college students in New York City—and later in Boston and Philadelphia—save money and succeed in city life. We offer a digital coupon booklet with discounts on food, clothing, and services, plus an Official Student Guidebook with real advice on how to navigate college life in a big city. Our internship program lets students build skills, earn money, and publish their own e-books. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @CampusClipper, and sign up for our newsletter to get deals straight to your inbox. To access the digital coupons, scan the QR code on our printed card—available in dorms, student centers, and around campus.

My Chapter at Campus Clipper has come to a close. I am so, so grateful for all I’ve learned through this internship and the many ways I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone in the past year!

It may not come as a surprise after I’ve written all these blog posts attempting to give some tips and tricks to college students, but I actually don’t have all the answers, nor do I like pretending I do. At the start of last year’s fall semester, I started these blog posts with a focus on journaling because that was what I felt like I knew best. I still firmly believe that journaling kept me somewhat sane throughout high school and college, and without it, I don’t know where I would’ve ended up. Because of how much journaling helped me, I wanted to share the tactics I’d learned with others. It’s inexaplicably cathartic to write letters you’ll never send, to rant and rage on a piece of paper and burn it, to jot down senses and notes of appreciation, to exist as something that isn’t up for anyone else’s perception, unless, of course, you decide to publish your journals (or you’re like Emily Dickinson, whose sister published her letters, journals, and poems posthumously against her behalf).

When the spring semester began, I wanted to broaden my topic to more than just journaling as a self-help tool, so I branched out into self-care and wellness in general, though I didn’t have too much expertise on such. I did, however, have fun researching faux supplement trends, how to protect your peace in unhealthy environments, and ways to navigate digital life and mental health. I even started recording and editing podcasts about these topics, which was very new to me. Least to say, it’s been a ride, and a rewarding one!

Of course, all good things must come to an end. The truth is, as I board the halfway mark of my master’s degree and my year of being 25, I find myself having a perfectly scheduled quarter-life identity crisis. I simply don’t do a lot of the things I used to, and I’ve started to find difficulty in settling with that information. I haven’t touched my camera in ages, I haven’t journaled much these last few months, and it has become nearly impossible for me to write creatively as opposed to nonfiction or satire, as I feel almost unable to channel deep, passionate emotions into my writing the same way I used to. My reading habits are inconsistent. My Last Four Watched is too commercialized to actually log. Realizing all of these things is a tell-tale sign that I’m in a more transitory period than ever, personality-wise. Most of what I’ve always felt attached to has shifted, or been put on pause, and I’m in the midst of sorting out what I want to come back and what I want to bring in. 

For a long time, journaling was my coping mechanism AND my main form of writing. It was where I went to understand my feelings and process them. It was where I’d go to say my worst, most unhinged thoughts. It was where I let the other, less composed part of me live, in a way. I still think journaling is that place for me, but I’m not sure I’m in the mental headspace where I need it anymore, at least not as much as I used to. Maybe it’s the fully formed frontal lobe! Despite all the changes I’ve gone through, journaling was something that made me feel tethered to what I thought was a permanent version of myself, someone I thought I was inherently supposed to become.  It feels weird to not have journaled or taken pictures in a while, as I’ve pretty much been consistently doing both for the last 10 years. All that is to say, my creative endeavors are headed somewhere, but I’m not quite sure where yet.

 Thus, my blog writing journey at Campus Clipper has met its end. I hope to see you at my next spot!

-Brenna

Two steps away from Tío Pepe, the Spanish restaurant I previously reviewed with my good friend Brady, is another incredible eatery for local students and young professionals looking for a savory bite after internships, classes, and work hours. While the next-door establishment does not specialize in large European spreads, the menu carries its own assortment of popular food: classic American cuisine. Burgers and Beers is a sit-down spot just around the corner from New York University, which pays homage to the most stereotypical foods offered in the patriotic land of red, white, and blue. After all, it’s right there in the name.

Brady and I started with a simple platter of onion rings upon settling into the quaint room decorated with Americana paraphernalia. He sipped on a flight of multi-colored beers as we sampled our first appetizer. The piping hot onion rings were the size of softballs, with thick, fried, and crispy breading. A generous side of ranch complemented the soft-centered starters and the basket of tender chicken wings that followed.

“The onion rings were hard to beat! Loved the ranch as a dipping sauce. The rings were crunchy and there was a good taste of flavors overall,” Brady raved. “The wings have a nice flavor, though are not very spicy. So they’re good for people who don’t want that, like me. The sauce these flats and drums come with does have a nice aioli/chipotle ranch taste that really gives them a nice tang.”

We ordered our speciality burgers and a whopping side of bacon cheese fries to share throughout the afternoon. My friend selected the standard American burger, while opted for the French onion soup burger. Although the bread is typically a simple brioche bun, the staff noted that patrons can request for gluten free bread and additionally displayed the entree picks for vegetarians.

“The American burger filled me up so quickly that I had to save the rest for home. I always love an egg on a burger. Really good bacon beef and cheese here!” my friend ecstatically reflected. ”Loved the fries themselves. Crunchy fries were a perfect texture plus with cheese and bacon that doesn’t feel too greasy, which is nice.”

My beef burger was characterized by its golden-brown bread, thick cut of meat, sweet, sliced onions, and a variety of seasonings that blend together to create a sensational meal. I deeply appreciated the French onion soup inspiration, as this piece was completely unique compared to burgers found at nearby fast food joints.

“I tried the french onion soup burger and loved the taste! For being a soup burger, it’s not too wet! The onions were good and caramelized,” Brady thought.

As an underage customer, I was unable to sample the second-half of the restaurant’s title. I left the reviewing and note-taking to my company.

“I did like the on-tap beer. Duck black, a nice porter, dark, but good taste. IPAs are not my favorite,” he confessed. “But both the coney island and lagunita were decent, and of course, yuengling lager was easy to drink.”

A sharp contrast to Tío Pepe, Burgers and Beers serves both traditional, meaty burgers and ones with a twist. The cozy interior houses a selection of beers and fun American posters, serving as a perfect place for both students and tourists. 

“Burgers and Beers is a really nice cozy place specializing in unique burgers with some sides offered. With a choice between beef, chicken, and an impossible burger, anyone will be able to find and enjoy one of these unique burgers!” Brady reviewed.

Students interested in trying their extensive eatery can use the Campus Clipper coupon and present a valid student ID to claim a discount. Burgers and Beers has one location, just next to Tío Pepe, another partner of our coupon magazine!