As the third of four sisters, I never really had much alone time. I grew up constantly surrounded by my siblings. We shared bedrooms, clothes, sports teams and even entrees at restaurants. 

My eldest sibling, Randi, was always the ring leader of us sisters. Seven years older than me, Randi was typically put in charge of watching us while my parents worked or went out. To her, watching us was an annoying chore. For me, it felt like a privilege to be in her company. 

Randi is a perfect embodiment of a first child. She is cool, unique and beautiful. She often diverged from what was popular or trendy and instead acted like a tomboy, wearing baggy clothes and hanging around her guy friends. Her creativity showed through her art; her bedroom walls covered in graffiti depicting skulls, guns and surrealist bubble letters that seemed to drip off the canvas.   

I didn’t just admire Randi, I wanted to be her. I spent much of my time modeling myself after her. I would sneak into her closet and try on clothes way too big for my middle school body, listen to 90s rap music and watch reality TV on MTV.

The bits of my personality I didn’t get from Randi I got from my other sisters. I never really felt like I could truly be me and instead hid myself behind my sisters’ character traits, quirks and mannerisms. 

College was the first time I really experienced independence. There was no more following blindly in Randi’s footsteps or stealing my younger sister’s jokes. I finally had a space to myself, a place where I could be whoever I wanted to be.

—

My first week of college was rough. After many days of forced Welcome Week activities and exhausting social interactions I was ready to start transfer applications and call it quits. It wasn’t until Matriculation, over a week after I first arrived in Boston, that I made my first friend.

Thousands of students funneled into Agganis Arena. The ice of the hockey rink was covered in grey mats and thin folding chairs, all pointed toward a stage with a dozen people in black and red robes standing behind a podium. 

There was no order to the seating so it was by chance that I ended up sitting next to Mia, my future first friend at BU. President Brown droned on in the background as Mia and I bonded over our struggles transitioning to college.

From there Mia introduced me to a few other girls she met. Together we attempted to explore and understand the frat parties at BU. Not knowing enough people to get us invited, we wandered the streets of Allston and looked for houses with people buzzing around the outside and lawns covered in red solo cups. 

Mia has always been brave and a leader. I would hide behind her as she walked right up to the guys at the front door and convinced them to let us in. 

Mia and I were fast friends but aside from the few nights a week we’d hang out or go out, I still had hours of freetime to fill. I wasn’t used to having this much time to myself and I wasn’t sure what to do. 

As a new student in a new place, the best thing you can do for yourself is explore the city that you’re in. So that’s what I did. I used my love of shopping as an excuse to get out of my dorm room and off campus. 

I would spend hours roaming up and down Newbury street, ending up in places like Boston Common or the Theater District. Everywhere I didn’t walk I took the train. Soon I was an expert on the subway system in Boston, knowing each of the stops on the Green Line and which lines went to which areas; the Red Line for Harvard, the Blue Line for the airport, the Orange Line for Back Bay. 

Walking and shopping quickly became a habit. The days I didn’t have class I spent walking around Boston, familiarizing myself with the city and trying new places. Some of my favorite spots included thrift shopping at Vivant Vintage, sipping smoothies from Emack and Bolio’s and reading at Brookline Booksmith.

Doing this helped Boston become a home. It also helped me learn to love spending time with myself. Being alone was no longer a drawback, it was a necessity. I was independent and powerful, going out on my own volition and not because someone else was leading me there.

If  you’re a new student struggling to adapt to your new environment, I suggest exploring your city. Try out local restaurants, venture off campus and into different parts of town and chat with as many people as possible. It’s easy to be uncomfortable in places you don’t know, so make an effort to know your city. 

College is truly a fresh start. It’s a place that can help you discover who you are and what you like. In astrology, your ascendent sign is how others perceive you, your moon sign is who you are on the inside and your sun sign is who you become. College is the place where you grow as a person and finally become your sun sign. As scary and difficult as it might be, try to be excited about all that the future has to offer you in a place where you can finally find your identity and become yourself.

• Attending college in a new place can be very scary. Exploring your city is a great way to become more comfortable and familiar in this new place. Try exploring local favorites for shopping, eating and coffee.
• College is great way to find your independence and blossom into who you really are. Try to find ways to enjoy spending time with yourself, whether that involves shopping around town or exploring local parks and trails.

My name is Toni Baraga and I am a senior in COM at Boston University studying journalism with a minor in archaeology. I have a passion for writing and I believe that everyone has a story. I have worked as a reporter for various newspapers, such the Somerville Journal and Boston University’s Daily Free Press. I grew up in St. Paul Minnesota and reside in Boston.  

For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourages them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing, and services.  At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.

The summer before starting college was one of the most fun and cherished times in my life; my friend group from high school got closer than ever before. We spent almost every day together swimming in the lake, getting ice cream from the local creamery and going for sunset walks. We poured our hearts and fears out to each other in a way we never had, sharing moments of weakness and sadness over leaving home and facing change. 

That summer felt like a fairytale, a dreamscape I often looked back on during my first week in Boston when I romanticized my high school experience and sought comfort from my memories. 

That same summer, I spent the final week of August sharing boogery and blubbering goodbyes with my friends. After packing up everything I could fit into two suitcases, my eldest sister, Randi, and I headed to the airport. The plan was for Randi to accompany me to orientation weekend, stay in my dorm room with me for a few nights and fly out on Monday while my parents drove out to Boston the following weekend with the rest of my belongings. As we headed to the airport, I felt a gut-wrenching nervousness. It was the kind of anxiety that made me feel tight and wound up on the inside, like I’ve been holding your breath for too long. 

Boston definitely gave Randi and me a warm welcome. It was already 97 degrees when we touched down at Logan Airport around 11 in the morning. The heat radiated off the tarmac like a pan of overdone brownies.

We arrived outside Warren Towers over an hour later after struggling to understand the spider-like subway system. Three tall towers loomed over us, connecting at the bottom like a fork. We made our way up the escalator and into the small lobby which was separated from the rest of the dorm by a small office and two gruff-looking security guards.

Obviously irritated from the heat and confusion of the new freshman class, the guards dismissively informed us that visitors were not allowed to stay overnight during move-in weekend. In a panic, Randi and I begged the guard to let her stay the night and she would be gone in the morning. 

To our relief, the guard begrudgingly agreed. As Randi and I took the elevator to the 17th floor, a new realization set in. There was nowhere Randi could stay for the rest of the weekend for a reasonable price and she would have to change her flight and depart the next morning, leaving me all alone for the rest of orientation. 

The state of my dorm room only made me feel worse. It was no bigger than a small classroom, with four raised beds lining each wall, complete with a dresser and desk below. I was the first to arrive and chose a bed opposite the large windows that overlooked all of South Campus. The view was my only reprieve in that room. I smiled to myself as I spotted the stadium lights of Fenway Park. 

I tried to hide my disappointment and sadness over Randi’s sudden departure but I’ve never been good at hiding my emotions. We shared my twin bed that night, trying to enjoy our last moments together. The sweltering heat was our blanket as we slept on the stiff mattress, covered only with a single fitted sheet. 

Randi left promptly the next day. I sat alone in my dorm room and looked out the window over Brookline, feeling small and insignificant. Never in my life had I been so alone and I didn’t know what to do with myself. 

One by one my roommates started to arrive, each as uninterested in socializing with me as the next. They were all quiet and neat, which was nice, but it made adjusting really hard. I expected to be friends with my roommates instantaneously as we bonded over being non-locals and new to campus. I had hoped they would join me for Welcome Week events and we could explore campus and the city together. That dream dissipated quickly, however, as they all turned down my invitation for dinner in the dining hall. 

My first week at Boston University was one of the hardest times in my life. I cried every night under my small blanket so my roommates wouldn’t see. I attempted to make friends but it seemed as if no one was interested. By the time my parents arrived, I still had no friends and no fun adventures to brag about. 

I was broken and insecure. Coming to Boston felt like a huge mistake. I was completely blindsided by the fact that my first week was nothing like what movies or TV shows depicted. There weren’t people on every corner inviting you to parties and club meetings. It seemed as if everyone had found their friend group and already knew what they were doing. 

If there’s anything that I learned from that week, it’s that college may not be what you originally expect. You may not like your roommates and you may not make friends right away. The first week can be extremely lonely and heartbreaking. You might spend your first weekend eating by yourself in the dining hall and watching Netflix in your room, but that’s okay. 

You don’t need to have your new college life figured out in the first week. In fact, no one does. Friends change, classes start and life goes on. Instead of wallowing in the sadness of being alone try to focus on school and put your energy in your academics. Eventually your social life will catch up and the other stuff will work its way out. 

Overview:

• Transitioning from high school to college is extremely challenging. It won’t be perfect at first and that’s okay. Taking time to adjust, rather than getting down on yourself, is very important. 
• Making friends can be difficult. It may not happen right away, but exploring other avenues such as joining clubs and speaking with students in your classes can be great places to meet people.
• Don’t let your preconceived notions become expectations. Everyone is going to have different experiences adjusting, so take your time and try not to compare yourself to others. 
• When you’re feeling down about your social life, try to focus on academics instead. Being productive in other aspects of your life can be a good distraction and may also lead to other possibilities of friendship. 

My name is Toni Baraga and I am a senior in COM at Boston University studying journalism with a minor in archaeology. I have a passion for writing and I believe that everyone has a story. I have worked as a reporter for various newspapers, such the Somerville Journal and Boston University’s Daily Free Press. I grew up in St. Paul Minnesota and reside in Boston.  

For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourages them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing, and services.  At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.

New York City has its well-known museums: The Met, MoMa, Guggenheim. They all happen to be in Manhattan, but sticking to just Manhattan can leave behind a collection of other great museums across the city. One of those museums happens to be the Bronx Museum; and unlike the others where you’d have to pay twenty or thirty dollars for a ticket, this one happens to be free of charge. 

The Bronx Museum of the Arts is located on 165th Street and Grand Concourse, only a ten minute walk from Yankee Stadium or a three minute walk from the 167th Street Station on the B and D trains. It was founded in 1971 with a focus on contemporary art that can represent and engage the diverse communities within the Bronx. Its collections and exhibitions show artists from Asian, African, and Latin American backgrounds that are not typically seen in traditional museums. It also provides educational programs that serve the community, and directly supports Bronx-based artists as they develop and pursue their art. The museum is currently celebrating its 50th anniversary with plans to grow bigger in upcoming renovations.

To enter requires only to go on their website (http://www.bronxmuseum.org/) to reserve a free ticket due to Covid. The space is small with only enough room for two exhibitions. When I visited, those two exhibitions were Born in Flames: Feminist Futures and Wardell Milan: Amerika. God Bless You If It’s Good To You.

Wangechi Mutu, Heeler VI, 2016.

Firelei Baez, On rest and resistance, Because we love you (to all those stolen from among us), 2020.

Born in Flames: Feminist Futures is an exhibition that invites fourteen contemporary artists to bring in artwork that reflects on past and current attitudes toward women and generates new and hopeful imaginings of the future. The range of work varies from Wangechi Mutu’s heels made of clay and wood to resemble termite mounds to Chitra Ganesh’s mix of ancient Indian epics in the style of pop art with feminist commentary to Huma Bhabha’s deconstruction of a woman’s body parts into bits of styrofoam and clay and plastic to Clarissa Tossin’s Where the River Meets the Sea, a long piece of fabric full of running water, lush greenery, and the pollution and industry that interrupt both. Each woman brings their distinct cultural background and experiences to their art, creating clever and thought-provoking deconstructions and reconstructions of womanhood, generating futures that adhere to or completely flip our expectations of what women can be. 

Wardell Milan, My knees getting weak, and my anger my anger might explode, but if God got us then we gonna be alright, 2021. 

Wardell Milan: Amerika. God Bless You If It’s Good To You is an exhibition dedicated to exploring white supremacy in modern America. Eyes drawn roughly in charcoal and pencil follow you wherever you go, leading toward paintings of beautifully rendered flowers with painted vomit over them and mangled bodies that are stretched and warped and caricatured in different mediums. A big sculpture of a Klan hood dominates the center, and even in passing there are small paintings with Klansmen whose hoods can only be seen by looking past their white backgrounds. The grotesque renderings seek to express the active and passive ways with which racial violence is maintained on Black communities. Paired with the exhibition are performances that occur every two or so weeks that explore marginalized identities affected by said violence, the closest one being on August 18th at 6 pm. 

I was in and out of both exhibitions in less than an hour, yet was left in more awe than at any visit in the Met. The museum featured art that was much more daring and innovative than bigger collections like the Whitney. The cultural diversity of the artists provided new ways of seeing that illuminated issues and ideas that I haven’t seen in any other museum. There should be more museums like the Bronx Museum, and for that reason it is a museum I will definitely go back to and revisit. Who knew that such a gem could be found so far from Manhattan and for free?

By: Jared Skoro

Jared Skoro is a junior at NYU Gallatin studying a mix of English, Political Science, and Psychology. In his free time, he enjoys reading, hiking, and exploring a new neighborhood of the city every weekend.

For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourages them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing, and services.  At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.