Wednesday, May 11, 2016

What-to-Know Wednesday : 3 Takeaways From Junior Year



Looking back on my third year at SMC, it's getting harder every day to believe that I only have one year left!

To any current or future SMC juniors, these are my three biggest takeaways that I've reflected on as my junior year comes to a close:


1.) Planning ahead

Pay attention to your credits. If you happen to be a credit or two behind, or one of the classes you need to take next semester is only half-credit, now is the time to make sure you're compensating for that. Depending on your major, your course load may be pretty extensive in your senior year. Make sure you're planning a balanced schedule to ensure you're prioritizing what you'll need to focus on the most.

2.) Reflecting back and looking forward

Have you been making the most of your opportunities at St. Mike's? Have you been getting involved and accomplishing the goals you set going in? What can you do in your final year at SMC to make sure you made your time here as fulfilling as possible?

3.) Staying in the moment

With only one year left in your time at SMC, the last three years seem to have flashed by in a second. Enjoy every bit of what's offered to you up here while you can!


I hope you've all enjoyed another year of Stories Of St. Mike's! I'll be back in the fall, so stay tuned! But in the meantime, I wish everyone a wonderful summer. To all you incoming freshmen, I hope you're looking forward to St. Mike's as much as we're looking forward to having you!

Until next time!




Let's Connect!
Instagram: @claire_cavanaugh
Twitter: @CavanaughClaire
E-mail: ccavanaugh2@mail.smcvt.edu

Sunday, May 8, 2016

Sum-It-Up Sunday: Week #16

Hello all! It's been a wonderful last full week here at St. Mike's! With finals underway and move-out so close we can taste it, it's been a real rush this past week.

On Thursday, all us China-goers had a reunion almost a year later at the Sherpa Kitchen downtown! It was great to reflect on the trip, swap stories and see all the graduating seniors off! 

Plus it didn't hurt that some great food was involved...

Saturday morning smoothie bowls at the Juicebox! With the farmer's market up and running again and a Bernie Sanders festival going on by the water, downtown was hoppin' yesterday! 

A beautiful few at the top of Snake Mountain! The hike itself requires plenty of mud and bug endurance, but I'd say it's worth it for that spectacular overlook at the top!


A tasty dinner date with my brother last night at Tiny Thai! 

Good luck with finals everyone! I hope all you current, prospective and incoming students alike enjoyed my last Sum-It-Up Sunday of the year! Be sure to check out my last What-to-Know Wednesday and final post of the year on the 11th!



Let's Connect!
Instagram: @claire_cavanaugh
Twitter: @CavanaughClaire
E-mail: ccavanaugh2@mail.smcvt.edu

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

What-to-Know Wednesday : What Is P-Day?



Hello all, and greetings from the last day of classes here at SMC!

With P-Day 2016 having just come and gone this past weekend, I can't think of a better time to discuss specifics, as promised in my last Sum-It-Up Sunday!

I certainly wondered what P-Day was as a prospective student, so I'm assuming you guys are looking for the lowdown as well. So without further ado, this is P-Day (which stands for "Preparation Day": your last day of celebration on the final Saturday before exams begin)!

Step 1: Preparation!

Sometime in the week leading up to P-Day, your RA will distribute P-Day bracelets to all of their residents. On the day of, P-Day workers will distribute "coins" to all bracelet-wearers. These coins plus your bracelet will serve as your admission into the food tent! Once in the food tent, your coins will act as currency! (Other than that, food is completely free!)



Step 2: Eat!

In my book, the free food tent is by far the best part of P-Day! Local restaurants set up their tables inside, and the long (lonnnggg) lines form from there! Some favorite places that have participated every year include Hop Sing Chinese restaurant, The Skinny Pancake (aka the best crepe you'll every have), and of course Ben & Jerry's! Other delicious goodies include pizza, french fries, burritos, and more!




Step 3: Enjoy the (also free!) activities!

Along with the food tent, several inflatable bouncy houses, slides, and other games cover the 300s field!


In addition to the inflatables this year, there was also a free photo booth! These are my souvenirs against a backdrop of tasty Nutella crepes from The Skinny Pancake table! 

Overall, P-Day is such a great day filled with friends, food and fun. It's just the break all of us need before the exams, stresses, and final remaining days of the year hit. And believe me, it will be well deserved!

I hope this post helped answer some of your questions about P-Day as a prospective student, and I hope you're looking forward to it even more now! You totally should be.

Stay tuned for this year's final Sum-It-Up Sunday on the 8th!




Let's Connect!
Instagram: @claire_cavanaugh
Twitter: @CavanaughClaire
E-mail: ccavanaugh2@mail.smcvt.edu

Sunday, May 1, 2016

Sum-It-Up Sunday : Week #15

Hello all! It was a wonderful last full week of classes here at St. Mike's! Finals officially start at the end of this upcoming week, and everyone is scrambling to finish final projects and study for exams. Naturally, it's been a busy week!

This Tuesday, we experienced a bizarre late-April snow day after a week of beach-worthy weather! Thankfully, it melted by the following day and we were back to spring.

On Thursday, we celebrated a semester's worth of weekly Sloane dinners for the last time. Unfortunately, Sloane closed its doors for good this week. We're sad to see it go, but we had a great run!

Potato, bacon and cheddar pizza at American Flatbread Friday night! This one goes down as one of my favorite Flatbread pizzas to date, and that's saying a lot coming from a lifelong fan such as myself.

A breakfast fit for P-Day morning! Sausage, egg and cheese on a garlic bagel at The Bagel Place this Saturday!

This Saturday, SMC celebrated P-Day! With the sun finally out for it (which has not been the case for the past two P-Days I've had!), it was a wonderful day filled with food, friends and fun. Wondering about more P-Day specifics? Stay tuned for this week's upcoming What-to-Know Wednesday, when I'll be going into more detail!

I hope everyone had a wonderful week and an even more wonderful P-Day! I wish everyone luck on our last half-week of classes before finals.




Let's Connect!
Instagram: @claire_cavanaugh
Twitter: @CavanaughClaire
E-mail: ccavanaugh2@mail.smcvt.edu