But first, a recap of things worth reiterating from our previous post:

1. Spend as much time as possible outdoors during the four months (give or take) of bearable weather.
3. Balance your Blue Room and Ratty/V-Dub, or you may end up with 0 points and 150 meal credits on April 29th.
17. Do not be ashamed of S/NC.
23. Meet a lot of people during orientation (“meet” is not a euphemism for “hook up with”).
38. Go to random lectures. Otherwise, you’ll never know how interesting the disciplinary battle between literary arts and English truly is (and how a Bakhtin scholar has the authority to make that judgment).

As for me…

1. Take photos.
2. Glamour shots and photo booth albums do not count as photos. Instagram is permissible, but, dear God, stop taking shots of your coffee.
3. There is no shame in not having had sex, drugs, or alcohol before. No worries, pace yourself, stay hydrated and help yourself to a drink if you’d like.
4. Also, there is also no glory in having sex, drugs, or alcohol. In other words, bottomless cup is not a challenge. Just enjoy yourself for you (and to win at Ruit).
5. Don’t be too quick to dismiss people as hepcats, frat boys, divas, etc. They probably are, but they’re also more complex and interesting than a stock character.  Have some faith in Brown’s Admissions Office.
6. Spring Weekend brings out the frat boy in all of us.
7. Read Morning Mail. Also makes a good study break at 1:03 in the morning, alone in the SciLi.
8. Eat meals. If not for the food, then for the friends.
9. Don’t drink the jungle juice.
10. Go to theater stuff. Even if you don’t understand it, at least it’ll be a break from orgo.
11. Similarly, go to sporting events. We might not be a sporty ra-ra state school, but we still have a good time. Plus there’s the band, and everyone loves the band (to be reevaluated after sophomore year).
12. Laundry takes more time than you think. And more quarters.
13. Furthermore, Providence is a safe place, but bring a knife to do laundry.
14. Don’t be afraid to talk to people. At the very worst, they forget about you. At the very best, you make a friend.
15. There are many Brown dichotomy debates. Declare your allegiances carefully.
16. Heteronormative: /ˌhɛt(ə)rə(ʊ)ˈnɔːmətɪv/Adjective. Denoting or relating to a world view that promotes heterosexuality as the normal or preferred sexual orientation.
17. Heteronormativity is used self-referringly and ironically 80 percent of the time.
18. Be comfortable with casual nudity.
19. It takes one hour ten minutes to get into Boston by commuter rail. It’s worth it.
20. Choose your FYS carefully. They all sound cool, but at 3:00 in the morning, do you really want to be writing a 12-page phonological analysis of gender roles in pre-Christian Mesoamerica? In iambic pentameter?
21. Remember the people you met at ADOCH. They will at least be familiar faces around campus, and there’s a shot they could even be your friends.
22. You can only ever be 80 percent done. At the very best.
23. You will also end up doing more than you ever thought you could.
24. You are not the first person to think of hanging up a Bob Marley poster and/or an Animal House poster. Not that there’s anything wrong with Marley or Animal House.
25. Fluorescent lights do nobody any favors: Have Christmas lights in your room. It’s the difference between home and a place you happen to live.
26. Ask a professor to lunch. The school covers it, and professors want to get to know you. That’s why they’re here. Plus, free food. We like free food.
27. October 31 is very cold. Plan your slutty costume accordingly.
28. Also, costumes. Not costume.
29. Cupboards, refrigerators, bushes, and shower stalls all make good coat racks on a Friday night.
30. You will constantly hear bands you’ve never heard before, as well as the Billboard top 10. Ben Howard’s Carly Rae Jepsen cover, anyone?
31. Do not hook up with your TAs or RCs. No rules against ogling them, though.
32. One does not casually fit two people in a twin size bed. Or three.
33. You will never want pizza more than when you find out it’s $1 at 1:00 a.m.
34. Interactions with Thayer characters do not count as “going into Providence.” The high school kids are barely younger than you. If they are.
35. Just nod knowingly in the Granoff Center.
36. The bookstore will never have your size on sale until after you buy it.
37. You don’t have to go out every day of the weekend. Quiet Saturdays can be sacred nights.
38. Deadlines are more of a suggestion. So are capped classes. Talk to your professors — they’re real people too.
39. “_______________________ does not exist as a binary, but rather a continuum.”
40. SciLi versus Rock is a valid debate, but the real answer? Find somewhere else to study. Faunce, TWC, the chandelier room of JWW, and the John Hay are all good starts.
41. Freshman year is the time to fuck up, and fuck up a lot.
42. Learn how to play Super Smash Brothers. It unites all — fratty, hamster, athlete, or geek.
43. Spotted at Brown (or its replacement, Eyed at Brown) is like a soap opera that you can’t look away from.
44. Switch to Flex. Like, now. Not even a question.
45. Get a Twitter, to follow Blog if nothing else.
46. Room checks are a reminder to  hide all illegalities tidy up.
47. Eating chips in the AQR is the loudest noise in the world.
48. There’s nothing wrong with shopping at the Urban Outfitters on Thayer, but be ready for that awkward moment in section when someone else is wearing your outfit.
49. You might think you’ll meet a diverse crowd of people, but apparently the world is just southern California and New York City.
50. Breathe, smile, and take a moment to yourself. You’re going to be brilliant.

If you guys have any other life advice (or are one of those angry people on the Internet who insists on critiquing everything), feel free to add your two cents below.

Anyway, see you later, Brown. It’s been a good year.

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Then + Now

People might know me as… the girl with the bright orange bag; that girl with the loud laugh that carries through quiet spaces; or this semester’s editor-in-chief of BlogDailyHerald.

I never thought the most interesting people I would meet in my senior year would be fresh through the Gates. Freshmen. People who were really just kids; who had never known Fish Co., Liquid, the old Blue Room, or life before pizza-in-a-cone. But they kept me from putting my foot out the door too soon, reminded me how far I had come and how far they had to go before leaving. I have tried to give first-years advice so they can find their own paths without getting discouraged, scared or close-minded. (I’m not a Meiklejohn, but I’ve indulged myself with the title of “Meikle-jen.”) Their outlooks, their fearlessness and their enormous hearts have awed me many times over. As I have tried to teach them what I know, they have taught me so much more. This is dedicated to my first-year biddies — always keep reaching higher and wider, but make sure that whatever your achievements are, they bring a smile to your face. If they don’t, you missed something.

I’ve been watching a lot of that show, Girls. It’s hard not to be a fan after four years of obsessing over texts from shitty guys who I know are wrong for me, being treated at times like I possess a Y-chromosome and translating infinitesimal signals like I’m the Rosetta Stone. I took a dip in the Lena Dunham pool and watched Tiny Furniture, then Googled it after for the deeper meaning. Yes, a bachelor’s degree to-be from Brown means Sparknoting indie flicks. As I came across a review, I realized that this movie, which I thought was so over my head, embodied some of my most recent musings on graduation, self-evaluation, and success. Dunham says, “It’s about a period when someone doesn’t know how to value yourself. She is no longer a student, but not defined by a career yet, she is not defined by relationships, or by being someone’s child.”

At the end of last semester, I grew out of grades. I got into law school, dropped my thesis, and decided to take a leap throwing myself into this thing, this Blog. It’s been a lot of work, but it’s also been a lot of laughs, weirdness, and punning. We had tank tops, stickers, rounds of dizzy bat and Cards Against Humanity, The Blog series (Note: the EIC is not based on me), debauchery, and Buddy Cianci. Last week, I burned out. Suddenly, the adrenaline had been sucked from me and my achievements seeped through my fingers like quicksand. I felt like a failure. I had no honors tassel to wear around my neck because I dropped my thesis. I realized my name would be erased from our virtual masthead and my record wiped. Suddenly that phrase I could never get right nor find a use for came flashing to the front of my brain: “If a tree falls and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?”

Here’s what I found: If you are the tree (and you are), you need to know that you just fell the fuck over. No matter if anyone else heard, you need to recognize your own actions and find the inner strength to keep pushing forward, no matter whether you are prospering or struggling. You need to find ways to pat yourself on the back, because sometimes other people just won’t take the time to recognize what you’ve done. But you have to listen to yourself and know what is right for you. You need to get out of your own way and know when to take a step back. Achievements should not just be arbitrary words on a page – they should have a story attached. Stories that you want to tell because… and here are words we don’t say enough… because you are proud. Find a way to be proud while still being humble. Find a way to be humble while still recognizing your achievements. I am learning that this is the key to finding fulfillment. I haven’t found my way there just yet.

A few more words on individual achievement: Mark your distance. Four years is a long time to live in one place. You need to create ways to distinguish the semesters from each other. You don’t have to take a linear path to the top; quit if something just isn’t right anymore, but make conscious decisions — they are freeing. Whatever you do, don’t do nothing. TV is great, but that’s why they invented DVR and Hulu — so you can live your life and do TV in your down time. Very little happens to you, or around you, when you are sitting in your bed. When you look back on four years, you should be able to say, when I came here, I thought I was interested in _(Insert random extracurricular here: Ivy Film Festival)_, but I am leaving with this incredibly developed sense of _(Insert random skill here: Editing images via PowerPoint)_. Find ways to track your changes that don’t require relocating your residence. A great way to do that? Surprise yourself. Nothing is too insignificant. Find out if you like coffee. Try public speaking. Learn how to slackline. Be like me: Hump the ground, front row center, in front of 500 people for class credit without dying of embarrassment. Try to find risks that don’t involve substances. Make sobriety its own celebration. Own your risk-taking — they’re achievements, too.

You need to be good to yourself. Remember to always locate the sound of your own voice. It shouldn’t sound like your mother, your roommate, or your professor. It should be untainted by the outside world, and sometimes it’s going to be really hard to remember what that voice sounds like. Give yourself the space to find yourself, but also remember that you shouldn’t have to travel your road alone. Find a way to lean on your friends for big things. Sometimes being a friend is going to seem much harder than you want it to be. Learn this now: Your friends will make the same mistakes over and over again. You’re going to want to walk away, watching time fold in on itself as people do things they know they shouldn’t. Find a way to hold your judgment. If you haven’t been there already, you will be one day. For your true friends, you should never have to apologize for being who you are… or for using that cliché. They should build you up, bringing you closer to your goals and your dreams, not tear you down. However, you must create room for honesty without hurt feelings. Girls always try to dance around confrontation, fearing reactions or tears that will shower them in guilt. I’ve learned this year that guys are almost as emotional as girls because they have feelings that aren’t heard or honored but still need an outlet. People need to be better to each other. More complimentary and less jealous; more receptive and less complacent; more open to romance and less entitled to sex and, finally, more themselves, however complicated that may seem.

It doesn’t get easier, nor any simpler, but from Van Wickle to Van Wickle, find a way to always love yourself. Without apology.

All my love,
Jenny

Flights, on top of flights, on top of flights. Steve Rothstein ’72, an investment banker from New York, purchased an American Airlines AAirpass in 1987 that grants him unlimited flights — whenever, wherever.  According to the NY Post, the Brown alum has tallied a staggering 10 million miles of travel over 10,000 flights; he even occasionally stops by good ole’ Geoff’s for his favorite bologna and Swiss melt (The Bobbi Riggs?) on a whim. Since 1987, Rothstein has flown to England upwards of 500 times, Tokyo 120 times and Australia 70 times. Who doesn’t enjoy airplanes?!

Recently, his AAirpass was revoked due to fraudulent activity; in many cases Rothstein would merely label his second ticket under the name ‘Bag Rothstein.’ How baller is that?  Rothstein has filed an appeal and is currently waiting for a ruling on the case. In the meantime, I hear that the automobile serves as an effective mode of transportation.

Like your grandma, the cultural clusterfuck that is Carly Rae Jepsen’s single “Call Me Maybe” has become worn out, overplayed and just downright old. We didn’t think it could be done, but this British dude managed to give the song a major facelift. A British accent makes everything better. Kudos.

“The Barrel Show,” a new addition to BSR‘s Sunday lineup, features sketches and routines from Brown’s comedy groups and funny conversational interludes between acts. Your hilarious fellow Brunonians will provide some great lolz on lolz on lolz. You can listen to the first three episodes of “The Barrel Show” here. Laughter may be the only medicine that will heal those finals blues, so stop whining and start listening.

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Calvin (but no Hobbes)

They say a leopard can’t change its spots, but a lobster’s might save its life. Calvin the calico lobster was caught in Maine and discovered by a chef in his Cambridge restaurant‘s tank. (Fun fact: Though now a pricey food, lobster meat was seen only as fertilizer, fish bait, or a mark of poverty until the mid-19th century in North American society.) His shell’s spots got him out of a tight spot. Noticed for his strange coloration, Cal was spared being boiled or steamed alive and thrashing… or after having been placed in the freezer or stabbed between the eyes, or dying in some other more humane way, that is, if the chef had been concerned that he could feel and remember pain. Apparently, calico lobsters, 1 in 30 million, are the second rarest type of lobster in terms of color after white, estimated at 1 in 100 million.

The lucky crustacean is currently in quarantine at the New England Aquarium and somewhat of a celebrity. And you know what, lobsters are actually a lot more interesting than you might think if you’re procrastinating on studying for finals. Indeed, “they are tranquil and serious, and they know the secrets of the sea,” according to French poet Gérard de Nerval, who had a pet lobster named Thibault. Like snails and spiders, they have blue copper-rich blood, can flee backwards at up to 11 mph, and don’t show signs of aging(!). This means that, protected from injury, disease, and capture, Calvin might live to like 100 years once he gets to his new home at the Biomes Marine Biology Center in North Kingstown, Rhode Island where he will be displayed for school field trips and other educational purposes. Road trip, anyone?

Then + Now

If my mom were writing this, it would be much shorter: sleep eight hours a night, study hard, be pre-med, go to church every Sunday. She’s reading this right now so I’m going to say that I did all of that (she’s in for a rude awakening when she finds out she’ll be attending the ethnic studies commencement and not neuroscience). And more or less, it worked; here I am in the waning days of my life at Brown.

But as I prepare for Commencement, I’m realizing that all the advice I’ve ever received about “how to graduate” has been about how to get to the point where you’re shaking hands, moving the tassel, and holding the degree. Here are seven things I’ve been thinking about on how to transition into everything it means to not be a student.*

*Disclaimer: I’m not sure these steps are 100% correct. I’m not even sure they’re 10% correct. I’ve never graduated from college (yet).

1) Be incredibly ambitious. Be incredibly active. And be humble.
Back when he still had hair, Steve Jobs once said, “Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you.”

So what makes an Average Joe into a Steve Jobs? I think it’s ambition and activity. They’re two separate things but they work together. And fortunately for us, unlike smarts, we can control our ambition and activity. Ambition is reaching for something you don’t have and may never have. Activity is the mechanism by which you get to find out how close or far you actually are.

Humility, as I understand it, is a sense of all that you do not know. This is actually a gift in disguise. Knowing that you don’t know gives you ambition. It keeps you active.

2) Actively cultivate friendships.
Unless you’re incredibly lucky, you’re not going to live with all the people you’ve grown to love at Brown after you graduate. And if you’re like me, you’re going to hoard your vacation days like GCB guest passes, which means the chances of your vacation overlapping with your friends’ are not favorable. But just because you’re in different locations staring at a computer screen doesn’t mean you can’t maintain your friendships.

Our relationships with friends are like the relationships we have with work. You have to dedicate enough time and energy to achieve a result you’re happy with. Friendship is like that A you worked really hard to get in orgo. The only difference is that with friendship, once you have it, you have to keep working at it.

3) Welcome criticism.
Maybe you already have a story about this (I have thirty-three). Your work is going to get judged whether you want it to or not. But what would it accomplish if everything you put out into the world was agreed upon by everyone?

I’m sure someone out there is going to have a problem with something I’ve written. People may even sound off in the comments. But I hope they do, because the means by which they’re able to criticize are the same means by which I’m able to communicate.

There are two types of criticism: constructive and vindictive. We’d love for all the criticism we receive to be constructive. But somewhere along the line, people are going to talk some serious shit. Brush the dirt off your shoulder and keep doing your thing, but don’t forget to check and make sure there’s not something to be learned first.

4) Don’t hold back.
More importantly, don’t let fear of criticism prevent you from doing something. At Brown, I was fortunate enough to be a co-founder of Brown for Financial Aid, which has started some important conversations about Brown this semester. Before starting the project I didn’t even know the language of financial aid. But the truth is that if I had waited until I was 100% sure of everything, then I may never have decided to work on the project in the first place.

The other beautiful truth is that you’ve probably already jumped into something that you weren’t completely ready for. And you’re more than likely going to face a scenario where you’ll have to do it again (May 27th anyone?). When that moment comes, just don’t forget that you’ve already been there; you are where you are right now because you went there.

5) Set your own metrics.
From here on out, nothing you produce will be given a letter grade (although, let’s be real, half the classes I took weren’t given a letter grade — holla at ya boy, pass/fail). You’re your own evaluator and, chances are, you’re going to be more critical than any professor you’ve ever had. Sure, there will be external validations (i.e. awards), but those are the metrics of others. I’m not saying awards are bad, I’m just saying that all awards and external validations are based on someone else’s metrics and sometimes those might not align with the metrics of success that you live by. And if you’re lucky enough to know what your own metrics of success are (some of us are still figuring them out), then are all of those awards and validations really that important?

6) Say no to things you don’t want to do.
Remember that class you dropped sophomore fall even though you had already completed two-thirds of the semester? If you were able to say no to something you didn’t want to do as a student, then don’t forget that it’s still an option after college.

You can drop a class. But it doesn’t mean you’ll stop learning. You can also, especially when you’re young, quit your job. But it doesn’t mean you’ll stop working.

7) Assert that the four best years of your life weren’t in college.
You’ve heard this line from at least one post-graduate who ever flirted with a red Solo cup: “College was the best four years of my life.” This scenario is bad for two reasons. The first is that they believe they’ve lived a less fulfilling life than the years they spent in college, and maybe that’s true. The second reason is that they don’t believe they have the agency to create four incredible ass-kicking years starting right now. Worst of all, more often than not, when people say that college was the best four years of their life, they often have at least four more years left to live.

In science, measurements are often accompanied by estimates of their uncertainty. Uncertainty depends in part on the number of samples taken: an increase in sample size decreases uncertainty. This is what aging does for us. Looking back at my past four years, each one brought me slightly more awareness, slightly more enlightenment, and slightly more openness. College doesn’t have to be the best four years of your life if you don’t want it to be. In fact, shouldn’t we all be striving to make college the worst four years of our lives? I’m hoping that’s the case for all of us. And not because we’ll be more financially independent, or because we’ll marry the loves of our lives, or because we’ll do all the things we set out to do the day after we graduate from college, but because there can’t possibly be anywhere better to be than where we are right now.

So, Brown, Imma let you finish, but the next four years are going to be the best of all time. Until, of course, the next four.

Love,
Tim