I ended last post about classes with a little illustration of studious note-taking. 

Just in case you are wondering, 

I not only go to class, I pay attention and take good notes! In this post, let me give you some thoughts on my experiences with notes. 

I definitely can't speak to all classes and disciplines, but hopefully this will give you one perspective. Since notes really depend on class size:

• For smaller seminars and precepts, I usually get a feel for what is appropriate, depending on the professor and the type of information the seminar revolves around. 
• If it's a discussion-heavy class or precept, taking extensive notes may not even be necessary! It might just be better to be fully engaged in the discussion.
• For larger lecture classes, it's usually pretty clear that I shouldn't be engaged in conversation. Actually, I should probably be listening and trying to retain what the professor is saying, and taking notes helps this!

There are a couple of mediums for note-taking, the first being good old

Actually, I usually prefer pencils, mostly because mistakes and I are old friends.

If I can record enough information by hand, I'll cut out the distraction of a laptop and go with pencil and paper. Especially in courses where I don't need every detail, handwritten notes often help me choose to record only the most crucial or interesting bits of information. I find my English classes usually fall in this pen and paper category.

Of course, cutting out distractions does not mean there are no doodles. I went through a few of my notebooks and discovered 

I am particularly fond of drawing the backs of people's heads. 

Also this guy showed up a couple times. I'm not entirely sure from where, but I think I like him. 

If I'm in a class that goes quickly, or one that I know it is helpful to have more extensive notes, I bust out my

​In most of my larger lecture classes so far, the professors have been just fine with students using computers. The amazing Professor Nicole Shelton, who taught my PSY 252: "Social Psychology" course, once described her view in front of the McCosh 50 lecture hall as looking over a sea of glowing, white apples.

I've sat next to more than a few Facebookers and online-shoppers, and was introduced to Buzzfeed by creeping on a neighbor in my fall freshman seminar. My friend Alissa even reported once seeing a girl in front of her reading entries on this "Speaking Of Princeton" blog. I'm not going to lie; it is easy to get distracted with a laptop. Professors who allow them do request you use them solely for taking notes though, so it's respectful to everyone to use them for focused note-taking.

Actually, in many cases you shouldn't need to frantically write down everything. Many instructors will put their lecture slides up on Blackboard, the course management system Princeton uses as an online hub for things like class material and precept posting 

If you miss something, or want to revisit an image from lecture, you can find the presentation after class! Not all courses have this option, though. As Professor Bendixen, my professor for "Science Fiction", said paradoxically on the first day of class, "I don't use audio/visual aids; I don't believe in technology." It is an excellent course. 

By the way, taking notes by laptop became infinitely more satisfying when I discovered the note-taking option in Word. It (kind of) makes you feel like you are taking notes on paper, not a screen! And then it outdoes real life by letting you change your workspace with the click of a button:

For example, 

SO! Those are the main methods of taking notes: using paper or using your laptop.

However, I thought I should mention I have seen some people simply using their minds.

I've seen them here and there; under the voice of a lecturer, as the hall rustles with the clattering of keys and the scratching of pencils, they sit calmly. They are unrestrained by papers or power cords. They are pure. Are they that confident in their mental powers? Do they just not care? They just... listen. 

I am definitely not one of those people, so props to them! Really, it comes down to the nature of the class and how you learn and listen best. Personally, I love writing and recording things, plus it also just anchors my focus to have something visual in front of me. Also, I think it's worth mentioning this TIME article.

SO, 

I can say these were good for my information retention.

As this bearded guy is probably thinking,

YAY! 

Currently on view in the Princeton University Art Museum are representations of the night by artists from the 15th to 18th century, Durer to Goya, in etching and engravings.

One thing I love about Princeton’s campus is its proximity to Nassau Street. Nassau Street is just outside of FitzRandolph Gate, the University’s main gate, and it’s speckled with cute shops and eateries, as well as with fancier restaurants and boutiques. Walking down Nassau is often just what I need to get off campus and to get my mind out of the books, and I’m happy to have some more time to do just that because we’re now on spring break! So, here are few of my favorite places on Nassau:

1) Naked Pizza. Yum! I went here for the first time during my first month as a freshman with a free pizza coupon the University gave us. I’ve been back (many, many) times since. It’s healthy and delicious—I highly recommend the “superbiotic.” It really is super!

2) The Princeton Public Library. It’s not that the University’s 11 libraries aren’t enough; it’s just that our public library has a wonderful community atmosphere. One of my favorite parts is the small book shop in the front where you can get really nice used books for just $1 or $2. They also have a cute cafe by the entrance with some fun treats and drinks, and the library is sprinkled with great study spaces. As a Princeton student, you can get your own library card. I always use my card to check out travel books since their travel selection is so wide.

The other thing I love about the library is that it hosts a farmer’s market on Thursdays just outside its doors in the fall and spring. Fresh fruits and vegetables, artisan breads, homemade candles, local meats, brown eggs and flowers galore. In the winter, the library hosts the market inside once a month.

3) The Whole Earth Center. For my fellow health nuts, this is a must. It is a bit pricy (but less expensive than the U-Store on campus), and it’s an easy 15 minute walk down Nassau Street, so it is very convenient. I’ve found that the best sales are in September at the beginning of the academic year—think Clif bars, healthy cookies, organic peanut butter and the like, all reduced to a pretty significant savings. The other nice thing about the Whole Earth Center is that they have nuts and trail mix in bulk.

4) The Paper Source. I could just live here. The Paper Source is an adorable paper store that has decorative paper, great stationery, cute cards and the best calendars. Their windows are also always so festive and decorative, and I once did a card-making class here on a Thursday night with a friend. We each made several amazing valentines during the class. Simply put, the Paper Source is a must.

Of course, there’s also a Starbucks on Nassau, and I just couldn’t do justice to the myriad ice cream places in this post; they certainly deserve a blog of their own. So, these are a few of my favorite places on Nassau. And as I have more free time over spring break, I just might discover a few more.

Over the years, I’ve had so many people ask me what it’s like to be at Princeton. That’s a huge question, and a terribly complex one, but oftentimes it’s followed up with things like: “Is everyone busy all the time?” "Are the classes super hard?" “Do you ever get time to relax?”

My answer has always been, "Princeton is what you make of it”. I don’t think there is any one typical experience at Princeton; it really is unique for every individual, and you have a lot of say in how your day-to-day life will look. And it is very likely that your Princeton experience will look very different from semester to semester and year to year. 

So what is it like to be at Princeton? I won’t get into any of the complexities and intricacies of being a student here, but I can provide you with a quick overview of what my daily life here on campus has been via quick descriptions of my weekly schedule over the last four spring semesters.

Freshman year: 

I took four classes: Gen Chem, an introductory molecular biology class, microeconomics, and French. I had two to three weekly lectures and a precept per class, plus a lab for mol bio and chem. It made for a busy semester, but one that is pretty typical for a freshman pre-med. I also was on the lightweight crew team, so would have practices from 4:30-6:30 every day. Thankfully, Princeton blocks out that time period for athletic practices so no student-athlete should ever have to choose between attending class or attending practice; unfortunately, many interesting guest speakers and other activities fall during that time period, too. On a typical day, I would wake up around 8 or 9 a.m., grab breakfast with my other pre-med roommates before our classes, attend class or work during the day, eat dinner with teammates after practice, and spend the evenings finishing up homework. I always set aside Friday evenings for something more fun and relaxing; Saturdays I often had races, and Sundays I spent doing work (although my residential college adviser always held a Sunday night study break to look forward to!) 

Sophomore year: 

This was probably my easiest semester, although I was finishing up organic chemistry, probably the most dreaded pre-med class of all. There's a big difference between sophomore and freshman year, I think, in that you finally feel as though you really understand how Princeton works. Sophomore spring is that perfect time where you've really gotten the hang of things, but you haven't yet started your independent work. I took my first departmental that semester, "Animal Behavior," and decided that I loved the quirky and fun ecology and evolutionary biology (EEB) department. I also took a theology class (REL 263), which I elected to PDF (this just means that I took it with the pass/D/fail option) because it was such a new, but super interesting, topic to me. I also worked as an EMT during this semester after completing the New Jersey certification course in the fall, so I spent around 30 hours every month volunteering for Princeton First Aid and Rescue. I also had just gotten into my eating club, Cap and Gown, so was getting to know a bunch of new faces and form wonderful new friendships. 

Junior year: 

Junior year I was studying abroad in Kenya with the EEB department, so my day-to-day life looked completely different from any other semester. I took a series of four three-week long classes on topics ranging from African mammals to the conservation of African landscapes to tropical agriculture. We'd wake up at around 7 a.m. every day with the sun, spend the day doing field studies or traveling, and come home in the evenings to relax and hang out. I had maybe 20 hours of lectures in total over the entire semester, instead of 20 hours of lectures every week. I climbed Mt. Kenya over spring break, met some of the most wonderful people, and got a glimpse into a land and culture I never thought I would see. It was an incredible (and surreal) experience. 

Senior year: 

While the majority of my friends are in just two classes, I'm currently enrolled in three to finish up pre-med and global health and health policy requirements. I'm taking the second semester of introductory physics, a graduate-level seminar in epidemiology, and a MOL class called "Infection: Biology, Burden, and Disease." In addition to this, I also work as an intramural supervisor and as a residential college adviser, which takes up around 4-6 hours over the course of two or three weeknights. My biggest worry besides classes right now is the thesis. As one of my good friends keeps reminding me, we have less than 50 days to go....! And, of course, figuring out the next steps beyond Princeton. 

 

As I fell into the rhythm of Princeton life and the trees bloomed, so did my love for photography.

Aunque la vida en un doble no es sin sus peculiaridades, ya aprecio mucho más la experiencia de tener un compañero de cuarto.

I realized that on this blog, I've talked about many, many fun extracurricular things I've experienced since starting college. And I realized that for all the blog-reading world knows, Aliisa might as well just be over at Princeton having a party all the day. Well, I'm here to let you know that in fact, Aliisa goes to class! As Spring 2015 charges forward, I thought I'd give you a little rundown this semester's courses.

For the rest of the year, I’ll be keeping you updated on the items that I’m crossing off my bucket list! 

Less than half a mile south of Princeton’s campus lies the Delaware and Raritan Canal. Stretching dozens of miles through central New Jersey, it serves as an area of respite from the bustle of everyday life.

I have fond memories of my first adventures on the D&R Canal. On my first day at Princeton, I ran 800 meter repeats alongside the canal enclosed between Washington Road and South Harrison Street. Unbeknownst to me, there existed even greater adventures beyond this superficial boundary. The forested pathways that wind alongside Carnegie Lake and end at Kingston Road soon became familiar running trails. And beyond Kingston Road, the canal stretches even farther north, snaking east of Montgomery and ending who knows where.

Princeton is known for its beautiful campus, but it cannot match the natural beauty of the D&R Canal. Gentle waterways accompany the adventurer, as do the ever-changing leaves that sway in the spring and crunch in the autumn. And if one desires company, there is bound to be a fellow nature-lover walking the trails to the north or south.

To me, the D&R Canal represents freedom and calm. It’s both a training ground and a refuge, not to mention a place where serendipity is no stranger.

Every year, since before I can remember, my parents obsessively watch the Chinese New Year Gala (春节联欢晚会). As a child, I welcomed it, as it gave me an excuse to sit on the couch and watch TV for hours, without having my parents yell at me. Rather, we would all sit together and watch dance routines, laugh at skits, and marvel over stunts and acrobatics. When I was little and my grandfather lived with us in the United States, he would tell me stories about celebrations in China—how the whole country seemed to erupt in activity this month, how trains would overflow with people going home, and how when he was little, this would be the only day of the year the family could afford to eat dumplings.

Celebrating Lunar New Year has become a ritual for my family here in the United States. Even though New Years usually falls on a weekday, my parents wake up early to call our family back in China, go to work, and come home to cook a New Year's dinner. Growing up, we would have dinner parties on the weekend and invite other Chinese families in the area. Everyone would bring their own dishes, and since we came from all over China, our dinner table would feature cuisine from Sichuan, to Shanghai, to Henan (my family’s home), and even pizza (for the kids).

However, celebrating Lunar New Year in the United States can also be difficult. While we celebrate the biggest holiday in Chinese culture, most Americans have no regard for the holiday. It’s hard to find a lot of Asian food, and we don’t get the vacation time that most do in China. My mother used to drive over an hour to buy Asian groceries. As a kid, I remember thinking how unfair it was that we would have vacation for Jewish and Christian holidays, but that I still had to go to school, take exams, and write papers on New Years. But now that I no longer live with my parents, and that I’ve grown older, I’ve come to appreciate Chinese New Year more and more, and specifically, our special American version of Lunar New Year.

Here at Princeton, while students complete their schoolwork and continue to write their theses, I have the chance to take a break from studying, go home, eat good food, and spend time with my family. It’s an opportunity that many students don’t have. Over time, more of my family is able to travel from China to the United States, and more of my family comes to celebrate New Years with us in our home. We invite other Chinese immigrants and exchange students who don’t have family in the United States. We spend time with other Chinese families in the area. We eat dumplings and pizza, watch CCTV (China Central Television) and American movies, and speak "Chinglish." Over time, our Chinese New Year celebrations have grown from small family gatherings, to large celebrations of Chinese-American culture.