To honor the Office of Sustainability’s 10th birthday this month, I thought I’d talk a little about sustainability at Princeton …

First, rewind to three years ago: When I was a pre-frosh visiting campus during Princeton Preview, one of the major things that struck me about campus–aside from the beautiful buildings, abundance of the color orange, and free food everywhere–was Princeton’s conscious effort to be “green.” And I wasn’t the only one to notice! Last year, a fellow student told me that she decided to go to Princeton in part because of how environmentally-friendly the campus seemed.

After coming to Princeton, I got involved in sustainability efforts as an Eco-Rep, whose mission is to promote sustainability in the residential community, and I was pleasantly surprised at how receptive and supportive the group was. With the relatively small campus, Princeton’s Campus Dining and Building Services are quite receptive to student input, and the Office of Sustainability is always willing to support students promoting sustainability.

Aside from student efforts, though, a huge collaboration between faculty, staff, and administration resulted in Princeton's official Sustainability Plan, which includes goals for reducing the University's greenhouse gas emissions, conserving resources, and engaging the University through research and education.

On the academic side, the University offers many courses every semester for students interested in learning about energy and the environment in a variety of disciplines–civil and environmental engineering, economics, geosciences, history, and even my home department, computer science! Last semester, I was enrolled in a seminar called “Apps for the Environment,” in which we developed our own Android applications that could help out the environment. Pretty neat, huh?

In more exciting news, though, the brand new Andlinger Center for Energy + The Environment opened earlier this year as a space for teaching and research. They’re doing all kinds of cool things relating to sustainable energy, but personally, I’m just excited to explore this beautiful space during the scavenger hunt for the Office of Sustainability’s birthday celebration in a few weeks!

To learn more about sustainability and related research at Princeton, visit the Office of Sustainability and Andlinger Center's websites.

Happy Birthday, Office of Sustainability, and Happy (belated) inauguration, Andlinger Center :)

In this (almost) last blog, a recap on my last days at Princeton!

My last class until who-knows-when was ENG 358: Children's Literature, a course where we studied books like "Alice in Wonderland," "Where the Wild Things Are," and the Harry Potter series. It was a good way to go.  

But still, at the end of lecture, standing up with my friends from those wooden lecture-seats in McCosh 50, chatting as we zipped up our bags, knowing it was the last time I would do so as a Princeton student was pretty bittersweet. After all, this has been a place of incredible friendships and growth ... 

...and a place of compelling academic rigor. 

A place of incredible artistic opportunity, like illustrating a grizzled elephant for Pulitzer Prize-winning author Paul Muldoon's spoken word group, Rogue Oliphant...

...and a place with awesome platforms to share my experiences (like writing for a certain admission blog for three years, perhaps?).

This school has been a home like no other. But like most school experiences, it ends!

Oh, but how Princeton ends.

Reunions and Commencement

I wish I could describe how my last few days of Princeton were all weighed with a sense of gravitas, of perfect goodbyes, sweet and full realizations of what we were leaving behind.

But really, they were a whirlwind of orange: dancing, cheering and saying "goodbye" at Princeton Reunions, where thousands of Princeton alums from all years flock back to campus for a few days of reliving the glory years with renewed spirit.

For me, Reunions were a crazy few days of running into people who, for the past year, had seemed to disappear from their usual haunts around campus. But then here they were again, sitting around you in the Quad Library, loudly complaining about finance or messing with the suit of armor, just as if no time had passed!

Reunions was dancing under the tents. And late into the night, it was jumping on a half-deflated bounce castle with a group of friends and losing each other, laughing, in the enveloping red folds. 

It was walking behind people with a secret happiness, admiring the the Class Jacket you designed for 2016.

It's was the sweaty craziness of P-Rade, when all the alums from class years parade down Elm Drive, which ends with the members of the Great Class of 2016 running onto Poe field. 

Then there is Baccalaureate and Class Day, where you listen to speakers extol the excitement of graduation. It's also where you play games with your friends. For example, whoever complains about the hot temperature in the Chapel first gets to be lovingly and viciously pinched by the others.

There also was getting proposed to by your best friend and the guy you love most in the world. (That gets its own section in a follow-up blog post!)

You attend award ceremonies and receptions with brownies and strawberries, and before you know it...

...you and your friends are passing around bobby pins, trying to pin these fancy hats to your hair.

Finally, you are lining up with the other fancy hats, bobbing in a sea of people who you know are your classmates, but who also just make you realize how in four years, you only scratched the surface of meeting fellow 2016-ers.

You're sitting under the little shade of a tree (lucky you!), enjoying the speeches of your classmates and faculty, getting pinched or pinching your friends occasionally, craning your head to see if you can spot your loved ones on the sidelines, and then realizing you sat on the wrong side of the lawn. (But don't worry! You'll see them soon enough.)

Your mind is on the tall black gate just behind you--the FitzRandolph Gate. You walked in through the main gates as a freshman, wide-eyed, a little skinny and awkward, but ready for what Princeton held for you. And in the years since, you've bought into the legend that if you pass through the center gate before you graduate, your chances of actually graduating are doomed.

So for four years, you've used the side gates with seeming nonchalance, but really with steeled determination.

And then your University president says a closing phrase in Latin and a flock hats go up in the air. People are standing. The music is triumphant You and your friends are laughing as you are pushed in the waves that bring you closer and closer to the Gate.

You share a last few moments on the Princeton side, shouting happy, silly things at your friend, who is recording and narrating the moment you pass right under those gates.

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I guess you've graduated!   

You loop back into campus, hug your family, pick up your diploma and eat some food.

You say goodbye to those friends you love so well, at least the ones you can find before they leave. You ask your mom to take pictures of you with them, and find later she's taken pictures of your last hugs as well. 

Your room is packed in boxes, your car is heaving away from Princeton with the weight of your things and memories. 

And when you wake up the next morning in a house instead of a dorm room, you remember your friends are scattering to the winds already. And there's a strange feeling in your chest. I went to Princeton. It's past tense now, like a dream past!

But what a good dream it was. 

Part 2 of senior year blog catch-up: the VIS (visual arts) thesis show! 

You might remember from a past blog, my senior independent work did not end with an English thesis. Two weeks after I submitted "In a Style Entirely New," I dove into the work needed to finish my VIS show that was scheduled to be up two weeks later.  

And what was the show, exactly? A story, made by placing sequential paintings around the gallery.

I've been forever interested in exploring childhood, time, memory and what it means for my own life to be part of a larger narrative created by an artist. These themes (hopefully!) played out in the story of two people entering a subway. The daughter is separated from her mother, ages through the journey...

...really, the best way I can explain the art and storyline is to show it to you. I've dedicated a page on my portfolio site to a digital version of the show, so feel free to check it out! The online version is not the same experience as seeing it in person, but I hope you still enjoy. 

A quick rundown of how the actual show went down:

Planning and thumbnails

I knew pretty early on in the year the gist of the story I wanted to tell. Some of the earliest steps included sketching the panels of the story on paper, then cutting and pinning them onto foam core.

I had roughly drawn the architecture of the room on the boards, so I could move pieces and plan how the story would unfold. My ideas developed through sketching and revising, plus conversations with amazing faculty, including my primary adviser Eve Ascheim, and my secondary advisers Joe Scanlan and Kurt Kauper! 

Drawing

Most of the process boiled down to hours and hours of drawing during the year. Well, especially in the last few weeks before the show, but also during the year.

I used Photoshop to draw on my personal computer, but I also worked in Princeton's New Media Center, which has giant gorgeous monitors and super fast computers. Once I knew what I wanted to draw, it was a matter of blocking out the sketch then going back and refining:  

This went down for 90+ panels.

Printing, printing, printing

Major shout-out to Rick and Steve for their help and patience in ordering paper and suppling ink! 

I used the 24" printer all the way on the top floor of the art building, and the 44" printer down in its dark bowels. Quality takes time, which means these quality printers are kind of slow! I spent some long nights drawing in the pockets of time between printings: jumping between the two printers and setting off jobs, correcting measurements I had messed up, trimming edges, and hoping that a printer wouldn't die on me in these precious days before set-up.

This is definitely a stage I'm happy is over, but there was also a lot of joy in seeing the work come out so beautifully!

Setting up

Have I mentioned that I have amazing, amazing people in my life? As in, the kind of people who smilingly give their time and energy to help you, asking for nothing back? ​The kind of people who climb up and down scaffolds (sometimes in ways of some questionable safety) to make sure your art--even the art placed inconveniently high--looks good?

Who peel back countless little command strip papers and place them adhesive on your prints? And who take breaks only to work on their junior paper?

Who you ask to paint the wall black, and who then proceed to carefully dab the corners with small brushes to make sure the job is beautiful? 

Who will stay with you in that gallery for multiple days even when their own final presentations are due, who brings you tasty food snacks, who suggests where to place the work, who laughs and sings musicals along with you until the job is done?

The kind of people who spend hours with you, constructing a frame out of foam core, sweeping up the little white slips of paper that cover the floor like freshly fallen snow, measuring panels perfectly, dancing to the music we put on in the background, trying to make the sketchy ventilation room and spray-on adhesive work, holding up pieces of art to a wall and adjusting till they are straight, who buy lunch for the gang and laughingly wave off your thanks? Who make what should have been a very stressful set-up weekend some of the most joyful days you had at Princeton?

I know those kind of friends! 

  And I know I can't thank them enough for the blessing that was their time and encouragement. They are the only reason the show exists!

Then the gallery opened

On April 21, 2016 the show opened in the Lucas Gallery! 

I shared the gallery floor space with the super cool Amalya Megerman (whose poster for "Megerman Beach" is on the left).

This concept and show had been in my head for so long, so it was amazing to see it physically in a space. I took a very informal video walk-through, if you want more of a sense of the space. 

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The VIS program also sets you up with a show reception, buying delicious food spreads for you to offer your friends and admirers that come to look at the art that evening. So fancy! 

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I loved talking with people about how they followed the story, answer their questions about the blue swirl, or ask them what they saw in it. There were people that came up to me with real tears running down their face, and I had a friend who came to me with three different ways to read the story, including an interpretation that had you walk backwards! 

Do you know how crazy it is that just for being in the VIS program, you get incredible artists to advise you, a generous stipend for supplies, a studio space to call your own, access to amazing technical resources and staff, a gallery space for whatever type of show you want to put up, a communications office who creates posters, postcards, and promotes your work around the community, and a whole host of faculty who just want you to make the best show possible? I think about it and realize, "Whoa! That is not real life!

" 

But it is something amazing, and something I am so grateful to have taken part in. 

How to say goodbye

After the week was over, it was time for the show to come down and make way for the next week's student!

Before: 

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After (almost done): 

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In some ways, it was painful to take down the show: after all, the panels represented many, many hours of work and so much joy in the installation and reception. 

And yet, sometimes it is good to let the time pass as it does. 

And then move forward!

Hello from the other side of the FitzRandolph gates!

I did indeed graduate Princeton a couple months ago (don't worry, that all worked out). Although, the last months of school were so crazy, I had no chance for closure on this blog! Since I'd really love to share how my time at Princeton wrapped up, I'm going to make a few final posts.

First up, an update on the great and terrifying:

The senior thesis is the culmination of a year's research, thought, and writing. You might remember I was sketching out a senior thesis on Jane Austen's juvenilia back in October? I am very happy to tell you that by its April 2016 deadline, it was finished. And I loved it! 

Also, it had pictures.

What was it about again?

For only writing six complete novels, Jane Austen has done pretty well at drawing a crowd and marking her place as oh, I don't know, an unparalleled cultural and literary phenomenon. 

And yet despite her oeuvre's fame, nestled into the collection well before bright and sparkling "Pride and Prejudice," is a body of work that has little public voice. My thesis explored the stories and writing of Jane Austen commonly known as the juvenilia, work written while she was eleven to seventeen years old.  

The first 30 pages of my thesis presented a brief look at Jane Austen, then examined the criticism and nature of these earliest texts (which are amazing, as I hope you'll see). The next 70 or so pages of my thesis explored four specific texts critically, plus a creative component. What does that mean? That the English department is the best department.

I. Bringing "The Mystery" to Life

In theater, characters typically act in the paradigm where no audience exists; Jane Austen's short play "The Mystery" takes that trope and runs. Most of the play consists of characters whispering to each other, blithely unbothered by the fact that the plot is a total mystery to the audience.

You can find the play online in the middle of this article!

Since the Austen family performed with each other as an early version of home theater, for the creative portion of this section, I brought the play home to my own family. I performed "The Mystery" with them over Christmas, and then edited and analyzed what it meant to give bodies to the elusive, yet rollicking script. 

Some snapshots of the play:

Scene the First, as I introduced from the window. 

A great way to start off a play.

Those are indeed napkin cravats. Also our cat, Yupi! 

And what did Daphne whisper, in a voice inaudible to the camera? Who knows.

II. Defenestration with "Frederic and Elfrida"

We tend to have a very prim view of our famous authoress. But the visual language in the late 18th century caricatures that were around young Jane Austen were far from proper. Check out Mark Bill's comparison of a comic satirizing the royal class in the late 18th century, and then the late 19th century. 

One is definitely more exciting!

Flavors of the caricature style show up in the juvenilia's "A History of England,"  illustrated by Jane Austen's older sister Cassandra.  

I analyzed "Frederica and Elfrida" through the lens of 18th century prints, hoping to capture and enjoy the wild energy and exaggeration that lies laughing under her careful language.

For example: "From this period, the intimacy between the Families of Fitzroy, Drummond, and Falknor daily increased, till at length it grew to such a pitch, that they did not scruple to kick one another out of the window on the slightest provocation."

Or how any classic, dramatic beauty in Charlotte's suicide - a very Ophelia, river death -- is interrupted by the name of that elegant body of water. 

This was a fun chapter indeed! 

III. The Sweet Deceit of "Love and Freindship"

You've definitely seen the art of C.E. Brock and Hugh Thompson, Jane Austen's early champions of illustrations. They feature beautifully proportioned ladies and gentlemen, neatly dappled in watercolors and often framed by decal of curling ribbons. 

I don't claim to have their artistic prowess, but I did have a ton of fun parodying the style in contrast to young Austen's story, "Love and Freindship" (yes, spelled "e" before "i") in particular.  

When Augustus takes money from his father, he didn't steal from his desk, he "gracefully purloined from his father's escritore."

Things don't end well for the stories' beaux:

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Laura and company come across a terrible scene of "two gentlemen, most elegantly attired, but weltering in their own blood." Note how she first notices their dapper fashion, though!

IV. A Day Well Spent with "The Beautifull Cassandra"

In the very last section, I dove into the delicious "The Beautifull Cassandra" (yes, two "L"s. She was an idiosyncratic young speller!).

It is a novel of twelve tiny chapters, each about two sentences long and filled with laughter. On her adventure, Cassandra steals a bonnet, passes up a beautiful man,

knocks over a chef as she devours ice cream,

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and goes on a whole host of other adventures! Since my critical portion explored how this brings new meaning to "children's literature," I printed the creative portion in a small, spiral-bound book.

Turning it in

After many long discussions with my amazing adviser, Professor Claudia Johnson, months of research, writing, drawing, filming, my first ever all-nighter as I put on the finishing touches, going over notes made by the amazing Katherine Hawkins who proofread my 100+ pages twice...

...I turned in my thesis and creative books to the English department!  

You know that feeling of when you turn something in thinking, "my body and mind feel like death, but I am so happy right now?" That's what this moment was for me.

Looking back, I'm not entirely sure how it all came together, but I think of the thesis with real love for the literature, gratitude to the English department for letting me pursue a creative-critical thesis, and a smile when I think of the happy desperation my fellow English major buddy and I shared, scooting around the library on those rolling office chairs, chasing and poking each other as midnight approached. Truly, a thesis is a sign of my academic maturation! 

Also, I sliced my finger on a page just before I wrote my name, so the last page the Princeton honor pledge literally signed in a little blood.

As I walk down the sacred halls of Target, I am reminded of my favorite time of year—school supply shopping. I remember getting the list of supplies in elementary school: four tissue boxes, a pack of highlighters, colored pencils, scissors … I always tried to get the best deals, searching through the weekly ads every Sunday morning when they were posted. However, when I got to college, I realized the same type of school supply shopping was just not going to cut it anymore. No teacher was telling me how best I should attack his or her class. I had to discover for myself what was going to work best for me. Was it the binder? The folder? Or just cramming papers into my backpack (This final option has never worked for me.)

As corny as it sounds, this idea of school supply shopping is very much like the college process itself. No one is there to tell you how you should spend your time or what you should buy. For most people, it’s the first opportunity to live on your own, decide what you want to eat, what clubs you want to attend, what time you want to go to sleep. Everything is trial and error. And while you might try something for a few weeks, you may realize that it’s not what you want continue. That’s totally okay. College, especially the beginning of college, is all about trying new things and seeing what sticks.

So the best advice I can give you is to go on a shopping trip. Put a bunch of items in your cart, both new and old, and see what works best for you. And I’ll be honest, I brought binders all the way from Arizona, because that’s what I had always used. But after a few days of using them, I went to the U-Store and bought folders, because that’s what worked betterr for me in college.

Earlier this year, I wrote a blog post about my art history thesis on Meteora. What I didn't tell you is that my art thesis was only ONE of TWO THESES that I wrote this year. That means double the page count, double the all-nighters, and quadruple the amount of mac 'n' cheese I allowed myself to buy during said all-nighters. Luckily, I didn't have to do any library research or citations for this second thesis, because it was all made up! I wrote a fiction thesis in order to get a certificate in creative writing.

It's actually a little crazy that I've never written about the creative writing department on this site before, because I think it is one of the strongest programs of study at Princeton. Its strength is mostly due to the program's incredible faculty. I took classes with Jeffrey Eugenides, Joyce Carol Oates, Susan Choi, Maaza Mengiste, and Hanna Pylväinen, and my thesis adviser was the immensely talented A.M. Homes. At other schools, you have to be enrolled in an M.F.A. program to get access to writers like that, but Princeton's creative writing department is specifically designed for the undergrads.

At the end of junior year, students who have completed the proper prerequisites can apply to write a creative thesis. If selected, students are individually matched with faculty members who guide them through the process and give suggestions for edits along the way. The thesis students also get to give two public readings of their material: one at Labyrinth Books on Nassau Street, in a room that has hosted all sorts of famous authors and intellectuals, and one at Prospect House, Princeton's Fanciest Building (trademark pending). This year, the Prospect House reading was followed by a reception at which at least four kinds of gourmet meatballs were served. Gourmet meatballs! Writing a thesis was worth it, just for those. 

Students often continue to edit their creative theses post-grad, in the hopes of one day publishing that material. But it's not like anyone's thesis has ever become a best-selling novel or anything ...

The creative writing teachers that I've had at Princeton have taught me how to write better, and how to read better.  I recommend taking a creative writing class even if you're not interested in writing fiction, because you'll learn a new way of looking at books. And who knows? Maybe you'll get hooked, and four years from now it will be YOU reading from your thesis at Prospect House and eating piles and piles of meatballs.

The prefrosh are here, which means the semester's almost over and, in my case, my Princeton experience. It's crazy to think that just four years ago, I was deciding whether Princeton was the place for me. So with the nostalgia kicking in big time, I spent some time thinking about advice I would give to my prefrosh self, and asked my fellow bloggers to contribute their thoughts too. Good luck, future Tigers!

Talk to current students and get to know your fellow prefrosh! Aside from exploring the beautiful campus and consuming all of the free food everywhere during Princeton Preview, what made me most excited about going to Princeton was meeting current students and other prefrosh. They were all so friendly, interesting, and easy to talk to, and I couldn't wait to return to campus and get to know more of them over the next four years!

—Serena Zheng '17

Congratulations! You were really hoping for this, and it happened, so you should really celebrate. Go hiking every week, or read 12 books over the summer, or watch all of Sherlock again. Just remember to spend time with family. It's going to be much much tougher for them than it is going to be for you.

Speaking of which, the next few years are going to be incredibly fun, very stimulating, but also challenging at many times. And when that happens, remember that you are extremely special and talented. And sometimes that may not be reflected in a letter or a number, but you are no less special.

On a more tangible note, take the classes that you are interested in, not the classes that you think you should be taking. Well, except Writing Sem, you have to take that. Explore: what you should be doing most at this point is stimulating yourself. 

And apply for the Bridge Year Program; there is no reason not to.

—Avaneesh Narla '17

My best advice to my prerosh self? Well, my best advice would probably be what I have learned about extracurriculars and balance here: that I can realistically engage in three things that I love at Princeton. You'll be bombarded (in the most fun and wonderful way!) with so many clubs and opportunities to try at first—and I definitely enjoyed trying a bit of everything during my first few months at Princeton. But I've found that it's ultimately most meaningful to engage fully with my schoolwork and two more major activities each semester. This, for me, has been most rewarding and has helped me define my priorities - and also leaves some free time for relaxation and friends! I would also say that taking a full day off and leaving campus to spend a fun day in New York City or Philadelphia with friends is sometimes the very best thing, even when you have a heavy work load and it feels irresponsible. I've realized the importance of taking a true break and have found that a day off is often just what I need to reset and to be committed to working hard again for the rest of the week. On a more practical and immediate level, definitely buy a (very) warm winter coat and quality rain coat—sooner than later! Take a lot of pictures—you (and your friends) will be very happy later. And while it's always important to think about the future, don't spend so much time planning for the next thing that you're not fully present here at Princeton. You'll get the most out of your Princeton experience if you see your time here as more than just a stepping stone. Lastly, don't wait as long as I did to realize how delicious the ice cream in the dining halls is! Congratulations, and welcome to Princeton!

—Makenna May '17

 

One of the things I wish I had focused more on during my college process was researching some of the specific programs that the school offered that interested me. While some people come into college pretty undecided (which is totally fine!), I came in knowing I wanted a biology degree and to probably go to veterinary school. Of course my path can change, but I wish I had taken some time to see what types of biology classes the school offered, and if there was any animal care experience available for me to pursue while taking classes. Even if I didn’t actually do anything I had intended, it would have been helpful for me to do a bit of research, just so I could have a better idea of what opportunities were available to me before stepping foot on campus. Therefore, I highly suggest looking into any and all departments that sound interesting, just to get a sense of what opportunities you might have when you get to Princeton. Plus, it gives you a list of things to get excited about for when you get to campus.

—Michelle Greenfield '18

Image

 

They say hindsight is 20/20. Fitting, I think. (Haha. 2020, get it? Ignore my bad puns; I'm still mid-thesis.) Anyway, it's safe to say that after almost four years here, I'm starting to see things pretty clearly.

I didn't really have a prefrosh experience at Princeton, but I do remember that when I first set foot on this campus freshman year, I thought I had a very clear sense of who I was and the things I would enjoy doing. While there's nothing wrong with that  (it's mostly a good thing, in my opinion) I think it led me to inadvertently limit myself to certain experiences. I did what I knew myself to be good at and didn't jump at the chance to venture into new activities. But college is a perfect opportunity to explore all the things you're even remotely passionate about or interested in, and that's something I realize more and more with each passing day. Soon, I won't have all these options available to me in one place. 

So, dear prefrosh, my advice to you is the same that I give myself every day now: go for it. Even if you find out it's not your thing or you fail spectacularly at it, embrace the chance to learn something new about yourself. 

I didn't try out for the dance group that is now such a huge part of my Princeton experience until the spring of my sophomore year. I went to auditions to support a friend and ended up having so much fun that I came back twice to really try it out. My "prefrosh self" liked to dance, but had never done it seriously and didn't think she could be a dancer. I was so nervous about failing that I almost never went for it. Now, I can barely remember my life here without BAC.

So, to recap, I'm going to hit you with all the clichés: "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." "You never know until you try." "Just do it." They're all true and all very useful. Consider holding on to them for at least your four years here.

—Tomi Johnson '16

If you watched the Academy Awards this week, you probably noticed at least two things. First, that kid from Room is the cutest child in the entire universe and anyone who says otherwise is DEAD WRONG. Second, Spotlight won Best Picture!

Since investigative journalism is having such a victorious week, I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon and talk a little bit about journalism right here at my own university. Princeton has a couple of well-known publications, such as The Daily Princetonian and The Nassau Weekly, but there are also opportunities to learn about journalism inside the classroom, through courses run by the Council of the Humanities. These classes are usually weekly three-hour seminars that meet in the adorable Joseph Henry House, a small butter-yellow building that was the residence of Professor Henry in the early 19th century. The Henry House is perhaps the building on campus that is most dear to me. I am in love with its creaky stairs, its sunny porch, and the little bowl of Jolly Ranchers that is always sitting in the lobby. And of course, I love it because it was home to some of the best classes I've taken at Princeton.

The first journalism class I took was Audio Journalism. It was taught by Steve Drummond, who is currently the head of NPR Ed. I had never tried radio production before, but through this class I became completely obsessed with it. Radio is an extremely effective medium for telling emotionally arresting stories. The human voice creates an automatic intimate connection between reporter and listener. It's also really fun to record your voice under a blanket in your room and then have your roommate walk in and think you're a crazy person. Professor Drummond taught us about how important concise writing is to radio, and I think my writing even for non-radio purposes has been better ever since. Plus, I produced some pieces in this class that I'll always look back fondly on. My friend Amy and I recorded a piece at a Princeton football game in which I got to make a lot of cheesy sports jokes. Honestly, someone should have stopped me.

The next class I took was Creative Nonfiction, taught by the man who essentially invented the genre, John McPhee. This class is kind of legendary at Princeton; a whole host of acclaimed journalists, novelists, and editors have come out of it. The highlights of the course are the biweekly one-on-one meetings in which Professor McPhee goes through every sentence in your piece with you. There is no one who makes you think carefully about every single word you choose quite like Professor McPhee does. Professor McPhee also invites a lot of great guests to the class. In my year, the architect who designed the Vietnam War Memorial, Maya Lin, spoke to us about her new project. We all wrote pieces about the project, and Professor McPhee sent them to Maya Lin so she could read them! He also excerpted quotes from a few of the pieces in his forward for her new book, "Topologies," which was published by Rizzoli earlier this year. (I highly recommend checking out the book, though not for the purpose of reading my contribution, which amounts to the grand total of ten sentences.)

Most recently, I took Magazine Writing with Jennifer Kahn, who has written feature pieces for the New Yorker and the New York Times Magazine, among other publications. We spent the majority of this course working on long feature pieces that we submitted at the end of the semester. I wrote about the recent surge in false bomb threats called into schools. I was able to interview the Princeton Public Schools superintendent, a New Jersey state senator, and a national school security expert, which was an amazing, albeit nerve-racking, experience. Additionally, throughout the semester, we were visited by several renowned magazine writers whose pieces we had read. This class was a blast not only because of the interesting subject matter, but also because Professor Kahn is incredibly funny and sweet. Our whole class became great friends, and we ended the semester with a party on that porch that I love so much. (Fun fact: Fellow blogger Aliisa was in this class as well!)

There are so many other wonderful journalism seminars that I didn't have space to write about here, but you can find out more about the journalism program at Princeton on the Council of the Humanities website. And you can read some really great pieces by my former professors, who are all infinitely better writers than I, right here, here, and here.