A Carefree Spring Break

NO, I did not go to on the ‘ultimate spring break’ or service trip (though I would have loved to!) for spring break. I went home. And Slept. A LOT.  I really wish I had more to say in this week’s blog, but I’m just going to be honest. When I was a freshman in college, and throughout high school, I never understood why college students wanted to go home over breaks. I just always assumed that once you got to college, all students avoided going home whenever possible. But that is definitely NOT the case. Mostly because at school, you really don’t sleep all that much…and don’t think its because all you will be doing is studying either, because there is ALWAYS something to do here.  Anyway, just some insight, but seriously, most college students spend 3/4 of their break sleeping…I know you all that have siblings in college can attest to this…I know my sister can! (she’s class of 2013 too!-different university though)

I ended up working at my summer job (a sports club/gym) and attending my sister’s lax games, watching movies, exploring DC, and just seeing my friends from high school that I can’t wait to have fun with alllll summer. My friend Bri who is from Woodstock Virginia came to visit and we took the all day-walk-till-you-drop tour of D.C. We went to the Smithsonian’s and ended up spending 2 ½ hours in the Holocaust Museum. The Holocaust Museum is really really cool, in an interesting way, not a geeky way. There also is a new exhibit all about the Nazi’s use of Propaganda…and how it can be found today in states like Rwanda. I also dragged my friend Bri to the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court for good measure. We then topped our day off with free samples from the new-and-improved INTERNATIONAL Safeway Grand Opening near where I live. Anyway, I don’t want to bore you with my fun and relaxing break! It great to be back at school though!

If you are curious here is the Propaganda Exhibit (I promise it really is neat!)

Something you all might be interested in is the William and Mary Summer Session in D.C. What I usually call ‘studying abroad in D.C.’. It turns out that the College has an office in Dupont Circle and over the summers professors FROM the College teach a class over break. Therefore, a student can take extra classes over the summer and receive William and Mary academic credit that is calculated into their overall GPA instead of Transfer Credit that does not go towards their GPA (for example) from a community college. There are currently only 7 classes being held over two sessions and most of the classes are the ones that are hard to get a spot during the regular school year. Yet the cost of a class is the same amount as it would be at William and Mary and they are afternoon/night classes so that you could have a job/internship while getting some General Education Requirements out of the way. There also is a ‘study abroad in D.C.’ semester program during the school year and I have known a lot of people who have taken advantage of that. Basically you live in D.C. for a semester and have an internship while taking classes from William and Mary Professors and still receive class credit. You all, as high school-ers, are currently eligible to take classes this summer from the Dupont Circle Office THIS summer if you do accept William and Mary’s offer.

Here is a link to the D.C. Program if you’re interested for the future!

– Brynn Koeppen ’11