My Freshman Year Life in Videos & Blogposts

Hey everyone! Once you read this, I will be starting my sophomore year at Providence College. I wanted to make a post will all my content that was about my freshman year for those who need some advice, guidance, or are plain just curious. I don't like to dwell too much on past events that weren't the best, but I did talk about the hardships and the happy moments I had throughout my year. Since I am starting a new year, I wanted to make an archive for those to see how my first year went. I have plenty of ideas for my second year at college (move-in day vlog, dorm tour, day in the life, more sit down videos), but I don't want to disregard my first year. Please check out these videos and posts from the last year, and I will definitely comment back! If you have any questions or want to see more of life you can follow me on Instagram: @christinaxmadeleine and on Twitter: @thisfashiongirl. Or just keep checking my blog and subscribe to Youtube. I am so thankful for all the support and over 120,000 views!!

Blogposts about my freshman year of college:

1) I am officially a #collegeblogger: http://www.thisfashiongirl.com/2018/08/i-am-officially-collegeblogger.html (August 8, 2018)

2) What happened to me in my first month of college?:http://www.thisfashiongirl.com/2018/10/whats-happened-to-me-in-first-month-of.html (October 6, 2018)

3) Thoughts and Ramblings of a First Semester College Freshman: http://www.thisfashiongirl.com/2018/12/thoughts-and-ramblings-of-first.html (December 11, 2018)

4) Dorm Tour *Freshman Year at Providence College *: http://www.thisfashiongirl.com/2019/01/dorm-tour-freshman-year-at-providence.html (January 6, 2019)

5) Second Semester Planning and Schedule: http://www.thisfashiongirl.com/2019/01/second-semester-planning-schedule.html (January 24, 2019)

6) Family Weekend 2019: http://www.thisfashiongirl.com/2019/02/family-weekend-2019.html (February 24, 2019)

7) Second Semester Positive Moments: http://www.thisfashiongirl.com/2019/04/second-semester-positive-moments-youtube.html

8) My Freshman Year Experience at Providence College: http://www.thisfashiongirl.com/2019/06/my-freshman-experience-at-providence.html

Youtube Videos at College!

My Weekend as a freshman at Providence College! *First vlog* 

Freshman at Providence College Weekend in My Life (3/29-3/31/19)

Weekend in the Life of a Providence College Freshman: Spring Concert, Shopping on Thayer, Dinner...

Weekend in the life of a college freshman: seeing After, going to a darty, + seeing John Mulaney

weekend in my life: my dog comes to visit + so many food places! | providence college

week in the life of a providence college freshman: finals weeks, my birthday+ traveling home

Lastly, I made a two-part Q&A about my freshman year with two of my friends who go to Boston University and Loyola Maryland. The first part is up right now:

spilling the TEA on our FRESHMAN YEAR| Providence College, Boston University, Loyola Maryland

 

I hope this archive makes my content more accessible! I won't be doing posts like this often, but since it's the beginning of a new school year; there is a lot of uncertainty an questions that go around about college. 

See you back at school!!

xx

Christina Madeleine

My Freshman Experience at Providence College

Hey everyone! Today, I wanted to talk about my first year at Providence College, and how I made the most of my time there. This is more of a serious post, but I will have some new posts and videos up this week!

First, I want to talk about my expectations for what college was going to be like. I thought that every freshman would want to be open to making new friends and talking to people. I thought it would be super easy to make friends and find things to do.  Right off the bat, people weren't super welcoming from my own grade (class of 2022). Yes, the orientation leaders were super sweet, but the people in my orientation group who did a pre-orientation program (basically moving onto campus five days before me) were not as welcoming as people who just moved in on the same day as me.  Moving in is hard, especially when you aren't close to home, and so everybody probably was nervous about what was to come. Starting college was particularly hard for me because I felt like I didn't belong for the first for a long time. I didn't relate to a lot of people in the way I thought I would, I cried a lot during my first few months, and overall was depressed. Granted though this time, I met some wonderful people like my roommate (who I absolutely love) and some of my super close friends (Alex, Becca, and Colleen I'm looking at you). Those people have stuck by my side and have continued to be good friends to me.

I would say my biggest tip for anyone going to college is to remember that the first people you meet don't have to be your best friends. I know that the original people I was friends with are going to see this in some way, so I am going to keep this part short. Deep down, I think they are nice people; but it wasn't meant for us to be close. It doesn't have to be a malicious fight to break up the group, but if you feel uncomfortable or uneasy by the actions of the people you are hanging out with or the way they treat people; it's completely okay to have other friends.

I made the bulk of my friends starting February (literally five months after move in!) through Providence College Television and my roommate. These were all people who had been nice to me from the beginning of the year, but it took me being treated poorly by others to realize how good the people around me are. The friends I made the second semester helped me come out of my shell more by going to parties (especially Natalia causing me to go out on Wednesday nights), having movie nights in our rooms, making videos for PCTV, going to Thayer Street, and so much more. My last night on campus I was surrounded by so many friends who I know I will have for the next few years. Good friends are hard to find, and particularly hard when everyone is 17-20 years old and freaking out about being at college. The friends I made the second semester made me feel at home at school, and made me start to love Providence College even more. I couldn't have grown as much as I did without the help of Colleen and all the other people who stuck with me. From March on was when I started to be absolutely happy at Providence, and that's when I started to make vlogs because I wanted everyone to see how my school is such a great place. Although it's tough not being happy at your school until March, when things are good they are so good. I've been told that you continue to meet more people during sophmore year, and I am so excited to feel more at home at Providence and take on the second year with my friends.

I spent a lot of freshman year comparing my experiences to those of people from home. Social media was incredibly toxic to me because I would constantly question why everyone was having a great time but me at their schools. I did have fun times on campus during the first semester, don't get me wrong, but I was constantly not in a good mental place. I would be so upset that my friends from home seemed to be having the time of their lives. This caused me to not live in the moment during the first semester because I was so obsessed with how everyone else was doing. My wake up call was when a friend from home told me it seemed like I was having "the best time" because on social media it was just me at parties, even though that was a facade for how I really felt. In January, I tried out for Orientation Leader, Friars Club, and Board of Programmers; and got rejected from all of them. My school doesn't have Greek Life, so I thought this would be my in to make more friends. During the interview process, I came to the conclusion that I was saying all the "right" things about how I loved Providence College without actually feeling it. Being rejected from all the clubs was hard, but it was what I needed in order to focus on making more friends, not being obsessed with friends from home's lives, and start living in the moment. I, immediately, started putting more effort into PCTV and the people within that club. That was one of the clubs I knew I wanted to be in from the time I first got accepted to the college, and I knew that is where I needed to put my passion and efforts into. In February, Colleen and I got the 12am-2am radio slot for WDOM 91.3 Providence and would do a two-hour show called "Cracked Up" where we would play alternative and indie music. Almost every single time we did our show, people would come and visit us and hang out, and this made me so happy. Some of our friends came almost every week and would even text us when they couldn't come. This was part of the turning point of the year I mentioned before.

Now, I am going to talk about how academically my year changed. I spent a lot of high school thinking I wasn't that smart, but in college, my mentality about my classes changed. I went in as a Marketing major, and the first semester I took solely business classes and Western Civilization (I have posts up already about my classes).  Business classes are hard in the sense that high school doesn't prepare you for it. I had to put a lot more effort into my classes in order to do well, but I wasn't at all interested in some of the topics. I did well the first semester, but I could do better. Second Semester, I started taking an English class; and that's when something clicked inside me... I needed to be an English major. I've always loved writing and reading, and the whole first semester I only wrote two essays. After about a month of taking Intro to Literature, I emailed the head of the English department and within the week I had declared a double-major with Marketing and English. I was warned that this would be a hard thing to do since there is very little overlap between the two subjects, but I couldn't stop smiling. I was finally going to study my favorite subject.

In my other posts, I've talked about the best parts of about college like constantly learning new things, meeting new people, going to academic events, exploring a new city, attending concerts and sports events and so much more. I did feel like I was lying at times because I was having such a hard time, but now I am so happy to be at Providence College. I know some people have a great experience from the start, but as someone who struggled; I can now come to say "I love friartown'. I can do a post in the future about things I love about the school because there is so much. Being surrounded by people who are supportive and uplifting, studying topics I enjoy and focusing on finding happiness has changed my whole perception of college and made the last three months incredible. The proof is in the vlogs, and I am so excited for people to see a side of me where I am enjoying my time.

Although I don't go back to college until August, I have so much hope and excitement for what the next years have for me. I don't think I will ever feel as sad as I did my first semester because I've seen a light in all the hardship. I know there are challenges for me in the future, but after the year I've had; I am so ready to take them on.

I hope you enjoyed this post!

xx

Christina Madeleine

Second Semester Positive Moments + Youtube!

Hey everyone! Happy Sunday! Since there is a little less than five weeks left of the semester, I wanted to talk a little about the positive things about college. Freshman year is rough, but the second semester is so much better than first. I think at the end of the semester, I'll write another ramblings post, as similar to the one here. The weather has been bright and sunny lately, and my mood has gone up with rising temperatures. 

Also, lately I have been vlogging my weekends and adventures at Providence College, so scroll to the bottom of the post for the links!

Here are four things about college that I love:

1. Sports Games, and Championships 

Okay, Providence College is known for quite a few things, such as our very spiritual campus that has friars that live on campus, our pretty intense core curriculum, the somewhat infamous party culture, and mostly our D1 Big East sports teams. BIG EAST is a sports league that consists of very good sports teams at colleges mostly in the Northeast. Within all the colleges, this is one of the leagues that schools want to be because you play "powerhouse" sports schools. Providence is a pretty small school, but our teams have won national championships. That being said, our hockey team is really good this year and won the regional championships against Cornell recently, and that was a very big deal. We are hoping they win everything; so it's pretty exciting when they move on. I don't go to every sports game ever on campus, but the energy on campus is so exciting when our basketball team beats Boston College or our Lacrosse teams crushes St.John's. Sports are an aspect of the school that is heavily present but is also so fun to be a part of.

2. The Freedom to go off campus and explore

My friends and I find ourselves exploring Providence every weekend. We find new restaurants and stores to go to or just a movie theater. It's also so easy to go to Boston if we so wanted to since it's only about an hour away. I've gone up to visit my friends at Boston University or Bentley on the weekends. There's always somewhere in New England to go. Also, Providence's Board of Programmers have planned trips to Newport or ski trips to Vermont based on the weather; that students could go to. When you're at college, you can basically go where you want without having to worry about someone say no, which is liberating but also has a lot of responsibility to it.

3. Studying What I Want, and Learning New Things

The day I decided to become an English major, I woke up went to the head of the department and just did it. Then, I had to cross the entire campus to get to the Business School in order to get approval from the chair of the Marketing department in order to double-major. I couldn't stop smiling because I was finally going to study something that I have always have been interested in. College is important to me because the core-curriculum by default causes me to learn about topics I wouldn't normally be drawn to like philosophy, but also lets me take courses in subjects outside my majors such as Political Science and Italian.

4. Making Friends and Meeting New People

Up until college, most of my friends had been from New York solely because that's where I was raised. At college, I've been able to meet people from all over and different backgrounds. Two of my best friends here are from Arizona and New Jersey; a few of my suitemates for next year are from Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Yes, Northeast states aren't the most diverse; but it's the opportunities that come with meeting new people and going to a college that helps you become a more global person. The people I've met here have completely shaped my experience, even the ones that ended up only being my close friends for a little. I've always been the type of person that wants to branch out, and I think as time goes on I'll meet even more people.


ABOUT MY YOUTUBE!
 I've been very inspired by College Youtubers like Gretchen Geraghty and Margot Lee to do vlogs of my life at Providence College. I think it would be fun to get more into writing other types of posts here, but sometimes I need to explain stuff and show more of my life on video. I started vlogging three weekends ago, and I really love it. Please check it out, and subscribe!

Follow me to the BIG EAST Networking Night: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9b0R53TlJs
Weekend Vlog March 22-24, 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPBXJkf9xLY
Weekend Vlog March 29-31, 2019:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMWpx9AbzFY

Thanks for reading!

xx

Christina Madeleine

Family Weekend 2019

Happy Sunday everyone! It's been about a month since I last blogged, and trust me it's been a whirlwind. I know that I said that I would be posting once to twice a week,  but life has been a bit tough recently and I haven't been able to post. I have a few partially written blog posts that I will be finishing up, so March will be filled with more of 'This Fashion Girl'. This weekend was Family Weekend at my college, so my parents came up and we had a very busy 24 hours. Here's a little insight into how I spent my family weekend.

Just making a call from the Dean Hotel in Providence, Rhode Island.

At 12pm, I met my parents at the basketball game. Providence College was playing Marquette at the Dunkin Donuts Center (our home arena). I had been to all the games this season except for two, but this was so exciting because it was sold out because of alumni & family weekend. Unfortunately, we lost the game, but hopefully, next season will be a lot better. Our freshman basketball players are so good. This was my parents first time at a PC basketball game, and they had such a fun time. 

Afterward, I hung out in their hotel room for a bit. My mom and I went to get my eyebrows threaded, which was such a necessity at that moment. Then we went to Friskie Fries and bought fries with chicken, parmesan and mozzarella cheese, and sauce. We might've devoured it before taking any photos...

Then, we went to the hockey game at 5pm. My school was playing UMass Amherst, and we won 3-2! This was super exciting because of the last two games they played each other, Providence had lost. The arena was filled too because of the weekend, and it was fun to have at least one win for the day. 

For dinner, my parents took me and my two friends, Colleen and Alex, to dinner. We hung out in the Dean Hotel first and took some photos before going to RED FIN Crudo + Kitchen, which is a very yummy tapas restaurant.

This phone is located outside of a karaoke bar called 'The Boombox'.

The three of us posing with the cute red phone. You can check out more of those photos on my Instagram!

 The Next Morning...

 My parents and I went to Rebelle Artisan Bagels and bought three different sandwiches to split. Above is the "Breakfast Sammi" which is a spinach frittata and bacon on a bagel. My mom got egg and bacon on a bagel (not shown, but either she or I will post it on insta).

 Lastly, we bought cream cheese and lox bagel. I have never tried lox before, and it's very good. I've been to this store twice, and have only gotten the "vegan dream," which is absolutely delicious, but I decided to switch it up this time. Rebelle is partnered with NitroBar, and so they have a cold brew tap, so I had to buy it.

Before this weekend, I hadn't seen my parents in person since January 12, so spending even twenty-four hours with them meant a lot. Although we facetime a lot, there's nothing like being present with people you care about. Also, it's so fun for them to come up here because we get to try out different restaurants and cafes for breakfast and dinner that I wouldn't have gone to. It's more of an opportunity to discover more about Providence and catch up. 

Second Semester Planning & Schedule

Happy Thursday! I've been getting back into the grind of school, so on Sunday I wasn't able to post, but here I am still on schedule (sticking with posts Sunday and/or Thursday). I've now made it a week and a half into my new semester of college. As you know, my first semester was rather rough (check that out with my posts: " Thoughts and Ramblings of a First Semester College Freshman and Whats Happened to Me in the First Month of College ). Not to dwell too much on my first semester, but I already have such a better feeling about this new semester! I was able to make my schedule myself opposed to last semester where they just gave it to me.

Here's what classes I am taking and what time's (it's slightly hard to wake up at times, but I love it).

Western Civilization (Semester 2 out of 4)
In my previous posts, I've mentioned Development of Western Civilization (or 'Civ' as everyone at Providence College calls it). This course is mandatory for every student to take, which makes the school very unique to others. It's four semesters and this semester is more focused on the Enlightenment and the high middle ages. I am currently reading The Two Lives of Charlemagne and The Song of Roland for this class. My first-semester experience with Civ was very positive, but I changed to a different team of teachers, so I still have to adjust.
My class times are Mondays (8:30am-10:20am), and Tuesday/Thursday (8:30-9:20).
This is my only class on Thursday's! So I have the day free to do work and catch up on all my readings for class.

Intro to Literature
On top of my core curriculum- my college makes us fulfill proficiencies (this course would fulfill an Intensive Writing-1), but I am also taking this course because I definitely needed to take an English class again. I am planning on pursuing a minor in writing, and this course is the first step in doing so. We are currently reading The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and I am so excited to be reading it again, and possibly doing a book review on it. Other books we are planning to read are Long Day's Journey into Night by Eugene O'Neill and Sula by Toni Morrison. We are also doing units on poetry and writing, which I am absolutely excited for!
My class times are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays (9:30am-10:20am)

Elementary Italian 101
My father's side of the family is Italian, and my mother's side is Irish-American; so, I've never been completely exposed to the language or culture from Italy before. I have been able to meet and skype with family from Italy, but I finally wanted to be able to learn the language. I love learning languages and I would ultimately one day want to be able to speak Italian, Spanish, and French (which I have no knowledge of ). I've been a bit nervous in class because I want to respond in Spanish, but overall I am excited to be taking a language course again. I've been even contemplating studying abroad in Italy my Junior year of college.
My class times are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays (10:30am-11:20am)

Microeconomics 101
Since I am part of the business school (Marketing major!), it's part of the Business core to take both macroeconomics and microeconomics. Last semester, I took macroeconomics and I loved that class, My teacher was so fun, and I found that I could easily comprehend the material. There was even a point in time that I considered changing my major to Economics, but alas I decided to stay in the Business school. Micro is a bit less exciting than macro, but the material is very useful. Economics helps you have a better understanding of political financial decisions and what's overall better for the economy. I recommend taking a basics course, but also Khan Academy and other free websites have great videos about the subject.
My class times are Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays (2:30pm-3:20pm)

Managerial Accounting 
Accounting has been one of my worst struggles in college. Accounting is another requirement to fulfill in the Business school (one semester Financial and one semester Managerial), and it's the hardest subject for me to grasp. My teacher is very helpful (and even make YouTube videos), and he explains everything very clearly, yet when I am on my own I can't seem to do the problems. This is definitely the subject I am going to have to put the most time and effort into. My father also studied Finance and Accounting in college, so he is always a Facetime away.
My class times are Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays (1:30pm-2:20pm)

Data Applications in Business (DAB)
This course is also a requirement for the Business school, and it's to make students proficient in Microsoft word and excel. It's definitely a skill that's worthy to learn.
My class time is Tuesdays 12:30pm-2:15pm


So... my schedule is a bit busy! Last semester, I felt as if I wasted so much time because I wouldn't have my first classes until 10:00 or 10:30 in the morning. Now, I have an 8:30 or 9:30 every day and I've been enjoying my day more. I'll wake up, make a coffee in my Keurig, and then go to breakfast before class. I also find myself planning my schedule a lot more for the week because I have my classes more frequently now. A downside is there are about three days a week where I will have four classes, but it never feels overwhelming.

I've also been making a goal for myself to go to the gym because I am more focused on taking care of myself this semester. I think going 3-5 times a week would be ideal and going to Zumba and Yoga classes, but also using the cardio and strength machines. Last week, I had gone to the gym three times and I already felt better than I had the month I stayed at home. Also, I've been sleeping better because of my hectic days + making time to workout. Although I go to bed between 10:45pm and 11:30pm I still am able to get up and feel awake (except for a few days where you can find me taking a nap in my dorm room between my last class and choir) and stay awake for most of the day with a little help of my water bottle and coffee.

I'm trying my best to achieve my resolutions, and I have the motivation so far.
What are some tips that you have to utilize your day? or to remain/get healthy? How are your resolutions going, if you have any?

Follow my new Instagram for the blog to see my life daily!
https://www.instagram.com/christinaxmadeleine/

xx

Christina Madeleine

Dorm Tour *Freshman Year at Providence College*

Hey everyone! With school starting up again soon, I wanted to show you all what my dorm room looks like! As you know, I am currently a freshman and I will be entering my second semester on January 14. I still want to decorate my dorm a bit more, but this is what my roommate and I have.

*sorry that the photos are a bit blurry, I can update this post eventually with more high definition pictures*

The dorm I am in has cork boards already installed so I printed out some photos to put up on it. I also pin notes my friends have given to me, letters, and papers that I for events on campus. My poster is the album cover of Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division. To the left (where my scarf is hung up), is a small closet that I hang up my clothes in, keep extra towels, tide pods, and shoes. My shelf was $25 from Amazon and I built it myself during Columbus Day Weekend.

On the top shelf, I keep my record player, and a cup cozy. The second shelf I keep a teddy bear that is wearing the 'M' from my high school's name. I keep half my records on that shelf (and the rest at my house). The bottom shelf, which is not shown, has my textbooks and reading books.

There are three girls dorms for freshmen, and I am the only that's all-doubles (meaning I have one roommate). But by default, I am in the smallest dorm and have a twin size bed that's lofted. I have to catapult myself onto the bed or use the radiator to get up on to it.

My comforter: PBTeen

Good Vibes Sign (Blue LED): Bath, Bath, and Beyond

Clothesline for Pictures: Bath, Bath, and Beyond

Maroon Blanket: Either BJ's or Costco

The lighting is very dark in my room, so on weekends, I keep the blue lights from my sign on. I am on the eighth floor, and you can see that my dorm room is blue from the ground. I also keep up a Providence College hockey flag.

Between my roommate and I's beds, we have our mini fridge/freezer and our microwave. We originally had a television, but we got rid of it since we didn't want to block our pretty nice view of Providence. I bought the microwave from Target for around $35. We keep bowls and water bottles on there usually. We keep cups and utensils in the fridge caddy.

I took these pictures right before I left for winter break because I wanted to post up about my dorm before I come back and inevitably make my side a mess. Under my bed, I have two sets of drawers to keep clothes in, baskets for shoes, and then huge gray containers to keep other miscellaneous and extra items. When my roommate and I are actually living in this room (notice my bags are there), we keep boxes of food by the fridge for us to microwave and such. We also have desks that are against our beds that we use the back of as headboards but is very spacious. I don't usually like to do work in the room because I rather work in the student center, great room, or library; but it does come in handy to have a desk.

On my roommate's side, we have more storage that we use for snacks and drinks, and on top of that, we have a set up for our Keurig. This comes in handy for when the Dunkin Donuts on campus is closed, or it's 10 at night and all you want is a cup of tea. My friends on other floors even come to use the coffee machines sometimes if they need caffeine.

Despite dorming in such a small room, I have made this area my space. I like coming back to the room and knowing I can take a nap or just decompress for a bit. One reason, I try to not do work in my dorm is to make it an area I can relax in and not be stressed. I sometimes will study in there, but I don't do homework if I can help it. My roommate and I live really well together and even coordinated our room to have a theme of turquoise, blue, gray, and white.

In the coming semester, I can try to do more of an updated dorm room tour (with better pictures), but thanks for checking out this post!

What is your college dorm room like if you are at college? or what was it like? Did you/do you have more than one roommate? What is your dream dorm room like?

Leave a comment!

xx

Christina Madeleine