1. One Way Or Another by Blondie
This term, I’m really branching out with the kinds of classes I’m taking. I’ve finished my major, actually, because I spent all of last year and last term taking Politics classes to the point where I ended up unintentionally fulfilling all my major requirements, and this term I couldn’t justify doing the same thing for the fourth time in a row. So for the first time since coming to Oberlin, I’m taking a language class (Chinese 102) and a sociology class (Carceral Studies)!
I had been on the fence about Carceral Studies, not because it was a sociology class, but because it’s at 9 AM. Yes, you heard me. Nine AY-EM. I was determined to make it work, though, because the course description was just screaming my name. (For all the high school students potentially reading this, you may be rolling your eyes with your alarm clocks set for 6:30 AM or something. But in college, I swear 9 AM feels like 5 AM.)
Thus, every morning, while I’m frantically rushing out the door with five minutes until class on the other side of campus, “One Way Or Another” is playing in my headphones. It’s in the sense that “one way or another, I’ll get to class on time,” and also because the song is fast-paced enough to speedwalk to. There’s something about Blondie in the morning that just gets me going.
2. Goodbye Earl by The Chicks
Now, my early mornings do have benefits. It means that on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I’m finished with class for the rest of the day at 11:50 AM. Now, you may be like me and naively think that means I have plenty of time to do all my work. Early in the term, however, I had the bad habit of retreating to my room after class, where I’d promptly flop onto my bed and kill a good four hours on my phone before my roommate returned from class and I’d shamefully get up.
If you have ADHD, you might also know the importance of “momentum” (at least, that’s what I call it) in being productive. Basically, if I interrupt the momentum of my day by going from focused and engaged in class to mindlessly scrolling, it’ll be infinitely harder for me to get back into my “momentum” and return to the state of focus needed to do my homework for tomorrow. So now, I’ve gotten into the habit of packing my backpack with everything I could possibly need and I avoid going back to my room until at least after dinner, which has been helpful so far. For some reason, country music has really helped me with that.
Also, shoutout to “The Giver” by Chappell Roan and “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood. Fantastic songs to play while sipping a chai latte and reading in Azzie’s.
3. Squirrel of Possibility by Punch Brothers
I guess I’ve been on a bit of a folk/country kick, because my bluegrass playlist has been making a reappearance lately. I always smile when I play “Squirrel of Possibility” because, first of all, Oberlin’s mascot is an albino squirrel, and also, what is undergrad if not a mish-mash of different opportunities and possibilities?
Maybe that’s a bit cheesy, but whatever. You’re still reading, so it can’t be that bad.
I absolutely cannot wait for the weather to start warming up. “Squirrel of Possibility” reminds me of my trip to Yellowstone last summer, and I love nature excursions where you can hike and see cool animals and spend $50 on bear spray. This summer, I won’t exactly be getting in touch with the outdoors, though, because I’ll be in Beijing with other Oberlin students for the third-ever run of Oberlin’s June Block program! Still, I’m equally excited. I’ve been sending every single TikTok and Instagram reel about Beijing or that’s in Chinese to my friend from Chinese 102, and we’re already bracing ourselves for that famous Beijing accent.
I’ll have to update you (my loyal readers) on the details of the trip in September, though, because I can’t make blog posts over the summer for some tax reason that I don’t really understand. But I needed to plug that cool opportunity somehow!
4. WAIT by Doechii
Ever since finding out people actually read my blog posts, including my friend’s mom (if you know me and you’re reading this, please click away), I promised to be more cautious with what I immortalize on the Internet. (In other words, less vulnerable.) But for prospective students, I think a real, unfiltered view of college life is important, so I’m doing it for all of y’all. Be grateful!!!
Anyway, I’m at a weird place in my life where I’ve been trying a bunch of new things in the last two years, but a lot of it hasn’t stuck. Obviously, last year was my first year of college, and that was a major adjustment for me. As I quickly learned, making and seeing friends is very different in college than it is in a high school of 850 people.
This year, I’ve been branching out and exploring law-related classes, including joining Moot Court, which was a terrifying new experience in fall term. While I loved the team, competing is so nerve-wracking, and while I don’t regret my brief, one-term foray into law, it nearly dissuaded me from law school altogether. However, I recently attended a women of color networking social hosted by Oberlin’s GSAI (Gender, Sexuality, and Attraction Initiatives), MRC (Multicultural Resource Center), and Sisters of the Yam, where I met an amazing local attorney and got myself an internship.
One of the things emphasized by every woman on the panel was to let time run its course, and that things would work out as they’re meant to. It’s hard advice to follow because, instinctually, we want things to work out right now. But I’m doing my best to remember that college is for experimenting and uncertainty about life and the future is normal, even though it’s unpleasant. In the meantime, I’ve been trying to slow down, tackle challenges as they come, and look at the bigger picture to keep myself grounded. Is it working? I guess we’ll have to wait and see. (Was that an awful pun? I think so.)
