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By Jennifer Robert ’08
The first year of college is an entirely new chapter in life. As doors swing open to new intellectual and academic interests, first-year students find themselves part of a community where they have new responsibilities. This past August, incoming student Jennifer Robert agreed to share her impressions in an online diary that was published regularly on the College’s Web site. Over the course of the academic year, Jen chronicled her thoughts and experiences—and the unique moments, both mundane and profound, which mark life at Holy Cross.
 7 September 2004
So, I’ve officially been a “Crusader” for slightly over a week, and what a week it
has been! In all truth, I was “wicked” nervous about college. As the oldest child in my family, I didn’t know too much about the college experience. A Worcester native, all through the summer I thought that the transition from high school to the College of the Holy Cross would be no big deal at all.
Well, two days before “move-in day” it was a whole different story. I cried for what seemed like 24 hours! Apparently, it doesn’t matter all that much how far away you go—it’s still a huge change. There’s no one here to tell you what to do or when to do it. It’s like the ultimate test to see how well you can do on your own. This can be overwhelming and scary. I know the thoughts that ran through my mind were: What if it’s too hard? What if I don’t make any friends??
Anyway, as soon as I arrived in front of my new home, Mulledy, the “Just Move It” crew was so excited to see me—and to quickly move all of my junk into my little dorm room—that I no longer had time to worry or think about this big change. I was too preoccupied with moving in―which bed to select, where my desk should go, and which drawer my T-shirts should go in―to worry about missing my family and friends. Everything went smoothly. The school provided upperclassmen at every imaginable point during the day to help out with each problem and question.
My roommate, Colleen, is great!
After getting a hefty workout in what seemed like 100 degree weather, all the first-year students gathered on the Hart Center Lawn for the Mass of the Holy Spirit. Although it was impossible not to cry after the parents blessed their children, the departure and goodbye was made quick, as students were escorted to the football practice field for a cookout.
9 September 2004
The first day of classes came all too soon! My first class was chemistry with Professor Herrick. He seems like a great teacher. Surprisingly, I wasn’t too overwhelmed by this class, but I expect it will be a lot of work.
The next class of the day was calculus with Professor Freschette. I’ve always loved math, but I felt a little overwhelmed by this class. We began review right away, and it seemed to be going a little fast. So, after class I decided to meet up with the professor during her office hours. That turned out to be a wise choice; she advised me to stay in the class. She was ready and willing to listen to me and to help me figure out which class I should be in. After meeting with her, I realize that it is going to be a lot of work, but I think I’ll like this class, too.
13 September 2004
My first Mass on campus. It was beautiful—there was a more modern form of music—congas and piano, as well as some Spanish lyrics. The students were involved in a number of ways—as lectors, Eucharistic ministers, cantors and greeters. At the beginning of Mass, we were asked to turn to our neighbors and greet them, so we would know the people with whom we would be celebrating. Afterward, the Chaplains’ Office offered a “s’mores block party” where they provided dessert and information regarding involvement in the liturgical aspects of the College. My friends and I signed up to be Eucharistic ministers and lectors.
9 October 2004
It’s Columbus Day weekend, we have a four-day holiday and it appears a popular tradition for first-year students to make the “official” first trip back home.
On Friday, someone commented on how much she’d miss eating lunch in Kimball with the usual gang. Most of our lunch group comes from New York. Though the N.Y. contingent had a bit of a drive home, most of them were traveling together. Some even were planning to visit each other over the weekend! At the end of lunch, hugs and goodbyes were exchanged as this was the last time we would see each other for FOUR WHOLE DAYS!
18 October 2004
I got back my chem exam. Didn’t do so well—and that basically ruined my week. However, I learned a few lessons as a result of this poor grade. Later in the day, I wandered over to Professor Herrick’s office. It was my first college “office hours” visit. And it was terrific. I sat down with Prof. H. and we went over each of my mistakes, one by one. Then he gave me a few pointers on how to prepare for the next exam—and a preview of upcoming work and his next lecture. Tip to everyone: Office visits can be a lifesaver.
22 October 2004
We went to the Smith Wellness Center for the first time. We stretched and then rode the bikes for a little while. After that, we kind of played around on a few machines and then did some sit-ups/pushups/crunches. The gym itself had all the machines you might need, and while you ride the bike, you can listen to music, read a magazine or simply look out the huge glass windows in front of you and watch a game being played on the field.
28 October 2004
THE RED SOX WON THE WORLD SERIES!!!!!!!!!!!!
1 November 2004
Big, busy weekend: Halloween and “Family Weekend.”
Even though they live nearby, my parents had planned to come up to campus for Family Weekend. (When I discretely hinted to my mom that I was thinking about going to Boston for the Sox parade, she discretely hinted back that there was no way that was going to happen!)
Saturday, a bunch of us and our families had a tailgating party in Mulledy basement before the football game. It turned out to be a good time—we all got to meet each other’s families and hang out for a few hours.
That night, everyone got dressed up for Halloween. Cassie made each person on the floor a cute little bag of Halloween candy and we all went out together. Eileen was the devil, Alison was an angel (only in costume, though! Kidding!), Sarah was a bee (in her Adidas jacket with yellow stripes), Kaitlyn was Britney Spears, Jill was an ’80s girl, Lauren was “Kimmy Gibbler,” Lucy and Meg were cowgirls, and I was a fairy (in jeans … but I had wings and a wand!).
3 November 2004
Tensions were running high in Mulledy 3 East last night. The Republican wing of the hall watched anxiously in the triple as Bush gained votes. While most of us had absentee ballots to mail in, Colleen and I had the home advantage of being able to go to the polls to vote. My mom picked me up around 1 p.m., and we went to a local synagogue to cast our ballots. It was my second time voting, but my first time casting a ballot for president. Unfortunately, I have a math exam today, so I wasn’t able to spend the night following the returns, but I stopped in for a few minutes to watch. Nearly every room had the TV on, but the girls in the triple were deeply into it! Eileen and Laura were pacing the halls—to say they were stressed was an understatement. Laura had set up a map outside the room and would go into the hall and put a blue or red pin in a state once that state’s vote was final. And now here we are, the morning after the election, and we still don’t know who won. Frustrating!
12 November 2004
SNOW!
The first snow of the season fell today. I had a chem exam first thing this morning and on the way to breakfast, Ali and I saw the first few flakes float to the ground. After the exam, we came back outside to see the ground lightly covered in a dusting of white. Finally, after my last class that day, a few inches had accumulated. We returned to the room, hung out for a few hours and then ended up going outside. It was perfect snow for snowballs and we made good use of it! We even made a mini-snowman. After a few hours outside, we came back in to warm up. We made hot chocolate and popcorn in our room. Such a fun afternoon.
9 December 2004
Classes officially ended this past Tuesday at noon (for me anyway). The tree lighting scheduled for Tuesday night was postponed due to the poor weather—which, by the way, almost caused me to fall flat on my face at 8:30 a.m. on that lovely Tuesday morning. I had my very last practicum, where I filled out a class survey.
At 10, several of us went to Mass for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, which was followed by a mini-adventure at Campion House. Campion is open extended hours during study and finals weeks, so that all the intellectual night crawlers can stop by for a midnight snack or a break from the books. It felt like we were breaking into someone’s house as we opened the door and darted directly to the kitchen to find the “goods.” As we took some of the cookies from the bag on the table, Fr. Campbell snapped on the lights, surprising us all! We sat around the table for a while, chatting. Once our bellies were full, we headed back to Mulledy. Later, I went to Dinand with Colleen and Ali. About an hour into our studying, we were startled by the Holy Cross Chamber Singers’ traditional “Dinand Invasion”! The singers provided a short study-break full of beautiful a cappella Christmas Carols. Then it was back to work until the holiday dinner!
17 December 2004
I’m all moved out of Mulledy for the next month! Although it took two car trips and one million goodbyes, I’m home.. It has been an amazing few months and I can only hope that the rest of my time at college is just as rewarding!
17 January 2005
My return to Mount St. James was significantly different from my initial arrival in late August. Although I had a great break and enjoyed spending time with my family and high school friends, I was excited to get back to the Hill and couldn’t wait to see Colleen and the ladies of Mulledy 3 East!
24 January 2005
The first weekend back on campus was awesome! The main excitement was the “Blizzard of ’05” which left most of Massachusetts a white blunder for the weekend.
Saturday night was the hall spaghetti dinner. Colleen, Kaitlyn and Christine did the majority of the cooking. We used the kitchen in the basement of Mulledy and—since no one was using the study rooms—we pushed together some of the tables to accommodate our large group. There ended up being about 35 people in attendance. It was a great dinner, and afterwards everyone helped to clean up. We ended the snowy night with a movie.
2 February 2005
Last week in Kimball, we celebrated all the birthdays and “un-birthdays” of the Holy Cross community at the “Mad Hatter’s Birthday Bash.” The bakers from the Kimball Sweet Shoppe made a giant cake (36 feet wide and 4 feet tall). It was decorated with bright colored frostings and had edible decorations coinciding with the Alice and Wonderland theme. The rest of Kimball Hall was decorated with whimsical decorations, also reflective of the Lewis Carroll story.
11 February 2005
A few of us went to the opening of the art exhibit in Rehm Library. The exhibit features the work of artist Helga Hoskova, a victim of the Holocaust. Hoskova’s artwork portrays images of her experiences. The featured speaker at the opening, Edgar Krasa, had lived with Hoskova during the Holocaust. Krasa passed around photos and other items – such as one of the yellow stars that Jews were required to sew onto all of their clothing. It was a strange feeling, to be in the presence of an actual item from the time of the Holocaust. Handling the star made the event much more real to us. Krasa spoke about his experiences as a child in the ghetto. He explained that the ghetto was not a place of execution for victims; rather it was a transitional place where the victims were housed before being transported to the gas chambers and concentration camps. Our psychology class just finished reading and discussing the book, The Drowned and the Saved by Primo Levi, another survivor of the Holocaust. I could see some parallels between Levi’s words and those of Krasa.
14 February 2005
I met with my psych prof, Professor Freeman, during his office hours. I really enjoy his class; there is great discussion every day and all of the topics are relevant to our lives, even though the texts are so old. Right now, we’re reading St. Augustine’s Confessions, and we have just finished Plato’s The Republic. It’s interesting to read Plato in the context of two different classes—philosophy and psychology.
25 February 2005
The Mulledy Hall semi-formal dinner took place last night in the basement study rooms, which were transformed into a large dining hall. It was clear that a lot of planning went into this event—there were lights strung along the walls; tablecloths and nice dinnerware on the tables. There was some nice entertainment—the Holy Cross a cappella groups Testosterone, Fools on the Hill and the Delilahs. There was a little miscommunication about the proper attire—some people were in prom dresses, and others in pajama pants. Regardless, we had a fine time.
20 March 2005
Worcester prides itself on its many diners. Most of the girls had never been to a Worcester diner before, so for breakfast yesterday we decided to try out the Boulevard Diner, on Shrewsbury Street. Seating was limited, so we had to split up into two tables, but the service was quick and the food was tasty and plentiful. We all ordered huge plates of food—enough to keep us full for much of the day! We had a great time at the “Boule” and plan to try out another diner before we leave for the summer.
3 April 2005
“Holy Cross Cares Day” took place yesterday in the pouring rain! We arrived at the fieldhouse for breakfast and prayer around 9 a.m. Our site, Hope Lodge, is a beautiful old mansion in Worcester where people receiving any form of cancer treatment in Boston or Worcester can stay, with or without their families. There were about 23 of us there so we split up, cleaning windows, dusting, vacuuming and organizing. When we were leaving, the main person in charge at the time, Annie, invited us back when the weather is nicer for a barbeque and to help with the lawn work.
11 April 2005
Mulledy Beach was officially open for business this weekend! With sunny skies and temperatures upward of 60 degrees, the hill behind Mulledy was covered with blankets, football and Frisbee games. Music played out of some windows, while everyone relished the spring weather! As soon as we woke up and ate breakfast, we all donned shorts and T-shirts, and headed out to “do work outside.” Most of us got a little more sun that we had anticipated (especially Sarah!), but we were all so relieved that the weather finally warmed up, that no one seemed to mind.
27 April 2005
Last night AMSA (American Medical Student Association, a national group for premed students) held its first event—“Fudge with Futterman.” Dr. Futterman is one of the College’s seven premed advisors. There were about 50 premed students in attendance. Professors Futterman and Koss were extremely helpful in discussing the medical school application process and simply explaining what first- and second-year students should be doing to prime ourselves. The session definitely settled my fears and cleared up premonitions I had about the next few years as a pre-med student.
3 May 2005
I can’t believe it, but my final class as a freshman just ended! This year has flown by, and what a trip it has been. I remember back to the end of last August when I was petrified about college—I never dreamed it would be this wonderful.
6 May 2005
Finals Frenzy is in full swing again—coffee at Dinand, events in Hogan—all sorts of stress relievers. The library is crowded nearly all hours of the day, but this time everything is a little different because everyone knows that it’s nearly time to pack up for the summer. Today, Colleen and I started packing up a few things. Ali refused to come into our room at first because she didn’t want to see the bare walls. I can already see that I’m going to miss college over the summer.
To read all of Jen’s blog entries for the year, log onto:
http://www.holycross.edu/publicaffairs/features/2004-2005/robert_diary
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