Top Five Reasons Why I Loved My Time at UConn

A strangely picturesque view of South Parking Lot

I was skeptical at first, but I loved UConn in the end and here's why:

#1: Sugar gliders

Halfway through my junior year, I travelled to Maine to acquire sugar gliders. Nobody will ever really know what was going through my head when I made that decision.

For one and a half years, I hid two sugar gliders in my studio space - in an enormous flight cage, no less. People weirdly looked past the giant covered rectangle in my studio. I think some of the professors had to have known. A few would even walk in on me hurriedly covering the cage. Other would knock pointedly before entering. And yet, some most definitely did not know what was hidden under the bedsheet. One such professor actually held classes in my studio. Once, when Sadie crabbed noisily at Icarus, my professor seemed suspicious. After a frightening silence he asked, "Is that a bee?"

Pictured: Icarus surveys the world from his blanket utopia and sees nothing but inferiority.

#2: Late nights in the art building.

The art building was home to my friends, sugar gliders, and beautiful elf boyfriend (pictured on left). I can't even count how many all nighters we pulled, first on the public couches, then on our very own thrift store armchairs, and finally on my six foot behemoth beanbag.

#3: Improvisational comedy

As a freshman I had horrible stage fright and was terrible at interviews to boot. So I joined Agents of Improv to have fun at weekly meetings. I eventually joined the advanced group as well, dabbled in other improv groups, and even performed (once in NYC!)

One time, my friend Alex and I joined up with the NYC group Improv Anywhere, donned formal wear, and hit the beach. When one confused passerby asked why I was wearing an evening gown I replied snootily, "I'm from Connecticut."

#4: Everybody Arts

For a brief while, I started and ran an art club. We specialized in public displays of art, such as colored ice sculptures and chalk drawings of shadows. Basically it was an excuse to get goofy with my best friends and pretend that sculpting little chocolate flowers was a resume-boosting extracurricular activity.

We indulged in the Harlem Shake fad, volunteered at local schools, made Pokemon card wallets, and fundraised our crafts by drawing caricatures at UConn's weekend Late Night. I loved every moment.

#5: Studying and travelling abroad

Prague, Czech Republic

I spent a lot of time abroad. I went to Israel twice, once with family and once with Birthright. I went to an international research conference in Amsterdam. I studied for a summer in Prague, including brief visits to Barcelona and Istanbul. I spent one incredible winter in India - though that trip had the least amount of traditional academic experiences, I would argue that I learned the most on that trip. I met artists in their studios, asked questions to a renowned art curator, and interacted with a culture entirely alien to my own.

Other crowd favorites: friends, art studios, excellent poli sci classes, research grants, and endless applications. I adore all the people I met and the adventures I had. I hope the past four years are an accurate predictor for the rest of my life.