It’s October? It’s 2017? It’s my SENIOR YEAR?? What?! Where am I??
Although I don’t feel that my time at Penn has flown by at all, it seems like just yesterday that I started writing for the Penn Admissions Blog. Throughout the duration of my time at Penn, I’ve seen and experienced so much. It would be impossible for me to write about it all, but as usual, I’ll try my best.
For anyone who has just stumbled upon this blog, or for those of you who are return readers, I’d like to take a moment to introduce myself. As you probably read in my bio, my name is Nina, and I am a senior studying nursing and creative writing. I’m a dancer, a writer, a radio DJ, the co-chair of a nursing organization – but I’m also a person. If you’re thinking of attending Penn, or if you’re already here (or if you’re just curious about the day-to-day life of a Penn student), I don’t want any of you to forget that we are real, living, flawed humans. It can be easy to forget that when you’re surrounded by extraordinary people all the time.
Before writing this post, I was feeling nostalgic and decided to skim through a few of my old posts. I stumbled across a post I made at the beginning of my sophomore year talking about how lost I felt among such impressive people when I got to college. When I was a freshman, I didn’t need to hear about the life-changing work that each undergraduate student has participated in. I didn’t need to find out the details of an internship that an acquaintance worked at the summer before their sophomore year. I didn’t need to know everyone’s SAT scores (for the love of all things good and pure in this world – stop asking. It won’t help you.). Although all of these things were really cool, and I wanted to learn about them, what I really needed to find out was that all of the people I was surrounded by were just that – people.
So, let me start again, and exclude everything on my resume.
My name is Nina, and I’m someone who is incredibly passionate about helping others. I’m an Aquarius, but my birthday is February 16th, so I’m technically an Aquarius-Pisces cusp. I love baked goods an unhealthy amount. I really just love all types of food, and I often plan ahead to attend info sessions and other events on campus that I know will have free food. I’m incredibly messy, but I like to consider my room/desk/life an “organized mess”. Regardless of when you’re reading this post, I definitely have to do laundry tonight (I’m also not going to do laundry tonight). I love to crochet, but I can only make crooked scarves and hats. I love listening to and playing music, and I can talk for hours about my favorite songs and artists. I drink enough tea in a day to quench the thirst of a small village (if you ever make some for me, I prefer black tea with a small amount of milk and a teaspoon of sugar, or green tea with as much honey as you can put in without using the entire bottle). I love to take long walks at night as a study break (I recommend walking down locust to Penn Park, or through the Woodlands cemetery just off Baltimore Avenue if it’s still light out.. it sounds strange but I’m telling you, it’s worth it). Sometimes I worry too much about making choices and sometimes I’m impulsive. I’m inquisitive, quiet, strong, intuitive, hard-working, bright, patient, and a remarkable listener.
If you continue to read my blog, or if you want to go through any of my old posts, the one thing I want you to remember about me is that I’m real. If you want to know what the average Penn student is like, here I am! This blog has been and will continue to serve as an extension of myself. Sometimes I’ll talk about my academic achievements, or about my job offer, or about my personal success – all of which I’m incredibly proud of; but at the end of the day, I want you to find common ground with the things I share here.
Feel free to comment on any of my posts to ask questions or share about yourself! Thanks for taking the time to read!
