Student Blogger: Alexa Malerba

Shows are a wonderful form of entertainment. The bright lights, the catchy songs, and the spectacular dancing is a sight to behold. Whether it’s a local production, national tour, or a Broadway spectacle, it’s an experience everyone should have at least once in life. However, there are some things first-time theatergoers should be aware of in order to optimize their experience. Therefore, I have created a comprehensive guide to navigating your first show.

After a lifetime of performing onstage in dance recitals and school musicals, I have always wondered how the experience would be if I worked behind the scenes. Recently, I had the opportunity to do so at the dance recital of my former studio. I worked to ensure the show went on smoothly, and it was a very different experience than usual. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed my experience backstage and how it compared to being onstage. 

It’s finally summer break! The sun is shining, the weather is warm, and the vibes are immaculate. Most people see this as a time to relax and get a break from school (which is the case for me as well). However, summer vacation also brings other responsibilities. I still make time to have fun, but most of my days are spent working at my part-time job. I work at a retail store, and while it can get exhausting at times, I enjoy it overall. It’s taught me a lot about the professional world, and most importantly, about myself.

Academic integrity is incredibly important to me. It’s resisting temptation to take the easy route while also having the courage to do the right thing. While it may be appealing to look up the answer or have someone else do the work for you, it’s incredibly important to resist doing so. In the long run, you’ll be doing yourself a favor by remaining honest.

At last, the week every student dreads—or is excited for, depending on who you ask—has finally passed at my school: finals week. This week holds a lot of bittersweet emotions for me, especially at the end of my first year. On one hand, I’m excited for summer break and to be temporarily done with school. On the other hand, I’m going to miss my college friends and the memories we’ve made. I will not, however, miss taking finals. On that note, here is what a typical finals week is like at my school.

Between all the constant assignments and exams, it’s incredibly easy to feel a phenomenon known as burnout. Burnout is very common in college, especially towards the end of the semester. I have lots of personal experiences with burnout, both in high school and college. I feel varying degrees of unmotivation at times, although there are some days that are way worse than others. The worst of it typically occurs towards the end of the semester, a time when I’m mentally exhausted. Burnout can be hard to navigate when all you feel like doing is laying down and doing nothing, but there are some workarounds.

Student life is a major factor for prospective students to consider when deciding which college to attend. It’s important to know what your college will offer for students outside of the classroom, as college is more than academics. With college commitment season in full swing, it’s the perfect time for me to discuss student life at the University of Connecticut.

College can be very overwhelming for any student. Between homework assignments, exams, and extracurriculars, keeping a healthy balance can be a challenge. You may be wondering how a healthy balance can be achieved. While it can be difficult, the key is to stay committed and organized. Here are some tools I use to remain focused on my goals:

I’m halfway through the semester, which means two things: the weather’s starting to get warmer and exams are upon us. Any exam can be very stressful, but when multiple are happening in the same time frame, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. With midterm season happening now at my school, I figured this would be a perfect opportunity to share my advice in order to get through it.

Winter is in full swing, which also marks the beginning of my second semester of college. I learned a lot from my first semester: it was a big adjustment, but overall I would say it was pretty successful. I learned that I love the independence of college, although it comes with a lot of responsibility. For example, I need to manage my time properly so I don’t fall behind on assignments.