Student Blogger: Alexa Malerba

At my university, one of the performing arts clubs, Dramatic PAWS, is producing Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic. For those unaware, the play tells the story of Hogwarts during Harry Potter's years from the perspective of the Hufflepuffs. I’m an avid Harry Potter fan, so naturally, I felt compelled to audition. Here’s a breakdown of how it went.

If I had to summarize my winter break in one word, I would say “relaxing.” While it was also unproductive for the most part, I finally had time to simply sit around and do nothing, which I consider a treat.

Finals week at the University of Connecticut has come and gone. My experience was still stressful, as it usually is, but more manageable than the semesters prior because of my lighter workload.

It’s one thing to be a member of different on-campus organizations, but it’s another thing to actually be involved. As I’ve stated before, my freshman year was a lot of trial and error. To this day, I’m still on email lists for clubs I don’t attend.

It’s been a very hectic week with lots of exams and assignments, but even in stressful times, it’s important to practice gratitude. In honor of Thanksgiving, I figured it would be appropriate to write about what I’m thankful for.

Declaring your major can be very daunting, especially when you aren’t sure what you want to study. As someone who’s had many different career aspirations throughout my lifetime, I eventually figured out what interests me. It was a long journey, but now I can successfully say I declared my major in something I am passionate about.

Life is full of crazy adventures, and one random Thursday night proved this to be true. On October 10, we had a beautiful display of the northern lights across America. I was lucky enough to be able to view them right on UConn’s campus, and it was truly a sight to behold. Here’s a recap of my incredible evening viewing the lights.

As a returning college student, my first year was a lot of trial and error as I learned what did and didn’t work for me. Now, I am hopeful that I can improve my quality of life by implementing some new habits and goals.

A few weeks of the semester have passed, so it’s finally time to discuss how the new term has been going. Personally, I’m having nothing short of a great time as a sophomore at the University of Connecticut. I’m making new friends and I’m continuing to get more involved with extracurriculars. Here’s a brief recap of my semester so far!

The feeling of rejection is difficult, to say the least. It can be heartbreaking to get rejected from any opportunity you really wanted. Whether it’s a job, an audition for a school musical, or anything in between, getting rejected can be painful. It may even seem impossible to cope with at first. However, I can assure you—as someone who’s been rejected many times—that it is not the end of the world.

It’s finally that time of year again: college move-in season! As a sophomore, I remember my freshman year all too well. While I came in feeling prepared, there was a lot I didn’t know. There’s a lot of advice out there aimed at helping students, some of which I wish I had known last year.

When you’re an incoming college freshman, it can be very overwhelming. One of the most concerning aspects for these students is their dorm rooms. More specifically, what to bring to their dorm rooms. I was also struggling with this last year, as the thought of packing left me feeling very stressed.

One of my favorite parts of summer break is going on vacation. Every year (with the exception of 2020), I’ve been visiting the same destination, and every time I enjoy it just as much, if not more. The destination in question is Wildwood, a charming island in New Jersey. There’s so much to do, making it an enjoyable destination for any age. 

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.