Welcome to Sarah Lawrence!
You are now a part of a very unique and special place. I do believe that every aspect of SLC is nothing short of exceptional. I am excited for you to get to know the faculty, the students, the staff, and the curriculum. I graduated with my Masters in Women’s History a few years ago and fell so in love with the College that I decided to stay and continue my career here. I would venture to guess that most of you within a few short months (after surviving your first round of conference papers), will agree with me – this is a very unique and special place.
2008-2009 will be my third academic year as the Director of Student Activities (my fifth year working at the College) and from this capacity as well as from my experience as a student, I’d like to share a few helpful words of wisdom.
First, be open! Try new things. Introduce yourself to new people. Join clubs. You’ll get out of college what you put into it and now is your time! Think in advance about what you want your college experience to be, and then make it happen. You don’t have to be an outwardly assertive person. You don’t have to go up to every student you see in the Pub and introduce yourself. Just attend events, say hello and get involved. After a while you’ll look back and wonder how you got so busy.
Next, if your experience is not what you want it to be – make it so! This College is unique (as I mentioned) and one of the things that makes it so special is that you are not just a number – you can talk to almost anyone about anything. If you are having a problem, TALK! TALK to your faculty, TALK to other students, TALK to your RA, and TALK to staff. Which brings me to my next suggestion…
Come into the Student Affairs office. Come in to say hello and introduce yourself. Do you want to start a new club or get involved in an existing club but don’t know how? Have you dreamt of bringing a band or speaker to campus? We’ll get you started. Even if you are having a problem or can’t figure out how to connect, come in – most of the time we can help you or we can at least send you in the right direction. Believe me, you are not the first we’ve helped and you certainly won’t be the last.
Finally, make the effort. Your academic program is a very individualized one and it is easy to feel overwhelmed and lonely after the third straight night of working on your conference work. Make the effort to connect, to find out what’s going on, and to go to things and reach out to other people. In my experience, I have seen a deeply caring, engaged community of students on this campus but you need to make an effort to engage with it and if you can’t figure out how – just ask!
Again, welcome to our community. We are VERY glad that you are here. Be sure to stop by the Student Affairs office and say hello!
I hope to meet you soon.
Best,
Jennifer
Jennifer Montalbano
Director of Student Activities
Sarah Lawrence College