Things have really started picking up-- we've barely had two full weeks of classes but so much has been going on and I've kind of gotten into a routine so it actually feels like we've been here for a lot longer. One new addition to this year is that I've started working as a Spanish tutor at the Penn Tutoring Center, another one of the school's great resources. So basically, tutoring services are provided to all Penn students who want it for the majority of the really popular beginning and intermediate level classes (things like Bio, Chem, Math, Finance, Econ, etc...). There are general walk-in opportunities at the Satellite Centers, but you can also request a private weekly tutor if you want something more consistent and individual. And the best part is it's COMPLETELY FREE! So there's no reason not to check it out, and it's also nice to know that if you're having a little trouble with a class, there are support systems to help out.

In addition to working at the Tutoring Center, our club gymnastics practices have started picking up which is always fun. Some nights (actually, most nights) I go more to hang out with people than actually work out. Practices end up including anything from karaoke, cartwheel and handstand contests, running up walls, volleyball, and dance parties. It's a great stress reliever and a nice mental break from thinking about class or recruiting stuff.

First week of classes

There's a reason I said NSO and the time before classes start is one of my favorite times of the year. I went from having absolutely no academic obligations and being completely carefree to feeling extremely overwhelmed and getting caught up in this whirlwind of shopping for classes, meeting with advisors for my major, buying books, bulkpacks and other school supplies, and, although I didn't originally think it was something for me, OCR (On-Campus Recruiting, more on this later). But despite the fact that things have been a little hectic lately, it's kind of nice to have all these activities to do and ways to keep myself busy. And although I've only been to 4 of my classes, so far so good! I'm taking a nice mix of courses to finish up my majors, and a few just for fun and out of interest, like Portuguese and Contemporary African Politics.

I'm still getting used to the fact that I am officially a senior now. I ran into someone at the bookstore I hadn't seen in a while and said "Wow, so you're a senior now, huh?" and then suddenly realized that I am too! It's especially terrifying since I don't have a clue as to what I will end up doing after graduation. Which is why I decided maybe OCR wouldn't hurt, although I'm definitely keeping my options open and will apply to lots of non-OCR jobs as well. In case you don't know what OCR is (since I was abroad, I had no idea what it was until last semester), it's basically this big process where lots of banks, consulting firms, marketing companies etc... come to Penn to give presentations, host info sessions and give interviews to hire students for internships or post-grad positions. It's a time when it seems like half the campus is walking around wearing suits and stressing about whether they'll get an interview or offer from Goldman or JP Morgan or McKinsey. So basically it's the most intimidating thing ever for a small little liberal arts girl like myself. But nevertheless, I've found myself getting into it, mostly just to find out more about what job opportunities are out there. We'll see how things turn out...