I swear I just left the island in August to head to Smith and now I’m already back for winter break. Smith has quickly become a second home. The Northampton community is very similar to that of the Vineyard which made the transition to college relatively smooth, though I still had my moments of homesickness. The amazing friends, professors, and community I have met while only being there for one semester have made me truly excited for the years to come. A huge part of my first semester was learning new study habits for college. I found my go-to study nook in the library right in front of a window so I could watch the lawn as I crammed. Before every chemistry exam, I would walk to a coffee shop with a friend and study before going to take the exam together. And any time I sat down to study I needed to start by doing all the New York Times Games. I found this really helped me to focus and meant I could procrastinate working just a little longer. At school I also made habits of going to the gym, going on walks, and practicing piano. It was nice to pick up hobbies that I did not do much in high school, while also keeping up my old hobby of singing via the Glee Club. Throughout the semester I was the subject of a friend’s assignments for her digital media class; posing for a photoshoot and acting in her final project short film, which is not something I could have predicted myself agreeing to a few short months ago. Next semester my course load is more challenging than it was this fall but now that I have settled in Northampton I feel ready for the difficulty. I am especially eager to take organic chemistry and an engineering class about sustainable energy since I have ambitions to work in conservation post-graduation.