BC Blog: Boston College from a Senior's Perspective : Hurricane Sandy

Hello everyone,

Well, it's official. Monday marked the first day of canceled classes this winter season. BC rarely closes down for weather-related reasons, but this hurricane packed enough power to shut down the university. Audible cheers and celebrations could be heard in the dorms and around campus when emails circulated about the canceled classes. Students obviously did not mind the extended weekend.

A view from my bedroom window on Monday during Hurricane Sandy

My roommates and I decided to take advantage of our free time and whipped up a Monday morning brunch. Unlike underclassmen dorms, junior and senior suites come equipped with large fridges. We stocked up this weekend in preparation for the storm. We ate muffins, pancakes, fruit and eggs in the warmth and safety of our room. As I ate breakfast, I noticed all of the schedules on the wall. At the beginning of the semester, my roommates and I made schedules and put them up near the kitchen. We wrote down not only our classes but our weekly clubs, jobs, and group meetings.

Impromptu brunch

Chocolate chip pancakes

Our schedules

In addition to classes, clubs, intramural sports, and other extracurricular activities were canceled on Monday. Hurricane Sandy really did shut down the school for a day.

My roommates and I participate in a range of activities on campus apart from our classes. Some of our extracurriculars include the Synergy Hip Hop Dance Company, the Hawaii Club, the Orthodox Christian Fellowship, the Appalachia Volunteers Program, the Pom Squad and many other groups. Several of us, myself included, TA for classes and work on campus during the week. We probably spend as much time at our extracurriculars as we do in class each week.

Personally, I spend about twenty hours a week at my various jobs and clubs. I am the type of person who works better with more structure in my day. My clubs and jobs do not just help me structure my time, they act as social outlets. For example, I TA for a class, Learning to Learn, with several friends. We meet once a week with all the TAs and the professors to discuss student progress and lesson plans. I then meet an hour a week with each of my students throughout the semester. The TA position offers leadership opportunity and acts as a social outlet as well. So when I received the email about canceled classes on Monday, I also knew my TA sessions and other extracurriculars were canceled as well. I almost did not know what to do with my extra time on Monday.

Luckily, classes resumed on Tuesday and life on campus returned to normal. Several large trees on campus were uprooted during the storm but BC was spared the major damage many others experienced during the hurricane. I will keep you updated in the next couple of weeks through the election and the start of the holiday season!

Emily

P.S. Here are some pictures from the week...