My name is Meaghan Northup. I am a sophomore admissions intern studying business analytics and French. I really enjoy staying very busy at Notre Dame. I am Vice President of my hall, Pasquerilla West. I am involved in many activities on campus. And, believe it or not I genuinely love going to class and doing my homework. Outside of school I try to make time to have fun on the weekends, go to mass, and exercise.
Although I’ve had an absolutely amazing college experience so far, I’ve been thinking a lot lately on what I would tell my high school self coming into college. One habit I’ve gained from my roommate this year is to always make my bed. It seems like a minor detail; my freshmen year, it was an afterthought, something I did when I had extra time or a friend was coming over. Now however, I see it as a necessity. Even waking up only 20 minutes before my first class of the day, I find myself quickly arranging my blankets and pillows. It provides me a lot of peace. College is chaotic and sometimes stressful. I’ve come to appreciate always having a neat space to come home to at the end of the day. Additionally, even if it’s not much, it’s a little accomplishment I can carry with me, a reminder that I can accomplish all I need to during the day. Other pick-me-ups in college I have really come to appreciate include using my (res-life approved) kettle to make tea and oatmeal before class in the morning, writing in my journal by my window, taking the occasional twenty minute power snooze, and going on a run in the snow.
These little moments and actions are really important to me because they illustrate another side to Notre Dame—a quieter one. My first thought that comes to mind when thinking about school is “work hard, play hard.” I absolutely adore having a full itinerary for the day. But, I also think it’s quite important to make spaces at school to reflect and just be.