This winter break, I did not go home to Bangladesh. Instead, I stayed in the U.S. and visited my friend in Los Angeles. After my brief trip, I came back to campus early. Most students were not back and the quiet serenity gave me some time to reflect on the parts of Conn I will miss the most as I start my last semester here.

Getting Mozzarella Sticks from Oasis
Nothing can quite live up to an impromptu Oasis Cafe visit with my friends at midnight. Whether it’s after a hard night in Shain Library during midterms or on a Saturday during a hangout, the Oasis mozzarella sticks hit all my salty and cheesy cravings.

Sprinting to Tempel Green to take photos of the sunset
I have lost count of how many times I have spied a sliver of either orange or pink from the windows of Shain Library and I raced to Tempel Green to take a photo of the sunset behind Harkness Chapel. As I grew up in a crowded city, I rarely saw such a magnificent sight. Thus, Conn sunsets hold a special place in my heart.

Getting a mid-afternoon coffee from Coffee Grounds
I like to use our student-run coffee shops as a study break. I particularly like visiting Coffee Grounds as a lot of the baristas and bakers are my friends. My recommendations for CG are their matcha lattes and shaken espresso with a cinnamon shot.

SGA General Assemblies on Thursdays
Throughout my junior and senior year, I have been heavily involved with Conn’s Student Government Association. We usually hold our general meetings on Thursdays, hence, it has become a weekly constant in my schedule. It’s a great forum for students to make their voices heard, get involved with a co-curricular activity, and an opportunity to make friends who are not in my class year or major.

Cooking with my roommate in our on-campus apartment
In my senior year, I was lucky enough to get an on-campus apartment with one of my best friends. She was my roommate in my first year of Conn. We wanted to come full circle and be roommates in our senior year too. Having a kitchen to cook in at the end of the day has been a great stress reliever after a long day of classes and SGA appointments.

Late nights in Shain Library
If you couldn’t tell by this blog post, I spend a lot of time in Shain Library. But I don’t study all the time there. Shain first floor is my second home on campus. I hang out with my friends and occasionally, do some work. We have two tables we always sit at and we run into the same groups of people which makes Shain the most comforting place on campus.

My Professors
I always say that “the people make Conn.” Throughout my time at Conn, I had the pleasure of working with numerous professors who I have depended on heavily. Starting from getting help outlining my papers during my first semester to advising me on my graduate school applications, my professors have made my Conn experience so much better. Conn’s small class sizes and the frequency of office hours have ensured that my professors know me well. These relationships served me well for graduate school applications as they advised me on whether a particular program was suitable for me.

These are small snapshots of the things that have made my Conn experience memorable. In my last semester, I intend to enjoy all of these while eating as many Mozzarella sticks as possible.