Alyssa Hollingsworth's Blog

A common quandary from college-aged people is: Why general education classes? Someone like me might say, “Why do I have to take a math class when I’m an English major? Isn’t that a waste of my time and money?”

Anyone who tells you that they learned nothing from their general education is either lying, being stupid or going to a community college where their professors talked only about their pet turtles for hours (in which case, I learned still learned a lot about pet turtles—just not public speaking).

I’m not saying some classes haven’t taught me more than others. But here’s a list of general education classes I’ve had to take at Berry and the stuff I learned which I consider vital to me as a writer.

American History: I learned about the way wars start, the strategies of battle, my own heritage and some historical trends. Hm, I wonder how this could help a writer who often is dealing with worlds where governments exist…?

Chemistry: I learned some of the controversial issues (global warming and fluoride in water), the science behind both sides, and the studies on effects. The health and environmental part of the class gave me a lot of ideas about how characters might move through a world that is dangerous in ways we can’t see.

Agriculture: I learned practical things about gardening, raising animals, and growing crops. Is it important that I know fertilizer ought to be tilled into the soil? Yes, if I’m going to write about a farmer.

World Issues: Understanding government and the current tensions between governments is vital. Unlike in history, the conflicts here aren’t resolved. The immediacy of this is something I can use in my writing.

Psychology: Without this class, I probably wouldn’t have known that kids literally don’t see the world like adults. I listening to the professor and realizing I had to revise a scene because my kid character had used adult logic.

First Aid: I know the signs of heatstroke, choking, etc.–all of which is important for scenes involving heat or choking or any number of potential everyday accidents.

Notice I’ve applied all these classes directly to my creative writing major. But there is a much wider value in these classes as well. World Issues and History taught me about the world I live in, and made me appreciate what we’ve gone through and what is still on the table. Chemistry and agriculture opened my eyes to a part of my world I know nothing about, but that in many ways is part of my existence. Psychology and first aid taught me how humans work on a psychological and physical level, and how I can interact with people to help them. Would I have learned all this if I was only taking literature or writing classes? Probably not.

College isn’t an apprenticeship. It’s not about specializing you in the field you think you want to go into. It’s about opening your mind to new ways to logic through problems. It’s about showing you different parts of the world that effect you so that you can make more informed decisions in your future–whether in writing a short story or casting a vote.

I’m not saying I was thrilled by my chemistry class. But whenever I find myself moaning over these “unnecessary” classes, I slap myself on the face and start looking harder for the connections to my life. Those connections normally are not that hard to find.

At Berry, you not only get access to job opportunities and really cool classes. You also get a host of people who are happy to help you along the way! These offices will help you out for free, whether you’re looking for volunteering, career, or writing advice. One of my favorite offices is the Career Center.

The Career Center helps students prepare for jobs in the real world. But they are also there to help students get internships or take advantage of other work opportunities. Below are just three ways the Career Center works to make sure students get the help they need.

Guest Speakers – Fairly regularly, the Career Center will have a guest speaker come give a talk for students. I attended one such event, where the head of a firm came to speak with us about interviews. He gave detailed advice about how to approach a potential job, how to prepare, and how to be a good interviewee.

Résumé Advice – When I was pulling together my résumé for an application, I took it to the Career Center for advice. I not only received tips for my actual résumé, but I also left with handouts to help guide my revisions. Once my resume was presentable, I submitted it to Berry’s online job connection site, where alumni and other potential employers can find it.

Career Surveys – For those who are uncertain what career they want to enter, the Career Center offers highly accredited job surveys. This isn’t like the puny thing sometimes attached to standardized tests. This monster takes about thirty minutes to fill out and will give you an extremely detailed set of answers. One of the girls I mentored wanted to go into pediatrics, but started having doubts after struggling through a chemistry class. She took the survey and discovered she might like to work in speech pathology—a similar field with a much more flexible path.

These valuable tools are free, and definitely something that any incoming student should plan on using!

In my post about magical things at Berry, I mentioned that I love Berry in the rain. This is true. But… it’s also true that it rains a lot at Berry. One of my friends told me she looked it up, and it actually rains more at Berry than in Seattle, Washington. Now, normally rain in Seattle is more of a mist. But at Berry, to use a cliché, when it rains, it pours.

So here are some things you’ll need:

1. A raincoat. Obvious, right? I didn’t have a rain jacket when I came. That was a mistake.
2. An umbrella. Notice I listed this separately from a raincoat. That’s because sometimes it can be very windy. I’ve ruined several umbrellas by using them on a windy day. I always keep an umbrella in my backpack, even on a sunny day.
3. Rain boots or waterproof shoes. I wear hiking boots, but I know a lot of people at Berry who prefer rain boots. Either way, the alternative is sitting in class with your feet soaked and cold, which I don’t recommend.
4. A waterproof backpack. I admit I did not invest in one of these babies until I was heading to England, and I sorely regret it. I’ve ruined more than one good textbook by using a regular backpack that got soaked through. So a water resistant backpack is a good idea.

With the proper gear, you can enjoy a rainy day.

Though Rome is relatively a small town, there are still things to do if one is willing to look. Below are my favorite three ways to spend a free Saturday afternoon

1. Antique Mall & Flea Market on N. Broad

This antique mall is literally bigger on the inside. Well, maybe not literally, but it sure feels that way when you get lost in there for hours. Some excellent finds: A $10 nice reenactment cloak, a dragon cane, and many a vintage hat. And this is only counting the finds we bought… not the random assortment of hilarious oddities. A great way to spend an afternoon with friends.

2. Panera and Barnes and Noble

I love grabbing lunch and tea at Panera on a Saturday afternoon before heading over to Barnes and Noble. It should be surprising to no one that as an English major I delight in spending hours just looking at the books. There’s a Michael’s next door, too, which is also fun to hang out in.

3. Broad Street

Rome’s Broad Street has been voted one of the best downtown main streets in America. Sometimes I like to spend an afternoon walking from one end of the street to the other. I’ll pop into Paradise Lost Books to see if there’s any used books I need, and later jump in and out of a few vintage and consignment shops. I also like to stop in Honeymoon Bakery for a snack.

Eating is very important to college students. According to a statistic I just made up, 50% of students care more about finding food than they do about their grades. But be not afraid, for on campus and in Rome there are many places to find food.

D-Hall – Ah, the classic. Though the chicken might be a bit tough and a lot of the food tastes pretty similar (i.e. tasteless), as far as dining halls go it’s actually not that bad. We have a few different lines of food, with some foods available all the time everyday (pizza and cookies!). Some of my favorites from D-Hall include: Mac and cheese day (where you can put on all sorts of toppings), cheesy bread, and grilled cheese sandwiches (occasionally with bacon) on the panini grill. The best part about D-Hall is it’s included on most meal plans, which means it’s sort of free!

Vahalla – Upstairs, we have our flexbucks place, Vahalla. This eatery is a step up from D-Hall, with a Mexican and burger station, as well as rice bowls, Chick-fil-A, and a very small market (including chips and ice cream). When I’m in a rush, Chick-fil-A is my food of choice. But there’s nothing quite like a juicy turkey burger with Swiss and bacon from the Burger Studio and Coke slushy.

Java City – In addition to yummy drinks (hello, chai tea Javalanche), Java City also has salads and pastries to sustain students through late nights. My favorite: The Oreo parfait, a mix of Oreos, chocolate and whipped cream. Yummmmmm…

Want to get off campus for a meal? Well, Rome has a wide variety of good and relatively cheap eateries!

Las Palmas – There are several Mexican restaurants in Rome, but I’m partial to Las Palmas because I am a creature of habit. There are two branches of the restaurant in Rome—one that’s a little less nice but generally more quiet, and another that’s what we college students call “fancy” (it’s not fancy—it’s just a nice restaurant). I particularly enjoy their queso dip, and have been known to have a full meal of tea, queso dip, and free chips.

Ru San’s – An Asian restaurant known for its sushi (and special sushi deals). I’m not a sushi person myself, but I do like dumplings and other Asian dishes. It’s a good restaurant and cheap for the quality of the food.

Jandy’s Frozen Yogurt – Yogurt (but actually ice cream) you pay for by weight, with college discounts? Hello! Jandy’s has a variety of flavors and toppings, and is a great combo of inexpensive and not too much (because you control how much you want). The atmosphere is very chill (ha, pun), too. I’ve spent many an evening just relaxing with my friends and enjoying an Oreo-vanilla-white-chocolate-birthday-cake mix. (I really like Oreos.) 

There are many opportunities to volunteer at Berry and around Rome. I volunteered throughout high school, so when I came to college I was excited about the new opportunities. Berry has a volunteer fair early in the fall semester with dozens of organizations present.

However, I do have a few personal favorites from my four years in Rome. I love Buddy Break, an organization that trains volunteers to watch disabled kids while their parents take a break and get some rest. I also love Young Moms, a support group for teenage moms that provides resources, advice and help.

But my favorite organization? One founded by a Berry student, Brin Enterkin. The African SOUP!

The Sponsorship of Orphans in Uganda Project (SOUP) supports orphans in the village of Isiti, Uganda. We provide housing, healthcare, food and education for over 300 kids. We organize several events at Berry throughout the year—including a SOUP-Off (soup competition for clubs and individuals) and dinner parties. Now the SOUP is expanding to other college campuses, but the main charter is still at Berry.

It’s amazing to me that I can be a part of something that’s changing a village across the world. The SOUP staff incorporate the best of Berry in many ways—students eager to work, with a passion and a vision for ministering to others. The blend of enthusiastic optimism and practical goals make SOUP one of the most unique organizations I’ve ever worked with.

So if you come to Berry, be sure to check out the SOUP staff—and bring your mom’s recipe for the SOUP-Off! 

Around sophomore year, my friend Erika brought up going to the Magical World of Harry Potter in Orlando, FL. Two years later, I am here to present an account of our adventures! But first: Introductions. Everyone, Erika. Erika, everyone. Erika is a senior English major (lit concentration), which means she is awesome.

On Friday of MLK weekend, Erika and I set out. Now, some might think an 8-9 hour drive is a bit excessive for a three day weekend. But I consider that to be a relaxing drive time! (This from the person who was on 13 hour road trips pretty consistently as a kid.) Besides, it was a road trip--and road trips need real driving time! At one point Erika tossed her jacket in the back and declared, “I have carelessly thrown my hoodie on the back seat. It is officially a road trip!”

Our first morning down, we went to Universal. We headed straight to the Harry Potter section of the park, which was super epic. The details were awesome, especially on Hogwarts. We went on the Hogwarts ride first. I was really blown away by the quality of the technology throughout, and the ride itself was a pleasant mixture of horror and fan!joy. Erika got off barely able to walk between her shock,  excitement and laughter.

We hopped in and out of shops, then settled on Three Broomsticks for lunch. They had pretty good fish and chips. I also had a butterbeer slushie. I knew from past experience with some home made recipes that I find the regular sort to be almost unbearably sweet. The slushie watered it down enough to be really enjoyable, but was still so sweet I sadly couldn’t get through the whole thing. But I got a cool cup out of it!

We also took a turn on the Hippogriff (kiddie rollercoaster) ride. Part of the coolness was that Hogwarts was almost always in sight, which gave the impression that you were flying outside the castle. I made Erika go on the Hulk ride (I was too much of a wuss). We also rode the Spiderman ride and played around in the Jurassic Park section. While in the latter, we played a computer game to see what we would look like if we were dinosaurs. We weren’t sure what to expect as I did the “personality test” and “DNA test,” so when a very poorly photoshopped picture of my face stretched over a dinosaur’s appeared on the screen Erika about fell over.

Finally, quite tired and content, we left to find dinner. I’d looked up a local NYC pizza place on my phone that was around the corner and had good reviews. When we pulled up outside it, Erika stared at the dark windows and pealing paint and said, “I trust you.” Luckily her trust turned out to be rewarding! We both got calzones which were absolutely amazing (and cheap!). Totally worth it. The moral of this story is that sketchy pizza places are the best. (Note: Berry does not endorse students seeking out sketchy pizza joints.)

The next day, we set out for Flea World, America’s largest flea market. Neither of us had been to a legit flea market before, so we weren’t quite sure what to expect. It reminded me a little of a run down, redneck covered market (like the ones I visited in England and Barcelona). It was a bizarre mixture of Asian stuff (I got a wooden katana for $5), regular household goods, weird clothing, swords, puppies, and ice cream. I had a pretty good root beer float. Erika had a milkshake she claims was the second best in her entire life–and only for $2.

Thoroughly perplexed, we left Flea World for Downtown Disney. We spent our time looking in the shops for weird stuff and laughing at the prices. I also had flashbacks from a childhood memory when I saw the lego dragon! I reenacted my childhood self to celebrate (pictured above). From there, we went to see The Hobbit (second time for me, third for Erika) in a Regal theater. Needless to say: Stellar.

We drove back to Berry the next day, with an obligatory stop at Cracker Barrel (“I don’t think it’s a real road trip if we don’t go to Cracker Barrel”). We arrived at Berry in one piece and quite content. So don't forget to take a road trip your senior year! Berry's in easy reach from a lot of cool places, including Hogwarts.