The pumpkin pie season

Happy sweater-weather time everyone! 

November is almost here. I wonder how October has gone so fast. Despite it being the hard month of midterms and other school obligations, it is always exciting for the beautiful season's change and a crazy Halloween celebration. October is also a month that every Scottie is looking forward to because of the Fall Break that we just enjoyed couple of weeks ago. Lets see what some of the adventurous women of Agnes Scott decided to do this year:  

Ashley Girone (Georgia United States, Class of 2015)

 

During my Fall Break I traveled with a group of students from Agnes Scott and Georgia Tech to the Highlands in North Carolina. The Highlands are the beginning of the Appalachian Mountains on the east coast of the US. The weather was breezy, warm and beautiful as my friends and I hiked down a mountain to view a water fall.

Hande Sever (Turkey, Class of 2015)

For this Fall Break I went to New York. It was very refreshing because I got a chance to meet up with my parents whom I haven't seen in a long time. Also, I got the chance to revisit the art museum and galleries of New York which made me very content as being a studious art major. I revisited Soho as well which is one of my favorite places on earth. So it was wonderful to have the option to chill in Central Park with my parents and discuss the global art scene. 

Myself- Karolina Klimczak (Poland, Class of 2016)

One of the great things about the location of Agnes Scott is the easy connection to other states through the airport and a bus system. This Fall Break I took advantage of it and traveled to the oldest European established city in the continental United States- St. Augustine in Florida. The architecture of the old town was breathtaking and so... Spanish. If a day spent on exploring the streets of St. Augustine and swimming in the Atlantic Ocean wasn't wonderful enough, I got to enjoy some pastries from my own country in a Polish restaurant. The world is so small!

Lioba Henke (Germany, Exchange Student)

I spent my Fall Break with 11 other exchange students in New Orleans. It took us over 8 hours by bus to get there but it was definitely worth it. We stayed in a really nice hostel, where we made a lot of friends from all around the world. During the day, we visited different parts of the city, mainly the French quarter, which is really pretty. We also went on a theme boat tour on the Mississippi River and to the Seafood festival in the city park. At night we explored New Orleans nightlife, which was so much fun! New Orleans is a great city and it was an amazing trip. 

A moral that comes from these short testimonies is simple: studying abroad gives us a plenty of opportunities to explore the world. It is a challenging adventure but I promise it will bring your aspirations further than could be imagined.

October is also a month of one of the most celebrated events in the United States- Halloween. The first time I participated in it last year, I thought it was just... crazy! Everyone puts so much effort to decorate surroundings, eats immense amounts of candy (and pumpkin pie, which became my favorite dessert of all times)- that's all I thought of it back then. But soon I realized that it actually represents a great aspect of American culture. It is the fact that people here can truly take their time to enjoy themselves. In the busy world that we have today, we tend to forget to get out of our routines and immerse in different kind of celebrations with our families and friends. Halloween is a great chance to do that. Check out the decorations at Agnes Scott and local community:

 

The library at Agnes Scott always reminds me of Hogwarts from "Harry Potter". Especially this time of the year.

 

 Scotties are hanging out with the library ghost while checking out their books.

 

The Scotties make sure that their dorms are in Halloween mood.

 

There is no Halloween without carving pumpkins, right?

 

The result of our pumpkin curving party.

 

I met this skeleton couple while I was jogging around Decatur...

 

... and similar scenery as well.

The black cat seems to be a popular theme in the Halloween decorations. This one was extraordinarily big and even moved his head every couple of seconds. 

I would like to thank all my guest bloggers for sharing their experiences with us. The upcoming post is a report from the Diwali celebration that just took place at Agnes Scott. I am sure that especially our Hindu prospective students will appreciate it. As always, I am looking forward to hear from you at globaladmission@agnesscott.edu. Have a beautiful begining of the November!

 

Karolina Klimczak '16

Office of Admission International Fellow

Agnes Scott College

141 E. College Ave

Decatur GA 30030

 

 

Party Like it's 1915...

...Black Cat Week 2013

It's 30 minutes to midnight. On a regular day, most of the Scotties would be studying in the library or preparing to sleep. But not during this week. Everyone is outside, getting ready to start out the Black Cat Week by rushing through the campus quad and decorating it. There are four visible themes dominating. Each class has its own one that is represented by the color of the class and their mascot. Why? What for? In fact, it is one of the oldest traditions at Agnes Scott. "Black Cat began in 1915 as a prank night between first-year students and sophomores. It now marks the end of orientation and the official recognition of the new class in the campus community." (read more) There are four colors representing the four classes: yellow, blue, green and red. Although each new class is assigned a color, every class decides on their own original mascot, and the first years reveal their mascot during Black Cat. Currently we've got: 

First Years (Freshmen Class of 2017):

The Lions

Second Years (Sophomores Class of 2016):

The Muses

Third Years (Juniors Class of 2015):

The Tinkerbells

Fourth Years (Seniors Class of 2014): 

The Foxes

Class parties

Scotties know how to transform a regular dinner in Evans Dining Hall into a great party. During the Black Cat Week every class holds a theme party during dinner time. Thanks to our wonderful kitchen staff, special food is served in the colors of our classes. 

• Monday 30th September Junior Party "Alien Theme"

Evans Dining Hall changed into a Solar System. 

Some alien delights

• Tuesday 1st October Freshmen Party "On the Beach" 

Life is a Beach...

Some students danced with a Tinkerwolf- the junior class as well as the first year's sister class alternative mascot (spot it in the middle of the crowd) while others enjoyed their books. Anything is fun on the beach.

• Wednesday 2nd October Sophomore Party "The Odyssey"

Do you recognize the characters from "The Odyssey"?

Come on an Odyssey with the sophomores.

 

• Thursday 3rd October Senior Party "Movie Theater"

Have you heard the song about the fox sound (check it out here)? It became a new anthem for our seniors this year.



The senior's table in the dinning hall.

In fact, every day of the Black Cat Week was busy with some activities. One night the four classes competed in Trivia, answering questions from a variety of subjects including a test on knowledge about Agnes Scott. Another time the Field Day took place and the outdoor game this year was... the Quidditch. Each class selected a team that was boldly "flying" on their brooms to score some goals. Black Cat brought a lot of fun opportunities for the creative and artsy students, too. 

Besides the colorful decorations that were spread all around the campus, we had to come up with some songs, dances and performances. The outcome was presented during a spectacular "Junior Production" led by the junior class. As everything comes to an end, Scotties always finish with a big boom. On the last night of the week we celebrated the Black Cat during a formal party.  

For me, as an international student,a tradition like Black Cat is very unique. It gives me a chance to be a part of a great bonding experience with my classmates. It is also a way for the students to take a break from a routine of studying and simply have fun. This points out another advantage of living in a small community like the one at Agnes Scott: we understand that finding balance between academics and other activities is essential and possible to achieve.

The creativity of our Scotties is out of a measure!

The theme of this year's formal party was "The Great Gatsby".

I would like to thank Center for Student Engagement at Agnes Scott College for letting me use some of their photos here. I hope that this post gave you an idea of some traditions that we cultivate at Agnes Scott. There are many more of them and I will make sure to update you about them, too. Be on the lookout for the next post in couple of weeks to read more about the month of October in the United States and why it is my favorite one of all. Feel free to e-mail me at globaladmission@agnesscott.edu. Maybe we will participate in the next Black Cat Week together?

Camille Pham- Lake and Lizzie Booher aka Black Cats of 2013

Karolina Klimczak '16

Office of Admission International Fellow

Agnes Scott College 

141 E. College Ave

Decatur GA 30030