Keeping Up with Kelly  

By Kelly Nee – Editor In Chief

Kelly Nee of Keeping Up With Kelly

Interested in sending in a question for our next column? Ask Kelly at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSduQ_tPYB0fvH-6xXgbxNrHJnVaNwafy3l0HkSisWGocrM2Ig/viewform?usp=sf_link

Advice for homesickness?  

I honestly struggle with this a lot, and I know so many other people do as well. I think it’s totally natural and super common to miss home when things get overwhelming in college. The key is to give yourself little pieces of home at school, like a favorite blanket or your favorite comfy sweatshirt or pictures of your family/friends from home. My mom always says food is love, so try to recreate some of your family’s favorite recipes for a comfort meal or ask them to send you back to school with home cooked food (I always do this). But in my opinion, the best thing you can do is plan ahead to have a weekend at home when you don’t have anything going on. It gives you something to look forward to and reminds you that you won’t be away from home for that long!  

Where is a nice quiet place you can relax and do work on campus?  

My favorite place to do work on campus is sitting at those big wooden tables outside DeNaples. I love it there because you can sit in the sun and get fresh air, but they’re in the PERFECT spot where there’s always people walking past you, so you’re guaranteed to bump into a friend! But when it gets too chilly for that, I would say the first floor of the library. Me and my roommates love booking a study room and hanging out in there together doing work with Starbucks 🙂  

Feeling stressed about schoolwork picking up. What can I do to reduce my anxiety for the rest of the semester? 
Self-care nights are an absolute game changer. Light a candle, do a face mask, make a cup of tea, get your favorite snack, put on your favorite movie, do your skincare, and curl up with a good book. I realize that I sound like a 90-year-old woman, but this is my life. Also, keep all your assignments organized in a physical planner so that you can enjoy the feeling of crossing off your accomplishments! Daily to-do lists keep me alive! I don’t do any schoolwork or answer any emails after 9 p.m. unless I have a big exam the next day or something major going on, so I have an alarm go off every night at 9 which means it’s time to close my laptop until the next day. I try to be as productive as possible during the day, so that my nights can be spent unwinding and making plans with my roommates!  

What is the best food place to eat on campus?  

Big POD hands down! The ladies that work at the sandwich station always make my day. The soup is killer and I would die for a POD salad, they’re so good. Sometimes if I’m having a rough day, I’ll get mozzarella sticks at the wing station and it’s a guaranteed pick me up. Basically, I could go there for any meal and leave happy 🙂