Hey Everyone! Long time no see, welcome to or welcome back to my blog. It sure has been a while, 5 months to be exact, but I’m happy to be back blogging. I’ve been home for a lil over a week now after finishing my 1st semester at Fordham University. If you’ve been here for a while you would have seen one of my last blog posts which was where I decided to go to New York City instead of going down South for college. When I wrote that post little did I know I was about to have the best 4 months of my life. Ngl I couldn’t blog because I was always on the move. There was no extra time for writing when you are exploring New York City with your best friends… I don’t know how Carrie Bradshaw does it. Now that I’m home having a staycation away from the city : ( I thought I’d take this time to update you guys on what you’ve missed.
★On August 26th, I moved into College

I went to Fordham a few days early for a community engagement program Fordham offers called Urban Plunge where you are taken throughout The Bronx and complete community service projects in small groups. If you are planning to come to Fordham next fall, I would 100% recommend doing Urban Plunge. I met some of my favorite people ever throughout the 3 days of doing plunge, and the program really allowed you to understand the city where you will be living for the next 4 years. It basically gives a pre-orientation to the actual orientation Fordham has, but you are with a much smaller group which makes it very easy to connect & meet people.
★On September 1st, I started my classes

Our first day of classes was quite the event because by the end of that day the whole campus was basically flooded. There was a huge storm that hit that night which led to a bunch of buildings getting flooded on campus. After the flooding classes were canceled meaning it was time to start exploring the city a lil earlier than expected. My first of many city trips included lunch at Bryant Park, Shopping, and lots of pictures! Bryant Park has became a staple spot in the city for me because its a few blocks away from Grand Central Station. We take the metro north from The Bronx to Grand Central to get into Manhattan which has led Bryant Park, New York Public Library, Sweetgreen, Cava, and shops on 5th Ave to be usual stops for me.
★On September 25th, My friends & I went to Governors Ball

Gov Ball was my first music festival I’ve been to and lets just say… I’m obsessed. We went for one of the three days of the festival and saw a bunch of artists including ASAP Rocky, Meghan the Stallion, and Amine. I decked my friends out in glitter & did some fun hairstyles on them, so we all were feeling our best which was good because everyone at Gov Ball had the best fits! I even became friends with a girl we met who had the same purple Zara flare pants on as me. The highlight of the day tho would probably have to be when MK, Jenna, and I made it to the front row for Amine, then somehow ran from his set to ASAP Rocky’s and got up close for his performance as well.
★On October 16th, I saw Harry Styles Perform

Now this was a night I truly will never forget. My friend Meghan had bought Harry Styles Love on Tour tickets prior to his show getting postponed from Covid, so she ended up having an extra ticket for the cherry pit. This led to me getting to be 10ft away from the king himself… Harry Styles. Let’s just say I had no clue his voice was gonna sound even better in person since it’s so good to begin with… but Harry outdid himself. The vibes were immaculate, and we met some of the sweetest people at the concert. Oh and how could I forget at the end Meghan and I got splashed with Harry Styles water that he throws out on a section of the audience during his final song Kiwi.
★On November 4th, It’s my Birthdayyyy

Turning 19 in NYC = the best birthday yet! my friends really did the most to make my birthday amazing. A few days before my bday we all went and got dinner in Noho at an Italian restaurant called La Pecora Bianca, and took a bunch of pictures in Soho. We also met the lead singer of the Neighborhood, Jesse Rutherford, and I may or may not of shed a few tears after he left lol. The day before my birthday I had a campus activities board meeting – side note if you decide to come to Fordham you NEED to join CAB I genuinely have the best time with everyone in the club & It’s definitely my fav part of the week when we have our Wednesday night meetings- okay back to the moral of the story they got a cannoli cake.
On my actual bday my friends and I went ice skating at Bryant Park, checked out the winter village, did some shopping, and took a ton of pics. We then went back to the campus, went to an event in the gym where ASAP Ferg was performing, and then went out in The Bronx!
★On December 1st, Christmas Time in the city had begun

Being in the city during the holiday season put me in the biggest Christmas spirit. We saw all the classic tourist spots like the Rockefeller Tree, Saks, Radio City, and much more. Everything in the city was covered in red & green and Christmas lights. My favorite part had to be the winter village at Bryant Park. Every time I went there I felt like I was in a Hallmark movie which I was living for. They always had Christmas music, ice skating, and some of the best desserts I’ve had in the city.
So that was my first semester of college! It’s crazy to think back to 5 months ago how anxious I was about what was to come, if I was choosing the right school, and if I was ready for college… little did I know a year full of making resumes, writing supplemental essays, and completing the common app was gonna all be worth it in the end. Anyone that is currently in the step of the app process that is full of unknowns just know everything is going to work! It’s normal to be anxious about making big life choices, but change that mindset into excitement for what’s to come because this is only the beginning of your journey & you’ve got a longgg road ahead… so get excited!
p.s. Oh yeah I did really work hard at school too. Its just took finding the right balance…Fordham is a Work hard Play hard type of school.
xoxo- Ashlyn Kate