A new year has arrived, and with it a new semester. Vacation is fun and all, but I, for one, am excited to be back at UMass and resuming academics and extracurriculars. Right now is the calm before the storm. We’re well into our second week of classes, but add-drop period is not quite over yet. We have a few more days to relax before homework and tests really begin to pile on. So, in this first post of the new semester, I’m going to tell you guys about all the classes in my schedule.

Last Saturday was the Asian American Student Association’s (AASA) Winter Ball event. The Winter Ball is an annual performance and dance event held around December. It always takes place in the ballroom of the Campus Center, and it’s always a night to remember.

This week, an admissions officer from UMass Medical School came to visit and talk about medical school and the application process. Being a pre-med student, I attended, and I'm glad I did. The information was invaluable, and it let me know exactly what kind of things can make me stand out as an applicant. Getting into medical school is extremely competitive, so it’s important to take certain steps to strengthen your application. Here are some of the biggest takeaways from the meeting in terms of what you can do as an undergraduate student to stand out.

The W. E. B. Du Bois Library is the largest public academic research library in all of Massachusetts, and the tallest university library in the world. It’s clear from the towering size of the library that it truly is something special. I consider the library to be the North Star of the UMass Amherst campus. If I’m ever lost or slightly confused about my location, I look to the library looming in the horizon to reorient myself. The library is so big, and has so many services that it’s impossible to take advantage of, or even know, all of them. So, I’m going to tell you about some of the coolest floors and services that the library has to offer.

One of the best ways to spend your weekend nights on campus is to attend one of the UMass Comedy League’s improv shows. My roommate is a member of one of the improv troupes, so I attend somewhat frequently. I’ve never come out disappointed. These shows are hilarious! It’s pretty impressive to watch performers come up with funny scenes on the spot with absolutely no preparation.

Beneath the Worcester Dining Commons, right next to Grab and Go and Chicken and Co., is a hidden gem known as the Yuri Kochiyama Cultural Center. It was created in 1989 in an effort to support the growing Asian community at UMass Amherst and was originally known as the United Asia Cultural Center.

This may not be a fun topic to discuss, but it’s certainly an important one. In the last few days I’ve started to come down with a bad cold. Nothing too serious but bothersome nonetheless.

One of the unique aspects of UMass Amherst is the abundance of student-run businesses. A variety of businesses here offer unique services that are entirely run and facilitated by your fellow peers. And it just so happens that these places are often the most eventful and lively places on campus. Here are a few of the most popular student run businesses at UMass:

In high school, chemistry was the bane of my very existence. I would sit there as my teacher mindlessly droned on and on. Each word he spoke went in one ear and out the other. My focus was always on the clock, never on the material. I realize in hindsight that the problem was in fact me and my lack of attention, not the teacher. So, I decided that in college I would start taking some personal responsibility and pay attention in lectures. I expected that this would allow me to succeed in the class, but not necessarily enjoy the material. Surprisingly, I was wrong.

Orchard Hill is the best place to live at UMass. Period.

Recently, my family came to visit me here in Amherst. They brought my uncle, who was visiting from Seattle, where he lives. My uncle doesn’t come too often so this was quite possibly the one time I was going to be able to show him around Amherst. All he knew about this town was that it’s tiny, quaint, and a little less than two hours from the big city of Boston. So, I took it upon myself to show him just how fun Amherst really is.