It's Not Goodbye, Only See You Later

I am officially an alumni of Dean College. Saturday, May 9th, 2009 was my graduation. I graduated summa cum laude (graduating with an overall GPA of 3.8 or higher) and won the "Outstanding Student-Leader Award" as well. The ceremony was beautiful and emotional seeing all my friends, family, professors and staff members there to support and congratulate all of the graduates.
Dean has made an immense impact on my life and the relationships and friendships I made while here will forever be in my heart. Without Dean I would not be on my way to Alvin Ailey's Independent Study Program in Manhattan, New York this Fall feeling ready to face the world. I am grateful to everyone I have met here and everyone that has helped me achieve everything I was able to achieve on campus. I will miss everyone and everything about Dean and look forward to being an active alumni. It's not goodbye, only see you later. For now, it's New York or bust! : )

Study Study Study

Tomorrow are my two, and only, finals. Today was spent finishing up on notes, reading and preparing for tomorrow. At 7pm, we had the CA/Staff Social at a new cafe that is located on the bottom floor of the condos, Cafe Dolce. It was delicious! We had tons of great food and were given individual superlatives...I got "Most Likely to be...Enthusiastic About EVERYthing"...hooray! I was also given an award for "Best Passive Program of the Year", which was in recognition of my bulletin boards I had done throughout my building. Everyone also received a Residence Life sweatshirt.
Now I am writing my final paper at Dean College...a 2-3 page paper for my Literature of Baseball class about the book "The Natural". I will definitely let you know how finals go, but for now, I have to get back to work. : )

Dance Finals Complete

So my dance finals were this week and they all went well. I know I could have done a little bit better on my ballet final this past Friday, but I was up until 4am Thursday due to being on duty in the condos until 2am and having to document some situations that happened in the building. Hey, it happens.
I have decided to take Dean's Summer Intensive before I move to NYC in August so that I can stay active and continue dancing over break. It goes from July 7th to July 31st, Tuesday through Friday 9am to 11am and is just ballet. So I will have a couple more weeks with my ballet teacher, Jill Silverman, before I have to say goodbye.
This weekend I am preparing for my two finals on Monday (Literature of Baseball and Algebra Essentials) and trying to destress a little. Hooray for sleep and TV. : )

So sad...

So I thought I would be ok about leaving Dean, just sad, but happy to be moving on and moving forward...not even a little bit. In Dance Composition class today I lost it...we were watching the last couple pieces and I could not stop crying. First off, many of the pieces my classmates choreographed were beyond beautiful. I knew my friends and fellow dancers were creative people, but some of the stuff I saw today looked like it was from professional dance companies, I was shocked and amazed at what came out of people; both the dancers and choreographers. A couple others started to cry and within a few minutes most of the class was in tears. About seven of us are graduating and most of the girls in this class I consider my sisters. It is amazing the relationships you will form in college and throughout life. I was surprised at how upset I got because you never realize what you have until its gone. Going to Alvin Ailey is the best decision for my career at this point, but leaving Dean and all my friends is emotionally difficult. I will definitely miss this place. : (

Final week of classes

I honestly can't believe the school year went by so fast here at Dean. So much has happened this year, and although it felt like the year took forever to end, the time really flew. There is one good word that a dancer here at Dean can use to describe finals week. Busy! On top of getting ready for normal finals, dancers have finals in their dance classes as well.

The good thing about dance finals is that they are held the week before normal finals, so everything is spread out. The thing that has been keeping everyone going the last couple days has definitely been the weather. It has been gorgeous and every chance I get I try to get outside and enjoy some of it. Dean had a BBQ out on the sports teams practice field this weekend. Good food and nice weather, it all made me so excited for summer to begin. The end of school brings a bitter sweet feeling though. I'm glad that the year is over and summer is about to begin, but its going to be weird leaving all of my friends who I see on a daily basis. I'm definitely going to miss a lot of people.

Annual Student/Staff Softball Game

So this week is Spring Week at Dean (as I mentioned in another blog) and tomorrow is the Annual Student/Staff Softball Game. The staff team has beat the students for the past four years so, needless to say, we have a lot of pressure going into this game. I will be playing and I have to say, I am really nervous. I have never been that good at sports but everyone is just out to have a good time and I know it will definitely be fun. Our team got together the other night, in my condo, and made our team shirts. We are the "Diamond Cutters" and I'm number 8. I am also pumped because there is going to be an ice cream truck there for the game as well, hooray! Go Spring Week! : )

Housing Selection

Tonight was the beginning of housing selection and was specifically for the Juniors and Seniors and students that wanted a single as well.
Like most colleges, Dean does housing selection based on a number lottery. Each student is given a number based on the number of credits they have completed (naturally the juniors and seniors have lower numbers than the freshmen and sophomores) and the lower the number the better. Many students have the same number of completed credits, when that happens those students are given that set of numbers randomly.
The CAs signed up to help with this process, so I worked the check-in table. Fortunately, tonight was seemless and everything went smoothly. Students came to the check-in table with their student id, they were checked off of the master list (first making sure their housing deposit for next year was paid and they were pre-registered for classes-if either of these things were not done yet, they were not able to participate in housing selection), then they were put in line based on their number.
Thursday may be a little crazier because that is when the remaining students choose their housing (this includes the sophomores and freshmen and everyone else that did not come tonight). I just wanted to explain the system of housing selection because whether you go to Dean or not, you will definitely take part it in. Just remember, things always work out. : )

Tie Dye

HOORAY! Today was our area building program, meaning each residence area of the campus had a specific place to go for the event, which was TIE DYING! Sooo much fun!
The condos, where I am a CA, had our own set of supplies and we had a great turnout. The T-shirts were given for free and they advertised "Spring Week", which is all next week. It is full of all different kinds of events...inflatables, airbrush bags, an ice cream truck, and so much more.
Dance Company performances start next weekend too (Thursday, April 23rd)....everything is just crazy right now.
I can't wait to wear my tie dyed zip up hoodie tomorrow! : )

Rewarding feelings..

Like everyone else, this end of the year schedule is definitely wearing on me. When I get a chance all I do is think about getting food, summer, and getting sleep! The good part about all of the stress is the feeling of accomplishment that comes along with it. Who knew that I, a person who is very close to my family and friends back home, could do so well on my own. With my busy schedule I still managed to keep my good grades, and keep my life together on my own. (Something I never thought I was capable of doing.)

Some rewards I am looking forward to within the next few weeks are a dance performance in Boston. (A requirement for my modern class. We have to write a paper on a contemporary dance performance.) Treating myself to a nice dinner on the town with one of my closest girlfriends this weekend. A RED SOX game next week. Then just spending lots of quality time with friends here on campus. Before I know it, my first year at Dean will be over, and it will be a while before I see everyone again.

Stress Test

*sigh.
The semester is coming to a close and it feels like there's not enough time to get everything done but I have come to the conclusion that things always end up working out. At this point, stressing is not an option and isn't even worth it. I am trying to enjoy my last couple weeks here at Dean, instead of focusing on everything I have to do, I have been taking it day by day. It goes back to time management and learning when to say no. It has been important for me to keep things in perspective, to still have fun, but get my work done and in on time. It's starting to kick in that I won't be here next semester and I am definitely sad about it. It's a weird experience leaving a place I call home, leaving so many friends, and leaving my daily routine.
Simply stated....I'm going to miss this place... : (

So close!

So my first year at college is coming to a close. When I was home last weekend I realized really how much I did this past school year. I participated in 4 shows here at Dean, made so many friends, did multiple school activities, became a Student Ambassador and took many classes. As said previously, I live on campus and my home is 4 hours away. When I'm at school I'm here for a while and unlike many students here home is not only an hour away, but I am so glad with the choice I made. With less then a month of school left and the weather FINALLY being warm my friends and I are making final year plans and plans for next year. Next week there is a summer beach themed week, so my friends and I are looking forward to a week filled with great activities that we have time for like custom name art, airbrushed tote bags, customizable teddy bears, and many other great summer ideas. This year was really great and this summer my friends and I have so many plans to travel and meet up, but I'm so excited to go home. It's bittersweet preparing to leave here, plus I have a lot of stuff here and I don't know how on earth I'm going to get it all home.

Joelle :]

Programs

As I have mentioned before, I am a CA in the condos (an upperclassmen residential building) and this week I am pumped for the activities my fellow CAs and I are planning. Tomorrow night, Monday the 13th, we are having an Easter Egg Hunt, it should be a great time. Then Thursday the 16th we're doing a tie dye party all over campus...Hooray! They are going to provide T-shirts but people can bring any other piece of clothing they want to tie dye, from socks, to sweatshirts, to pj pants. I'm so excited! : )

Busy!!

This week has been a pretty busy one. All I can say is TGIF! If I'm not in class I'm usually trying to sneak in a nap, write a paper for a class, or study for a test. The bits of nice weather that we've been having are making it easier to get up every day. This week the campus has been buzzing with the excitement of opening day for the Red Sox. Student's were definitely glad to see the Sox win the first game of the season. Some of my friends even got to go to the game. (Needless to say I was very jealous.)

Students are beginning to decide their housing situations for next year. As a freshman we filled out a survey that placed us in a residence hall suitable to our living style. Now we get to choose our roommates, and which residence hall we want to live in before returning to school. I can't believe how fast this year has gone by!

That's all for now.

Improvisational Structure

In Dance Composition class we are learning about creating an "improvisational structure". This is a map or recipe or set of instructions that a choreographer gives their dancers to create a piece. The dancers are usually given a pattern, song, space, and duration of time to improvise movement. The concept is a little confusing but, without a doubt, interesting and intriguing. The choreographer can use objects, artwork, text, and many other resources to come up with an improvisational structure.
For example: In class, our professor broke us up into various sized groups and gave one group a paragraph of text to form a dance out of, while another group got a one lined piece of text and the remaining group got a math problem. All were very different and could have been interpreted in many different ways. I know all you future dance majors out there probably understand this concept a little better than others but I just wanted to share how interesting this class is.

The Future

I just wanted to announce that I am graduating on May 9th with my Associate's in Dance and have been accepted into the Alvin Ailey Independent Study Program for the Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters. So, this summer I am moving to New York City with my best friend, Sharlane (who was also accepted into the program), and we are getting a two bedroom apartment. This past Saturday we ended up spending the entire day looking at different places (around 14 of them) throughout Manhattan. There are only four weeks left of school and I can't believe I won't be back at Dean next semester. Time really does fly and attending Dean has been awesome. I can't say I am not stressed but I am trying to get everything done and in on time. Fingers crossed these last couple weeks will go smooth.

Pedagogy

So I pulled an all-nighter last night in order to write my pedagogy paper. I had a while to write this but just couldn't find the time so it ended up coming down to a last minute thing.
Pedagogy, for anyone that doesn't know, is the art of teaching. So we are taught how to teach dance in this class. Our paper was a minimum of 12 pages (mine ended up being 26 pages) and was the business plan for a studio we were "opening". In it we had to include a studio name, our philosophy, a table of contents, our rules, our floor plans/studio space, all of the ballet terminology we learned thus far and how to properly teach it, as well as a complete syllabus for level one ballet dancers (age 8) from Sept to May and the summer months. It was not exactly hard, just extremely tedious. I am happy with how it came out. The assignment definitely was interesting but fun and I now know I never want to teach ballet in my life. No thank you. : )

Accepted Students Day

Hi everyone,

If you have been accepted to Dean College, you're invited to Accepted Students Day!
Friday, April 24
9:30-11:15am Registration & Continental Breakfast
9:45-11:00am Campus Tours (optional)
11:15-11:45am Welcome and Overview
11:45-1:00pm Student Panel Discussion & A Parent's Preview to Life at Dean
1:00-1:45pm Lunch
1:45-2:30pm Optional Afternoon Programs (Financial Aid, Academic Support, Campus Tours)

We have a fulfilling and fun day planned...so please join us!
Call (508) 541-1508 or email me at KGramatico@dean.edu for more information or to register.

BTS Fashion Show

FYI...Friday, April 3rd, 2009 is the Dean College hip hop dance team Break Tha Silence's Annual Fashion Show. I will not be dancing in this show, however, I will modeling. I am in Winter wear, Executive wear, Dean wear/School Spirit, and Evening wear. The show is all hip hop pieces and have been auditioned and were all student choreographed. Come show your support. Enjoy great music, beautiful people, and fun dancing...hooray! : )

Spring Musical!

I have been so busy with classes and rehersals, but the time is here. We've worked so hard and now this weekend we get to show it all off. If you're around the area and want to see some of the talent we have at dean come to the Center for Performing Arts for a great show.

Dean College School of the Arts Presents...
A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum
Thursday and Friday, April 2 & 3 at 8PM
Saturday, April 4 at 2 & 8PM
Sunday, April 5 at 2PM

The show is very funny and it's a great way to get an idea of how hard the performing arts students work or just to have some fun on a weekend night. Dance, Musical Theater, Theater, Arts Management, and Liberal Arts majors are all part of the show so the students do come from all backgrounds.

I can speak for everyone in the show when I say that it's great and if you get a chance to see the show you will really be blown away by all of the tallent we have.

If you are interested in being part of the fall musical at the start of the next school year their will be an information session within the first or second week of school. Also, I would be more then happy to answer all of your questions and remember you don't have to be a theater member to participate.

Email me at JoelleC331@gmail.com :)

Joelle

Juries....

So this morning was my Sophomore Jury....this is a requirement for all sophomore dancers (AA or BA program). We are required to choreograph a ballet and modern piece that cannot exceed 3 minutes each and needs to include certain movements specific to the style. This is then performed one by one (at a designated time) in front of the Dean of the School of Dance, Ms. Joan Palladino, and the Assistant Dean of the School of Dance, Jill Silverman. After the dancer is finished performing their pieces, they sit down with Jill and Joanie and are critiqued. This is also an opportunity for them to ask questions about your future career in dance (ex. what you want to do with dance, etc.). Needless to say this has been a stressful week. I had my jury at 8am this morning. It went well...I am definitely relieved that it is over and I was satisfied with my performance, however, like anything, I could have done better and wish I wasn't so nervous. For the incoming freshman...don't worry about it now. I know many of you may have never had strict modern dance, but you will when you get here and have a couple semesters of it under you belt (as well as ballet) to be able to perform to the best of your ability. I can't say I'm not pumped it's over and done with though... : )

Student Government Elections

Hi Everyone,
As students across the nation (at high schools and colleges) are waiting in anticipation for the end of the school year; faculty, administrators, and student leaders are already preparing for the upcoming school years. As I have said many times before in my previous entries, Dean has a myriad of student organizations to get involved in on and off of campus. In preparation for the upcoming year member of Student Government Association (SGA) are preparing for the upcoming elections of member which will be taking place in mid April. As an elected member of Student Government, I am extremely excited for the many new possibilities which next year holds. For all of you out there who have been accepted to Dean I implore you to consider the possibly of running for an SGA position. SGA gives highly driven students that chance to take their college experience to a who new level of leadership and involvement in the college community. As an SGA member I have served as a First-year Senator and SGA's Community Liaison to the town of Franklin. For further information you can access the campus organizations and clubs info at http://www.dean.edu/StudentLife/OrganizationsAndClubs.cfm, or just email me at mhuels@student.dean.edu. Have a great week.

The home stretch

I can't believe how these last few weeks have been flying by here at Dean. It seems like there has been no down time lately for me at all. I must admit though, that the glimpse of nice weather we had over the weekend gave me a burst of energy to keep me going in this busy time.

Last Friday I went to the dance team show to see my fellow dancers perform their pieces. I loved seeing them before the show when they were getting ready. (For those of you who are not dancers, there is nothing like the adrenaline rush before a performance.) Saturday me and a couple of friends decided to venture to a coffee and bagel shop off campus for breakfast. Then we hit up some of the stores in the stop & shop plaza. The shopping around this area is amazing by the way. During the day I tried to get as much homework as I could done, before the gorgeous weather called me outside for a walk! Saturday night I went into Boston with a friend and we went to a Shinedown concert at the new House of Blues across from Fenway stadium. The concert was amazing, and we had so much fun.

Sunday I went with my art class in the morning to the ICA art museum in Boston. We got a tour of the museum and then got time to wander around on our own. It was a completely new and interesting experience for me. After that I came back to my room and tried to catch up on all the work I had left to do, but the only thing I really wanted to do was sleep! It's deffinatly been busy here, but I like it that way. Hopefully the cold rain that has been going off and on all day will clear up and we can bring on the sunshine again! That's all for now, off to write another paper!

Enjoy!

So the Dance Team Show went fantastic and I wanted to share the piece that I was in with everyone but I couldn't upload the video for some reason....so I figured I would share my Dance Composition midterm piece. I had talked about this assignment in a previous blog...our assignment was to create a piece that developed. We were also advised to use choreographic tools such as use of space, repetition, tempo, etc. Enjoy!

Dance Team Show

So this Friday, March 27th is our annual Dance Team Show. This show is sponsored by our Dean College Dance Team (obviously) and is a student choreographed show. All of the pieces were auditioned to get in and, like all of our shows at Dean, there is a great variety of styles represented.
I am in a contemporary piece with four other girls and I'm so excited to perform again this year. The piece I am in was choreographed by one of my best friends, Sharlane. This is her first piece she has choreographed for a show here at Dean and it got in and it is beautiful, HOORAY!
I encourage any prospective students, but especially dance majors, to attend a show. It is a great way to get an idea of what our school has to offer and it's always a great time!

AHHHHH!!!!

So it kind of just set in today that I only have five weeks left at Dean. As of Graduation on May 9th, I will be moving to NYC to start my life. I was accepted into the Alvin Ailey Independent Study Program at the Ailey School in Manhattan and will be studying there for three semesters (Fall-Spring-Summer). AHHHHHH!!!!

I am getting an apartment with my best friend, Sharlane, who also got accepted into the program and will be graduating with me as well. So, needless to say, I am busy trying to finish up my semester as well as find a place to live and find a job and make some money and everything else that goes with a HUGE life change.

My biggest lesson this semester has been to just trust that everything will work out. I always have to have a plan, but Dean has prepared me for what's next and I am ready to jump into it, I just need to trust that everything will be ok.

...

Sorry if the videos are so dark below. It's a little, old man playing on all different sized and shaped glasses with different amounts of water in them. Craziness!

New Orleans Entertainment

I wanted to share one of the street entertainers with everyone. This guy was in the French Quarter and I saw him last year also. I'm pretty sure he was wearing the same clothes and hat. Enjoy!

Window display.

Alligator (Soooo good!).

First day of work.

Below: Scott on Day Three of work fixing the door.

Left: Ali on First Day of work.



Below: Me and one of my roommates, Laura. Day Four of work.

Left: Me on Day Four of work. We sorted wood in a lumberyard that was saved from houses that went through Katrina.



Below: The back of our T-shirts.

Britteny testing strength of the wood in the lumberyard.

Hey Everyone!

So this Saturday is the first Softball game of the season, and I CAN'T WAIT!! I'm so so so excited! We've been practicing five days a week for the past few weeks and I can't wait to watch all of our hard work pay off! We're playing Mohawk Valley Community College, and they're supposed to have a really good team, but we have an AWESOME team, so this game should be intense!! We're playing at home in Franklin at Longley field @ 2:00, COME CHEER US ON!

Friday night there is a Pirates & Princesses Masquerade Dance! I'm dressing up as a Pirate, seeing as I'm a princess every other day :-P joking!!! But seriously, it should be so much fun! I love getting dressed up! Me and a few of my friends are having a competition to see who can come up with the best pirate costume and mask for the dance. We all get really competitive too, so this should be interesting!

Have a fabulous week!

Catch ya laterrrr!

Back in action

After a restful break in New York I'm back at Dean. Its always good to see everyone's excitement to see each other again, but I have to admit I'm jealous of how tan some people got over break. New York was just not that warm. Returning back to dance classes after a break is always pretty tough. Especially now that we are studying a whole new technique in my modern class. Last semester we studied the dance technique of Katherine Dunham. This semester we are studying the technique of Lester Horton. Needless to say, my muscles are killing me. There are about 6 weeks of school left, so the work load is getting a little heavy, and can be stressful. All there is to look forward to now is the beautiful weather that we have been getting a glimpse of here on campus. Its refreshing to see people pull out their warm weather clothes after the long winter. That's all for now! Off to another class :-)

Return to Reality

So I'm back at Dean after an emotional week in New Orleans. Obviously, the overall experience was wonderful but many of the realities of what has not been done started to set in. It has been four years since Hurricane Katrina hit the beautiful area and there are still houses on their sides, people left homeless, and no signs of restoration for many.
Our group spent our first workday helping fix up, paint, and install small things for a man who is almost finished restoring his house. It was a two family and, once he is done, he will be able to rent it out and receive more income. Like any southerner, he was so grateful we were there and even treated all sixteen of us to Starbucks at the end of the day.
The two middle days were spent at a private, bilingual elementary school a little outside the city. Some of the group painted murals while the others restored the children's outdoor bathroom facilities. The entire structure had been under water during and after the storm, so many of the toilets had to be replaced and the entire inside needed painting. Remember, this is four years later. The age range of the children was eighteen months to ten years old so half the population of the school was alive during the storm.
Our final work day was spent at a lumberyard sorting through wood that had been saved from houses that had been through Katrina. We had to go through each piece...many were moldy, there were maggots and red ants, as well as large cockroaches in between some of the pieces. Those that we could not keep had to be carried to a "no good" pile on the other side of the lumberyard. This was the most physical day but the most productive because our group was so close at this point, our teamwork was natural.
I will post some pictures this week to help people to understand what my fellow students and I saw. I urge anyone that has the opportunity to do community service to take the chance. It is extremely fulfilling and such a life-changing experience.

Back in Full Force

Spring break has only been over for two days but it seams as though I never left, and the end of my first year here at Dean is almost over. I still have so much to do, but at least some of it is fun and not all work. I am part of the Patriot Place Dean Day, Dean students will be performing dances, comedy acts, and of course singing. My friends and I are just a few of the vocalists at Patriot Place and I can't wait! It should be so much fun, and a great performance opportunity for all of us who work so hard perfecting our art. Come stop by the shopping center at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA on March 21st to see us all in action!
Well that's the fun part, but of course I have papers and finals to start getting ready for, but it all comes with the territory. I'm just glad that I learned to figure out how to manage my time with my crazy schedule, but events like Patriot Place are the things that make all my hard work pay off.

:) Joelle Carscadden

Dean Day at Patriot Place

If you're in the area on Saturday, March 21st and are looking for some fun, you should join the Dean College community at Patriot Place!

The entire shopping area located at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA is going to be full of Dean students performing dances, singing, and acting. Also, the Dean College radio station, WGAO 88.3 FM will be broadcasting from the event.

Join us, check out the entertainment, and even get a chance to win great prizes!

For more information, go here: http://www.dean.edu/StudentLife/MoreEvents.cfm

Hope to see you there.

Kathryn

Benefits of the Honors Program

As spring break is drawing to a close, students are preparing to head back to school, finish up exams, and wait in anticipation for the end of the year. High school students who have been accepted to Dean are excited about what might be in store for them at college. Advanced classes, college-level sports, service organizations, new friends, and freedom to make your own decisions are right around the corner. As students transfer on to that next school, whether it may be Dean, or any other institution, they must understand that every semester counts and that every grade matters in making sure that that college of your dreams would be willing to accept you. The Honors Program is but one of the many opportunities which the college provides students in order to help them look more academically presentable when they transfer out of Dean. For students who have been accepted to Dean and have been invited into the Honors Program, I congratulate you. For students who have been accepted to Dean and were hoping to get into the Honors Program, however, they were not invited, do not be disheartened. If you get an 3.50 GPA or better in your first semester at Dean you will receive an invitation to participate in the program during your second semester. As a member of this tight nit group, I can attest to the friendships that are made and the wonderful opportunities which this program provides. I suggest for all students to keep the Honors Program in mind, when mapping out their future at Dean. Good luck everyone on preparing for the end of your school year. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email me at mhuels@student.dean.edu.

Midterms are Over!!!!!!

I can honestly say that the past three semesters I have been at Dean I haven't really gotten that stressed out about midterms. That being said....this past week was midterms and I was BEYOND stressed. My time management got a little out of control trying to balance my studying with rehearsals with my five jobs on campus with eating and, finally, with sleeping (or lack there of). HUGE lesson this week: I have to take care of me first...no matter what. I have to be my number one priority, because if I don't take care of myself, I am useless to others.

I am relieved the week is over, but aware of what lies ahead; New Orleans. The group of us officially leave our Dean College campus at 3:30am Saturday, March 7th, 2009. I am anxious to get there because I know how much work needs to be done but conscious of the emotional rollercoaster that will ensue as soon as the plane touches the runway. All of us will have a group dynamic to deal with, tasks to accomplish, and personal revelations to acknowledge throughout the week. I will write as often as possible (I don't know if we will have internet access) and look forward to sharing pictures and stories from the trip.

Happy Spring Break! : )

Spring Break

Hello readers!

Spring break is upon us, and the campus is soon to become empty and quiet while our students go home, off to a sunny locale, or on the Dean College sponsored trips to New Orleans and Prague.

While the students are away, the campus is still open. If you'd like to come for a tour or interview you are more than welcome.

Here are some exciting upcoming events for March:
Tuesday, March 24: Online Chat, 6:30pm-8:30pm
Friday, March 27: Discover Dean Day, 11am-2:30pm

Feel free to email me at KGramatico@dean.edu or call me at (508)541-1511 for general questions or if you'd like to attend an event.

Have a great weekend!

Kathryn

Snow Dayy!!!

Hey again!


So today was a snow day, which meant classes were cancelled!! Woo Hoo!!! What a way to start midterms week! I never thought I would be so happy to see so much snow! I got to sleep late, and goodness did that feel great!! By the time i woke up it was about 2 o'clock and breakfast had loonngg been over. But I went to the cafe and had myself a cup of coffee and a bagel with cream cheese! Then I returned to my room for the afternoon to do some studying and to try to get a head start on my midterms! I even cleaned my room! Overall, it was a productive afternoon and after dinner I spent the evening wrapped up in blankets and watched some of the third season of Supernatural, my favorite T.V. show.

As much as i really really don't like snow, it definitely had some benefit on my day. That's something to always remember too, as much as you may dislike something or some one, you never know when you just might need it!!

Well, I'm out for now!

Catch ya laterrrr!

Snow Day

Dean College was officially closed today due to the snow!!! So I spent my day sleeping and getting homework done...it was fantastic!

I don't really have much more to say about that, just that it was a much needed day of rest and relaxation, for everyone. Students are definitely itching for the upcoming Spring Break and today was a nice preview. Hooray!

Mid-semester

This is once of the busiest times for a student here at Dean, midterms are coming up which means lots more studying is added onto the work of a student. As a musical theater major we have the midterms for our core classes as well as the midterms for our dance classes. At least the play is over to leave us some extra time (by the way it went great and we all had so much fun). For any perspective musical theater major who at the sound of a dance midterm cringes, it really isn't that bad. I'm not a dancer per say, but our midterms and finals normally aren't something to fear. For tap we create out own dance routine as a solo or with a friend, and in jazz everyone learns the same combo which is performed in groups of about 5. We are graded on our ability vs. how hard we try, so no fear with a little practice it all pays off and spring break follows to relive any stress that may have built up.

:]
Joelle Carscadden

Use Props to Get Props

Continuing the theme of Black History Month, Dean College's Black Student Union sponsored a show on our campus. Not only did our own female and male step teams perform, but our two dance teams and step and dance teams from Bentley College, Bridgewater State College, Fisher College, Rhode Island State College, and local unaffiliated groups as well. The show was called "Use Props to Get Props" requiring the groups to use a prop in their piece and have a theme color as well.
The talent was undeniable and the audience was receptive and encouraging. The MC was our very own Billy Dunn (Director of Student Activities on our campus). He was well spoken and beyond entertaining with his rendition of "the stanky leg", "the soulja boy", and his own free-style (if you could even call it that). The MPR (or multi-purpose room) was full to capacity with students, parents, faculty/staff, and visitors making up the audience; the old and young alike. Another great example of something to do on our campus; it was a great time!

Business Week

This week was business week at Dean. There was a guest speaker Monday thru Thursday, all Dean alumnis, talking about various areas of the business world. Their positions included a retired CEO, now chairman on the board of directors for a major insurance company, the director of performance and entertainment for Universal Studios, the president of PDR Events (a small business-wedding/event planning), the manager of broadcast operations for the MLB Network, and the director of men's sales for the US for the Etro (clothing) line (based out of Milan); as well as the State Representative, James Vallee.
As usual, Dean went above and beyond to expose students, faculty, and staff to the kind of people an environment like Dean can nurture and encourage to make things happen once they leave campus. Like I tell every tour I give, it is one thing to get a degree, everyone here is striving for that; it is another thing to actually put that degree to use and not only make things happen at Dean, but in the real world as well. Nothing could have confirmed this point better than this past week. The accomplishments of the alumni of this college makes me proud and confirms my belief that there is a "Dean Difference". I am the future, you are the future...anything is possible.

Theatre at Dean

Hi Everyone,
Spring is in the air and pre-spring break activities are in full force here at Dean College. This weekend the Theatre Department is showing the Shakespeare comedy "As You Like It." The director, Dean College faculty member Craig Handel has adapted the play to the 1950's beatnik era New York. While I am not a Theatre major I auditioned and landed a part in the play. We have had so much fun rehearsing these past couple weeks and we are all confident that the play will be fantastic. For all those of you out there who are interested in seeing what the theatre program at Dean is like I would recommend that you to come to this performance.

Thursday and Friday
February 26 & 27 @ 8PM
Saturday, February 28 @ 2PM & 8PM
Sunday , March 1 @2PM

Center for the Performing Arts
61 School Street
Reserved Seating:
**Get Your Tickets NOW**
$5 Dean Students, Faculty, Staff, Seniors & Alumni
General Admission $15
Box Office Hours: 9am-12pm
508-541-1606

Like I said before, spring break is right around the corner and some of the students are starting to receive their first midterm exams. I hope that y'all have an awesome and relaxing spring break.

Fun with friends!

This weekend was so much fun for me and my friends. My friends and I went down to the campus center and went crazy at the SAC wild west weekend. There was a bull ride and old time photos, and me and my friends got all glammed up to take some awesome photos! A few of my friends tried the bull and failed miserably, but it made it more fun. Also this weekend was the Black Student Union dinner and it was fantastic! I enjoyed my weight in cornbread, some delicious chicken and sundae Sunday.
There was fun in the cafeteria pretty much all week because last night there was a raffle for boomers bucks (money that can be loaded on your I.D. and be used at Boomers, Jazzmans, and Dominos) and there were some eating competitions involving large bowls and Coco Puffs.

Well I'm at the first show with an audience and talking about food is making me really hungry, so until next time.

~Joelle Carscadden

Alternative Spring Break

This year's fundraising was much more difficult than last year's due to the state of the economy. Everyone is struggling; small and large businesses, families and friends, the rich and the poor. Needless to say it is hard to ask others for help when they can barely help themselves, however, the key is just that; to ask. I have always been one to ask for what I want, not demand it, but ask for it. As the law of attraction states; if you ask for something and believe in it, then you will receive it. I knew we were going on this trip this year, even though fundraising money was scary low and things seemed impossible. I decided to place a call to a family member, who owns his own business and wishes to remain anonymous, to just ask if he could possibly donate some money. I explained where we were going, what we were doing, and how much we needed to raise (around $8,000.00). I was expecting a good $500.00 to $1,000.00 donation, but he informed me he would be sending a check for $5,000.00. Not only was I shocked but so unbelievably humbled and grateful. Like so many other businesses that turned us away, he could have easily said no, or sent the bare minimum, instead he went above and beyond.

I thanked him over and over again; his reply was simply, keep doing what you're doing...it is a great thing that students are giving up their vacation time for such a good cause. It is people like this and the many others that have donated before, since, and in the future, to the school, organizations, and trips that allow the Dean students to get the "Dean Difference". This trip would not have been possible without the donors; family, friends, staff, the community of Dean and Franklin. My lesson from this is simply to ask; ask for what you need, want, wish, and believe in because you never know how you will get, you just will.

During the stressful times

I don't know about other people, but I go through periods of time with my school work and personal life where I have it very relaxed. Things are easy going, I don't have much homework, and I have a lot of time to myself. This week is not one of those relaxing weeks! It seems like I have projects, tests, papers, and rehearsals every night. Since its around mid-term time this does not surprise me. What I love about Dean is my all of my teachers availability and willing attitudes to help me out.

I'm not very good when it comes to history, so when I found out we had our first big exam coming up I started to study as soon as I got the study guide. My teacher has made it clear that he will help anyone with any questions they have about the study guide. I have already emailed him with questions about the essay on the test.

Many of my teachers have also offered to read my papers before the due date and hand them back to me with corrections. By having this option available to me this year I feel like my writing has gotten so much better, and I get papers done with time to spare. No more procrastination for me!

I'm so thankful for the amount of effort my teachers put forward into helping me. It's helping take off a whole load of stress I would normally have in a week like this!

Wild Wild West ♥

It's Monday, which means the weekend is officially over!! What a drag!!

As you may or may not know, we have a Student Activities Committee here on campus, also called SAC. They plan all kinds of wicked fun activities that you don't usually have to pay for, especially on the weekends!

This weekend was Wild Wild West weekend, and boy was it wild!! Friday night there was a mechanical bull, which i OBVIOUSLY rode 3 times! There was also oldtime photos where you got to dress up in costumes (which were provided!!) and have a photographer take pictures!! It was a blast!! Then Saturday night was casino night where you could play blackjack, poker, and all sorts of card games!! When you cashed in your chips you would get a ticket for every $50 and then you could pick which prizes you wanted and you would be entered into the drawing to win that prize!! Unfortunately, I'm not the best at card games so I didn't win anything. :-(

Needless to say, it was one Wild Wild Weekend!!!

Catch ya laterrrrr !!!!!!!

Discover Dean Day

The Discover Dean Day this past Friday was a success as usual. My tour was actually with one family, a boy and his mom, which turned out to be really nice. Like everything at Dean, the tours are personal and comfortable, but this one was even more so. I enjoy the dynamics that accompany small, medium, large, quiet, loud, and awkward tour groups; everyone is completely different.

The main part of the day that stuck out for me, however, was the reveal of our Admissions video. For all the prospective students out there, it would be extremely helpful as well as beneficial to see this video. I was blown away by the format of it, yet not surprised by its message. It completely captured the essence of Dean and all that it has to offer. Once again, they have gone above and beyond for the students and have truly invested in their educational, as well as personal, well-being.

Midterm Assignment

Many people I have come into contact with ask, "As a dance major, do you have tests? What are you even graded on? How is that a major?". For those that are not involved in the dance world and do not know how it works or what it entails, I can understand their questioning. A great example of what a dance major has as an assignment would be my midterm assignment for my Dance Composition class.
This class is designed to teach us how to compose a dance (also known as choreographing). Our main focus has been building a movement phrase, then developing the phrase utilizing choreographic tools or devices to help us manipulate the movement we have created. This is also known as "movement invention". A phrase in dance could be understood similarly to a phrase in a song, or a stanza in a poem; it is an idea in itself that will grow and develop, possibly continuing a central theme or sometimes changing completely.
For our midterm assignment in this class, we have to choreograph a solo. The final product will be performed alone in front of the class with or without music, however, if the dancer chooses to perform with music there cannot be any lyrics. Lyrics can limit the dancer's movement because the choreography can easily turn into an interpretation of the lyrics of the song (another artist's work) rather than the dancer's physical self discovery. We are being graded on how the movement develops; it needs to have a beginning, a middle, and an end. There is no time limit, we just have to develop the movement. I'll keep you updated on the process : )

Back to school.

The nice long weekend was defiantly the perfect break I needed. Conveniently the T is in Franklin and less then a 5 min. walk from my dorm so I was able to go see an important person over the long Valentine's weekend. :]
Once back at school my classes we the same, but because of my crazy Tuesday's and Thursday's I got a bagged lunch from the cafeteria with all the necessities so I can eat in class when I don't have the time to get to the cafe.
For anyone doing the play it's getting down to crunch time, the play goes up in one week, so after class my friends and I eat dinner then make our way to the Center for Performing Arts and rehearse. We are all excited for the show and this week we all made our stops to the costume shop where we get our outfits for the show. The costumes we get are either hand-made or picked from a plethora of clothes kept in the costume shop. The play that we are doing is a rendition of As You Like It by Shakespeare, and it's set in the 50's so all of our costumes are so cool: greasers, poets, and classy 50's high society.

Can't wait! Come and check it out at the Center for Performing Arts:

Thursday and Friday

February 26 & 27 @ 8PM

Saturday

February 28 @ 2PM & 8PM
Sunday
March 1 @2PM

Upcoming Events

Hi Everyone,
This past week has been pretty hectic at Dean College. However, I doesn't take away from the excitement that we are all feeling about the upcoming Discover Dean Day tomorrow, Feb. 20. Every Discover Dean Day is an amazing experience for all that are involved; the students who give the tours, the faculty who love to display their knowledge about the college, and our prospective students who have the chance to see a new environment. We are all anticipating tomorrow.
This upcoming weekend, Feb. 19-21, Student Activities Committee is having their Wild, Wild West Weekend, and as a SAC member I am having an awesome time helping to prepare for the festivities. The events that are scheduled are students are that they can have old time photos taken with friends, they can sing country songs karaoke style, they can ride a mechanical bull that will be set up in the Campus Center, and there will be a poker tournament. This weekend is only one of the four major weekends that SAC has planned for the Spring Semester.
Student Activities is only one of the many organizations that students can join on campus, which help them to get involved and also to help spice up life at Dean College. I hope that you all have a nice and relaxing weekend. If you have any questions about the college and/or about the life of a typical Dean College student, you can email me at mhuels@student.dean.edu.

Discover Dean Day

Hello!

Have you visited campus yet? If not, this Friday we are having a Discover Dean Day. This is a great event, as you'll get to meet with faculty, staff, and coaches. You'll also go on a campus tour led by our very own Student Ambassadors!

Here's the schedule:
10am-11am: Registration, continental breakfast, and meet and mingle with faculty, staff, coaches and students
11am-11:45am: Welcome and presentation
11:45am-1pm: Campus tours
1pm-1:45pm: Lunch
1:45pm-2:30pm: Optional sessions on Admissions, Financial Aid, Academic Support, and Dance

Call or email us to reserve a spot: admission@dean.edu, (508) 541-1508

Peer Tutoring

As mentioned before, I am a peer tutor in the Learning Center for general help...

Today I actually had someone I worked with a few weeks ago come back for help. She had initially come to me to help her redraft an essay she wrote for a scholarship. When she first came in her work was beautiful and creative but way too wordy and disorganized. I soon found out she was an accomplished poet and she found it difficult to condense her ideas as well as remain clear and concise. After a half hour session with me she left a little disheartened with all of my marks on her work but optimistic she could revise it and return with a better paper. I told her to walk away from it for a couple days and come back to it with a clear mind. Today she came back with the revised version and it was like a completely different writer. Her ideas were clear and her points were developed just enough; I was elated and she was so proud of her work.

It is days like these that remind me why I peer tutor. Something that comes easy to me may seem overwhelming and sometimes insurmountable to someone else. The relief the student had on her face was priceless, she knew she had written a high quality essay and was confident in mailing it out for her scholarship. I was so happy to be a part of her experience of realizing what she was capable of.

Spring is in the air !

Since the weather has been slowly warming up you can definitely feel people spirits being raised around campus. I've been finding its so much easier to get up for my early classes knowing that I won't be blasted with cold, frigid air the moment I step outside. I've made myself get outside the past couple of days and go for walks around town just because it is so nice out! I love seeing all of the gorgeous New England style houses in this area as well.

Today girls from the dance studio in my home town of Oneonta, NY are here at Dean taking dance classes. Their dance instructor attended Dean, and she thought bringing her high school girls here to take classes would be a great way to introduce them to classes that are at the college level and a little more professional. After talking to them they seemed to enjoy the classes a lot even though they said they were a little challenging. I think it is so great that people can try out classes here, because I know when I was looking for schools as a dancer I wanted to be sure I liked the classes. Well I think that is gonna be all for now, I wanna get outside for a little bit and enjoy the sunshine!

New CA in the Condos

I am happy to announce I have been hired as the new CA in the condos. Due to another CA's resignation, for various reasons, there was a spot open and I decided to apply to help build community and help in giving my fellow residents some peer support.
Being a CA in the condos (an off campus residence hall for upper classmen) is a little different than being a CA on campus. CAs in the condos are "on duty" every three nights (Sun-Wed until 12am and Thurs-Sat until 2am) instead once a week or every ten days or so like the CAs on campus. They also have to be more creative in finding ways to get their residents to participate in activities because there are no common rooms in the condos like a normal dorm. Each condo has bedrooms, bathrooms, and living rooms so residents don't really have any reason for leaving their doors open or venturing out to hang with other residents because they live with their friends and have access to everything they need inside their condos.
I feel up to the challenge and look forward to figuring out new ways to approach community building and peer interaction.
***A "CA" is a Community Advisor and is similar to what other colleges call an "RA" or Resident Assistant. It is a student hired to be in charge of their floor; they are in charge of a bulletin board with upcoming campus events and activities and plan activities for their dorm to help build community.

It's Friday !!

Heyy everyone!!
Another week has gone by way too fast!! The weather was absolutely GORGEOUS and the snow is starting to melt. YAY!!!
As a communications major, I am takingly a Radio Practicum. One of the requirements of the course is that I must spend at 3 hours a week in the radio studio. How awesome is that!! As a student ambassador, I give weekly tours and I always mention (multiple times!!) how much I LOVE the fact that I get hands on experience even though I'm only a freshman!! I have currently been DJing, playing songs, promotions, breakers, etc. Next week I get to talk on air!! I'm so excited, but I'm also kind of nervous!!
Softball practices this week were INTENSE! We got a new conditioning routine, and boy did my body hurt!! But it'll be well worth it in the end when we win regionals and go on to nationals :-) One thing I love about playing softball at Dean is that the team is kind of like family. We practice together, eat together, study together and support each other. Last night AAA Awards were handed out to athletes that maintained a 3.2 GPA or above. One of our captains recieved an award and the team was there to cheer her on!!! I, however, missed it because I was tutoring a student. :-( But now it's the weekend, and a long one too!! YAY!!

Happy Valentine's Day ! ♥

Catch ya later!!

Know Your Limit

I have realized that it is important to know when to say no, when enough is enough, and when you have hit your limit. During college there are many temptations and distractions; despite the obvious more consequential ones, there are many others that can creep up on you.
-Time Management
It is so important to manage your homework, studying, activities, and job in a timely manner.
-Friends
Living in a college environment creates situations that are easily avoided while living at home. It's not everyday that your best friend shares a room with you or your group of friends live on the same floor as you.
-Clubs/Activities
At any college, getting involved is a stressed concept. Students that are involved on their campus have more connections which usually results in a higher success rate for their academic, as well as social life. Getting involved, however, should not overshadow or take precedence over school work.
It is important for a college student to learn when to say no when their friends ask them to hang out, when their workload has become too much to handle and they may need extra help, and when they have gotten to a point where they feel as though they cannot move forward in their studies, as well as their activities.
At Dean, our academic support services range from peer tutoring to organizational help. When things seem overwhelming they are a great tool to aide in keeping stress levels low and success rates high. Overall, it is the student's responsibility to ask for help and know themselves enough to be aware of how much they can take on and when they have hit their limit.

New Blogger :]

Hey! My name is Joelle Carscadden, a freshman here at Dean College. I am a Student Ambassador at Dean and it is my job to make sure prospective students and parents know what life is like here at Dean from a student who knows it the best. I major in Musical Theater and currently am taking 7 classes: Movement Improvisation, Jazz II, Tap II, English, Ballet I, History, and Musical Theater Education. I have participated in every theater event here at Dean, whether on stage or helping out behind the scenes. Dean gives great opportunities to freshman that in other schools students would have to wait until they are juniors or possibly seniors to experience. As a freshman I have been able to be on stage in four musicals (two of which are part of a class) and a play, and I am even getting the chance to be a lead in the upcoming spring musical, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Besides being able to get to perform on stage there are many other things that I love about Dean. The staff at Dean is very accessible and whenever I need some extra help the professors are always willing to me out. Also the living here at Dean is very nice, the majority of the dorms here have large rooms with very comfortable living spaces compared to other schools that I saw while doing my college tours. There are many ways to become involved at Dean and meet new people and there are no shortages of fun activities to do with your friends.

Sundae Sunday

I don't have a lot to write about this week, due to being sick and it only being Tuesday so I thought I would take the time to talk about the little things at Dean College that I love...
-Jazzman's iced coffee (one of our cafes located in the Library Learning Commons)
-late night talks with my roomies
-Tues./Thurs. "Fire and Ice" night in the dining center
-RDs (resident directors) stopping by to hang out
-driving across campus to class that would normally be a 5 minute walk (only sometimes)
-getting care packages from family, friends, and the like
-free beta fish (mine is named "Skrappy")
-awesome events on campus (sponsored by SAC-Student Activities Committee)...can't wait for mechanical bullriding next weekend
-watching Family Guy marathons
-rehearsals where nothing gets done because everyone is so overtired
-Sundae Sunday in the dining center (I usually take my ice cream and toppings home separately then eat them later-it's like a fun surprise when I'm doing my homework/studying)

Like everyone else, I seem to finally be settling back into the Dean life. I have always been really close to my mom and the rest of my family so it's hard for me to be away from home too often. Lately I have been trying to keep myself busy which has not been hard at all. My classes are all a bit time demanding, although it pays off when I get my quiz grades returned with a big "A" on them. YESS!! Other than my school work I've been getting out and doing stuff with friends. I try to get off campus and go out to eat every once and a while. (Usually at Rick's diner located just around the corner from Dean. Cheap, good food, what more could a college student ask for?) I've also been looking at professional comtemporary dance performances around the area that I can go to see. As a requirement for my modern class we have to write a paper on a modern/contemporary performance. Get graded on going to see a show!? Love it! This past Friday I went to see the Showcase put on by my fellow dancers. It was so much fun getting to see the different dances, and my friends perform in the show. There was a really good turn out too! I didn't expect to see so many people there to support the dancers here at Dean. The small campus deffinatly helps create a bond between all the students who go here. It deffinatly gives this place a home-ish vibe!

Stepping Outside of My Major

Hi everyone,
This past week was an interesting one here on the Dean College Campus. The semester seems to be in full swing now and all of the classes are buzzing ready for the long President's Day weekend that is coming up in a few days. Although I am a Liberal Studies Major concentrating in political science and international relations I tried out for a play that will be showing here on campus, and to my surprise I got a part. The play is "As You Like It" which is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare. The director is staging the play in the beatnik-era America, in a big city setting. I am really excited about the play, which will be showing at the end of this month, February 26-March 1, at the Center for Performing Arts right here on the Dean College campus. This right here is one of the most interesting parts about life at Dean. Although I am not a theatre major, I still made a role in a play competing against theatre connoisseurs.
Good luck during the long weekend, and have fun over Valentine's Day.

My Childhood Flashbacks

To follow up my last post, the show went great and we were sold out. From what I could tell and the feedback I personally got, was that everyone did a great job and the show was a success. Hooray for that!
This Saturday, February 7th, our Resident Life Department sponsored an event named, "Playground Games". I was planning on attending and watching everything go down, however, as soon as I showed up I found myself part of a very competitive game of kickball. I don't even know how it happened but I was nine years old again during recess, begging for people to not kick the ball in my direction. I am a reasonably confident person when it comes to intellectual, problem-solving, analyzing situations; when it comes to competitive sports, noone would want me on their team. Despite my reservations and anxiety, we ended up not keeping score and I was able to pitch (allowing me less contact with the ball during those quick-thinking plays...phew!).
After, there was a short game of "knock-out", a game I consider way too stressful, followed by an intense game of "four square" that I played for a good hour. At this point I had been there since 8:15pm and it was pushing 11:00pm so I decided to not stay for the dodgeball game that was coming up next. All I wanted was some Dunkaroos and a double popsicle. I have to also point out, my roommates and I prepared for this event by coloring Disney pictures and such earlier that day (we got in the childhood zone).
I did, however, come to the realization that it does not take much to connect to your childhood roots. It is important not to take things too seriously, that a little competition never hurt anyone, and that deep down we all possess a small piece of ourselves from a simpler, happier time when life didn't have to make sense. Anyone there could see the transformation from college age to playground age and everyone that attended had a great time.

Visit Dean this Saturday!

Saturday Information Session: Feburary 7th

It looks like it's going to be 40 degrees tomorrow...what perfect weather to join our staff for an information session and tour!

The event starts at 10am and will end at 12pm.

Please call to sign up at (508) 541-1508 or 1-877-TRYDEAN.

I hope to see you there!

Kathryn

Showcase

This Friday, February 6th at 7:30pm is Dean College's Annual Showcase. This show is sponsored by the Franklin School of Performing Arts and is a student choreographed show that all dances were required to audition for. There will also be pieces from the FSPA as well and the show will incorporate all styles; tap, jazz, modern, hip hop, etc.
I am actually in two pieces, a jazz and a tap, and cannot wait for the show. It is safe to say that everyone performing is over tired and stressed but excited and anxious as Friday approaches. As my "Introduction" blog stated, I am very involved in the Dean College Community and many of the other dancers on campus are as well. To put it in perspective, the average college student has five classes a semester, dancers have seven to nine classes a semester. Personally I have seven classes, three dance and four academic. So, needless to say, finding a time to rehearse is nearly impossible. Dancers at Dean will do whatever it takes to get those rehearsals in and make sure all those involved in a particular piece know the choreography and feel comfortable to perform it; we are representing not only Dean College but, specifically, the Dean College School of Dance and we do not take this responsibility lightly.
That being said, I had an 11:00pm rehearsal (for the tap piece I'm in) this past Monday night. This was the very first time the entire group of dancers in the piece rehearsed together. I can honestly say that despite how overtired all of us were, the piece has finally come together for the show on Friday. My lesson this week is that everything eventually falls into place at some point or another. It may seem hopeless or impossible or upsetting at the time, but things work themselves out and it all makes sense why later on. Hard work truly pays off in the end.
Come see the show and enjoy all of the Dean dancers' hard work!!!

Hey there!

My name is Kelly O'Leary. I am a freshman communications major and I live on campus. I am also a Student Ambassador and an Emerging Leader. I am currently taking 6 classes this semester: Composition and Literature, Public Speaking, Business Ethics, Contemporary U.S. History, Radio Practicum, and Sociology of the Family. I also play on the softball team and I am a writing tutor. When I first started looking at colleges, I wanted to attend Northeastern University. But after my tour of Dean, I absolutely fell in love. I chose Dean College because of it's small population and because of everything it has to offer. The academic support programs offered a variety of assistance that I didn't find anywhere else. Dean also offers dozens of ways to get involved on campus which also provides the opportunity to meet new people. In addition to the gorgeous campus, Dean offered hands on experience my freshman year that I would have to wait to experience until my junior year at a four year university. This truly is a one of a kind school that offers unique experiences and opportunities!


Catch ya later!!
~Kelly

Upcoming Events

Hi all,

I wanted to let you know about the exciting events on the Dean campus for February.

Saturday, February 7th and February 28th: Saturday information sessions
Listen to a presentation by our Assistant Director of Admission, Larry Thode, followed by a campus tour led by our Student Ambassadors!

Friday, February 20th: Discover Dean Day
You don't want to miss this event; meet with staff, faculty and coaches, listen to presentations by students, take a campus tour, and eat lunch in our dining center. Afterwards, you can attend optional sessions on Admissions, Dance, and Academic Support.

Thursday, February 26th: Online Chat, 6:30pm-8:30pm
Chat online with Admission Counselors and students about Dean!

To sign up for either of these events, please call Admissions at 1-877-TRYDEAN or email at admisson@dean.edu.

P.S.: Counselors will be attending these college fairs in February-if you are a student at these schools, please stop by our table to say hello!
-Beverly HS, MA: February 12, 9:45am-10:45am
-Wellesley HS, MA: February 12, 7:30pm-9:00pm
-Maynard HS, MA: February 26, 7:00pm-9:00pm

Weekend trip

I love the school week at Dean. I am one of those people who always needs to be doing something. During the week I have lots of things to do. I have a busy schedule during the day because of my academic classes and dance classes. Then I usually come back to my room, shower up, do homework, hang out with friends, or go for food in the cafe. Sometimes, depending on how exhausting my dance classes were, I go to the gym at the end of the day. Needless to say I am going non-stop all week and usually take the weekend off and turn into a bum. This weekend however, I decided to get off campus for a change. My Mom came up to visit and we walked over to the train station right down the street from Dean. It is literally a two minute walk from my room here on campus. We got on the train and went into Boston for the day. We got lunch, and did some shopping in Faneuil Hall. Then we met up with some of my Mom's friends and went to their apartment. If you have heard of or seen the movie "The Departed", then you have seen this apartment. It was the actual apartment that Jack Nicholson's character lived in during the movie. I couldn't believe I was actually in the same place. Being in Boston was such a great experience. I'm definately glad that it is so easy to get to from Dean, because it was really an unforgetable experience!

Bingo

So, last night was Bingo night at Dean and I have to say it went fantastic. This was my second Dean Bingo (the first one I won a body pillow) and I won again; this time it was a work out kit consisting of a work out ball, resistance bands, and a yoga mat. Hooray! Some of the other prizes included; a bluetooth headset, wireless headphones, two different ipod docks, a comfy beanbag chair thing, snacks, towels, and much more. As usual our Student Activities Committee (or "SAC") went above and beyond. The competition got heated a couple of times when there was more than one winner so Billy Dunn, the student activities coordinator, declared a "Bing-off". Another number was drawn and the person that had it won the prize; they kept going until someone won.
Unfortunately, I was in a three way tie for one of the ipod docks (the only prize I wanted) and ended up losing the "Bing-off"....sad day. I did go home a winner, as I said before, and I have officially decided that I will be one of those old ladies that plays bingo at the senior centers because I am 2-0 for wins during my bingo career.

Greetings everyone!!

Hi Everyone,
My name is Marcus, I am from Illinois, and I am a freshman here at Dean College. My major is Liberal Studies with a concentration in Political Science and Law. After next year I will transfer and finish the rest of my undergraduate work. I am a one of the many Student Ambassadors that help the college communicate to prospective students why Dean is special, and why we would love for you to come and join us in helping to make a difference in the future. Dean provides numerous organizations to get involved and make a difference here on campus and in the Greater Community of Franklin. I am currently a member of Dean Community Outreach, Student Activities Committee, Poetry Society, and Resident Hall Association. I am also an elected member of the Dean Student Government Association. I love these organizations because, on top of being a college student, they give me an opportunity to give back to a community that has already given so much to me. I chose Dean because so many of the nationally renowned schools understand that Dean is a credible institution which properly prepares students for a smooth transfer. If you have questions about any aspect of the Dean community please email me, Marcus Huels, at mhuels@student.dean.edu.

My Dean Decision

My name is Aubrey Fowler. I came to Dean College here in Franklin, Massachusetts this semester for their Arts Management Major. When I was looking for schools last semester I knew I wanted to continue dancing because it has always been such a big part of my life. However, I really wanted a business degree to fall back on because living and working just as a dancer was a risky idea to me. When I searched for colleges with a management degree with dance, Dean College was one of the first options that came up. I had heard about Dean from many people in my home town of Oneonta, New York. I even took classes with dance teachers who went to Dean. I heard good things about the school, and really liked it after I went on the campus tour. The school was just far enough away that if I got home sick I could return on the weekends. I also enjoyed the smaller school vibe. My choice has served me well so far. I have started my second semester here. I love the Arts Management program and I am enjoying the new experiences I have had here at Dean.

Introduction

My name is Eileen and I am a sophomore dance major, psychology minor here at Dean College. I am not your typical college student. I took two years off due to a dance related injury that occurred during my senior year of high school, so I am actually a 22 year old sophomore. For all of those out there that have taken time off and think that it's "too hard to go back to school" it is completely possible. I have been in the working world and have lived on my own since I was 18 and know the sacrifices that have to be made to return to an education, but it is completely worth it!
I am very involved on campus; some might say overinvolved, but I pride myself on being a part of the Dean Community. I am a student ambassador, giving weekly tours as well as participating in online chats with prospective students, a peer tutor in the learning center, tutoring in general help as a work study student; a participant in the Alternative Spring Break Trip in 2008 and in March of 2009- we went and are going to Louisiana to help rebuild homes for Hurricane Katrina Victims; a graduate of the Emerging Leaders Program last year and a member of the Rising Leaders Program this year, both requiring an application for admission and consisting of leadership workshops throughout the year to help build leadership skills on campus and after graduation; and finally I am the President of the National Honors Society, Phi Theta Kappa, completing my freshman year with a 4.0 GPA and last semester with a 3.943 GPA. Dean has allowed me an environment where I can thrive both academically and socially and has given me the tools to succeed in the dance, academic and working world now and in the future. I hope sharing some of my stories and experiences with others will help both prospecive and current students to see what they can accomplish on and off campus.

Welcome!

Hello! My name is Kathryn and I am an Admission Counselor here at Dean College. The Office of Admission is starting a blog so that you can get a glimpse of what happens on campus. Our primary writers will be our very own Dean College Student Ambassadors. These students are part of our office and help us by giving tours to students interested in Dean. In fact, you may have been on a tour that they have led!

Hopefully this blog will show you what a great place Dean College is and that our students are truly invested in their experiences here.

Enjoy the blog and check back often for updates!

Kathryn