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‘Hella’ praise for Mills

One hundred forty-seven. That’s how many days it’s been since the grounds of Mills College have blessed my weary feet. As a domestic exchange student from Simmons College in Boston, Mass., I had the chance to meet a glut of incredible women and have numerous phenomenal experiences last semester.

Upon my return to Beantown, my fellow students and professors at Simmons asked me how my time was at Mills and in the Bay Area; I was at a loss for words. Not because Mills made a weak impact, but because it made such an impact on my life as a student and as an individual that I felt like no words could do complete justice to my experience(s). The closest description I could come up with was “a four-month-long shower.” I literally felt a cleansing of the soul, heart and head while among the prevailing eucalyptus trees, the intoxicating sun of California and the absolute reception in the community as a whole.

By day three of my semester at Mills, I was already invited for a tea and TV gathering and had a bunch of great people to sit with at Founders. During my stay at Mills, I was part of The Weekly team as a copy editor and staff writer and also participated in the junior class council as treasurer and also had three amazing classes, two in English (I have never been so excited to learn grammar and 19th century literature!), and one in Philosophy.

Ever since I read Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s A Coney Island of the Mind and became passionately involved with the beat poets, I longed to experience the literary scene of the San Francisco Bay Area. When I discovered that I could actually take a semester away from Simmons but still be in school AND be in the Bay Area, I was all stirred up! Or, as they say in New England, WICKED PSYCHED! (Translation: hella excited). I knew that I wanted to experience “SF” and its literary scene and that I wanted to scope out Mills’ MFA program. Little did I know I would be entirely enthralled with both! Now I am obsessed.