ADVENTURES AT FRANKLIN

It’s time for a new installation in this series! As my first time publishing for ‘Swiss Cities in Depth,’ a portion of this article will be dedicated to my experience at Bellinzona. The personal touch alongside an overview and some sites to visit seem exactly up my alley. I mean, you could google the entire history of Bellinzona in your free time, right? So, let's get straight to why this picturesque city is worth the visit! Brief Overview of Bellinzona Bellinzona is the capital of the Swiss canton of Ticino and was situated in a strategic location. The city surrounds the Swiss Alps and is on the Alpine foothill, meanwhile, the ‘Tre Castelli’ surrounds the city! The Castles of Bellinzona, which are also the symbol of Ticino’s capital, consist of three castles: Castelgrande, Montebello, and Sasso Corbaro. These giant fortifications act as walls surrounding the city, and since 2000 have been acknowledged as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Culture and Castles: Things to do Bellinzona wa

Some days, acquiring the motivation to start an assignment or studying for a big test is excruciating hard, but it’s even more difficult when you’re surrounded by your comfy bed and plenty of other distractions in your dorm (and the freedom to kill time on your phone with no immediate consequences). Plus, there’s the pull to talk to roommates (they’re there to help with procrastination, right?) Therefore, I’ve compiled four different locations on campus that have different atmospheres for your specific study needs. Starting from less time constricting work to, hold your breath, your ultimate time-crunching-paper-writing-study-guide-reading-needs. But still, feel free to interpret my thoughts to fit your personal preferences!  The Grotto Overview I view the Grotto as an ideal location for small homework assignments or brainstorming for a paper. It also works as a great place for study sessions with friends or group meetings since there’s a separate room with tables and couches that some

Ciao & Hello! It’s a new dawn, a new day, a new life. And with the 2021 spring semester at Franklin University Switzerland just starting up, the majority of FUS students have started settling back in on the Lugano campus after the winter holidays. Here’s a little update. While most students went home for the month away to visit family for the holidays (as I have), some stayed to experience Switzerland at a deeper level. Nevertheless, most are back now with the exception of a few students staying with family plus those who've graduated and the many USC study abroad's that quickly became close friends, which we had to say goodbye to with a heavy heart. Alas, the show must go on! FUS stretches out their arms to welcome around 30 new students (as I’ve been told by word of mouth) from partnering universities, Virginia Tech and Emerson College, and those who transferred. Currently, students are all keeping busy with a plethora of online classes, interactive zoom calls, and indepe

"It doesn't matter if you never accomplish your goals or accomplish any one of your dreams, if you are enjoying the journey " -Ryan Higa, American YouTuber. Welcome back or welcome to  Adventures at Franklin! This is my final post. It has been a wonderful experience, and for my last post, I want to provide some of my thoughts on graduating.  I am so happy for the experience of being a Franklin student for 3 and a half years. I have had many great adventures, and met so many wonderful people.  I will look back at the memories and people that I have met with great fondness over the coming years.  I am relieved to be done. I managed my time extremely well over my last semester, so I was never too stressed but at the same time, the closer and closer it got to the end of the semester, the more I wanted to be finished.  I am anxious for the future. I took some time to decide my next steps, and now it is time to actually put what I planned into action. It is frightening, it is

"We do not learn from experience we learn from reflecting on experience" -  John Dewey, American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer.   Welcome back or welcome to Adventures at Franklin ! Another semester has come and gone, which means another semester in review post. This semester was extremely unique. In the COVID-19 times, we have had to be flexible. Classes, activities, and events all needed to be a hybrid of virtual and in person, so I think it is only fitting that I split this post into these two sections.  In-person:  There were a lot of events just like from years past, but not as many in person. Here are some of the highlights of events that were able to occur in-person. There are a few FUS traditions which I was very happy to see remain.  Virtual:  The beginning of the semester, when many people were in quarantine, had many events online. The Franklin community really did their best and tried to put together as many events as possible in a virtual

"May your choices reflect your hopes , not your fears " -Nelson Mandela,  South African Anti-Apartheid Revolutionary, Political Leader and Philanthropist. Orientation 2017 (you can see me near the front!) Welcome back or welcome to Adventures at Franklin! This is my final week at Franklin University Switzerland :O and I wanted to share why I chose FUS, so that any prospective students who are thinking about attending FUS can get an idea about on whether or not to consider FUS. This post was inspired by a post of the same title , written by Jessica ( Adventures at Franklin creator).  Quite simply, I chose Franklin University Switzerland because it fit me and what I wanted from my university experience.  Firstly, I did not want to be a face in the crowd. Franklin's small student population makes it so every student can stand out if they want to and not just be a number. Professors will know who you are, staff will know who you are, and students will know who you are. I alw

"Every great achiever is inspired by a great mentor" - Lailah Gifty Akita, Ghanaian Author.  Welcome back or welcome to Adventures at Franklin ! This post is the last of a 3 part series where I reflect on my favorite memories at FUS. Feel free to check out part 1 on Orientation , and part 2 on Academic Travel , in case you want to read about my other favorite memories :) My time at FUS is almost over. I have 2 weeks left! One of the best things I have done at FUS is be an Academic Mentor (AM). In fact, the first time was so good, I had to do it twice! (No in reality I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to do it twice 😂). AMs helps new students transition to university life. AMs are a part of the First Year Seminar program, which is designed to introduce new students to the demands of university academics. AMs also help with orientation as student leaders, and will always be happy to support new students. Here are some of my favorite memories from my experiences. Traini