3 Months Down, 1 to Go...

So I cannot believe it is August 2nd. It is officially three months since I finished my last final and about one month until I move back in. I guess I would have missed Penn more if I hadn’t been down here every day for the past six weeks.
This summer I am lucky enough to be working at the Annenberg Public Policy Center for a National Public Radio Program called Justice Talking (http://justicetalking.com) . It is a great internship; I highly encourage all future students to consider spending a summer or sometime during the year helping out. It is not like most internships where employers don’t trust the capability of students. I have gotten to put together research packets for future programs and even have one of my ideas for a show topic chosen! The staff is so laid back, it’s an amazing summer job.
I’ve also been taking a summer class—Communications 125 Communication and Behavior. I had heard that this class was potentially pretty boring so I decided it might be beneficial to get it out of the way in six weeks as opposed to twelve. It ends next Thursday, and I have to tell you that this class has been phenomenally interesting. Perhaps it is because I have an interest in communications (as it is one of my majors!) or maybe it is the fact that I only have one class to worry about so I am not as stressed and can really enjoy the reading. Either way, my professor, a graduate student named Lauren Feldman, who has done most of her research in Political Communications (really fascinating stuff!!) is one of the best professors I have had here at Penn.
Summer classes are kind of a hidden gem.
If you can get past taking classes in the summer, they are much more relaxed (code for easier), class sizes are much smaller (this class has 12 students as opposed to close to 200 in the spring) and the students really get to interact with the professor. As a bonus for all Penn students, about half of the class is comprised of pre-college students (high school kids doing a summer program at Penn), which makes the environment not as stressful and the competition a bit easier. Needless to say, despite my roughly 3-hour commute in and out of the city every day, I am really enjoying my summer at Penn—not to mention I have not had to go without eating at my favorite places all summer!