Hi! My name is Nicole Hurowitz and I am an HDV Fellow! I will be sophomore and I am a BA in Psychology Major. In addition to being a Fellow, I am also a member of the Commuter Student Association and the Psychology Student Alliance.

My advice for your first year is to take the opportunity to go to your professors’ office hours and explore new areas of interest while you can. I learned that writing down the dates for upcoming exams, quizzes, etc. in a planner kept me very organized. Don’t let the “commuter status” feel like a disadvantage; There are plenty of opportunities to make new friends with other commuters and residents, such as joining clubs, attending sports games and HDV events. Even if you are not a STEM major (like I am), it may be easy to feel intimidated; However, it’s not so bad being different 🙂 Most importantly, don’t be afraid to be yourself and have fun!

Hi Everyone! My name is Kim Marko and I am an HDV Fellow. I am a Marine Science Major from Ronkonkoma, NY. In addition to being an HDV Fellow, I am also an Orientation Leader, Club Field Hockey Team Member, Research Assistant and participate in the Marine Science Club and Hall Council.

My biggest piece of advice is to step out of your comfort zone. Maybe its signing up for a class that has nothing to do with your major, auditioning for a dance team, joining a new club or a sports team, what ever it is do it. The reason I say this is because if you don’t push yourself to new comfort levels you’re going to get bored. In the fall of my sophomore year I decided to join a club sport team. I was terrified because I didn’t know anyone on the team and I didn’t know if i would even be any good, but it was one of the best decisions I could have made. Now every week I get to hang out with a bunch of awesome people and get to play a sport I ended up loving and its a great little escape from all the school work. Things will change, you may not be as close to your friends that you made freshmen year or maybe you may decided you want to change your major to something completely different, and thats fine. College is all about change, don’t be afraid of it, embrace it and see where it takes you.

Hi my name is Jen Urist and I’m an HDV Fellow! I’m the one all the way on the left. I am in my second year at Stony Brook. I’m a Health Science Major and part of the Health and Nutrition Club.  Along with being a forever fellow, I am also one of the Stony Brook Ice Girls and a Campus Dining Services Nutrition Intern.

I am currently studying away at Queens College for a Semester through Stony Brook’s National Student Exchange Program.  You can learn more about this at www.stonybrook.edu/nse or www.nse.org

I think Sophomore year is the perfect time to start applying yourself on campus and in the professional world. Don’t be afraid to reach out to professors, advisors or peers about opportunities that interest you and can benefit your future. Trying out different things is a great way to determine what your true interests are and gain real world experience.

Hi my name is Lara Badr and I’m an HDV Fellow in my sophmore year.  I’m  a Clinical Lab Sciences Major and I love being a Seawolf!  Along with being a forever fellow, I also T.A. Chemistry 131 & 132 and I’m a member of Phi Delta Epsilon.

My  advice for sophomore year is to Explore!   By the end of my freshman year, I thought I would be done finding new resources and experiences at SBU, but I learned that there’s always more to learn! I didn’t find a major I was truly happy with until my sophomore year, and finding it was one of the best things to happen to me at Stony Brook!  Also, balance out your workload. Now that freshman year is over, people usually start taking higher division classes so plan them well! (Erika is great for that too!) Use all the resources Stony Brook has to offer, there are so many out, you just have to make the first step and look for them!

Undergraduate Colleges provides advising specifically designed for students in their first year. That means that advisors devote all their resources to your specific needs, concerns and decisions as a first-year student. If you haven’t visited an advisor yet, come in for walk-in advising, and see what an advisor can help you with: planning your major, what kinds of courses you can take to help you explore, or just get to know them! They’re there to help, and they also handle a lot of the most important events and curriculum for first-year students. Advisors are your bridge to the University. Let them help you make the most of your first year!