Whether you're a Frank Sinatra or Sublime fan, everyone knows the classic tale of school being out for the summer and finally getting a chance to relax. As my final "kid summer" comes to a close, my last summer not having a big-kid job, I realized that summer break is not what it used to be when I was younger.

I now work 40 hours a week on campus, and like myself many others are working just as much as I am on top of taking classes. Summers in college is a time to make as much money as possible so you do not end up broke in the middle of the semester or trying to catch up on your class load.

Sound design is a very important aspect of filmmaking. Without sound design, a film can sound terrible. Unfortunately this is often overlooked, especially with student films. I, like many other film professionals, know how important sound design is. So, I made sure to take a sound-related class while at Fitchburg State.

Sound design was very simple at first and has evolved throughout the years. "Gravity"—my favorite movie of 2013—won an Oscar for sound, and rightfully so! Sound design isn't just making everything sound good, it's also about layering the sounds perfectly and making something sound real or the way the audience should hear it.

Although this week included two days off from classes it has been academically grueling for some. Monday was a day off due to Patriot's Day, a Massachusetts holiday that includes the Boston Marathon, the Red Sox at Fenway, and a whole lot of patriotism.

The second day we had off was Thursday, and that was due to the Undergraduate Research Conference. To learn a little more about it, keep reading. 

Alternative Spring Break was an incredibly humbling experience. I was able to help an 83-year old woman keep warm. Her house had no insulation, air conditioning or heat. Her name is Miss Mary Hudson and she was nothing but stunning.

On top of this, I was able to spend the week with amazing people doing amazing things in an amazing place. I cannot recommend doing this program enough.

Well, it's the final countdown.

High school students from around the U.S. have applied to colleges and they're beginnig to find out whether they've been accepted or not. Now it's up to the student which college is best fit for them. I figured since people are making their decision now, this is the best time to write, "Why I Chose Fitchburg State University."

Art drawing is one of the courses I am enrolled in this semester. Throughout the class we have done many different types of drawing. Coming into this class, I had barely any experience, but I can honestly say I'm getting to be pretty good at this drawing thing. I think I found my inner artist. 

This is one of the first drawings we did. I used pencil to draw the cube objects and then shaded it. Being able to come up with this drawing was difficult because I didn't know where to start. When I finally got started, I kept messing up so I found myself erasing a lot and fixing my mistakes. This type of drawing is called cubes in linear perspective and I'm quite happy with it. 

With spring break impending on the Fitchburg State community, I hear about everyone's plans. People going on vacations, seeing friends from home and reconnecting with a sense of peace from schoolwork for a week. I, on the other hand, have other plans.

Way back in September/October, I was selected to be a participant in Fitchburg State's Alternative Spring Break program. It is a program that is coordinated through Habitat For Humanity. This year, we are lucky enough to be traveling to Lucedale, MS. Where exactly is Lucedale? Right here!

The title says it all—Writing Screenplays is Hard!

For the spring semester of my sophomore year, I decided to take a writing for film and video course. In the course description it says that you work throughout the semester on a feature-length script, which is 120 pages. I figured it would be a challenge, but this has been one of the hardest things I've done in filmmaking.

I give a lot of credit to anyone who writes screenplays professionally. This is the first time that I've ever attempted to write a feature-length script. You need to come up with a conflict and characters that people will actually care about and that can sustain for two hours. I've come up with a treatment, character bios, and now I'm starting to write the actual script, which I'll be working on until the end of the semester.

It's Commuter Appreciation Week at Fitchburg State University, and let me tell you, I am certainly feeling appreciated!

Becky Lindley and her amazing Commuter Affairs staff have a week of events that are sure to make any commuter student feel welcome and appreciated. So find out what it's like to be a commuter here, and see how much the university truly values us! 

What's the point of being an adult if you can't be a little childish sometimes? Tom Baker said that. Whose Tom Baker you ask? This guy.

Tom Baker aside, I've found this quote to be very relevant right now. I have not been very childish lately. I've been Mr. Serious Pants. It was recently that I realized I haven't had a whole lot of time for myself. Time for me to enjoy myself and have fun. There is so much fun to be had on this campus and I haven't had the chance to take full advantage.