The spring semester always arrives with a multitude of tasks to be completed — meetings with advisors, enrolling in classes and securing housing somewhere in Miami. But this year, many students ...

Along with your major, the first question people often ask is where you are from. I always get the same look of surprise when I tell people I’m from Kansas as if no one actually lives there and I may not be real. After cracking a Wizard of Oz joke and asking about wheat and corn, people usually make a comment insinuating that there must not be much there worth enjoying.

If your guilty pleasure is reality television, you have probably heard of the Chrisley family, the wealthy Southern family featured in USA Network show “Chrisley Knows Best.” The show follows real-estate tycoon Todd, his wife Julie, their children and grandchildren, and Todd’s mother as they lead an opulent lifestyle in Georgia.

No one wants to be perceived as lazy or uninterested in ‘becoming the best version of themself,’ but many set goals just to fit in rather than because they are intrinsically motivated to achieve those things. Especially around the new year, people take to social media and post their plans for the year and it can feel like resolutions are more of a display to impress others than a metric of personal growth.

Social media is a modern Wonderland — somewhere you might venture for a quick, fun visit, but then get sucked down the rabbit hole and can’t escape. With just one click you enter a realm with endless puppy videos, inundations of family updates and loads of controversial content, including hate speech that often targets minorities.

Organic chemistry is a notorious “weed-out class,” intended to determine who has the dedication and skill to pursue a career in the STEM fields. In the recent case at New York University (NYU), a group of students blamed their organic chemistry professor, Maintland Jones Jr., for making the class nearly impossible to pass. 85 students filed a petition stating the professor was “too hard” of a grader and “lacked resources for help.” Shortly after, NYU terminated Jones Jr.’s contract.

Late September was filled with great uncertainty as Hurricane Ian approached South Florida. Many UM students stocked up on food and water in preparation for the worst. But as I spoke to my classmates, I noticed a shared excitement among us. Students wanted the hurricane to pass over Miami. Who wouldn't want a few days of virtual or canceled classes? There was talk of hurricane parties and endless nights of hanging out in the dorms. Suddenly, a natural disaster sounded like a retreat.