Hi, I’m Kayley Richards, a freshman at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington and the newest freshman blogger for University Chic. Since I’m sure you’re all on the edge of your seats in anticipation of learning who I am, I’ve compiled five quick, absolutely-necessary-if-you-want-to-understand-my-blog facts about me:

1) Someday I want to be a magazine editor and novelist. I’m studying journalism and psychology in hopes of reaching this goal (journalism to hone the skills and land the job, psychology to keep from going crazy in the process, or at least to be able to diagnose myself when I do.)

2) I’m incredibly sarcastic-bordering-on-bitchy, but I’m also the definition of “good girl.” Partying isn’t my thing at all (I’d much rather go shopping or stay in watching my favorite shows), my mom’s my best friend, and I enjoy organizing things.

3) I’m a bit of a germaphobe. Hand sanitizer is a MUST for college, I’ll just say that right now. When you’re living in a building where colds run rampant, certain people have no respect for hygiene (more on that in another entry) and abandoned blocks of cheddar cheese can sit undisturbed in the stairwell for weeks (yes, it really happened) anything that cuts down your chances of catching the Plague becomes absolutely necessary.

4) These are a few of my favorite things: Pirate’s Booty cheese puffs; “30 Rock”; books of any kind, but especially historical novels (my favorite author is Libba Bray); “American Idol”; “House”; ice cream and British accents.

5) Johnny Depp equals perfection. I won’t elaborate, because I’m sure I don’t need to.

And now for the entire point of this blog: my life as a college freshman. I’ve already finished a quarter at Western, and so far it’s gone pretty well. Besides arguing with one of my suitemates (who fortunately moved out right before winter break) and dealing with a not dangerous but still annoying stalker, I’ve pretty much been loving college life. I love the classes I’ve taken, and I’m getting paid to write for a small on-campus newspaper, which is awesome.

But since it’s the beginning of a new year and a new quarter at school, I thought I’d post some resolutions:

1) Exercise more. I’m happy to report that I haven’t gained the dreaded “Freshman 15” (in fact, I’ve lost weight—salad’s the only dependably decent thing to eat in my dining hall) but Western has an amazing Rec center and I’d like to take advantage of that.

2) Join a club. My dorm is the second-farthest from main campus, so it’s easy to feel isolated from what’s going on. It’d be nice to meet some people other than the ones I live near/work with.

3) Make more girl friends. A lot of my friends here at Western are guys, which is great until you feel like taking a trip to Sephora or having a Johnny Depp movie night. There’s no way I’ll be able to replace my best friends from high school, but it’ll still be nice to be able to suggest spending Friday night at the mall without being met by blank stares.

That’s about it for now, but I’ll post more after Jan. 7 when school starts again. 🙂