College Dreams: USA, here we come?!

Hello blog!

Summer is suddenly over, and for me and my girlfriend, the big project is waiting: college applications. At the beginning of the year, we lived in the US for a few months while my girlfriend Maya was an exchange student at Boston University. It was really exciting to experience a completely different way of going to university than we are used to in Denmark. And we quickly became big fans of the community atmosphere on the big campuses in Massachusetts <3

I was really just there as a remote working wifey and because I couldn't bear to be without Maya for that long. But it wasn't too many minutes on campus before I started to get jealous that I wasn't the one spending a semester at one of the amazing universities in Massachusetts. Soon, I began spending my time waiting for Maya to come back from class looking into whether there were any programs in the area that might be a good fit for me.

I have a Bachelor's degree in Rhetoric from the University of Copenhagen, and in many ways it was really exciting to study.But at the same time, I didn't feel part of a community at all when I was at UCPH - especially since most of the program was spent in front of the computer during the corona lockdowns. It felt more like me, the computer and books against the world than it felt like being part of a learning environment <3 It would be so amazing to be part of a university environment in the US, where the teachers care more about the students (no hate for the Danish teachers - I think it's largely the conditions and lack of resources that are the problem), and that you can live among a lot of other cool people.

I think we live in a world where individualism reigns, and we each live caged in our own block, whether it's in an apartment or a house, primarily together in nuclear families or in couples. I dream of a world where we live in larger communities, like we do at colleges, and share everyday life together as larger groups <3 I think many people are actually healthier in this way, and I feel that the community at college could be one of the ways to experience this.

The long and short of it is: My girlfriend and I have what we collectively call our Northampton Plan. Shortly after we arrived in Boston for our stay in early 2023, I found my absolute dream school. Namely Smith College <3 My big dream is to become a playwright, and when I was searching for playwriting programs in the US, I quickly stumbled upon this beautiful place and went to visit.

So what's so amazing about Smith College? Firstly, it's located in Northampton, a small town that has a lot of cultural venues like museums and theaters, but also a lot of nature. As I mentioned before, I love the feeling of a close-knit community, and I love that Northampton gives you the feeling that you can live in a smaller place without missing out on cultural experiences. Or a queer community. Although there are only 30,000 residents, it's known for having a lot of queers. In fact, it's the city in the world with the most lesbians per square meter! Walking down the street in Northampton, as a lesbian couple, for once we didn't feel weird or different. Because all the other couples we saw were sapphic too! It felt really incredible and very touching to be in an environment where you are so normal.The reason why there are so many lesbians in the city is largely due to the university.The most famous in the city is definitely Smith College, which is known for being a historic women's college. Even today, men are not allowed to attend the school (at least not in undergraduate programs), so women and non-binary students flock there. So it's no coincidence that so many lesbians want to live there.

Besides that, one of the things I really like about the school is their focus on inclusion. I could do a whole post on this in itself, but in short, one of the things I don't like about the literary scene in Denmark is the tendency for art to be apolitical. In literary circles, when you write activist in Denmark, the advice is often to "tone down your stance" in your work and make it more neutral - because it's seen as "nicer". But in Massachusetts, and also at Smith College, it is seen as enriching to make art that WANTS something and wants to make a difference in the world. I've often felt like I've had to choose between being an "artist" and being a "political"/activist in different spheres, even though my heart is really more passionate about the intersection of the two. And it was so liberating to be in a place where it feels like all parts of them could be <3 It feels like when I stood there at the gate in front of Smith College after my visit, I breathed better and I dreamed of one day living here with much less minority stress among so many other queers, living in a beautiful, inclusive community and doing exactly what I love. What's not to like? <3

I'm also applying to the wonderful university, Boston University, where Maya Johanne was an exchange student. I'm applying to their Playwriting program which seem super interesting and a program that could be an amazing match for me <3

And then it fits perfectly that I have the world's sweetest girlfriend who dreams of getting a PhD in philosophy and has ample opportunities to pursue feminist philosophy at nearby universities because it's a big thing in Massachusetts. So now we're both looking towards the US again, iiih <3

So the plan for the next few months is to 'hibernate' and apply for Master's programs (me) and PhDs in philosophy (my girlfriend), respectively. The dreams are big, and the chances of it actually happening are not so great. But I love that we dare to follow our dreams and see where it can lead us - even if the admissions are not in our favor <3 Wish us luck!

To do:

* Write amazing college essays!

* Wait patiently for the state to look at my Fast Track application for SU

* Edit and translate plays for my application <3

* Getting people to send us recommendations

* Get all the formalities for applications in order

* Sending tons of funding applications

Very blurry picture of me standing in front of the gate of Smith College - but a very blissful moment <3