At this point last fall, I was waiting for a letter in my McElwain Hall mailbox.

It would determine where I would be living that spring - in McElwain or in Washington, D.C. I checked my mailbox right before I left for Thanksgiving break, and I found the envelope.

It read: Dear Kathleen, Congratulations! You've been accepted to the Washington Center for Politics and Journalism.

So, off I went. I spent a semester living and working in Washington D.C. And on top of that, my office was in the Watergate Building. Where else would anyone want to study political journalism?

Right after my internship in D.C., I went to Harrisburg for another internship, working as a reporter in the Capitol bureau of several news organizations. I was in heaven.

In six months, I got to write about national and state politics. I got to live on my own, pay my own bills, go grocery shopping. I finally felt like an adult.

And then come August, I moved back to State College - back to books, journalism classes and forgotten stress levels.

And suddenly, I had to do more than just work. I had the Collegian, my tutoring job and that whole class thing.

And the strange thing was I didn't like class. I loved going to the Collegian and writing center, but not class. I normally love school, but I couldn't get excited about it this year.

After living on my own for six months, having a full-time job and living in Washington, D.C., I had finally had enough of school.

It's been difficult to come back and to focus on different things.

I usually have to force myself to do some scholastic things because I'd really rather be out interviewing someone or writing something.

When I finally came to terms with this, it actually sort of helped me get more out of my education. I'm a little more likely to speak up when a class assignment does nothing to further my education.

And, I know what I have to do to keep myself interested and how to learn.

But still, I'd rather be somewhere else with a notepad and pencil.