Name: Lauren McNeil
Year: Junior
Major: English Literature major, with a Public & Professional Writing certificate, and Children’s Literature certificate.
Hometown: Horsham, PA
Her Campus: What activities are you involved in at Pitt?
Lauren: I’m a Pitt Pathfinder, a peer intern at the Writing Center, and a writer/editor for The Original Magazine. I am also a work-study student in the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid.
HC: What made you want to become a Pathfinder? What’s your favorite part of being in the Pathfinder organization?
Lauren: I actually joined Pathfinders my sophomore year on a complete whim! I was looking to get involved on campus and saw someone wearing a recruitment t-shirt for the organization and applied the next day. My favorite part about being a Pathfinder is the people I work with. I’ve never worked with such an outrageous, caring, and ambitious group of people. It has completely changed and bettered my Pitt experience. Plus, I love the fact that I get paid to talk about how much I love Pitt.
HC: What makes University of Pittsburgh stand out as a school, from a tour guide’s perspective?
Lauren: I think the thing that makes Pitt stand out is the small town feel in a big city. It’s virtually impossible to make a small school feel big, but you can always make a big school feel small. I think that’s extremely worthwhile as a Pitt student. I was completely undecided my freshman year, but I never felt misguided because I was able to form small niches within the Pitt community and access all of the valuable things Pitt has to offer. Plus, I love the school spirit. My mascot in high school was a hat, so that was pretty lame. No one wants to cheer for a hat.
HC: How do you balance schoolwork with all your activities? What advice would you give to people who want to be involved on campus but think it will take up too much of their time?
Lauren: I think the most important thing to remember with time management is that you need to still have fun—that’s at least a portion of what college is about. It makes schoolwork, activities, and work a lot more bearable if you give yourself an hour of free time to relax or see friends. Also, I wasn’t too involved freshman year and my grades have drastically improved since I’ve joined different organizations. When you have a limited amount of time, I feel like you’re more productive. Plus, you’ll meet people in different organizations who are in your major and can help you study!
HC: Tell us a random fact about yourself.
Lauren: I’ve read the Harry Potter series 15 times, and would pretty much do anything to go to Hogwarts. Also, I’ve been to over 50 concerts and 97% were pop-punk bands in middle school. I’ve seen Fall Out Boy and All Time Low like 8 times in concert—so as far as resume skills go, I’m pretty set!
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