Catching Up With: S.J. Barrie-Chapman

Barrie-Chapman devised a plan to catch up on three weeks of work in 12 hours -- give or take. And today, she wants be up on her history, German, psychology and economics classes.

But this is a part of a larger, semester-long strategy for this freshman from Wilmette, Ill. that decreases procrastination, increases involvement in new areas and has her finishing well, like first semester.

She is taking it week by week.

"It's my getting-stuff-done, getting-caught-up week," Barrie-Chapman said about the next couple of days. But staying on top of work throughout the entire semester means getting rid of unnecessary activities.

First, none of that AOL Instant Messenger madness. It's too time-consuming. Too distracting. "I stopped using Instant Messenger," she said. "It's a great way to procrastinate."

She also dropped a three-hour class and the job at Michael Jordan's 23 to allow her to branch out to more campus experiences she wanted to be a part of and to dedicate time to academics. "When I had 17 hours and a job, it was mayhem for my brain, and I couldn't stay on top of anything," she said.

A task Barrie-Chapman has to tackle is weaning herself off movie watching and reading for pleasure -- two activities that she has enjoyed doing more of this semester. Her recent kick has been reading books and then watching the adapted movie. She caught novels-turned-movies like "Kiss the Girls" and "All the Pretty Horses." And for a little fun minus the reading, she tossed "Toy Story 2" into the mix.

"I'm in such a relaxed mood from break and not having a lot of work this semester," she said. "It's like 24-hour brain-dead mode."

While neither sending IMs nor watching Matt Damon require much mental energy, playing Ultimate Outburst with girlfriends is a different situation. But that doesn't matter; Barrie-Chapman has to cut back on that as well.

All of this -- the movie-watching, the hanging out with friends, the reduced workload -- is part of Barrie-Chapman's larger plan to pick up new and old activities that will spice up her first year at UNC.

For her physical education requirement, Barrie-Chapman is taking horseback riding, which has long been a hobby of hers. And this past February, she went door-to-door trying to get students to give their votes to Justin Young for student body president.

"That's probably one of the best things I've ever done," she said. "It was one of the best ways for me to get involved."

For her first Spring Break, Barrie-Chapman opted against a trip to the beach or going back to Illinois for a week and volunteered for the Orphanage Outreach Program, in which college students worked at an orphanage in the Dominican Republic.

"I feel like I've already been on those trips and absorbed what they have to offer," she said of more party-oriented vacations. "I know there will be other opportunities to do that. But if I'd had the chance again, I would have definitely, 100 percent chosen volunteering."

And while social service is something Barrie-Chapman is certain she wants to do more of, she has yet to fully cement her choice for an academic path. She knows advertising will be her major, but as far as a double major or minor, German and economics interest Barrie-Chapman, but nothing is for sure.

"My personality is very stable, but my philosophies about life and what I want to do are fickle.

"I know undergraduate majors aren't everything, but I want to find that niche."

Whether she chooses supply and demand or persuading consumers, Barrie-Chapman is already learning life lessons -- especially in the dating department. "I'm definitely not all about the Southern polite boys who open the doors for you," she said.

But Barrie-Chapman said she is enjoying the new twists and turns that come with the relationship in which she is currently involved.

"He's like one of my best friends here," she said, adding that the two are very independent individuals, which allows her to better distribute her time.

Next year, Barrie-Chapman -- along with a friend -- hopes to escape the confines of Hinton James Residence Hall and find herself balancing out life in a North Campus residence hall.

"We're crossing our fingers for Alexander or Ruffin," she said. "I just don't want South Campus. Please God, no South Campus."

The Features Editor can be reached at features@unc.edu.