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Annabel Park

Annabel Park is a Rutgers Business School junior majoring in supply chain management and minoring in economics. Her column, 'The Queue', runs on alternate Tuesdays.

PARK: To curve or not to curve: How grade inflation affects student success

We have all experienced it — the sense of relief when you see a higher grade than what you expected, alongside a six-letter word: curved.Dec 13

PARK: Student budgeting will help you in long run

With the holiday season nearly upon us, I, like many others, have already spent more money than I would have liked.Nov 29

PARK: We must not conform to consumerism

In today's world, I am just a consumer. As I people-watch on my stroll down College Avenue, I am mentally taking note of things to add to my "want to purchase" list.Nov 15 2023

PARK: Face-to-face time in office is key to building your network

After March 2020, almost everybody got used to connecting online. Classes were taught through Zoom, and the corporate workforce turned remote. I am currently in the process of recruiting for internships, and the words "remote" and "hybrid" are two that I see often. Nov 1 2023

PARK: Rutgers needs better off-campus housing options

We all love fall time at Rutgers. Whether that be fall foliage on the College Avenue campus, game days or the Starbucks Truck finally selling pumpkin spice drinks. On the other hand, the brisk October weather also means it is time to start looking for off-campus housing.Oct 18 2023

PARK: Do not be afraid to be 'basic'

Let me begin by acknowledging that I am mainstream. I like the color pink, my favorite artists are at the top of the pop charts and I have watched "Friends" one too many times. I tend not to deviate too far from the crowd, but it is not intentional.Oct 4 2023

PARK: Accepting change as it comes in college

I spent the summer living off-campus in New Brunswick while commuting to my first corporate summer internship. I romanticized our quiet college town, where the summer buses were a rare sight, and I could go on a walk in the evening without seeing anyone I knew.Sep 20 2023

PARK: Give us Twitter back

Since Elon Musk took over Twitter in October 2022, the app has gone through a rebrand, a layoff crisis and monetary issues. The bluebird and iconic sound effect we know and love are now a thing of the past on X, formerly known as Twitter, but I seem to be the only one mourning it.Sep 6 2023

PARK: Banning TikTok will not solve US' privacy problems

On Friday, Montana became the first state to vote to ban TikTok on personal devices. In a 54-43 vote, people in the state can no longer download the app from the App Store, but individual users will not be penalized.Apr 19 2023

PARK: Why we need more book-to-screen adaptations

As an avid reader, I used to despise films that were adapted from books.Apr 5 2023

PARK: Have workplace glass ceilings really been broken?

As kids and even students, our first jobs will likely be hourly minimum-wage jobs. When working my summer job, I got paid equal to, if not more, than some of my male co-workers since I had been working at the establishment for longer than they had.Mar 22 2023

PARK: Women leaders leaving tech industry is important wake-up call

First, Sheryl Sandberg left Meta in 2022. Her choice was guided by wanting to dedicate more time to her philanthropic work and her family. Next, Marne Levine, Meta's chief business officer, decided to leave in order to "recharge and prioritize some quality time with family."Mar 1 2023

PARK: Award shows are not perfect, neither are artists who win

On Saturday, Harry Styles took home the Brit Award for Artist of the Year, along with three other Brit Awards. Just short of a week prior, the pop artist took home two awards at the 2023 Grammy Awards, making it a total of three Grammys he has won during his career. As these can be considered great feats for many musicians, he should be celebrating.Feb 15 2023

PARK: ChatGPT should not be only seen as threat to academic integrity

ChatGPT is an online chat software developed by OpenAI in November 2022. The chatbot is able to write cognizant essays and code, all while solving STEM problems, and its answers are uniquely crafted for each user. This platform is seemingly every educator's greatest fear and every student’s greatest asset. Jan 31 2023

PARK: Exclusive focus on academic validation undermines other important lessons in college

While I was always one to put grades first and pushed myself in school, I never believed the idea that grades define who you are as a person. Still, I found myself pulling all-nighters studying for exams, putting in the work and getting upset when I did poorly.Dec 6 2022

PARK: Hobbies should be for our enjoyment, not just to build resumes or advance careers

I was sitting in Starbucks when I had a half-hour conversation about hobbies. I realized you can tell a lot about someone based on the things they do in their free time. I listed the clubs I was a part of on campus, but the person I was talking to said to me that these were merely activities, not hobbies.Nov 22 2022

PARK: Daily caffeine consumption is quintessential collegiate rite of passage

I start my morning looking forward to hearing the Keurig brew. Coffee: It gets the best of us, regardless of if we like it or not. For college students, coffee is almost essential, whether it be to make it on time to early 8:30 a.m. classes or to stay up late at night.Nov 8 2022

PARK: Rutgers must refine its transportation system for students

Whether you are a first-year or a senior, living on campus or a commuter, you know someone who has a car on campus. Maybe you have a car on campus. Being a student at Rutgers comes with the knowledge that parking is horrendous. Students complain that parking passes for lots on campuses are inaccessible or that the free street parking near all five campuses is pretty slim.Oct 25 2022

PARK: To succeed in college, balancing our schedules is key

We have finally made it. Weeks four and five of the semester are the turning point between keeping yourself busy and actually being busy. With midterms in full swing, the academic buildings and the libraries on all five campuses are pretty packed and so are our schedules.Oct 11 2022

PARK: Rutgers must make smaller meal plans more accessible, affordable for students

Living off campus, I have the luxury of a kitchen — and a room of my own, of course. As a sophomore and still under 20 years old, I never thought I would be living in a home cooking for myself two or three times a day.Sep 27 2022

PARK: When going back to school, safety is still first thing on our minds

“Miss, do you have a mask?” was the first thing I heard on my first day of class. I fumbled a mask out of my pocket and put it on. Students entered, and everyone seemed to be thinking about masks. I saw a student stare at the professor and walk out, never returning, after hearing he must wear a mask. Soon, 150 students faced a single professor, masked up.Sep 13 2022

New Town Road: How country music's new hitmakers bring diversity to their genre

Quick, think of a country song. Maybe it's Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson or Dolly Parton. Or maybe it's something by Morgan Wallen or Luke Combs. Throughout the years, country music has evolved from "bluegrass" to "honky-tonk" to a modernized genre that brings in the influences of country and, well, everything else.Jun 23 2022

PARK: Jersey girls don't pump their gas

It is embarrassing to admit, but I have never pumped my own gas. That is not to say that I do not know how, but as someone who got their license four months into the beginning of the pandemic and has never driven out of state, I never had to know.Apr 28 2022

Jack Harlow's career is flying high, as proved by new song 'First Class'

Rapper Jack Harlow released his new single “First Class” last Friday.Apr 15 2022

PARK: Banning transgender athletes from women's sports goes beyond competition

The news caught my eye a couple of weeks ago. There was not a particular headline, but women’s sports had made national news. It is rare for the world to ever talk about women’s sports, which is an issue of its own, but I was surprised to see women’s collegiate swimming at the top of my Twitter feed.Apr 14 2022

PARK: Ketanji Brown Jackson nomination hearings point to Republican inconsistencies

In the last four years, we have experienced three Supreme Court justice confirmation hearings — Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown Jackson. And to no one's surprise, each came with their own absurdities and challenges.Apr 1 2022

PARK: After 50 years of Title IX, we need to keep informing people about its purpose

Junior year of high school was the first time my health teacher sat us down to watch “The Hunting Ground,” a documentary about sexual assault on college campuses. As most public high school health classes go, there was little structure in the actual curriculum, so throughout my course of health classes in high school, I watched the film over three times.Mar 11 2022

PARK: Rutgers, do not fail your Asian American students

By now, many of you have probably heard of Christina Yuna Lee. Or, perhaps the headline stating a that New York City woman was stabbed and killed may sound more familiar.Feb 24 2022

Entertainment value found in 'Pam & Tommy' isn't worth its issues with consent

Lily James and Sebastian Stan have received lots of praise for transforming into Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee in Hulu’s new drama series "Pam & Tommy." The show breaks down the infamous sex tape between the two and the unwanted distribution of the video.Feb 23 2022

PARK: Some media content is too mature for immature audiences

Media today has taken a shift to depict real issues surrounding mental health, sexual health, abuse and more. Most media consumption can be attributed to Generation Z and millennials. While most of them do not believe everything they see on the internet, some young viewers are impressionable. Feb 11 2022

PARK: 'Don’t Look Up,' ultimate satirical take on climate change

During the holiday break, I found myself watching Adam McKay’s new film “Don’t Look Up.” I chose the film for the star-studded cast and to hopefully have a laugh, but I ended with an appreciation for the satirical movie, as it went beyond its efforts as a cautionary tale for climate change. Jan 28 2022

PARK: Start shopping small

As college students, we often take advantage of buying things in bulk at Costco and using Amazon Prime to ship things to our doors within 24 hours. When you look at the tags of our clothes, there is no doubt that most come from fast fashion companies with big names. We all know it is bad, but we can all say that we have done it.Dec 3 2021

PARK: TV should be political

We all watch TV. Some of the most popular shows include those of military dramas, political dramas and comedy. Regardless of whether we like it, the topics discussed in episodes of today’s TV have become both blatantly and indirectly political. The question that lies: Should entertainment be separated from politics?Nov 19 2021

PARK: Pink tax must go

I love the color pink. My phone case is pink, my water bottle is pink, heck my pepper spray is pink. But as I get older, liking pink comes with a consequence, one that my younger self did not see before: the pink tax. Nov 5 2021

PARK: Increased testing services benefit everyone

The “first-year plague” is often overshadowed by its sister scare, the “freshman 15.” Students are so focused worrying about the pounds they will gain before returning home for Thanksgiving break, that they fail to worry about the cold they might catch within the first month of school. Oct 25 2021