As I prepare to embark on my journey to college, attending the Dickens Universe Conference contributed to both my analytical and social skills as a scholar. When I once thought of literary analysis as something that could only be achieved through one medium, I now realize that literature can be studied through a variety of formats—by focusing on the novel’s contextual history, by using code to find patterns and repetitions in a novel or among novels, or by attempting to replicate the serialization gap in Dickens’ novels, etc. Despite being confident in my interest to study Molecular and Cellular Biology, this is my first experience that made me much more open to a career in English. There exists no one-size-fit-all method to analyzing literature and that personally makes the English field much more attractive to me. Aside from giving insightful interpretations of the text, the lectures truly served to widen my perception of the field of literary analysis. I also appreciated the seminars as spaces where I personally felt engaged in the analysis of the text. It was amazing to be in an environment where everyone had so much to discuss about the novel! I especially enjoyed the Undergraduate Seminar because of its unique intimacy. With only six students in the seminar, I felt much more involved in the conversation and that ultimately resulted in a deeper understanding of the novel. In retrospect, I wish I would have engaged myself more in the Graduate Student-led Seminars. I suppose that being surrounded by older people who were much more knowledgeable about the text than me intimidated me. At the same time, these very people were very invested in making sure that we enjoyed their time—we were repeatedly being asked whether we were enjoying our time at the conference. Aside from the conference itself, I enjoyed our party’s trips to downtown Santa Cruz and especially our trip to the Boardwalk. These hours of relaxation provided a nice balance the intense content of the Conference itself. I will be sure to save money throughout the coming year to ensure that I can attend the Conference next year!