As I was walking across campus to my English Composition class (which is full of science students, but more on that later), I noticed some Facilities workers planting a new evergreen tree. You see, in late November, there was a crazy wind storm that cracked one of our mature trees, leading it to have to be cut down for safety reasons. Who knows if this was the real reason, but I hope that the campus was replacing that mature tree with a young tree. You give one, and you get one, I suppose.
It’s with that story – and the idea that my time at Puget Sound is coming to an end just like the mature tree’s – that I write to you all for the first time this semester. My winter break was quite uneventful, with a couple of trips to the Oregon Coast, some time with friends, and the chance to shadow an oral surgeon. As soon as I returned to campus, though, it was down to work to prepare Gamma Phi Beta for Formal Recruitment. Me and my 70 (ish) Gamma Phi sisters figured out the logistics of Recruitment (also known as “Rush”) and bonded over everything from goofy murder mystery games to a day of service in Tacoma. It was 4 long days, and by the time classes started on the 18th, it felt like I had already been on campus for much longer than that!
My classes this semester are really fantastic! I’m taking Biochemistry II with the same great professor from last semester. We are just starting to look more closely at the reactions of glycolysis and will work through metabolism for the rest of the semester. It’s fascinating to be better understanding just exactly what all of those acronyms (ATP, ADP, NADH, FAD, etc.) really do in our bodies! The class doesn’t have a lab, though, and I am not TAing a lab this semester, so it means that I only have 3 hours of class/lab time in the sciences this semester, which is rather strange. I am taking Human Anatomy, though, so that is pretty science-y. We will be looking at cadavers pretty soon in that lab, and I’m really excited for that! My third class is Intermediate Composition. It’s basically a class for non-English majors who want to improve their writing. The final paper, though, is a subject of your choice and a lot of science students take the class, choosing to write their personal statement for medical/dental/veterinary/pharmacy school. That’s why there are so many science majors in the class. It’s kind of funny to be talking about English and writing with these people who I am used to talking science with, but quite interesting. To round it off, I’m taking Yoga and Concert Band. It’s a relatively light schedule, but my work with Relay For Life and dental school applications should keep me busy.
As I mentioned, all of the sororities at Puget Sound just finished our Formal Recruitment (“Rush”) process on Tuesday. It’s a lot of talking and smiling and names and time, but SO worth it when we get our New Members on Tuesday night. We all have fun dressing up and screaming with excitement. Here is our sophomore class in their finest function gear:
We were able to give bids to 35 of our fabulous new members. They are mostly freshman, but there were also a few sophomores who went through Recruitment, too (sorry that the picture’s a little blurry… our basement’s lighting is less-than-ideal):
For those of you prospective students wondering, about 25% of Puget Sound’s campus is involved with Greek Life, but don’t let that scare you away. When I was looking at schools, I insisted that they have little to no Greek Life participation, but when I transferred to Puget Sound, there were so many other great things about this campus that I could let my Greek Life “rule” slide. I’m so glad I did! I decided to rush in January of my sophomore year to meet more people, and ended up being part of an accepting, supportive, and unique group of women. Our Greek system is much more laid back and diverse than the stereotypes on TV. I have found my experience with Gamma Phi Beta and our whole Greek community second-to-none.
Now that Recruitment is over and quizzes are starting to happen and papers are starting to be due, it’s beginning to hit me that I really am a second semester senior! Graduation is less than 4 months away, and then I’ll be on my way into the rest of the world. I’m torn between being excited about the opportunities that await me after graduation (dental school and whatever I do with my year off) and being sad that I will be leaving this special place in May. Until then, though, I’m going to keep applying to all sorts of jobs for next year, and love every minute of life here in Tacoma.
For prospective students reading this, you are always welcome to e-mail me with questions about Puget Sound at aschoblaske@pugetsound.edu!