Q: What is the most important thing to bring when you arrive on campus?
Ellen Lo, Arts & Sciences sophomore: “I thought my Nalgene bottle and a water heater were pretty useful. I think rice cookers are nice, too. Definitely bring warm clothes if you’re afraid of the cold like I am.”
Justin Choi, Arts & Sciences junior: “North Face gear. It’s a signature of Wash. U. and college students around the nation. You won’t fit in otherwise.”
Margaret Bauer, Arts & Sciences junior: “A mattress pad, a fast computer, and a good bedside lamp.”
Sarah Kliff, Arts & Sciences sophomore: “Bring a cell phone-it’s pretty difficult to stay in touch without one.”
Erin Harkless, Olin School of Business senior: “Shower Shoes. They make for happy and healthy feet.”
Justin Davidson, Arts & Sciences sophomore: “Flip-flops. Shower fungus is no fun.”
Laura Vilines, Arts & Sciences junior: “Shoes for the showers in freshman dorms. (I had a friend once tell me that he actually sits down in the shower in Liggett, so beware.)”
Q: What should you avoid doing while you are a student at Wash. U.?
Justin Davidson, Arts & Sciences sophomore: “Walking into oncoming traffic. Other than that, don’t use your roommate’s stuff without asking him or her first. Unless you like needless confrontation and lots of arguing, then I’d suggest you always run things by them first, especially at the beginning of the year.”
Aaron Seligman, Arts & Sciences senior: “Being clique-y with one or two people too quickly; there are so many cool people to meet, I didn’t figure out who my true friends were until the end of the year.”
Laura Vilines, Arts & Sciences junior: “Being that extremely intoxicated freshman girl whose miniskirt is askew and is standing on Frat Row yelling, ‘I am so drunk right now!'”
Margaret Bauer, Arts & Sciences junior: “Losing motivation and accruing incompletes-I didn’t think it could happen to me, either, but I was wrong. Trust me, these are not things you want to do, because you never know when your professors will disappear or change universities, leaving you with incompletes you can’t easily finish. Three outstanding incompletes mean you can’t register or enroll for the following semester-so be careful.”
Joshua Trein, Arts & Sciences junior: “If you’re cute, remove your photo and e-mail from Faces.ÿ Trust me.”
Erin Harkless, Olin School of Business senior: “Don’t join too many clubs. You’ll still be getting emails to go to those meetings as a senior if you’re not careful.”
Stacie Driebusch, Olin School of Business junior: “Don’t just become friends with the people on your freshman floor. Yes, you will always have a special bond with those 40-something others, but don’t make them the extent of your social network.”
Q: What course should every student take at Wash. U.?
Erin Harkless, Olin School of Business senior: “Everyone should take American Politics with Professor Bill Lowry. It is one of the most entertaining and involved of the larger lecture courses, and the discussion sections offer a time to really debate pertinent issues. Should be even better in an election year.”
Justin Choi, Arts & Sciences junior: “Anthro 3321: Culture, Food, & Nutrition. If nothing else, take this class to benefit your sense of health. The syllabus seems very simple, but I found some of the most obscure details about food very interesting. Other selling points may include the fact that there is only one midterm, an extra credit option, and Professor Montgomery’s cooking. (Of course, I can only attest to the section offered during Spring ’03.)”
Gregg Keithley, Arts & Sciences sophomore: “I highly recommend incoming freshmen to take classes that diverge from the freshmen norm.ÿ Chemistry, E. Comp., Bio, Calculus, and so on are all fine, but it could also be very useful to take a class in which you’ll meet some older students.ÿ This is a great way to “dive in”-to take a class where the professor doesn’t think you’re a freshmen, and will treat you as such.ÿ This will greatly inform your judgment in taking new classes and selecting a major.”
Margaret Bauer, Arts & Sciences junior: “If you get a chance, take The American School with Dael (‘Lo’) Tatalovich. It’s an education course, but don’t pigeonhole it-not only do you get the background necessary to understand the social forces that created our current school systems and those systems’ problems, but you also get into discussions with other students and the professor that’ll leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about your own education, your class status, and American school systems in general.”
Laura Vilines, Arts & Sciences junior: “Discontent, Dissent and Protest in the 1960s and 1970s with Professor Berger. Word on the street is that Professor Berger is retiring soon, so take a class with him as quickly as possible! This one was amazing (and Berger just might come the first day dressed as a slightly older James Dean asking the timeless question, ‘What are we here for, man?’)”
Joshua Trein, Arts & Sciences junior: “Take Introduction to Quantum Physics: I’ve never been so proud of a 50 in my entire life.”
Melissa Langdon, Arts & Sciences junior: “Introduction to Film Studies. Professor Smith makes the class fun with humor and gobs of interesting movie facts. You’ll find yourself liking movies you never thought possible, and you’ll find yourself watching movies in a whole new way.”
Q: What should everyone do before leaving Wash. U.?
Justin Davidson, Arts & Sciences sophomore: “The Pointer’s Pizza Challenge. if you’ve got the gut to go the distance or just feel like going crazy and eating pizza ’till you puke, this is the challenge of a lifetime.”
Aaron Seligman, Arts & Sciences senior: “Go abroad. You will never really see your true self until you are totally out of your box. Plus, you get to travel and blow off studying.”
Stacie Driebusch, Olin School of Business junior: “Have Ursa’s ice cream. I probably had enough freshman year to count for the rest of my college career.”
Sarah Kliff, Arts & Sciences sophomore: “Play mud soccer in the Swamp after a really, really rainy day.”
Justin Choi, Arts & Sciences junior: “Get a group picture with the Bear’s Den staff. They’re awesome for putting up with all the crap we give them on nights & weekends, even if you end up with a butchered meal every once in a while.”
Erin Harkless, Olin School of Business senior: “Paint the underpass. When I actually got around to doing it, I found it much more fun than it looks like it would-even if you’re not at all artistically inclined.”
Gregg Keithley, Arts & Sciences sophomore: “Spend a lot of time in the library-there is a wealth of books there, on any subject you can imagine.ÿ It can be very interesting to just look around and pick out a book by an author you’ve never heard of and on a subject you know next to nothing about, but are nonetheless interested in.”
Q: Why should you-or shouldn’t you-be a pre-med?
Melissa Langdon, Arts & Sciences junior: “This might be a little different than the direct answer to that question. The pre-med culture is known to be cold and competitive. Don’t be frightened by those who live up to such a stereotype. If you are up to the challenge, the teachers (and most of your classmates) are more than willing to help you learn the material. Go to class. Ask for help. And it’s oh-so-tempting, but never rely on streaming video as your primary source of watching lectures.”
Aaron Seligman, Arts & Sciences senior: “You shouldn’t be pre-med. College is about learning to think and opening your perspective on life, not about a pre-professional track. Be competitive in IM sports, not in the classroom.”
Laura Vilines, Arts & Sciences junior: “Be a pre-med if you want to spend your entire college career competing against your peers. Don’t be a pre-med if you’d rather be studying Chaucer and Keats. Or be a pre-med who’s also an English major . . . ”
Justin Choi, Arts & Sciences junior: “If you’re interested, give it a whirl. At worst, you’ll improve the curve for other pre-meds; at best, you keep that career option open. College ought to be a time for you to do what interests you-it’s clich‚, but don’t put yourself in a position where you could look back and wonder ‘what if?’ Find out and look back with no regret.”
Stacie Driebusch, Olin School of Business junior: “Don’t be a pre-med. If there were fewer pre-meds, perhaps the campus wouldn’t effectively shut down during Chem exam weeks, leaving the rest of us to search for social activities.”