Eight Weeks, Eight Things
I graduate in eight weeks. (Internally screams.)
The past few weeks (or months) I have been thinking back over the things about WAC I have loved these past few years. Now, two months out from graduation, I want to share them a bit. Since there are eight weeks left, I’ll share eight things I love about WAC.
(not in any particular order)
1.It’s ridiculously pretty.
It’s kind of crazy how pretty this campus is. I mean really. The campus is a beautiful mix of old brick, smooth glass (which somehow blends seamlessly with the old brick buildings and I don’t know how but I love it) and lots of trees. It’s really pretty and kind of tranquil in a way. So many campuses I have visited have many individual beautiful buildings. But a lot of those buildings don’t make sense together. They just don’t mesh. Our campus has been built in a way that all the buildings are different, but go together. It makes sense that they are all in the same place. Sometimes I forget how pretty WAC is, but then I have friends or family visit and they comment on it and I feel proud that I can call such a beautiful place home.
I don’t know what college student won’t complain about the food on their campus. And I totally used to. Freshman and sophomore year I was like “it’s fine, but there’s not much variety.” Then I worked at a different college in the summer between sophomore and junior year and completely changed my tune. The food there was different shades of grey and was just so bad. Like, I don’t want to name the school because I would feel guilty, it was that bad.
Our food is good. It’s not incredible, but it’s pretty darn good. The past few years they have also made some changes and actively worked to make the food healthier. They have provided more options for students who are vegetarian or have various dietary restrictions. As far as college dining goes, its pretty great. Also, our alternative dining places, Martha’s and Create, are great and I love them.
Around midterms each semester, the registrar releases the next semesters list of offered courses. I love looking at that list. It is so varied and cool, and every semester I have to narrow down the list of classes I want to take because there are so many that interest me. We have a lot of cross-listing classes, which means you can meet students and professors who you would probably never really interact with otherwise. Like sophomore year I took a class about devised theatre that focused on environmental concerns. We got to learn all about environmental science and then figure out an entertaining way to share that information with an audience. It was awesome, and that’s just one example of the dozens of cross listing classes that happen at WAC.
I love the professors at WAC. They are so passionate and intelligent and, most importantly, approachable. They aren’t these gods that stand in the lecture hall and spout information. They are people who share their lives and interests with us, and really encourage us to succeed. Having such small classes means we actually get to know the professor one-on-one. We aren’t names on a roster for them. It also means we can wander into office hours and juts talk to them casually about anything (I do this a lot). Many times, especially if you pursuing a career potentially similar to theirs, they will share stories of their struggles and triumphs so you have a better understanding of what the world could hold for you. I love the professors I have had, and have been so privileged to learn from them.
I don’t know what it’s like at other colleges, but here the grades all intermingle constantly. I think the only times I don’t see grades intermingling is when the freshman take their specific first year courses. Other than that I see grades mixed in classes, clubs, projects, and friend groups. When I was in middle and high school grades were pretty much isolated. Maybe some extracurricular classes mixed grades, but for the most part, you were only with your year. I love mixing with the other years, and for most of college (not this year because I’m a senior) I have had a ton of friends who were older. They really helped me through my early time in college and helped me find my way. I have been so happy to do that for younger students when I became an upperclassman, and it makes me so happy to see friend groups and classes mix students from every grade.
This is a random one, but we have a couple of sculptures of George Washington on campus. Makes sense since we are named after him and he donated the land and some money for the start of the school. I really love the sculptures of him. One is a big bust of him outside of the dining hall. It’s huge (if it was his full body he would be a giant) and the detail in it is beautiful. It’s also frequently dressed up for various events (like pink streamers around the base in October for breast cancer awareness) and its fun to see his new outfits. The other big one is a full body statue of George on the green. The statue is much more life like (despite being pale green). It’s also a more accurate size to the real Washington. Almost every big promotional photo of the campus has included one of these two sculptures, and they are forever linked in my mind to the image of Washington College.
Our college is pretty much smack-dab in the center of Chestertown, MD. It’s a really small town, but it is really connected to the college. If you are in town wearing a Washington College shirt, you could easily get stopped by people who want to know how you are enjoying your college experience. People in town genuinely care about the students and college, and its always great fun to see people from town show up at shows and games on campus to cheer us all on.
WAC has drawn some pretty incredible people. I have had the pleasure of knowing so many wonderful people in my time here. A frequent question asked to students, especially those who live farther away, is “How did you find WAC?” It’s a good question, because the school is so small. But even though it is tiny, it has brought in a plethora of intelligent, funny, kind, passionate students. It’s the sort of campus where people smile at strangers on the path and will say hi or stop to chat to people they barely know. I have never felt unwanted or unwelcome from anyone, and it has been fantastic to learn with and get to know so many great people in my time here.
I have eight weeks left at WAC as a student. But I know that I will keep carrying this college with me as I move forward in life. And I’ll keep loving all the little things and quirks that make this college what it is.
