By Lauren Woods
I like to compare my first semester at Baylor to climbing a very tall tree in the middle of a forest. This comparison might sound cliché or random, but hear me out! As an incoming freshman from Minnesota, I knew no one from Texas. I moved 1,019 miles away from where I grew up, in hopes of earning a degree in Medical Humanities and hopefully making friends in the process. The first few days of classes are like the roots of the tall tree I was climbing. I found my strength in Christ and, like the roots of any tree, it kept me firmly planted while finding my way through unfamiliar territory.
Each week brought self-realization and new learning experiences. Quickly I learned that all nighters are not as fun as they look on TV. I found student organizations like RCC (Residential Community Council) and HLT (Hall Leadership Team) that helped me get plugged into campus.
Most importantly, I made friendships that I know will follow me for years to come. This realization came while I felt like I was climbing the never-ending tree. Finals seemed to arrive the day after classes had begun. I had always pictured myself being extremely stressed during this time in college, but I was confident with what I had learned and knew that I would ace my exams. After my last exam I remember thinking to myself, “I SURVIVED.” It was true; I had not only survived my first semester at Baylor but thrived. I sit here now writing my account of my first semester while smiling and feeling nothing but contentment. This could be compared to me finally reaching the top of that never-ending evergreen and looking at the forest that had been conquered. One semester down, seven more to go!
While I did participate in sports at Baylor as a track athlete, I eventually left the team because it was becoming too much of a time commitment. I spent the next year of college volunteering at different ministries and hanging out with friends; however, I felt like something was missing. I had some friends try and talk me into doing Pigskin, a smaller version of Sing, I was already committed to a few things and said no.
Bottom line is: I love doing Sing because of the unique opportunity it presents and because of the friends I made during practices and performances. Sing not only gave me something to do, besides sitting on my couch, it was a ton of fun! So if you decided to come to Baylor, truly consider doing Sing at least once, you may really enjoy it!
Even though I’m almost a year and a half removed from Welcome Week, it’s safe to say that potential friends are around every corner. Recently, I was sitting outside a classroom waiting for my Spanish class to begin. I looked up and I saw a girl walking toward me. She looked familiar so I waved, and she waved back. She sat next to me and we began to talk. Apparently she thought I looked familiar as well. It turns out neither one of us had known each other beforehand (which was pretty embarrassing I must admit). The conversation could have ended there, but before I knew it, we were holding an actual conversation.
These are the commands I hear from my social dance teacher as my partner and I stumble to the Memphis blues playing while we learn the footwork of the Fox Trot. Our classroom is not the traditional setting one would normally imagine. Instead, I stand in a room full of mirrors, dance bars, and wooden floors.
it also opened my eyes. Going into my fall semester of sophomore year, I had my mindset on going into health care administration after college. However, when I came back from this trip I suddenly realized that I had so many other options for my life after graduation.
