Each year new students are introduced to Baylor through Welcome Week activities during the week before classes begin. In BIC, an important part of Welcome Week is the Friday night dinner with all the new BIC students and many BIC faculty. This year two current BIC students, Rohit Ayaggari and Grace Lee, offered words of wisdom to the new BIC freshmen. Below you will find comments from Rohit Ayaggari, junior BIC student, and next week we will post comments offered by Grace Lee.
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Hey there Class of 2018! Welcome and congratulations on being accepted into the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core program.
When I was sitting in this same room just 2 years ago, I really did not know much about BIC or how I would benefit from this program. Looking back though, I can honestly say that joining BIC was one of the best decisions I’ve made here at Baylor.
When I think of the BIC program, two words come to mind: Community and Diversity.
In the BIC you will all have a wonderful support structure with approachable professors, amazing counselors, and enthusiastic Peer Instructors, all looking for ways to help you succeed in this program.
But let me tell you, the people that will help you the most in this program are your fellow classmates. Not all freshmen at Baylor are going to be taking Examined Life, World Cultures, and Rhetoric. And not all of them will be doing the same work as you. However, the rest of your classmates in this room, will. This forms a tight bond within the BIC community where ideas can bounce around without the fear of being judged. In BIC, you will also start to learn that each person has a different background and a different take on varying topics. As a result, you will all learn from one another and grow together in this program. That is the goal of the BIC community which you are now a part of.
The second word that comes to mind when I think of the BIC program is diversity. Having grown up in many different international settings, I appreciate the diversity in the BIC curriculum. I’m an Indian American from Houston who went to school in Taipei, Taiwan from 4th grade to 10th grade and finished up the last two years of my high school education in New Delhi, India. While living in these places, I gained an appreciation for different cultures, viewpoints, and beliefs. After joining the BIC in 2012, I was happy to learn that this program encourages us to do just that. In this program, you will be exposed to a wide range of cultures, religions, writing styles, and perspectives that many other students do not get to learn about. With this exposure, you will all become a more confident and broad-minded individuals, better prepared to succeed in whatever path you choose.
I wish you all the very best for your four years ahead here at Baylor and I hope you enjoy the BIC experience as much as I have.
Rohit Ayyagari is a junior Distribution Management and Techonology major, a member of the BIC Leadership Council, and a Peer Instructor for World Cultures I.
