Mentally, physically, and emotionally challenging

Since I've been at Centre I've become increasingly aware of the different paths my life could take. Never before have I been in an environment that's as mentally, physically, and emotionally challenging. Classes are generally going well—I love all of my classes! I'm taking a fairly typical freshman schedule, so I thought I'd share with you a brief commentary on some of my classes.

8:00 a.m. - Chemistry 117 with Professor Adrian: Despite the fact that chemistry at eight in the morning is an ungodly torture, I really like this class. Designed for non-science majors, Professor Adrian makes the subject fun and easy to learn. He's by far my most accessible professor out of class—his office door is always open and the constant stream of e-mails help keep me motivated in a subject that's really not my cup of tea. My favorite portion of this class is the lab. My horrendous titrating abilities have only marred one experience to date (a fact that I'm rather proud of!).

10:20 a.m. - Humanities 110 with Professor Leddington: Humanities is a class that all freshmen are required to take during their first year at Centre. The focus of the course is not only to learn about philosophy, art, music, and drama, but also to acclimate oneself to college-level writing and work practices. On my first day of humanities, Professor Leddington told us that the only way that we'd learn why we were taking his class was to actually take the class. Since then, each day has presented itself with new ideas and ways of thinking. Humanities is exciting because each day seems more like a discussion of important themes as opposed to a lecture. The amount of interaction within the class is truly remarkable.

12:40 p.m. - Classics 110 with Professor Patterson: Professor Patterson proves daily that Latin isn't dead after all! This is an intro language course, and I must say, my most demanding in terms of continuous work. Not a day goes by when I don't have sentences to translate, paradigms to learn, or flashcards to review.    Although there's a lot going on in this class, Professor Patterson makes it easy to pick up on the language and makes sure that you truly understand the concepts. On a purely nerdy basis, I love this class because it has not only increased my knowledge of another language, but I also feel that I have a much greater command over the English language.

1:50 p.m. - History 110 with Professor Tubb: I can honestly say that I've never had a history teacher (or a teacher of any other subject, for that matter) so energetic and excited about his subject matter. One could be turned off by a history lecture, but Professor Tubb's lectures are always interesting. Indeed, you never know if we're going to be marching outside Young Hall to re-enact a famous battle, debating the pros and cons of woolen clothes, or simply curling up to listen to a good story. History 110 is a "gen-ed" class, so I sit alongside members from every class level at Centre in this course. Having students from different academic class years elevates the discussion to a new level—the topics, while almost surely foreign, are made relevant, engaging, and rather fun too.

My classes certainly keep me busy—and these are only Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Add in Centre Singers, Human Health and Performance, and club meetings, and it isn't long before I'm crying, "Will the weekend ever come?"