From Campus Kitchens to sailing…

Why wouldn’t I chose William & Mary is the better question? I really don’t know why you would not come here. The size is perfect, just big enough so you don’t know everyone on campus and are constantly meeting new people, but small enough so that if you run into a ‘snag’ in one of your classes, professors are always available to meet with you.

There are a million and one things to become involved in on campus- sports, community service, ‘special interest’ clubs (juggling club and barlwith- to name a few), and we also have Greek life. The food’s not that bad either- you can always have ice cream for breakfast! I promise!

One of my favorite aspects of William & Mary is that you don’t have to be the person you were in high school. I currently write for the William & Mary student run newspaper and am on the club sailing team. I had no experience what so ever regarding journalism, and I had been on a boat maybe three times in my life. Yet here at William & Mary I was able to become a part of clubs and activities that I always wanted to try in high school, but just never had the time (or was too shy to attempt).

I love the community service opportunities here as well. We have a service group called Campus Kitchens, a subgroup of D.C. Central Kitchen which is a proactive soup kitchen in Washington D.C. (some of you northern Virginia kids may have heard of it?). We cook left over meals from the William & Mary dining halls and receive donations from suppliers such as Trader Joe’s. We drop off the meals on individual doorsteps around Williamsburg three times a week. There have also been multiple service trips up to the Central Kitchen headquarters in Washington D.C. They are always fun. Becoming involved in this organization has been an enjoyable and rewarding experience for me. I plan on becoming more involved in the coming semesters and when I return home to northern Virginia this summer.

Something I wish I knew when I was in high school is that it- will- all- work- out. This is not the most important activity that will happen in your life. Reminding oneself of that helps reduce the stress. Actually, the college experience is really what you make of it, and even if William & Mary is not your top choice, you could most certainly come here and fall in love with it. I transferred to William & Mary at the beginning of my sophomore year (fall 2008) and have never regretted my decision. I promise it will all work out in the end.

– Brynn Koeppen ’11