This past weekend, I was able to go on a weekend retreat with my fraternity and it was amazing! Although the U of R has a beautiful university campus, it was nice to be able to explore the natural beauty of the east coast. We were about an hour away from campus at this fantastic place with a heated cabin and full-function kitchen. We left campus Friday evening, but not without first making a quick stop at Chipotle, of course. Then we drove on over and we got to the location, and a bunch of my brothers had already gotten there. That night, we just relaxed and played various board and cards games just as a way to bond and relax.
We went to sleep in the bunks and the next day we had our chapter meeting. Then a few brothers gave presentations on something interesting they do to give us a chance to get to know them better. One of my brothers gave a presentation about his home—a farm. He grew up taking care of live cattle and it was so interesting because most of us will never have that sort of experience in our lives. Afterwards, we played snow football and a few of us went for an hour-long walk along an abandoned road. It sounds dangerous, but it was still daytime, and it was extremely peaceful. It was great to be away from all the noise of a typical city, and it was great to just be walking through snow-covered pine trees with some of my closest friends. I would never have been able to have that experience had I not decided to attend a university with so much campus diversity.
The night came to a close and we hit the bunks for another restful night, and then we traveled back to campus the next morning. I learned so much about my brotherhood, and what it means to be involved in a tight-knit campus organization where you can not only get to know your schoolmates, but you can also develop friends you will have for a lifetime. A brother said to me that weekend that when you grow up, you're going to remember the experiences you have with other people, and you're going to remember all the fun, sometimes silly things you did. You don't remember staying up until 3 a.m. studying for that chemistry exam, but you'll remember having that snowball fight with your hall mates in the middle of the academic quad. And it's this that made me realize why I love the University of Rochester—it's so important to us to have life experiences and to enjoy what life has to offer. Attending a top private university does mean rigorous academics, but it also means meeting some of the most amazing people you'll ever have the chance to interact with in your life.
To my fraternity brothers, thank you for an experience I will cherish for the rest of my life. I encourage any of you prospective students to take advantage of Rochester's many student groups and experience what these organizations have to offer.