The Start of a New Semester

Nothing feels better than traveling back to school after spending a few relaxing weeks at home. I am rested, rejuvenated, and ready to get back to work! It is important to work hard during the semester, but it is important to stay well rested too, which I’ve been doing whole-heartedly this past holiday. I am excited for the last semester of my sophomore year! Here are three things I have to look forward to this semester:

1. UR Bhangra
UR Bhangra continues to be a fantastic experience. Rochester Bhangra is excited to start the first weekend of the semester at the Motor City Bhangra Competition in Ann Arbor, Michigan. We will be leaving campus Friday morning and then coming back Sunday night! We are excited to be competing against some of the nation’s best teams, including teams from Northwestern, George Mason, and Yale. In early February, we will compete at SUNY Binghamton in the Bhangra Fever Competition, again against some of the best teams out there, including Cornell, Columbia, and Rutgers!

2. Greek Life
I love being a part of the executive board of my fraternity, because it allows me to make important decisions that affect my fellow brothers and the future path of my organization. The second semester of a freshman’s college experience is the first time they have the opportunity to rush a Greek organization. That’s what is unique about this top tier university; you cannot rush until second semester of freshman year.

3. Classes
I am continuing to take classes for my health, behavior, and society major and I’m starting to think about adding on a biology major as well. The ability to potentially add on a second major even after a year into college is a unique feature of the curriculum at this top private university. It is totally okay to change your mind about what your major will be, and in fact, most students do. This semester, I will be taking Behavioral Medicine, a psychology class that looks at the crossroads between psychology and medicine. I’ll also be taking Methods in Health in which I will be conducting ethnographic interviews of people in the Rochester community. I also have biochemistry and math, classes that will go toward my pre-med requirements and biology major. And finally, I have biostatistics, which through fun group projects will teach me the practical use of statistics in biology. I’m looking forward to a great second semester!