It's 12:30 on a Friday, and I am sitting in my kitchen, drinking a cup of coffee studying away for finals next week. I run through my buddy list and read some of the away messages my friends from other schools have put up, "Celebrating Christmas!!!," "TGIF, going out tonight," and "PARTY!!!!." Now when I look up some of the Wabash guy's away messages I find things like, "finally catching up on some sleep," reading most of the night," and "studying to get finals over."
I honestly believe this is the single biggest difference between Wabash and other colleges: it is an academic environment in its most pure form. I was thinking today about what I do during the week; it consists mostly of eating, sleeping, track, and studying. Of course, there is the occasional hour I get to catch up on "Tila Tequila" or "I love New York," but those times usually come at the end of the week around 12-1 in the morning. This may sound like hell to most, but that's the true separator between a Wabash man and a college student.
A Wabash man is unlike any other college student in that he is immersed in an intellectual environment that literally forces him to grow and mature as an educated individual. This may seem like recruiting propaganda, but I honestly have no reason to feed anyone this simply for the sake of recruiting. The difference is the Thursday Chapel's where a professor gives a talk about anything he wants, the department luncheons where accomplished business men/women entertain students on the real world, the time I couldn't figure out my chemistry lab and went to my professor who immediately stopped his research to help with a 10 point intro chemistry lab. The difference is the lack of women for the men to attempt to impress, the campus wide e-mail arguments(as annoying as they are, you won't get it anywhere else), the Friday night spent sitting in a room of 12 guys arguing about the latest political debate or controversial topic such as abortion, God, or evolution, and the alumni presentations and connection dinners. You cannot and will not have an environment like this anywhere else.
It always is very appealing to me when I talk to a senior either in the house or even have a class with them in it. Almost always, the senior is well-versed, able to analyze information quickly and correctly, and argue his point to a "T." If in three years I turn out the same way most of them have, I'll promote Wabash education for years to come and know my time, sacrifice, and pain was worth it. It's as if all the students are focused on a little light at the end of the tunnel; this light has a different meaning for everyone, whether it's medical school, graduate school, or just a hell of an education, it's for what every student is fighting. We all know it's worth it, and we all want it, it's only a matter of effort and time until we obtain it.
A Wabash man is a college student who is mature enough to recognize the importance of education, and sacrifice all that he can in order to obtain it. He will put his studies before Christmas parties, a night out with a girl, and even sleep. A Wabash man is someone truly special and will probably graduate more eclectic and knowledgeable in most areas than most under-gradates could ever hope.
Wabash is not for everyone and if you're not truly willing to potentially sacrifice a lot of fun, it's not for you. However, for those of us who are willing to strive for excellence, we stand together at Wabash and will support each other for years to come outside of Wabash. It is an environment unlike any other and as Robert Frost once said, "I took the road less traveled, and it made all the difference."
On a lighter note, here's a picture album from the week.
End of Semester Album
and really look forward to getting a lot of needed rest. This week was fairly new, but fairly familiar. I think the finals at my high school did a fairly good job prepping me for this phase of college life. 
and has been fairly laid back so far. I completed my oral final for my 1/2 credit interview class on monday, ran a decent workout at track (8 x 200s) and then finished up some work at study tables. 
I finished my last CHE 111 Lab today with great elation. I have to get up at 8:00 one more time for class this semester and then am home free. I look forward to completing the semester and getting some much needed free time at home. After the lab, I went to talk to Professor Porter and I'm fairly sure at this point that I am going to be a Chemistry major. It really will be a lot of work but I really do enjoy the subject right now.