I had an interesting night. Of course, I've been studying all night/weekend/past week for finals and took a break to talk to some people. I found myself engaged in a conversation about independence and maturing throughout the college experience. It really didn't hit me, what we were talking about, until the conversation closed and she pointed out I had 3 days left of my freshman year.

     Believe it or not, I've spent a great amount of time thinking about what I'm doing in my life, why I'm at Wabash when my friends get to go out 4 nights a week, etc. In the past week, I had a couple insightful moments, the first being President Ford's Chapel Talk on Thursday. I'll spare you the synopsis and just quote him at the end of his speech. "you come here and usually the first thing to hit the freshmen is the lack of social life, especially true when you hear of your friends at big city colleges. But like I've always said, 'It is what you make it.'" In context, this was part of a commission to the seniors, but it really hit home with me. Undoubtedly, I've spent many nights on facebook looking at photo albums questioning what the heck I was doing at an all male college. But also, when I look at things like the bed race, pan-hel week in general, freshman tutorial, Monon bell, and all the "typical Wabash" moments, I've had a lot of fun. All in all, the amount of fun I've had is directly correlated to the amount of effort I put into a weekend. I think that's how it should be.

     An earlier night, I was talking with a junior who had seriously considered transferring for I think two years now but he raised the point, "You're sort of stuck here, what's freshman tutorial going to transfer as?" On the surface, this seems like a negative statement, but to me, it really identifies the uniqueness of the place. This is an education unlike anything you'll receive anywhere else. I have been challenged in courses like Leadership 101 and taken such a wide array of courses that they won't transfer anywhere else - but I think I'm ok with that, I really feel like I've gained a sincere amount of knowledge and not simply become a straight edged science major incapable of expressing myself apart from my major.

     Finally, the culmination of my tutorial, for me, was reached sometime last week in discussion about what turned into the gentleman's rule. It was established that my generation receives far more pressure from authority about what is right and what is wrong in terms of the simple amount of rules placed on us. I raised the point that the amount of law suits and acceptable things have changed drastically from my father's time, he's told me, to my own. Society has become more and more focused on telling the youth what's right and wrong and blaming parents, schools, the state, etc for the actions of youth. A perfect example is the compensation being paid to the victims of the VT shootings, no disrespect to the families whatsoever, but its absurd to think the college was responsible for paying millions of dollars to the families for what happened. It's just how society has become. This is where Wabash is different and claimed by Dean Raters to be the hardest part of freshman year.

     As a freshman, we're thrown into a society where we're supposed to "act as a gentleman, both on and off campus, at all times." We no longer have mom or dad looking over our shoulder claiming when we are and aren't allowed to be out or even to a large extent what's right and wrong. It can be claimed this is true of any college, but compare rule books and we'll see whose pressing more of a regulation on the students. We're given the freedom of adults and it's a gigantic obstacle to overcome as a 19 year old male having been given more and more instruction on right and wrong throughout his entire life. And we're back to my conversation tonight. I was arguing with a young lady about growing up and what is and isn't important, then realized she was where I was at 2 semesters ago. While my parents will undoubtedly tell you I still run around and do obscene things at home, I have definitely matured, I would say more than my peers at any other college. This is why Wabash has had such successful alumni. The college throws students into an environment where the city does not present a vast amount of social opportunity, to a culture where right and wrong is defined by the individual, and an intellectual environment where being eclectic is first and foremost. What is the result? Leaders. Students far better versed and confident in themselves and their ideals than any other college in the country. 

     As President Ford said, "It is what you make of it." It's really easy to get glum and down at a college like Wabash, but all it takes is one simple step back, to examine the opportunity and the environment we're in, and we're sold on the place all over again. There was no single better example of this than at the end of the conversation I had with the young lady she wrote, "I want to go to Wabash."

     I should update again later this week, I'm done on Wednesday =). It's been fun. 

     For the reader that just dismissed this as admissions propaganda, I assure you 1. I am not paid by the college to do this, 2. I've not spoken with anyone from admissions about this blog in at least 2 solid months, and 3. I'm not the type of person to do something like that.

ENJOY!

Posted by Jake Ezell at 11:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

     This begins my little end of year tid-bits reflecting on the past year.

     When I think back on what I've done and where I've gone since we began last August, I'm kind of amazed at how many new things have entered my life. I never would have guessed I would have ended up a philosophy major, never ever would have guessed that. If you remember back, I was planning on becoming a psychology major. I figured I would have been running track and while I knew school would be hard, I figured I'd be coasting through the year. I hadn't really planned on being in a fraternity, and thought I'd be in some kind of student government, bio society, and chem club. I had never heard of College Mentors for Kids or Alpha Phi Omega, or ever been involved in a Boy's and Girl's Club. 

     More importantly than the clubs or activities I've been involved in has been the intellectual growth I've had over the past 2 semesters. I remember always hearing alums and admissions telling me how Wabash would change my life. Things like that always are taken to mean less than they actually end up. I remember back to my first philosophy discussion as a class and it just makes me laugh at how I thought discussions should be held and how ignorant some of my view points were. And now when I look at where I've come and really how a lot of my views on education and knowledge have changed, I'm amazed in a way. I often think if this would be the same of different at another school and really can not say, all I know is how I've been affected and changed at Wabash, you'll have to find another blog at a different school to compare to. =) Now that I think back though, there have been a couple of nights when I've had 120-160 pages to read for class that next day -without procrastinating. That's a weeks worth of reading at least to a high schooler. But the point is that's become second nature now, its not a matter of complaining over anymore. Already, I've got 5 books sitting on my shelf that have not been assigned and have not been read. They're books I've become interested in because of my courses and the list keeps growing. I think that's a large part of what it means to have a liberal arts education.

     So really I guess my point in all this is simply that the liberal arts education I'm receiving is working, I am taking initiative in learning what I want to and being open to understanding new ideas; in a way it's pretty cool to think I've got another 3 years of growth left.

     Back to this week: it's been pretty regular, not a lot of weight on my shoulders, not a lot of coffee, just enough to get me through the withdrawals, haha. We had a sort of dinner honoring Dr. Axtell tonight since he was our house advisor and leaving next year, he will be missed.

Posted by Jake Ezell at 08:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

     As predicted, that was the longest week of my life. Ultimately, I ran around non-stop the entire week on no more than 4 consecutive hours of sleep at a time. I rarely was able to fit in a nap and academically got destroyed. However, this week should be better.

     I'll try to catch up on my week.

Monday.

     Class in the morning, then I think I spent the afternoon working on something. Actually, I know I did, I just can't remember what it was. 

Tuesday.

     The abroad program was in the morning, it was pretty cool. I went in thinking I wanted to go to Scotland and left with 5 other countries I'd like to check out. The worst part was I haven't been able to think about it since then because I've been running around. I had class that afternoon, but ended up having to skip my 1:10 because I had to drive a transcript to IUPUI because I procrastinated. I know, you don't have to tell me. Once I got done with that I ended up studying mostly calculus that night with a touch of chemistry in there, we had a problem set due for Chem that Wednesday.

Wednesday.

     The calculus test went less than ideal. Still no word on the real results. We had a chemistry lab that afternoon that let out early and then I think I caught a quick nap before starting all my chemistry studying. We had initiation for APO, I'm now officially a brother. Then a final ZAX session for the seniors in the house. I couldn't really skip either of those but they did a really good job setting me back. I also had to knock out about 120 pages of reading for tutorial and philosophy class and put together the CD's with our interviews on them for tutorial. 

Thursday.

     By far the busiest day, maybe I just don't remember the rest. I woke up at 7:30 to start doing all my odds and ends. I had to cram in a chem lab report last minute before class, missed lunch, and then had college mentors for kids after class. At CMFK, we just had the money store and watched a movie with the kids. Its really funny how you can't get 1st graders to watch a movie after they drink orange soda. I ended up walking around Detchon with my buddy and letting him run around. He had way too much energy to sit in that room. After the kids left, we had a executive meeting, I'm going to be the activity organizer for my group of kids next year. I know I just keep adding to the list of things I have to do, no matter though, its really something I love doing and if I have to stay up an extra hour once a week because of CMFK, I'm fine with that. 

Friday.

     Chem test in the morning, I had some errands to do, then I went to bed until about 5:30. I had to get things together for the lock in at the boy's and girl's club. It went well, we had about 45 kids show up and nothing too crazy happened. It's amazing how quickly those kids can wear you out though. After that, about 11, I rode with Nobbe to Batesville to keep him company. It was neat to see his hometown. 

Saturday.

      We made it back to C'ville about 5 that morning, I slept til 11:30. Apparently my sleep schedule is so screwed up that 6 hours of sleep was more than enough. Wade drove me up to our formal in Plymouth, IN so that I could catch up on some sleep. We made it there about 5, hung out for a bit, went swimming, then got ready and went to dinner, followed by a dance that last until 2. I was very proud to make it the whole time on the dance floor, I didn't leave until the DJ refused to play anymore songs. Bed followed.

Today.

     We made it back here about 2, I slept until 5, then started doing some errands and homework. This week, fortunately, will be easy since my teachers ultimately have nothing left to assign. They've used up just about every possible thing they could assign at this point. haha. Bed soon.

That was my week, if you read it hope you enjoyed. I'll try to snag some good pictures here this week since I don't have much to do. My finals schedule is awesome, I'm done on Wednesday, but have to stay and close the house since I'm house manager. It should be relaxing though. Just kind of a bummer I can't spend those days back at home. No matter though, another semester down, and once again, I'm awed by how fast it went. 

This week, I'll try to throw in some reflections on Wabash and the first year as a college student and all. I've got a couple planned. Apart from that, things are finally wrapping up. =)

Posted by Jake Ezell at 10:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

      I haven't updated because I've been swamped. I made it to IU for the Little 500 celebrations on Friday - It's crazy down there that week. Then on Saturday I made it back to campus by 11 for a home association meeting, then an interview at 2 with a retired professor for tutorial. It was really neat to sit down with someone like that and talk about Wabash history and how it was then compared to now. I ended up working on homework the rest of Saturday night - I know, lame.

     Sunday was again, a work day accompanied with 4 hours of sleep and here I am 3:30 on a Tuesday morning about to start another reading assignment. If I can make it through this week I think I'll be alright.

Study abroad program meeting tomorrow followed by a pretty full schedule. 

Formal this weekend.

An update, if I can squeeze it in, will be brief.

Posted by Jake Ezell at 11:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

     So Sunday, after we cleaned the house which was a pretty extensive cleaning, I started homework but struggled a bit because I've come down with some kind of cold in my chest. I think it may be bronchitis. Any ways, I got caught up working on some stuff and then didn't feel like sleeping and then went to bed at like 6 in the morning, only to wake up at 8:52 when by my roommate. I wanted to skip but I did make it to my 9 AM, on time. Then I somehow managed to not nap the rest of the day before calling it a night at midnight. It was a long day.

     Sunday I was elected house manager, so I have been running around for a day or two trying to get organized. I think once I get things going it should be a more smooth ride. Either way, theres 4 weeks left, it can't be too bad. Rich Fern. Today was another busy day, not really a lot going on but have somehow managed to remain in a zombie like state(watch out zombie survival club) until after dinner. Our cook made gumbo and it was delicious. After that, I took an hour and half nap and finally snapped out of the zombie-ness. Tonight will be a late night, I forced myself to go lift despite having a lot to do. Actually, I really just wanted to, I had been pent up working on stuff for too long. No matter though, it's not Wabash without going one or two nights a semester without sleep. (Or 9) Haha. 

     Wooh! No class Thursday - both professors will be out of town - so much to do Thursday though.

     Sorry for no pictures, I've been slacking, I know. 

     I got burnt yesterday, I sat out in the front yard in a folding chair in the middle of the sidewalk without my shirt on, reading from 12:30-4:30 yesterday. I don't know that I'm mad about that though - at least I took advantage of a pretty day.

Posted by Jake Ezell at 10:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

     Friday was a pretty solid day. I went in to Indy about 12:00 and took a quick nap at home before my interview at 3. It was another good interview but again, I'm waiting to hear back to know if I got the job. Just going to keep my fingers crossed. I left from there and headed to IU to hang out with my buddy for the night. It's really pretty remarkable the differences between the two schools. For example, most things at IU don't start until 10-11 at night; whereas here, we're usually up and rolling by about 8-9ish on a typical weekend night. Apart from that, it was good to see some girls and get out of Crawfordsville for a night and be in a big college town. We ended up going to a couple of parties that weren't too bad at all - the first was a little weird, to say the least.

     Saturday, I drove my buddy back to Indy, hung out at home, then we both came up to Wabash for the party we had last night. When we got here, we hung out for a while in the front yard playing corn-hole and hill billy golf before eating and getting ready for the party. The party was a luau and it turned out to be pretty successful. We had a lot of people here and didn't really have any problems overall. The house was messy this morning, but it wasn't near as bad as it's been in the past. 

     We have elections for the semester long positions tonight at the chapter meeting. I'm up for house manager, rooms allocations, and social chair - I'm not sure which position I'd really like to have. 

     Should be a pretty easy week - just have a paper or two due at the end of the week. On a side note, I missed Dave Matthews at IU tonight to make sure I attended class tomorrow morning - I'm still looking for some reaffirmation on that decision.

Posted by Jake Ezell at 05:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

     Monday I got sick. I think it was a combination of too much coffee studying for chem, dehydration, and not eating very well. Anyways, that led into something in my chest, I think it was allergies that got me this time and I've been fighting something off since then. I actually went to bed with Nyquil about 11:00 last night. 

     Wednesday was about the longest day of my life. I had class all morning then chem lab in the afternoon and was felt pretty bad. After class, my parents stopped by the house because they had gone to Turkey Run for the day. It was good to see them. 

     Today was a pretty normal day apart from being sick. I woke up at 8, took Dayquil, then went back to bed for an hour and a half. All afternoon I was waiting on the bed-race which started at 6. Our first race was a bit of a disaster. Apparently, there was a misunderstanding amongst the houses in understanding we weren't actually supposed to leave the carts in hopes of sabotaging the other teams. No matter, LCA still got 3rd overall and no one got hurt. Another thing we can add to the checklist of Wabash traditions, it's pretty neat to participate in all these things. It makes you wonder what it was like years ago and how all these started. 

     I'm heading to Indy for another job interview tomorrow then down to IU to catch up with some friends. Saturday is our Luau and I'm bringing another buddy up for that too. It should be a really fun time - I am pretty excited to say the least.

Posted by Jake Ezell at 07:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)