My name is Paul Buescher '12 and I am a freshman here at Wabash. I am from Palos Verdes Estates, California, which is a suburb of Los Angeles. My family consists of my parents and my sister, Katie. I am currently a pledge at Phi Gamma Delta.

So coming way out from California, I have been asked at least a hundred times ‘Why Wabash?’ And, of course, the simplest answer is ‘Because it’s Wabash!’ But I guess the true answer is much deeper than that. I first heard about Wabash through a book by Loren Pope called 40 Colleges That Change Lives. It was a book a friend had given to my mom, so she read it, and then I read it. So after picking out a few schools that I liked, my dad, mom, and I went on a mid-west college tour of Allegheny College, Denison University, Ohio Wesleyan University, College of Wooster, Lake Forest College and Wabash College in August before my senior year in high school. I really liked all of them, but I really didn’t have a top choice yet.

As I’ve talked to my pledge brothers and other students throughout campus, it seems as though a lot of people fell in love with Wabash as soon as they set foot on campus. However, I didn’t fall in love when I first arrived on that hot August day. I had my campus tour with swimmer Steve Zajac and talked to Walter Blake in the admissions office and meet the then Assistant Swimming Coach Kyle Dunaway, who took me on a tour of the Allen Athletic Center. I definitely liked the school as a whole, but I wasn’t immediately sold. I think when I got back home after that college trip, I had told myself that Wabash would be a school I would apply to but probably wouldn’t go to.

In November of my senior year, after many pamphlets from the college and phone calls from Kyle Dunaway, Wabash had moved up to my second choice, behind Allegheny College. So for both schools, I decided to go to revisit them, but this time do overnight visits. Long story short, Allegheny was still my top choice with Wabash in second. Honors Scholar Weekend rolled around in March and I had a ton of fun meeting new people and swimmers and rushing. That weekend really pushed Wabash forward and showed me what it would be like to be a student here and what the other students were like. By the end of that weekend, I was ready to send in my deposit check. And now here in September, almost a month into school, I am having a blast and having no second thoughts about being on any other campus.

I am looking forward to a great swimming season and becoming friends with all the guys. I know there is a great coaching staff here and that we can do even better this year than last year’s great season. I have been working very hard these first two weeks of official practice and will continue down that path in order to set myself up for great results come our first meet on October 25th. Go Wabash!