1. The study-abroad program
The study-abroad program at Washington and Jefferson is truly amazing. I hadn't realized how many opportunities there are are to study abroad when I first picked this school. I knew they had a Magellan Project, which is another thing I love about the school. I did not realize how great their study-abroad program is though. From China to London, they collaborate with schools all over the world. I also recently found out that they offer a lot of scholarship opportunities to study-abroad students. In most cases, they'll even pay for the plane ticket. Finding out all of these things definitely makes me want to study-abroad for a semester.
2. The Magellan Project
The Magellan Project is an opportunity entirely unique to my school. The president of the school started this program for all students. It gives everyone the same opportunity to travel, research, and explore. Students propose their own plan of study and submit it to the school. The school will aid us in the construction of our project, but it is imagined entirely by us. Most Magellan Projects get approved, which means the student receives money to carry out his or her project. I'm not doing a Magellan this year, but I'm hoping to next year. I have friends who are doing Magellan Projects. Their projects sound exciting. I can't wait to do my own Magellan Project.
3. The pet-dorm
This is one of my favorite things about Washington and Jefferson College. There are very few campuses with pet-friendly dorms. Washington and Jefferson has theme communities, which are different dorm buildings that have their own themes. There is the pet-dorm, a craft themed dorm building, a STEM building, etc. All of these living environments are entirely unique. One of the hardest things about being away from home, is not having your family and pets. You might not be able to take your family to school with you, but Washington and Jefferson allows the students living in the pet-dorm to bring their pet. It's not available to freshman but once freshman year is over there's an ample opportunity to apply for theme housing. I officially found out today that I am living in the pet-dorm next year.
4. The work-study opportunities
The work-study opportunities at Washington and Jefferson are great in various ways. Most of the on-campus jobs are desk jobs. These jobs allow students to work on their school work, while they also work towards making some extra cash. There are a few work studies that are more tasking, but not in an extreme way. They can actually be kind of fun, such as looking at old newspapers to find ads about the college. There are also jobs working as lab assistants, teachers assistants, etc. These positions become more available as you gain experience in classes. Additionally, there are jobs on campus that are solely meant to help incoming freshman. For example, the LINK Mentor position is a job where you oversee a group of incoming freshman. You keep them on track during orientation week, attend all of their first year seminar classes with them, help them plan their future, help them register for classes, etc.
5. The way classes are taught
I love how classes are taught at my college. We truly receive a liberal arts education. There are many school-wide requirements that our classes have to meet in order to gain the credits we need for graduation. These requirements make us explore classes beyond our comfort zone. We have to take a language class, art class, history class, math class, science class, diversity class, physical education class, behavioral class, English classes, etc. There are a lot of requirements. This might seem like a bad thing but it's not. These requirements challenge us. They force us to think outside of our comfort zone. Math or history might not be your forte, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't gain a basic understanding of it. Not only are we required to take a diverse array of classes, but the professors also teach in a way that connects the subject they're teaching to the world around us. My Chinese teacher doesn't just teach the language. She also tries to expose us to the culture. She's even invited us to the Alumni House, where she cooked us dumplings and made us tea. The level of diverse learning in this school is one of the things that makes it truly great.
