My name is Natalie Goodreau, and I am a freshman at the University of Arizona. I am eighteen years old, and am from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Currently, my major is physiology, and I am debating whether or not I want to declare Spanish as my minor. Now that you know a little bit about my background, I want to share with you my first, best, and toughest experiences thus far as I learn more and more everyday about life here at the U of A.
My parents drove me over to school at the beginning of August, and I remember that all of us cried at some point during the drive. I am the youngest sibling in my family, so my parents were quite upset when I decided to go away for college. As soon as we got to Tucson, though, my schedule was already jam packed because I was rushing for a sorority. I do not know if you all have sororities and fraternities there, but at the University of Arizona, Greek life is life. It is one of the most active extra-curricular activities pursued and practiced by students here. Every sorority and fraternity is different in the respect that they each hold different community services (called philanthropies), represent different concepts, and uphold various morals. The sorority I am in is Sigma Kappa (in Greek it is ΣK). I absolutely love it. To be honest, though, I was weary at the beginning of rush because I am the first person in my family to go Greek. The entire process for girls is very tiring (boys’ rush is much more laid back). But, all of the girls are required to meet at the University at seven in the morning. From there, we visit each house (or chapter) for thirty minutes each. During those thirty minutes, we talk with the members of each respective house in hopes of deciding which sorority will “fit.” My best friend and I rushed together, but ended up going different ways. She is in Alpha Phi, and she loves it – just like I love mine. It was definitely worth it because I met so many people and made so many new friends.
Aside from Greek life, I do have to study very often. As a physiology major, I always feel overwhelmed with biology and math homework. I am in many freshmen courses, but my science and math classes are not general classes, and are harder for me. Right now, we are studying human genetics in my biology class, and applications of logarithms in my math class. Both are interesting, but very time consuming to understand well. It usually takes me a few hours to complete all of my homework every night; but, I can get distracted easily because I live with three other girls in a dorm.
I live in Sky View Apartments, which are apartment-style dorms provided by the University. We have a kitchen, living room, two bedrooms, and two bathrooms. But, there are four of us, and each room is not that big. So, being clean is always a priority for all of us.
I think that moving away from home and not having my own bed was one of the hardest changes for me to adjust to when I came to college. I walked in my dorm with my parents, looked at a tiny bed, and thought half of it was missing! Back home, I was fortunate enough to have four rooms to myself – an office, a television room, a room for my guests, and my actual bedroom. My sister and I had two rooms each, but once she left for college, I got all of them. So, going from being basically an only child to sharing what is the size of one of my rooms back home with three other girls was quite the adjustment. It has forced me to be courteous with my sleeping hours and tidiness, though. It has been one of the most beneficial experiences for me thus far because it has allowed me to grow in ways I never knew I could. I have formed such close bonds with each of my roommates that I know we will always stay in contact even when college is over.
Well, I hope I have given you a sense of what life is life at the University of Arizona. If you have the chance, please write back. I’m curious to know what you do for fun at your school, what courses you are taking, and if many of you move away for college.
Best regards!
Natalie Goodreau
PS - I am including a picture of my sorority at our New Member Presents Dinner! :)
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