First Year Point of View: Jeremy Hill, ’17

Wondering what to expect out of freshman year at Westminster? Jeremy Hill, ’17, shares his point of view about his first year at Westminster, what it’s like to get involved on campus, student-professor relationships, and more.

What was Welcome Week like for you, as a freshman, last year?

Welcome Week made the awkwardness of not knowing anyone disappear almost completely. The freshman class got to meet a ton of new people and interact with each other which lead to many new friendships. All of these events and the sense of community among everyone made all the new people feel as though they were part of something amazing, which made the transition from high school to college, where there are not parents and adults always helping and backing one up, extremely smooth and easy.

What is Westminster’s atmosphere like?

From the beginning it was easy to tell that the small campus community was a friendly and welcoming one. Everyone was eager to greet new people and smiled while passing someone even if no words were exchanged. Older members of the campus community were always willing to help the younger, more naïve freshman out by telling them where their classes were, how long it takes to get to most classes, which professors were the best, and that they would grow up a lot this first year in college.

How easy is it to get involved at Westminster, even as a freshman?

There are tons of opportunities to get involved in campus activities and groups at Westminster; ranging from work study jobs, fun events that CAB puts on to holding a position in an organization or club. There is an exposition every year where all the clubs and organizations go to show the newer students what they are about and many freshmen get involved through that event.

How would you describe the relationships students have with Westminster professors? 

Many students are actually friends with professors here at Westminster! The professors are the nicest people and always willing to have conversations with students. Typically the students become very interested in similar fields as the professors are teaching in and then the students become closer with professors that way but also outside of the class room where students and professors can shoot the breeze or talk about future career aspirations. Personally, the professors that I am close with have helped me along through taking their classes, being able to email them and get a quick response, and they even understand my own dedication and honesty. This has helped me out in numerous situations where if I forget something is due or I do not hear something during class, they know that I am being honest and usually cut me a little slack with deadlines. Being a hard worker and good student certainly pay off in the relationships.

In your first year at Westminster, what was your impression of the coursework? 

I knew from my very first classes that the courses would be tougher and more rigorous than other college courses – given from the world renowned name of the college. I also knew that this tough academic program would help me become an even harder worker and have a lot of success with future career aspirations. The professors here at Westminster are amazing and always willing to help because the class sizes are so small. These are two different things but I feel that they work so well with each other and that I liked one just as much as the other.

Smaller classes make for more personalized learning and not just PowerPoints, taking notes on said PowerPoints, and lectures. No one really learns like that. Here, professors can ask students questions, keep everyone accountable with each other, and make the classes more fun and interesting as to where students want to learn. Professors are also willing to help students just about any time they have free time if required of them.

How would you describe campus life at Westminster? 

Campus life here at Westminster is alive. At almost every hour there is someone awake doing something fun somewhere. It is hard to go a day here without being invited to an event or two and having fun interacting with other students. These events have brought me out of my shell more so than if these events were not happening. They give one the opportunity to go out and have fun and also meet new people while experiencing something new.