On August 28^th, 1996, I joined the first-year red class of 2000 at Wellesley College.

My first year was a great year--I went in as a long-haired pre-med major, and ended that year with no clear major and short hair. Among other changes. My first day, I moved in with two roommates--Yelena and Jessica--in a kind of small room on the second floor of Severance Hall (which would theoretically burn down in 4 minutes if it were set on fire--comforting, eh?) Our room was great--crowded and a total unsanitary mess (none of us could/would clean), but the three of us got along well, and it was a lot of fun. Down the hall from us was "The Quad" (we were "The Triple"), and we became friends with them. I also became very close with my friend Lindsay, who actually lived across campus in our dorm-war enemy, McAfee. We also became friends with Carrie from downstairs, and Marian, who lived in McAfee. It's hard to summarize a whole year--but basically, it was a lot of fun, some drama, and generally a pretty good time. Lindsay and I were on the debate team, and spent a lot of weekends at tournaments. I also went to Clinton's inaugural with Lindsay, which was so cool. Generally, we all just spent a lot of time hanging around campus or in Boston, going to parties on campus, hanging out at Schneider and eventually at the Hoop (where I met a whole lot of friends, including Jess), and occasionally going to class. In addition to my Severance friends, I also got to know Aida and Jessie through my writing class, as well as Jess through both them and the Hoop. (Left, Dad and I in front of Severance and Tower on my first day; right, Lindsay, me and Yelena in the mess that was our room--horrible, huh?)

In terms of school, at which I did not work nearly as hard that year as I should have, I was still pre-med for most of the year. As a result, I took a very heavy pre-med schedule. My first semester, I took Chem 114 (Intro to Chem I), Bio 203 (Intro to Vertebrate Anatomy and Physiology), Hist 291 (1969: The Pivotal Year), and Lat 101 (Intro to Latin.) My second semester, I took Chem 115 (Intro to Chem II), Bio 110 (Intro to Cellular Biology), Writ 125 (The Art of Fiction), and Math 116 (Calc II). Thrilling classes, eh? My lack of interest and effort was evident in my grades, and by mid-spring I was no longer pre-med. For the time being, I was flitting with the idea of doing something like medical sociology.

To continue the odyssey, go to Sophomore Year.

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