I am not sure how the other halls on campus look at sports, but my hall is completely obsessed with sports. This does not bother me at all, since I enjoy playing pretty much all kinds of sports. I’m not saying I am a great athlete, but I try. Intramural sports are basically based on the same aspect: you do not have to be a great athlete to play. The competition just serves as fun for everyone; but, of course it feels good to win so players are often really into the games.

Since I am the type of person that is willing to try anything, I have participated in all of the fall intramural sports thus far. Carolina rules football is definitely a difficult sport to get the hang of, but it eventually becomes fun. In Carolina rules football, there are two linebackers, no lineman, and it is played with flag belts. The ball can be thrown anywhere to anyone on the field. You can throw passes forward, backward, side-to-side, and the receivers can throw the football to other receivers during the play. It is definitely a fast paced game that you have to extensively practice for. If you played high school football before like I have, you pretty much have to erase from your mind all the strategies and rules that regular football is based upon. Although we have not had a game yet, I would say our practices were pretty successful as far as establishing plays and getting the hang of the game.

Intramural soccer is also a fun sport. Although we lost our first game, it was a very close contest. Our team lost due to a penalty kick that was a bad call from one of the referees. Since I have never played soccer, I definitely found out how tiring of a sport soccer is. Nonetheless, it is fun to play. Thankfully, the two halves were only twenty minutes long versus the regular forty-five minute halves in regular soccer games. I would still call the game a success considering we only held one thirty minute practice before the game. We only held one practice because our hall mainly concentrates on football.

The third and last fall intramural sport is volleyball. Our first volleyball game was definitely a massacre, as we beat the opposing team 40-19. This was a sign of relief as we played the team that beat us in soccer. In addition, our first football game is against that same team, so there is definitely a rivalry going on between the two halls. Intramural volleyball is played until one team reaches forty points. The two teams switch court sides after a team reaches twenty points. It is awkward how volleyball, a game that basically none of the guys on my hall have ever played on a high school level, seems to be our best sport. I guess that’s how college works though: you find out some talents that you did not know you had before.

Therefore, intramural sports are definitely a fun and entertaining Furman tradition. They are a great way to relieve stress that arises from school work or simply a way to kill some time if you ever get any spare time. They enable you to meet new people and work as a team. In essence, you become closer to the people on your hall through this teamwork. Plus, intramural sports are just plain fun that everyone can be a part of. Oh by the way, if you are wondering what G3 stands for, it is an acronym for Gambrell 300. G3!!!

CLP’s are yet another Furman tradition that I had the pleasure of experiencing. Although the CLP’s may seem dreadful when one is informed that a certain amount of the CLP’s are required for graduation, they are not as bad as they seem. You are probably asking yourself what a CLP is. Well, CLP stands for Cultural Life Program. Basically, they are programs to help enhance your Furman experience by allowing you to become more familiar with Furman and the Furman community. So far, I have attended two of these CLP’s; therefore, I will describe my experiences with CLP’s based solely on the first two that were presented this year.

The first CLP was a program on the history of Furman University. The main focus was on the foundations and the important people surrounding Furman’s history. The names of each Hall were explained to the residing students and they were later verbally quizzed. Although a quiz does not seem like the best thing in the world, the quiz presented to the students was not a typical high school quiz. Instead, it was more of a quiz that sparked competition among the halls. Each hall strived to get the answers right in order to seem somewhat dominant over the other halls.

The second CLP was a formal induction of Furman freshmen to the university and the welcoming back of all returning students and faculty. The presentation was once again conducted by various faculty members that seem like family to the students. The professors made jokes, even during speeches on serious matters. The Furman atmosphere is most certainly inviting and relaxing. CLP’s are a great way to get more familiar with Furman University and a great way cool off from your studies. Best of all, they do not require too much effort on the side of the students and also count towards graduation.

As I arrived on the Furman campus, the first thing that came to my mind was this was going to be an academically challenging year. While this has certainly upheld in only the first days of class, the professors are really helpful in helping students achieve their goals. As I walked to my first class, I was already dreading every minute of sitting in a class. A few things that came to mind about class were boredom, some old professor barking out orders, and definitely a bunch of book work. When the professor walked into class, my thoughts have completely changed. The professor greeted the class, introduced himself, and began to lead the class in a way as to catch our interests. For example, he attempted to relate history to our everyday lives and attempted to make us come to the conclusion that it is practically impossible to live a single day without using history. I am not completely sure how the class reacted to this first class; however, it changed my outlook on history. Although history is an interesting class, it is not the only one that had caught my interests.

During my initial course selection, I have chosen a sociology course as a back-up just in case I did not get all of the classes I wanted. Of course, I was signed up for the sociology class. I had never taken sociology before and I had also no clue what sociology was. Once again, the professor sparked my interests through relating sociology to our everyday lives. For example, he talked about trends in certain groups of people and how these people help form our society. Therefore, my classes in college were more interesting and entertaining than most of the classes I took in high school. Furthermore, I was extremely pleased with the classroom settings. The small student-to-faculty ratio, lack of distraction, and enthusiastic teachers enable students’ brains to operate on all cylinders. Above all, the teachers make students realize that every subject taken in college, regardless of what it is, always has a purpose that helps enhance the students’ daily lives. The classes at Furman have definitely proven my first-day expectations wrong.

Another interesting aspect of Furman is that it does not completely concentrate on academics. During the student orientation, students experienced several different activities that were just plain fun. From playing mini golf to slick watermelon races, the activities had something in store for everyone. There are also many luxuries at Furman that go unnoticed. For example, there is access to the Physical Activities Center for all students. Before arriving on Furman, I had to pay to attend the YMCA in order to work out. This luxury is not available at all institutions, as some of my friends that attend other universities do not have a public gym for students. Another luxury is free daily newspapers ranging from the Paladin newspaper to The Greenville News. While I am not much of a newspaper reader, it certainly helps when some projects come around the corner. Furthermore, I have not yet had a bad meal at Furman. The cafeteria has many great types of food in many varieties. Even a picky eater would find something good to eat at Furman. These luxuries are often not included in the tours and information packets, but they are definitely useful to many Furman students. I will keep in touch!