I just finished sophomore year, and I can honestly say I don’t know where the time went. These past two years, I put myself through a lot of transitions, which I find interesting and amusing to look back upon. I started my undergrad life as a freshman here at Case, where I played soccer, took premed classes, and made a lot of really great friends. I loved everything about the school, but by the end of the year, I wasn’t so sure if I wanted to be premed anymore. Since the premed program was one of the major reasons I decided to come to Case, I started to wonder if case was still really the best fit for me. With a lot of pressure from my parents, I decided to transfer after freshman year to Miami University.
To make a long story short, I ended up missing Case so much that I only stayed at Miami for fall semester and immediately filled out my paperwork to come back in the spring. Yes…that does mean that I transferred out of case to Miami, and then transferred back into Case only a semester afterwards. My favorite and most frequently asked question became, “So…where exactly do you go to school now?” Because I was so distraught in leaving my friends, half of them didn’t even know I was transferring, and the other half didn’t know I was coming back. I definitely confused a lot of people.
Although I regret not being able to play soccer at Case this past fall season, I surprisingly do not regret my decision to leave. Because in leaving, I learned to truly appreciate case in ALL aspects. I mean even the cafeterias that I used to complain about I learned to regard with new eyes. I played club soccer at Miami, but it was nothing compared to the competition I had before. I was one of those annoying kids at school that always compared everything to her past, saying things like, “At Case…this would’ve never happened…” and “Oh my gosh I can’t wait for you to meet my friends from Case”, or “ Well back at Case we used to...blah blah blah.” If I had met me I would have been annoyed…but I couldn’t help it! I missed soccer practices where every player made sure to give 110 percent. I missed the integrity of Case students. I missed the close knit community in which everyone was so friendly and approachable. I missed the diversity and even came to miss my classes. Nothing against Miami, because I really did like the school, but by being away from Case for a semester I simply realized that it was a better fit for me than Miami, or any other college for that matter, ever could be. In my semester away I took an entire non-science schedule, to allow myself to be introduced to new subjects. In doing so, I ended up discovering even more reasons why I belonged at Case. I found that I love anthropology and that I really missed my premed classes. Coincidentally, Case is the only place I have ever heard of having a medical anthropology major, which was exactly what I was most interested in. Not only could I now continue following the strong premed curriculum at Case, but I could major in something I really loved and wouldn’t be able to major in anywhere else.
And the greatest part was although I thought that coming back to Case would be really difficult after leaving, it wasn’t in the slightest bit. Everyone welcomed me back and treated me like I had never left in the first place. Even the Case administration made things super easy for me, making sure all my credits transferred properly. Best of all, I got to play in the spring season with the team J
Just thinking about season makes me smile! I cannot wait. I know that everyone is training hard this summer and that this coming fall season will definitely be one to remember.
Unfortunately, soccer is not the only thing I am preparing for, though, this summer. I am also studying for the MCAT which I plan on taking in August. It’s definitely a lot more time consuming than I thought along with my small research program, but it’s keeping me busy and giving me a routine which I like, especially, because I still have my nights available to see friends/family and enjoy summer.
Now summer is flying by, but surprisingly I don’t mind that much. I’m excited to see everyone again, but most excited to play. I haven’t played in a Case league game since freshman year, and am definitely ready to start that up again!
Photos:
Top: Sammy Sarrett '12 and Amy at the Girl Talk concert at Case.
Bottom: Amy, Caitlin Miller '09, Ana Arruda '11, and Caroline Garber '10 at the First Annual Student-Athlete Formal
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