David Johnson reports on his experiences at the Washington University Pre-College Program, where he is studying Environmental Science. David says that he has been enjoying his first week, and has “learned so much from talking to people from both regional and international backgrounds, and I’m pleased to say I’ve already made some new friends.”
“Upon first arriving at my suite, I immediately met one of my roommates. He told me he currently studies in Switzerland, but was originally from the Chicago area. I would soon find out that another of my roommates was also from the Chicago area, while the last was from Vietnam. I loved talking to all of them and finding out about what life was like where they lived. Our suite had our own bathroom, which was nice. My bedroom had plenty of space along with five outlets, which was pretty awesome. The suite itself was the perfect hangout spot; we often came here after class just to relax and talk about the day ahead. One day my friend from Vietnam showed us a traditional card game that we had never played before, and even though I got last place, it was loads of fun, and I plan on showing it to my friends back home,” David says.
After getting to know his roommates, David and his new friends toured the campus to learn where class would be held the next day.
“Class itself was a combination of lectures and hands-on work. A lot of what we learned I had some background in from biology, like evolution and reproduction, and we demonstrated these concepts in labs with everyday objects. We allowed beans of different shapes and sizes to model different organisms and had to use utensils to gather the beans and act as predators. I managed to get stuck with chopsticks, which wasn’t the most satisfying experience, but it was interesting to see how the smaller “organisms” adapted and became the most numerous at the end of the simulation,” David explains.
“The homework thus far has been quite enjoyable, with the few assignments we’ve done being presentations, surveys, or simply self-evaluations of our environmental impact on the world. There are these hypothetical days called overshoot days, where if everyone were to live the way we did each year, there would be a certain day in which the world can no longer regenerate the resources we used up. So, the ideal overshoot day would be December 31; mine, meanwhile, was February 11,” David says.
“For our presentation, we had to analyze a particular biome and create both a plant and animal with characteristics capable of living there developed through adapting. We chose the desert, with our animal looking like what might be a cross between a fox, a chimpanzee, and an alligator, while our plant looked like a cactus from another planet. To put it simply, both organisms centered their adaptations on water preservation and temperature regulation. I am working on the survey now, which asks people in the community, in their opinion, how strong of a risk certain environmental threats pose. I look forward to seeing what the results are,” David adds.
“All of the faculty I have met have been so kind and helpful, and also seem to care deeply about our experience here. Each day, we have check-ins where we report on our mood that morning and where we are heading in case a problem arises. We also have weekly one-on-one and group meetings where we discuss our day, our classes, the restaurants we’ve been to, the places on and off-campus, and if we miss home. I am so appreciative of the staff here for making this experience special,” David says.
“I am so excited to see how this course will continue and the new people I will meet,” David exclaims!
We are excited for you as well, and can’t wait to learn more!
