First Year Voices: Juleigh VanDyke Reflects & Looks Forward to Sophomore Year

Photo of Bunce Hall.

Today’s (FRESH)man Voices features Juliegh VanDyke, a Theatre Arts major from Williamstown, NJ (Gloucester County), who commutes from home.

Juliegh posing for a portrait.What did you most enjoy your freshman year at Rowan? I think the one thing I enjoyed most about my freshman year was getting to know the people I have become close with and finding my place on campus. I am surround by such a great community of people at Rowan and they have made me feel so welcomed and loved. 

Could you share with one happy moment you had with friends, professors, or other members of the Rowan community that made you realize Rowan felt like “home”? I do live only 15 minutes away from campus so I commute. It was hard making friends the first semester I won’t lie about that, but after I found my place on campus I was never home. I was always out hanging with friends, grabbing food, doing homework with people, and kept busy on campus. I even would sometimes stay on campus with my friends when I just didn’t want to be at home! Also commuting will not stop you from finding your home on campus. 

Juleigh and her theatre arts friends.What clubs or activities are you involved in on campus? I am a theatre arts major so I help out with the shows a lot and maybe next season I’ll be in one who knows! So I really enjoy doing that, but this semester I rushed for a Sorority and got a bid for Alpha Sigma Tau. Being a part of Greek Life has definitely made my college experience ten times better. I love all my sisters to death and I am in such an amazing community on campus. They are all so loving and supporting, I couldn’t imagine not being apart of Greek Life. It does suck a little because corona had postponed our initiation until the fall, but we all stay very close in touch and are so excited for next semester. We Zoom a lot too.

What advice do you have for future freshmen looking at colleges right now? Looking at colleges is going to be really hard right now due to everything going on in the world. It’s hard to visit campus’s and get a tour, I also know that it matters to you. Don’t stress about where you’re going too hard, I know that it is a very stressful process. I say keep your options open because you never know, you could fall in love with a school you didn’t even give a second thought. I can say this from my stand point of being a commuter, It’s so close to my house I didn’t even want to go here until I gave it a chance. I got into my #1 school and still chose Rowan because I ended up falling in love with it. Don’t be scared if you plan on commuting either, it won’t stop you from doing anything! Just keep up the grades you having going for you now and focus on what you’re looking for. The process is worth it I promise. 

What are you most looking forward to next year at Rowan? The biggest thing I am looking forward to next year is definitely seeing all my friends again and having them come back home to Rowan. I miss them so much and online classes kind of suck but the world is going through a tough time right now. I also cannot wait for my classes in the fall! I am taking some cool classes like Singing for the Actor and Fundamentals of Tap. I cannot wait to learn to tap dance. I also am so excited for fall and spring recruitment, I can’t wait to be apart of that. Next semester can’t come any sooner. 

Juliegh and her friend.

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