Laura Houpt '09

Hometown: Sudbury, MA
Major: History
Concentration: Philosophy

I was very busy pouting about going to college, and my parents were frustrated that I was so stubbornly avoiding the subject. My dad sat me down with a pile of college books and started reading some profiles of schools. When I told him that community service was important in my college choice, he found Guilford College. The more we read about it, the more interested we became. It offers so many volunteer opportunities, and I was amazed that students logged so many hours of community service for such a small school.

Thus far, I have absolutely loved Guilford! I have made such fantastic friends here, people who have some similar interests as myself, but who have so many other wonderful aspects of life to share that I feel like I keep growing just by spending time with them. I love seeing so many different kinds of people interacting with one another; for instance, I once saw a football player, an art student, a guitar player and a hippy playing hackey-sack together, and it made me realize what a unique place Guilford is.

I also love the academics. They are challenging and motivating; the professors are extremely available and all the professors I have had in the past three years have established great rapports with their students. They truly care about their students and want them to succeed.

Finally, I had a fantastic experience on the Spring Break work trip we took last semester; we rebuilt houses damaged by a tornado near Wilmington, NC. I've always loved helping others, and wound up meeting some outstanding people on the trip, people I normally never would have gotten to know. We still all hang out together from time to time, grabbing dinner or having a movie night with all of us who went on the trip, and we bring more friends into the mix. It was a wonderful way to get to know more people on campus, and to share an important, moving experience.

Guilford is such a unique place; it is far more friendly and accepting than any of the other schools I applied to, with some fabulous programs, amazing people, and great academics. The environment is safe, friendly, warm and inviting. I've actually already gotten many friends to look at Guilford, and one of my best friends from home is now a freshman here.

I still have a ways to go before graduation (thank God), but have been thinking about my life post-Guilford. While I am uncertain at this point what I would like to do, I know that my future involves helping others. I'm very seriously considering teaching, and one way I might get into that profession is through Teach for America, or teaching in St. Lucia with a friend of mine for a year. I also have been considering the ministry, as I grew up in the church. There are plenty of options open to me, and fortunately I still have some time to consider them all.

The best advice I could give a prospective student is to come and visit. I wasn't sure about where I wanted to go until I stepped foot onto campus. It is so beautiful and friendly, and I knew that this was the place for me when I visited.