Opportunities At Furman: What I Never Thought I’d Do!

Hey y’all! It’s Monica, a junior Business Administration major from Lexington, KY. Today, I’ll be telling y’all about all the opportunities I found at Furman, and how they’ve shaped me!

Looking for Opportunities

Coming into college, I didn’t know what sort of opportunities I’d find and what would add to my academics. I wanted to find ways to do things I was passionate about, meet people, and make my college experience fun… But I didn’t know what I would end up doing here. I had done the hard part of choosing my dream school..(check out my other blog for why I chose Furman!: Why I Chose Furman). And now it was time to make my new college feel like home!

I’m a tour guide, and I always tell my tours that I wouldn’t have found and done these opportunities at another school. And I definitely wouldn’t have been able to build the community of people I have here at any other school either. Sitting here today, I know freshman year Monica would be shocked at everything I ended up doing during my time here at Furman, and how much I’ve grown as a person because of them!

Track & Field

Let’s begin with freshman year. I ran track in high school and when I graduated I told everyone I’d hung up the track spikes for good. Well, I got to Furman and had some track athletes in my orientation group. I started asking them about their time here so far, and the team. They gave me their head coach’s number in case I was interested in walking on. Remember when I said I’d hung the spikes up for good? Next thing I know I’m in the track office with two of the coaches discussing walking onto the track team.

I ended up walking on to Furman’s D1 Track Team the September of my freshman year. And let me tell you, it was fun. I got to meet so many amazing athletes and be a part of a team! I spent the rest of that fall and following spring training, traveling, competing in meets, and being a student-athlete! It was a crazy experience. Being a D1 student-athlete is a commitment, but so rewarding. When my season ended, I realized that with the other opportunities I’d found, I needed more balance, and wanted to put my academics first. I ended up only running track my freshman year, but I loved every bit of it and was so grateful I had done it. I met some great people who are still my best friends today.

Greek Life!

Now something I thought I would do less than run track again was join a sorority. My parents hadn’t encouraged it, and simply didn’t really think it was for me! I was going through my fall semester, getting used to college life and campus, doing school, running track, and meeting people. A lot of the girls I met were interested in Greek Life because Furman’s process was different- they did recruitment in the spring!

So although I didn’t think I’d do a sorority, I went to a “Meet The Greeks” event with some of my friends, and met some really cool girls! I exchanged numbers with some upperclassmen in different sororities and started hanging out with them and seeing them around! After some time, I realized I looked up to a lot of these girls in sororities and signed up for recruitment on the very last day.

I went into recruitment in January of my freshman year with no expectations. I knew I didn’t need to be in sorority, and told myself this was a great experience to make some connections and friends. If I felt a calling to a sorority, I would commit to it! And I had a blast. I met so many cool people, and surprise surprise, ended up joining a sorority. I have loved being a part of a sorority at Furman, where I could be a student-athlete freshman year and still be in one, and have it still add to my life today. Greek Life at Furman is so different than my previous expectations, and I’ve met my best friends because of it.

Becoming An Admissions Ambassador!

I knew that when I came to college, I would want to build skills through work experience outside of academics. During my fall semester, I was looking at different on-campus job opportunities, and some of my upperclassmen friends recommended I look into being an admissions ambassador! Getting to be a tour guide and show Furman to prospective students seemed like a great opportunity to build skills. I applied for my Freshman year Spring semester and I got the job! And I have absolutely loved this opportunity ever since. Being an admissions ambassador taught me many skills I’ll use in my future career and has given me great pride in showcasing my school to students and families. It introduced me to a community of other ambassadors and was a great way to help me earn money in a rewarding way.

Final Notes

There are so many opportunities to find at Furman! I have been so lucky to have been able to participate in so many of them. Whether it was getting to run for a D1 Track Team, be a part of a sisterhood in a sorority, or showcase my school through my on-campus job, all of these opportunities have continued to shape me and make my college experience as great as it has been. Like I say, I would never have tried so many of these things or have had such a large community of people if I had not come to Furman. And for that, I am so grateful!

– Monica ’25