Among the many new experiences College freshman Elizabeth Argall has already had in her first few months at Penn, one particular occurrence left very little to the imagination.
While hanging out in her friend’s room enjoying another game of Mario Kart, Argall became a witness to some indecent exposure by the friend’s roommate.
“He announced he was going to shower,” she explained. “We thought nothing of this, until he dropped [his pants] directly in front of Kelly and me. Tighty whities, gone.”
“Should I mention we were never officially introduced? I’m scarred for life,” she added.
Unexpected nudity aside, Argall is thoroughly enjoying Penn thus far.
“I expected the workload but I did not anticipate the social aspects of my dorm,” she said. “My hallmates are becoming my new family.”
Unlike some freshmen who have problems with their roommates, Argall is thrilled with hers, College freshman Kat Grunewald from Wilmington, Del.
“[She’s] like a sister already,” she said.
While Argall says the two of them do not share all of the same interests, they have found common ground thanks to television.
“She’s discovering television after growing up without cable and our hall is having a good time educating her on all the best shows,” Argall said.
Though she still sticks to the same routine she has been following since the beginning of the year — waking up and snacking on a granola bar shortly before heading out to her first class — Argall admits that she has had to pick up some additional time management skills in college.
“They were less necessary in my high school environment,” she says.
As for classes, Argall is finding them quite enjoyable.
“The classes are more challenging than my high school classes, but more engaging,” she said.
In particular, she’s proud of her choice to enroll in an Arabic class at the beginning of the semester.
“I love Arabic, but I find it difficult,” she said. “I don’t know whether I want to minor in it yet or not.”
Argall is also a big fan of her Arabic professor, Christine Kalleeny, with whom she plans on continuing studying next semester.
Outside of classes, Argall has already begun to integrate herself into the Penn and West Philadelphia community.
While she is still working at the museum library, Argall has also become involved with the West Philadelphia Tutoring Project.
“I got a flyer during the organization fair, went to a meeting, and decided it was something I wanted to get involved in,” she said.
For an hour a week, Argall helps her tutee, Muhammed Ibrahim, understand his homework and any new concepts he has learned.
Even with her growing familiarity with Penn — which Argall says has made everything “more enjoyable” — she still is not overly concerned with choosing a major.
For now, she’s taking it one step at a time: “I’m thinking [about it] carefully, but right now I’m focusing on the classes I’m in now and the classes I’m planning to take in the spring semester.”
What’s in store? “My hallmates and I are considering taking Intro to Sitar next year,” she said. “And my friend strongly recommends her class on Jane Austen and adaptations.”
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