CLASS OF 2000: Matt Schmidt

Of soundmind and bodyOf soundmind and body"Athletes are in the libraries as much as everyone else." Matt Schmidt leans back on his elbows, and stares at the green Urban Outfitters cloth covering the ceiling of his Quad single. The room's dull green glow makes the Rochester, Mich., native feel right at home -- since he spends more than 20 hours a week in the swimming pool. A high school recruit, Matt explains that most of his friends from home chose to attend Michigan State, including his twin sister -- "I knew I'd miss her. We share everything." But despite some initial anxiety about living far from home (he admits he is still "homesick all the time -- e-mail, pictures, everything reminds me."), Matt has settled into life at Penn and found his own niche. That began with the swim team, a full-time commitment in the fall. "I was the only one of my friends dumb enough to stick with [swimming]," he jokes. "In high school, it wasn't fun anymore. Some people get trapped, but I'm not the best anymore so I have to do it for other reasons." He cites the close-knit friendships and the desire to stay in shape -- "I never cared about that before, really." Matt says his two recruiting trips last year sealed his decision to come to Penn, even though he doesn't consider himself an "average Penn admit" academically. "A lot of people didn't think I could make it here," he says. "I'm not getting A's. But I expected harder [classes]. They're really, really hard, but if you work hard, too, you'll do fine. "Athletes are in the libraries just as much as everyone else." The International Relations-major-to-be (unless he changes his mind, of course) admits that swimming certainly helped his admission. "I sort of knew I was in. Since [the swimming coach] kept calling, I pretty much knew it." But Matt has been careful to keep the relentless hours of swimming practice and meets in perspective. "It's so much easier for me to be a part of it now, because it isn't my whole life." His "other" life includes his recent initiation into the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity -- "I definitely joined for the right reasons." "I've heard a lot of horror stories about fraternities, but it's just a bunch of involved students partying and having a good time. "They promised no hazing and there really wasn't. I don't take shit well -- everything we did was productive." Matt explains that his pledge name was C-3PO, because "they thought I acted like a robot." "I was so offended at first. They had to get to know me, cause I'm not. I'm very judgmental. Maybe quiet at first; they think that means I'm cold." Matt says Penn has forced him to meet lots of different people -- "and that's good." "The Midwest is known to be WASPy, and it is WASPy. It took me a while to suck it all in, but it's worth it." Now, Matt says he feels part of something special at Penn. "We've been labeled all of these stupid things -- X-Generation, Grunge. I don't see myself as part of that. I see myself as part of the class of 2000. That sounds better." n

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