:: Elon native finds independence in her own backyard
Senior Jessica Wall is different from most students on campus— she has lived in Elon her entire life.
Although 30 percent of Elon’s students come from North Carolina, few actually come from Elon. According to the Admissions office, most students come from Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Florida.
“I enjoy living in a small town,” Wall said as she kicked her feet up onto her bed while sinking back into her desk chair. “I like the people that are in my town. It is a cozy place to live, and since I’ve lived here all my life, I keep where I grew up close to heart. I also enjoy the ‘slow-pace’ of life; I’m glad I wasn’t raised in a big city.”
Most students think of the Elon area as a college town with nothing to do but throw parties and go to the bars. For Wall, living in this so-called “college town’’ was nothing like Elon students think.
On the weekends she would go to her Friday night high school football games, and on Saturdays she would attend Elon football games and dance competitions. On other weekend nights she would go to country fields and have bonfires and throw parties with her friends.
“Going to high school was different because being a high school student, no one, not my friends or anyone else that went to my high school, ever interacted with Elon students or went to the ‘Elon hangouts,’” Wall said. “Sometimes I feel like the actual university is a separate town because the ‘townies’ don’t really hang out with the college crowd.”
Lots of people ask Wall why she chose to go to school so close to home. She attends Elon because her tuition is free—her mother works as a secretary at the campus physical plant. Wall only has to pay food, books and rent.
Although she did not like coming to Elon at first, she adjusted.
“Living on campus m y freshman year helped a lot,” she said. “I felt like I was living away from home, so that was the ticket.”
However she didn’t always want to come to Elon. All of her cousins had attended classes there and she didn’t want to be just another family member on campus. Despite her free tuition, she doesn’t like the idea of attending school where her mom worked and being close to home.
The changing point in her freshmen year, when she realized she would be comfortable at Elon, came when she met her roommates in Colclough Hall.
“We all got along really well,” Wall said. “They made me realize that Elon wasn’t so bad. After I met them everything just seemed to fall into place— my classes, my roommates and my friends.”
At times, she would like to have gone to school far from home.
“I need a culture shock,” Wall said. “I wish Elon was farther away, but still exactly as it is.”
After graduation, Wall plans to move to a well-established city, such as Raleigh or Charlotte, to work in sales. Eventually, she would like to move farther away, but that would need to happen gradually.
“I enjoy living in a small town,” Wall said as she kicked her feet up onto her bed while sinking back into her desk chair. “I like the people that are in my town. It is a cozy place to live, and since I’ve lived here all my life, I keep where I grew up close to heart. I also enjoy the ‘slow-pace’ of life; I’m glad I wasn’t raised in a big city.”
Most students think of the Elon area as a college town with nothing to do but throw parties and go to the bars. For Wall, living in this so-called “college town’’ was nothing like Elon students think.
On the weekends she would go to her Friday night high school football games, and on Saturdays she would attend Elon football games and dance competitions. On other weekend nights she would go to country fields and have bonfires and throw parties with her friends.
“Going to high school was different because being a high school student, no one, not my friends or anyone else that went to my high school, ever interacted with Elon students or went to the ‘Elon hangouts,’” Wall said. “Sometimes I feel like the actual university is a separate town because the ‘townies’ don’t really hang out with the college crowd.”
Lots of people ask Wall why she chose to go to school so close to home. She attends Elon because her tuition is free—her mother works as a secretary at the campus physical plant. Wall only has to pay food, books and rent.
Although she did not like coming to Elon at first, she adjusted.
“Living on campus m y freshman year helped a lot,” she said. “I felt like I was living away from home, so that was the ticket.”
However she didn’t always want to come to Elon. All of her cousins had attended classes there and she didn’t want to be just another family member on campus. Despite her free tuition, she doesn’t like the idea of attending school where her mom worked and being close to home.
The changing point in her freshmen year, when she realized she would be comfortable at Elon, came when she met her roommates in Colclough Hall.
“We all got along really well,” Wall said. “They made me realize that Elon wasn’t so bad. After I met them everything just seemed to fall into place— my classes, my roommates and my friends.”
At times, she would like to have gone to school far from home.
“I need a culture shock,” Wall said. “I wish Elon was farther away, but still exactly as it is.”
After graduation, Wall plans to move to a well-established city, such as Raleigh or Charlotte, to work in sales. Eventually, she would like to move farther away, but that would need to happen gradually.
Copy Editor: Meredith Long - 02/08/07