By: Will Harper, staff writer
Even after 50 years of Interim at Wofford College, professors are still providing students with interesting and engaging classroom opportunities. Whether it be studying abroad, finding an internship in the local community or in your hometown or even going the more traditional route and attending class daily in a Wofford classroom, many students have positive things to say about their experiences.
Avery McMillian traveled with a group of 20 students to Bonaire in the Dutch Caribbean for a week. Prior to the trip, she received scuba training and marine biology courses, something she never saw herself doing as a computer science major.
“I got an experience that no one would ever get at this period in my life. I got licensed to scuba dive, spent a week in the Dutch Caribbean, was a part of the local life there and learned a lot about marine biology that I was not anticipating on learning,” says McMillian. “It was something way outside of my major that I felt passionate about, so it gave me the opportunity to learn something, even though it had nothing to do with my future skills.”
Chris Pritting shadowed doctors throughout the Spartanburg area during his clinical internship interim. He accrued over 100 hours of watching surgery being performed in many different areas of study, including general surgery, orthopedics and neurology. About his experience this month, Pritting says, “It’s a once in a life time opportunity to spend a whole month shadowing doctors and getting a behind the scenes look at it all. By the end of the month I’ll have 100 to 110 hours, which is something that will aid me in my future career, and also makes me more engaged within the medical community because I am speaking one on one with doctors about the current state of affairs in healthcare.”
Both of them expressed their gratitude that they had the opportunity to do exciting interims. Pritting summed up what he feels is the general attitude toward Interim, saying, “It’s been great, I would do it again in a heartbeat, and I’m a little upset that I can’t do it anymore.” Interim has become a time to relax and learn a new skill, or learn about something that may interest us outside of our major. These two used their interim to the fullest and had a lot of fun while doing so.
