15 minutes with Bailey Bowers
When did you graduate from Ada High School?
May 2013.
Where are you this year?
I’m a freshman at the College of Wooster. I currently plan on majoring in chemistry. After undergraduate studies, I'd like to pursue a PhD in chemistry or go to optometry school.
What courses are you taking this semester?
I am taking General Chemistry, Introductory Biology, Calculus II, and an English class called “Animals in Literature.”
What kind of adjustments did you need to make to transition from living at home to becoming a college student?
At first, I was worried about adjusting to the workload. High school was pretty easy for me, so I never had to develop study habits. However, that wasn’t as much of a challenge as I thought it would be! I think the biggest transition was adjusting to the amount of free time I have now. Instead of being in class for seven or eight hours a day, I only have class for about three hours. I thrive on being busy and having a routine, so in college, I’ve had to make my own schedule to adhere to. I’ve discovered that success in college depends heavily on time management.
What's the most expensive book you've had to purchase?
I think it was my Calculus book. Thankfully, I used it last semester and this semester, so it turned out to be a better value than the sticker price made it seem!
Are you in any organizations at Wooster, and might there be opportunities to travel abroad?
I am a part of the Chemistry Club, which I hope to be more involved in as I advance in my major. I also have a job in an office on campus, which I enjoy.
Studying abroad is a possibility. I took four years of French classes in high school, so perhaps I would travel to a French-speaking country.
Also, I think it would be cool to go abroad as a volunteer for Unite for Sight, which is an organization that facilitates vision clinics in Ghana, India, and Honduras. This especially interests me since I'm considering a career in optometry.
Have you "pulled an all-nighter" to study for an exam?
No, I have not! I prefer to stick to my schedule and study during the day.
Looking back at high school, what class best enabled to you prepare for college?
I think the classes that truly challenged me were the most helpful. As I mentioned earlier, high school was pretty easy for me, so a challenge was always welcome. The Advanced Placement courses I took gave me a taste of what college courses are like. Also, my chemistry courses laid an important and solid groundwork for my current college courses.
You take lots of photos. What camera do you use and what is your interest in photography?
I have a Nikon D3100. I’ve been interested in photography for a long time, but my involvement in 4-H developed it into a hobby. I also enjoy photo editing and working with Photoshop.
How many songs are on your iPod?
I think I have about 2,000 songs, but I only listen to a small amount of those on a regular basis. My favorite artists are Wilco, Bob Dylan, and The Avett Brothers, but my taste varies pretty widely. I like a little bit of everything.
What's the most recent movie you watched? How would you rate it?
I saw the Lego Movie at the theater in Wooster. I liked it! I thought it was really cute and I laughed a lot.
What's your favorite social media - one you use in keeping in contact with your friends? How many "likes" do you have?
That’s a tough question to ask a teenager! I like Instagram a lot because it is photo-based, but Twitter is a close second. I think the most likes I’ve ever gotten on Instagram is 35. That was on a picture of the arch at my college filled with snow. (Filling the arch with snow is an annual tradition at Wooster.)
When someone at college asks where you are from, how do you describe Ada?
The short answer is “a small, rural town in Northwest Ohio.” The long answer tends to detail how tightly-knit the community is. A lot of students from big cities struggle to wrap their minds around a town as small as Ada. It’s been interesting to see their reactions to some of my anecdotes.
Thanks for talking with us. Good luck at Wooster.
