Jessica Howard- What's College Like?

Jessica Howard is attending Monmouth College and playing basketball. She has been playing about 10-15 minutes per game. She has a high of 15 points in a game, and is coming off a 2 for 2 three point shooting game at Ripon.

So Jessica, what is college like?

What have you enjoyed most about college?

The freedom. It's nice being able to hang out with friends without needing permission from my parents and not having a curfew. 

What part of high school do you miss most?

Definitely basketball. And also not knowing everyone. Even though school is small, I'm shy so I don't talk a lot to people I don't know. 

What things do you not like about college?

The Internet is so slow! It drives me crazy! 

How do you rate your cafeteria food? Best meal?

Honestly, the caf is not as good as I thought it would be. We have the same food over and over so it gets  boring. However, the breakfast is really good! They have really good chocolate pancakes, bacon, ham, and Omelets. Cap'n Crunch is always a good choice too. 

If you get a chance, where in your college town do you like to go out to eat the most?

Maple City Restaurant. I've actually gone there the last two days because our caf is closed for break. They serve breakfast all day and it's the best.

What is your dorm or apartment arrangement?

Well, I had a roommate at the beginning of school but she dropped out a few weeks into the semester so now I have my own room. It's nice but sometimes gets a little too quiet. There are two bathrooms on my floor and only three showers for over twenty girls so that's a downside of dorm life. 

What classes did you take this first term?

 Introduction to liberal arts, Spanish II, Comp. and argument, and psych w/ a lab. 

What has been your favorite class so far this year? Why?

 I really liked my Spanish professor. He was really nice and I learned a lot. We had some really good discussions in my ila class and got to read a lot of books, so that was fun too. 

What do you do with any free time?

When I get free time I like to read books outside of my classes but I'm really sad because I don't usually have enough time. I also like to sleep and watch Grey's Anatomy.
 

What from high school experience do you feel helped prepare you for college?

I think basketball helped prepare me the most because we were taught to always work hard, on and off the court.  Also, the fact that I read a lot has helped me transition easier because we have so many reading assignments for homework. 

Now that you have experienced college, if you could go back to high school would you change anything as you prepare for college?

To start their college search sooner rather than later to lower the stress level and to apply anywhere they may be interested in to see their different options.

What have been your time demands playing basketball?

The time demand is not much different than high school. Our practices are longer and we do more conditioning in the fall with the track coach, but high school prepared me well. 

What are the biggest challenges going in as a freshmen?

When you're a senior everyone knows what you can do well and what you can't do very well. I think that feeling like you have to prove yourself as a player is the hardest thing because your teammates don't really know what you can do. If that makes sense.  

The best part about playing college basketball is?

We get to go to L.A. over New Years and go to Disneyland! It will be magical <3

Advice you would give to your former teammates if they are planning to play college basketball?

If you want to play, play because YOU want to. Not because others want you to play. 

Any advice to this year's team?

You girls are playing really well so far and have a great record! I'm so proud! Keep he tradition going and keep working hard because you can upset a lot of teams. Just have fun every day because it goes by faster than you think!