Inside Yale Today
by Jessica Pfeiffer, ‘99,
Winter Tour Manager, ‘Something Extra’
As a native Santa Barbaran who is forging through her junior year at Yale, I have spent the past two years in an environment like nothing I have ever experienced before, nor probably ever will again.
Leaving the West coast behind to spend my college years in New Haven was not an easy decision, but the overwhelming energy and excitement that I sensed from students about their Yale experience made it clear that I was heading to the right school. Halfway through my Yale career, I still have no reason to doubt that first impression.
in her home town, Santa Barbara.
Early on in my freshman year, I went through the audition process for many of Yale's fifteen a cappella singing groups. You would be happy to know that it was a Yale Club of Santa Barbara function featuring the Whiffenpoofs that first made me want to be involved in Yale's singing group community. And since the Whiffenpoofs wouldn't let me in, I decided to join a women's group called Something Extra. Founded in 1977, we are the second oldest female group on campus and recently celebrated our twentieth anniversary last year. We are seventeen women strong, including freshman, sophomores, and juniors from all over the country with a variety of backgrounds and interests. The one thing we do share, however, is our love of performing music for others.
Being a part of Something Extra is a large time committment - we rehearse four to six hours a week and sing concerts all over New England on a regular basis during the year. This committment also extends into vacations, when we tour different parts of the country during both winter and spring breaks. I originally hesitated to give so much time to one activity, but there is something so unique about the Yale a cappella experience - being part of a tight blend of voices and travelling to exciting places with a neat group of women - that makes all the time and energy worthwhile. This year, I am the pitchpipe, or musical director, of Something Extra, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead and shape such talented voices.
As for an update on good old New Haven, it's getting better all the time. There have been great efforts to improve the conditions of the area surrounding Yale in the past couple years. Barnes and Noble is now the owner of the new Yale Bookstore, and the Yale Co-op has been relocated to Chapel Square Mall. Several new restaurants have come to town, and the Omni Hotel across from the green is reopening this winter. And I wouldn't want to forget to mention the new tattoo parlor on Chapel Street.... Truly, New Haven has a certain hidden charm, if you are willing to look for it. East Rock and Orange Street, Chapel Street and New Haven Green are just a few areas that I think are unrecognized treasures. New Haven Symphony Orchestra puts on wonderful, professional shows, as do the Schubert and Repertory Theatres. In addition, there are numerous opportunities to get involved in the community, be it through tutoring at elementary schools or working at local soup kitchens. New Haven has a lot to offer the Yale student who chooses to explore what lies beyond Yale's walls. What a shame it would be to spend four years at Yale without getting to know the city that surrounds it.
Yale has been and continues to be a positive experience for me. It has introduced me to plenty of new challenges, wonderful opportunities, and fun times. However, I never realized all that I would miss about Santa Barbara until it was 3,000 miles out of my reach. I did not expect Yale to foster in me such a strong appreciation and love for the community that I return to faithfully each vacation. At school, I find myself often talking about the paradise I call home - its sights, architecture, history, rich cultural and arts scene, and, of course, weather. And nothing thrills me more than the chance to finally bring my singing group to see and experience the places and people that have been such a part of my life. I am equally eager for so many friends and family, old teachers and acquaintances to get to meet and hear an amazing group of young women who have influenced my Yale experience in so many ways. I am excited to bring our music to a community that appreciates the arts, and to a club that so generously supports local Yale students in their endeavors. I look forward to a wonderful concert in January.