After spending countless hours in the pool, Anna Podurgiel (’20) committed to Brown University for swimming at the beginning of August but was not officially into school until Early Decision results came out Dec. 12.
“It feels pretty great. I’ve been swimming since I was seven or eight, so I’m super excited,” she said
The process for her started early. She began to look at schools in the spring of her sophomore year. She visited different schools and meet different coaches. This process continued into her junior year with constant communication through emails and a few more visits.
“I basically was building relationships with these coaches over a two year period … and then I visited Brown and [the coach there] gave me an offer,” Podurgiel said.
She finally decided on Brown because of the atmosphere, location, size and the open curriculum (a structure which allows students to take whatever classes they choose without requirements).
“I really think the open curriculum fits my learning style well,” she said. “When I talked to one of the professors there, he said the open curriculum allows not only the students to be excited about what they learn but also for the teachers to be excited about what they teach.”
The Brown swim team also has a female coach, which is something Podurgiel is really excited about.
“She seems like she’s really on top of everything and she’s running a great program and I’m excited to work with her,” she said.
