Student Snapshot: William Farrell ’23 

Will farrell

History major William Farrell ’23 transferred to Dickinson to play men’s lacrosse, and he loves being a part of the team. Below, he discusses why he chose Dickinson, his favorite class (spoiler: It was tough!), favorite professor and more.

Hometown:

Bethesda, Maryland.

Major

History.

Clubs and organizations:  

Men’s lacrosse.

Honors/scholarships/awards:

All-conference midfielder (spring 2021).

Best thing about my Dickinson experience:

Being a member of the men’s lacrosse team and having the opportunity to represent that proud tradition and family.

Favorite book:

I Came as a Shadow: An Autobiography by Jesse Washington and John Thompson.

Favorite movie:

Stepbrothers.

Best thing about my major:

Most of the classes offer a lot of hands-on activities with historic readings and articles, which I find really cool.

On choosing Dickinson:

I was originally at Furman University, playing lacrosse there. Sadly, due to COVID, they cut their program. Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach Dave Webster ’88 called me and made it clear how sorry he was to hear about Furman. Also, unlike any other coach, he made it clear that he was going to give me time to let everything set in and give me space before talking about possibly playing for him. After that phone call, I knew I wanted to play for him immediately. So Dave Webster is the reason I am here. Also, by coming to Dickinson, I am the fourth member of my family in 12 years to attend Dickinson College and the second to play lacrosse here.

Favorite place on campus:

Biddle Field.

Favorite Dining Hall food:

Sriracha chicken.

Favorite class/learning experience so far:

Professor of History Matthew Pinsker’s military-history course. It was super-challenging, but he made it really interesting and pushed students to do better. I felt very accomplished after the course. I felt like I could take any class here at Dickinson after that.

As I kid, I wanted to be …

… an astronaut.

Favorite professor so far:

Associate Professor of History Christopher Bilodeau. I am biased because he is my advisor, but he is also just a great guy to talk to and comes off as a friend, rather than a professor. In my opinion this is rare to see.

Little-known hobby/talent:

I worked construction for my cousins and learned how to be a decent handyman (couches, doors, desks, bathrooms, etc.).

If I could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, it would be …

… Matthew McConaughey.

Most important thing I’ve learned so far:

Be who you are and be it well.

Best advice:

I would say when doing anything, put everything you have into it. You will learn a lot more about whatever it is you are doing, feel much more accomplished when you finish and, more important, find out that you are capable of accomplishing much more than you thought. Also: Do not avoid the road less traveled.

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Published February 16, 2022