Choosing a college a little farther from home can feel like a leap. Celeste Ruisinger from Fayetteville, Arkansas, shares how she found her place at KU and why she’s thriving here.

 

For Celeste Ruisinger, the University of Kansas offered more than a top-ranked Honors Program and opportunities for undergraduate research. It offered a community. Now a chemical engineering major on the pre-med track, Celeste says KU quickly became a home away from home — and gave her friends who feel like the ones she grew up with. 

We asked her about her favorite spots in Lawrence, the best KU traditions, and what advice she gives other out-of-state students.

Q: Tell us about yourself.

A: I’m from Fayetteville, Arkansas. I came to KU for chemical engineering on the pre-med track in the Honors Program. I also have a biomedical minor. Ideally I’d love to do dermatology and use my chemical engineering degree for cosmetic formulation.

Q: How did you choose KU?

A: I applied to a lot of schools. My decision came down to Arkansas and KU. I chose KU because of the Honors Program. It’s a five-star Honors Program and there aren’t many of those in the U.S. 

KU is also a research institution, and I really wanted to do research during college. That was another huge deciding factor. My merit award from KU also helped with my decision. 

Q: How far is home, and has that helped with your transition?

A: My drive from Fayetteville is a little under four hours. It’s nice to be able to drive home if I feel like I need to be with my family for a weekend.

Q: How has KU become a home away from home for you?

A: The community is very close. It wasn’t hard to get integrated. Every professor I’ve had has been extremely nice and helpful, and so have all the people. Coming from a city like Fayetteville with around the same population as Lawrence, it was easy to adjust to the size of the city and the campus. 

It’s manageable, and especially within majors and minors, it’s easy to find your people through clubs and extracurriculars. Something I didn’t expect to find at KU was a group of friends that felt like my friends back home.

Q: What makes KU easy to navigate as an out-of-state student?

A: Anytime I had a question, there was always someone to help me. The whole experience is fun and welcoming. There’s a million things to do and it’s easy to find your community. Even outside of academics, I’ve found ways to keep up hobbies from high school, like dance. Overall, it’s been an easy experience to navigate and find a sense of community coming from out of state.

Q: What have you enjoyed inside the Honors Program?

A: I’m seminar assisting this semester for the seminar I took as a freshman. As a freshman you have to take an Honors seminar of about 10 people. I took Climate Change Literature with Dr. Ali Brox and loved her. As a seminar assistant you don’t grade papers; you’re there to support incoming students and help them navigate KU. It’s been nice to be a mentor, because I was in their shoes last year.

Q: What’s your favorite thing about living in Lawrence so far?

A: I love the local restaurants and stores. I like shopping at the thrift stores on Mass Street, and the campus is gorgeous — beautiful in the fall, spring, summer, and even winter when it snows.

Q: Are there KU traditions you think everyone should experience?

A: Everyone has to go to a basketball game. Sit in the student section at least once for football and basketball, go with friends, and tailgate if you can. It’s a lot of fun.

Q: Do you have favorite campus spots for studying or hanging out?

A: My favorite place to study is the stacks in Watson Library. They’re very quiet and help me focus. I also really like the Engineering Starbucks. I’m usually over there for classes and it’s always pretty chill. Their Starbucks is the best.

Q: What are your favorite spots in Lawrence?

A: Potter Lake on campus, Daisy Lee Vintage, and Mad Greek. Potter Lake is beautiful and right by where I live. Daisy Lee Vintage is my favorite store off campus. Mad Greek is my favorite restaurant, and I also like studying at Java Break.

As far as music, Lawrence is great because you’re close to Kansas City and get a lot of big artists. Mass Street as a whole is awesome, too. Replay Lounge has music on Thursdays, the Granada has good shows! 

Q: What else are you involved in on campus?

A: Within Chi Omega I’m director for Rock Chalk Revue, the Greek life musical. Last year I was in the cast and this year I’m directing. I’m also starting research this semester with Dr. Bertuccio on biomedical applications of sodium alginate beads — basically how pills diffuse in your body.

Q: Tell us a little more about your sorority involvement.

A: Growing up in Fayetteville, Greek life is very prevalent. I always wanted to go through recruitment, but in Arkansas the process is long and can be tough. KU’s process is a lot more laidback. I’ve met a lot of close friends in my sorority, but I also met close friends outside Greek life, especially through my honors chemistry lab.

Q: What are the benefits of living on campus your first year?

A: Meeting people. Especially coming from out of state, one of the main draws is to meet new people. Living in a dorm helps with that. You get close with your floor and the floors below you. I lived in Corbin, which is all girls, and I would recommend it.

Q: Any favorite campus life memories?

A: During finals I had late study sessions in the library with my lab group. They kept me accountable. We’d take breaks, roam the library, and one night wrote a diss track about chemistry that we sent to our lab TA. He thought it was really funny.

Q: What’s been your most “Jayhawk” moment?

A: At one of the first football games last year, I got to sit by the band. It was so much fun being right next to all the songs, and Big Jay and Baby Jay came by. It definitely felt like my most Jayhawk moment.

Q: What advice would you give other out-of-state students and their families?

A: Look into the specific programs and the research they offer. KU has undergraduate research labs even if you’re not in STEM. Apply to the Honors Program because it’s a top program and will set you apart when you graduate. 

Also, tour campus and talk to people while you’re here — that really helped me decide. Look into program-specific scholarships too, like Self for engineering or BLP in business.