Clad in paint-splattered lab coats with their true identities hidden behind a pair of sunglasses, Science Sophs during O-Week look like they’ve just stepped outside a science fiction novel. And with all those “Yips” and adamant refusals to give out real names, Science Sophs may seem like an intimidating bunch. But they are actually a group of extremely passionate upper-year students who have dedicated their time and energy to being the best mentors, academic resources, and friends they can to all first-year Science students.

All 90 individuals on the 2019-2020 Science Soph team have undergone a rigorous application process and have been selected based on their outstanding values and morals. Applications for the next school year’s Science Soph team roll out near the beginning of second semester. Interested students have to first complete a written application and answer a variety of questions that provide a valuable insight into their character: their reasons for wanting to become a soph, how they expect to grow through their soph experience, and how they would take care of and guide their frosh through academic, mental, and emotional problems.

Each year, the Science Soph team receives hundreds of applications, but the head coordinators give interviews only to select applicants they consider to be the best of the best. The interviews are conducted in a group setting, and only after demonstrating outstanding character at these interviews can students be welcomed onto the Science Soph Team. After the Soph Team is selected, the new Sophs undergo a rigorous training process. Training sessions happen during the summer and also for an entire week right before O-Week.

Training focuses on team-building and learning about the variety of academic and mental health resources available to first-year students. The Sophs are also trained on how to deal with heavy situations that might arise during the school year — which can range from academic failures to sexual abuse and anything in between. Training really prepares the Sophs to face all kinds of situations, and Sophs are truly the only people that first-year students can approach anytime they have a problem, or even when they just want to talk.

Before O-Week, each Soph is assigned to a floor on a residence building. The Sophs can list their preferences, but they can also be placed in a different residence depending on need. Unlike Residence Sophs, Sci Sophs don’t live in the residence with the first-years. But Sci Sophs are always around — especially during O-Week to wake first-years up at 7:30 AM. During O-Week, Sci Sophs are the first contact first-years have with the Faculty of Science at Western; they are responsible for showing first-years around campus, pointing out all the science buildings most first-years will have classes in. They’re also the ones who teach first-years about the commonly used abbreviated names for the science buildings — “Nat Sci” for Natural Sciences and “PANDA” for Physics and Astronomy.

Sci Sophs really give first-year students an idea about what the next four years will be like, both academically and socially. They’re ready to answer any questions students may have in the beginning of the semester, like how to transfer AP/IB credits or how to change schedules. One of the best words of advice my Soph gave me was about schedule changes: “Don’t drop your course and select a new course because somebody might steal your spot in either one. You might end up not getting the new course and unable to get back into the old one since spots fill up so quickly. Always swap the course.”

Even after O-Week, Sci Sophs are always there for students. They are busy people who are heavily involved in the Western community, and they also have to meet academic requirements in order to stay on the Soph team. But they’ll come around to residences almost every week to knock on doors, sit down, and catch up. Sci Sophs are the best representation of what the Science faculty at Western is like — vibrant, caring, and ever-present. The hard work and contributions of all members of the Sci Soph team is what completes the first-year experience at Western. And every year, many first-years will choose to apply to the Soph team and pass on that legacy.