Musings on the College Experience

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Well, I figure it’s time to write an entire thread on my experiences. Something a bit more well-rounded than the people of color one over in IMHO. I know robertliguori wrote one already, but I think it’s time to get some perspective from…America? no, that’s not it…the East Coast? no, that’s not right either…Okay, just from me. :slight_smile:

As many of you know, I go to Barnard College in New York, a women’s liberal arts college that is an undergraduate school of Columbia University. (No mistaking me for a guy in this thread, okay guys?)

So now it’s Thanksgiving, and the semester’s nearly over. Some things I’ve noticed…

Some cliches are true…some aren’t.

The anti-war demonstrations really do happen. But then Columbia is known for its protesting spirit. I have yet to attend one. Strange, too, because years ago when I was learning about Vietnam, I always assumed I’d be doing something sixties-esque, but I guess apathy has overtaken me over the years.

Also, last week, there was a showing of the movie Pocahantas with a discussion on Disney’s wrongful portrayal of Native Americans. Gotta love the earnestness of it all. No, I didn’t attend, because even though I love Disney flicks, I forgot about it.

Life in New York City is grand. I can take the subway now- yay! And you meet all sorts of interesting characters there.

Hm. Onto classes. Important, I suppose. Strange, but I always sort of thought in my head that when I got to college things would be a certain way. But then, I guess that’s true of everything. People always build up expectations. I thought that college would suddenly be uber hard and completely the antithesis of what I did in high school. But it’s not. Sure, there are differences- homework is mostly reading, and there’s less work to hand in- that is, your grade is based on less stuff. But it isn’t really a huge leap from HS to college. So far I’ve been taking an Intro to Anthropology (Interpretation of Culture), a French course called Cultures and Institutions of France, a seminar called Legacy of the Mediterranean, and a math one Groups and Symmetry…oh yes, and Tai-Chi. It is nice to be able to do well at college. It just feels good saying, “Yeah I’m a college student” and actually mean it.

I wouldn’t say it’s heaven, exactly, as robert said in his college thread…(I mean, would heaven have communal showers, or THIS color scheme? I think not!), but the classes are nice. I have 2 big lecture ones (one with roughly 150 people but not nearly as many show up) and another with around forty/fifty, and two small classes. It’s different from HS because there it feels like your teachers completely know you, but then I guess I haven’t been here all that long.

Oh yes, and dorms. Well…It isn’t as horrible as it could have been. I have air conditioning and a decidedly non psychotic roommate. Still, I’d kill for a single room next year. And it is really nice to come back home from living in dorm life- having a real shower that hundreds of other people haven’t used (shudder!!) and having my own space. Living with other girls can be kind of annoying at times, and I am a very private person.

On the whole, though, it completely isn’t like the stereotypes of college- you know, boozing and all-nighters and sex and drugs. I mean, maybe it’s because I’m at a good school, and not a party school. Here we do have fun, but we have to balance time- for example, go out and party one day of the weekend but study the next couple of nights.

So that’s my opinion, sorry if it’s long…you’ll forgive me, right?

2

Okay, I’m not done yet. I suppose if you asked me, in a word, to define my experiences here, I’d say…“Well, i couldn’t tell ya.” And you’d say, “That’s not one word.” Which is my point. I don’t think there’s any one way to describe it. It isn’t all “party party” or all “study study” (well…midterm time…), but it depends.

What I mean is, it isn’t all going to be one way. It’s not like four years of one emotion. It’s like life. Sometimes it’s really cool, sometimes it really sucks. Which took a while to sink in for me. It’s just so different than I thought it would be- which isn’t a bad thing. It’s just you build up these impressions in your mind (for all experiences really- college, job, marriage, I’m sure), but in real life, things just happen. So that’s the one thing I’d tell to high school students doing those tours around campus. It’s what I would have told myself, back when I was on one of those little tours.

All right, NOW I’ll shut up.

3

I wrote something like this about four years ago. (I suppose I could do musings on grad school now, but this isn’t really the place for it.) Anyway, the one thing I remember saying is that doing my own laundry is not nearly as hard as people made me expect it to be.

4

Liberal Arts? Pshhh! Engineering all the way.

5

Zoggie, I know what you’re talking about. This is my first semester up at FSU, and it’s really kind of an interesting place. Yeah, it’s known as a “party school,” but it’s more a habit of Greek life and stoners for the most part here. I live in a mostly freshman dorm and it seems like some of the kids that live there are not going to be coming back next semester with the way they party and do dumb stuff. My classes are varying degrees of difficulty, and for some reason, the higher level classes are challenging yet I’m doing better in them than the lower level ones. Hey, at least I’ve got next semester to work on raising my GPA as high as it can go with 1000 and 2000 level classes.
I truly understand what they mean when they say that the college student is always broke. I’m always having to pay for something that I need but don’t neccessarily want to pay. At least it’ll cost less after I’ve got all the basic semipermanent stuff paid for.
FSU is known for being one of the first college campuses to have seen streaking and we’re also known as the Berkeley of the east," a nickname we’ve lived up to, especially last spring when appeared on campus in protest of sweat shop labor. [url=“http://www.fsunews.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2002/07/22/3d3b6f10dcf86”]This is an article from the school on the matter.

6

Tent City

I seem to be really bad at NOT putting up broken links today.

7

Ooh, were you one of the ones arrested? :slight_smile:

I have to say, I haven’t experienced the “broke college student” cliche. My parents give me a lot of money each month (:))- although since the semester ends next month, I don’t get as much. Sigh. Plus, I live nearby and so I don’t need to buy a lot of things- my parents buy it for me, in bulk.

It sucks to not be able to come back next semester…Well I’m sure it would. But I’m glad to say I’m not one of the people flunking out. (Nice sig, btw!)

Right now, everyone’s doing the whole mass exodus thing for Thanksgiving. I guess one thing I totally took for granted was that you just went to college and were completely cut off from family/home, etc. And now I realize that things really don’t happen that abruptly…I still have attachments to my family, and I don’t think I’d be able to be in a place that was hours away. I couldn’t deal with that- I could NEVER deal with not going home for Thanksgiving. I’d rather die…I only now realize how hard it must have been for my cousin who was an international student and only went home during the summers. I suppose you really appreciate people in their absences.

8

Wow. I wish my college was like that . . . I’ve had homework almost every night this semester.

Sorry. That just jumped out at me. I’ve had to write something to turn in for the next class almost every night this semester.

It sounds like you’re having a pretty good college experience, Zoggie. I’m glad. :slight_smile: Me, I have mixed feelings about my school. Lots of cool people. A couple interesting and/or challenging classes. A couple stupid classes. Much easier than most of the work I’ve done for the last ten years. Too much football. Too much basketball. Not enough money spent on up-to-date equipment in labs and renovations to make the dorms safe because of the too much football and too much basketball. Still, I’m learning some neat stuff and getting better at some things I enjoy.

I’ll stop rambling now.

9

Not only did I ramble, but it looks like I had a cut and paste accidnet. Well, I haven’t had Message Boards 101 yet . . . maybe next semester.

10

Gee, this post is bringing back so much nostalgia that I feel like going back to college now…

…or at least pick up some college girls.

11

I dunno. I found my college quantum electrodynamics course to be much harder than anything I took in high school.

But I suppose that course wouldn’t be on the schedule at a liberal arts school. :slight_smile:

12

I recommend picking up a college girl. More than one may be too heavy to lift.

:smiley:

13

I thought my Latin stylistics class was a real backbreaker, as well. Not too many kids in calculator schools can take that sort of stuff. :wink:

14

Mea culpa.

:smiley:

15

Damn, I can’t think of a suitable hard science joke. :wink:

16

Well, I’m not sure if I count but I have returned to school full time after thoroughly mangling the experience 15 years ago. Given that I was out in the Real World (not to be confused with that umm…show…on MTV) dealing with chuckleheads, I have to say my experience this first semester has been an amazing respite. Some things of note:

  1. I totally dig that pretty much nothing is considered weird behavior on campus. If someone’s sleeping on a path (and they clearly aren’t dead), you just walk over them. Lunch consists of a large french fries and fruit bowl? No problem. No pressure to eat right. No evil eyeballs that judge.

  2. I dunno. Maybe the women out there will get this. Even though I’m an archaic 35, I’m fairly well kept for my age. I walk by a ton of guys on a regular basis and at first was so used to that little voice in my head that said…guys…they’re going to make comments…prepare to be self-conscious…and then I noticed that guys (at my college anyway) don’t leer and make comments like the sophisticated idiots I pass on the streets of the financial district.

  3. Anything, and I mean anything, goes with regard to attire. Coming from a world where dressing for success was bashed into my head, I’m positively in love with the fact that even a few of my pajama tops have looked smashing at an 8:00 a.m. class.

  4. The knowledge. Did I really used to think that I was “street smart” and begrudge that dastardly piece of paper that was keeping everyone else from knowing how intelligent I was? Sorry, an education is a great thing, and I’m a little ashamed at some of the things I didn’t know.

  5. Last, but not least, I love my classmates. Some are old bags like me, others are young and just starting out. I love connecting with my elderly peers and I love the innocence and endearing qualities in the young.

Sorry this was so long, but I’m just winding up the semester and I’m psyched, man!