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Living in a Liberal Arts ParadiseAug 28 '02 (Updated Aug 30 '02) Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line Your parents are paying thousands of dollars; enjoy every minute of it! I just arrived back at college yesterday. College life... (sigh) I almost cackle with glee at the thought of it. Many of my classmates complain constantly about little annoyances and general angst, but, when you think about it, college students are luckier than 99.999 percent of the world's population! Have a little perspective, folks! I attend one of many liberal arts colleges in New England. Although my experience cannot be generalized to every student, there are some lessons that can be learned from my college life that apply to everyone. However, some of the attributes of university life mentioned in this review may be specific to small, liberal arts schools. As the Fab Four would say, You got to admit it's getting better/It's getting better all the the time College is a big-money business nowadays. The university wants its students to be happy since happy students donate money to the university after they graduate. My parents, who attended university in the 1970s, were miserable at their college. I have a couple of friends who go to my parents' alma mater and they said conditions have improved immensely. So, if you attended university years ago, you may have scoffed at the word "paradise" in the title of this essay. But, believe me, college in the year 2002 is downright luxurious. Here are some improvements that have been made over the years. Dorms Even in the past three years (I am a senior), I have seen improvements in the housing. The freshman dorm at my university was very dirty and dark with narrow corridors, old carpeting, dirty bathrooms, etc. The dorm was renovated for this year's frosh and it looks like a hotel! It has a state of the art kitchen, nice common rooms, a high-tech bike storage facilities, even automatic sinks in the bathrooms! My friends and I were in awe. I have some friends who attend all-girls schools and their dorms are even nicer, featuring exercise rooms, hardwood floors, and grand pianos. Food My parents said they lost weight at college because the food was so unappetizing. Apparently, they didn't have a choice of entree. Today, colleges are all about choice. The cafeterias have several options at each meal, elaborate salad bars, waffle-making stations, stir-fry , etc. etc. And if all else fails, you can always get cereal or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The dining halls are usually buffet style and you are required to pay for at least 10 meals a week. Some schools make students buy 21 meals a week! No wonder students tend to gain 15 pounds their first year at college! Grade Inflation The average grade at Harvard University is an "A-." The average! Technically, the average should be a "C." At my university, if your average is below a "C," they won't even let you graduate! This means that it is very difficult to get below a "B-" in any class that you take at a liberal arts college. However, even knowing that everyone gets them, receiving a grade in the "A" range still makes students happy. And, as we recall, happy students donate money when they graduate. Personally, I found high school to be a lot more stressful than college. In high school, you take classes all day and then have to go home and do homework. At college, you spend much less time in the classroom. However, there are many more opportunities to waste time since you are living with your friends and you need to be a bit more self-motivated. Also, your grade may be based on very few evaluations, so you may have very little work in a particular class until the end when there is a final exam. You can take classes in almost anything! Browse the course catalogue and you will find listings for a huge variety of classes. A few examples we have include "Contemporary East Asian Cinema," "Kafka and Viennese Modernism," "South Indian Music," "Alternative Printmaking," and, of course, the class I am currently thrilled to be enrolled in, "MUSC 108: The History of Rock Music"!!! Take advantage of the opportunities to explore new areas. Most liberal arts schools have a very limited number of requirements, meaning that, after high school, you may never need to use a calculator again! If you don't want to that is... Here, we have distribution requirements , but you can fulfill the science requirement with a "science for poets" type of course. Besides, these are not requirements for graduation, just for some types of honors. And you can write an essay saying why you think you shouldn't have to take a science or math course. :) Registering for classes can often be an ordeal, so make sure you contact professors in the classes you are really interested in early. Also, try to find out information about professors before you sign up for their classes. A good professor can make any subject interesting. A Liberal Enclave America has slid to the right, politically, but colleges are traditionally hotbeds of leftist politics. Sometimes I think that some students protest simply for the sake of protesting (see the film PCU, which was based on my university) but many students are sincerely committed to their causes. However, I think that students are often too self-absorbed and cannot see the bigger picture. If everyone bonded together on one important issue, something might get done. There are almost 200 student groups at many universities. You can find anything from Free the Manatees to The Boogie Club, a group of students that dances outside the campus center. Yeah, and there are a few Republicans floating around, I think. That is if the Queer Alliance hasn't burned down all the frat houses yet. Which brings me to... You can do things in college that you can't do in the real world. When my parents dropped me off at college my first year, we saw a boy wearing a long, flowing skirt. Being an open-minded person, my father was impressed. "Men in skirts," he said. "That's what college is all about." People also play Frisbee naked, go sledding on trays from the dining hall, and all sorts of other fun activities. You are living with people your own age, so people rarely complain about you making a ruckus. For instance, last fall, my roommate and her boyfriend pushed each other down our crooked (riot proof!) corridor on rolling chairs, screaming and crashing into the walls. Keep and open mind and you'll become friends with all kinds of interesting people who you never expected to be your type. Your R.A. is not a cop. Dorms have something called Resident Advisors. These people are called "wardens" in Britain (how sinister!) but at liberal arts schools in America they are anything but. The R.A. will not turn you into campus police if you get really drunk or high, so you need not be afraid of getting in trouble if you need medical or psychological help from someone. And even if you are caught by campus police, a lot of times, they don't really care. My friend Michelle and I got caught trying to steal a sign once and nothing ever happened to us. At some schools, discipline is doled out by a panel of students. Not having to spend REAL money Wesleyan's meal plan is more flexible than most, but we get a certain number of "points" at the beginning of the semester that you can use at the campus grocery store. So, you basically get food and shampoo and anything else you might need for free. They give you more than enough points to last the term; I had enough left over to stock up on razor blades for my dad and my brother last time! Also, you can take advantage of free campus events such as films, lectures, plays, and, of course, parties. Many area businesses offer student discounts, so take advantage of that. OTHER THINGS TO KNOW Technology If you are reading this, you are probably fairly well versed in the online world, but colleges nowadays are very well connected. You register for classes online, post to online discussion groups for classes, and make plans with your friends online. If you are going to college, get used to the AOL Instant Messager because you'll use it all the time to communicate-- even if your friends are just down the corridor! Everyone is connected to the internet all the time. Campus phones are fantastic because you can call anyone on campus for free using a 4-digit extension. All the rooms have phone and Ethernet (high-speed internet) jacks. Also, everyone downloads MP3s and burns CDs, which will save you lots of money on actually buying CDs. Some problems Yes, there are a few problems that students always complain about. No matter how close to perfect your life is, you always find something to bemoan. Some of these complaints include the lack of dating , the alleged poor quality of the food, and the lack of things to do in the surrounding towns. Also, it is sometimes difficult to avoid people who you don't like but who have infiltrated your group of friends. (aargh!) Having roommates can pose problems, as well. And, for the first two and a half years or so, it is very annoying to not be allowed to buy alcohol because the American laws about drinking are ridiculous. Nicknames and Acronyms Get ready because everything from the dining hall to your history professor will have a silly nickname. And a lot of your classmates will acquire them, as well. And every student organization has a long acronym for its name such as G.B.L.Q.R.S.T.K. and you are expected to know what this means and be able to use it correctly in everyday conversation. For example: Becky: "Guess which Republican I saw at the campus center getting food from The Skillet Man ." Ethan: "Um, Southern Man?" Becky: "No, the other Republican!" Ethan: "Oh, the Creepy Bathroom Stalker? " Becky: "Yeah, and he was talking to Lesbian Mike and Scott, Michelle's Scott Scott." Ethan: "That's really weird. Gotta go. See you tonight at the M.P.R. after the Q.A. meeting." Overall, college is the best time of your life! Enjoy it! These colleges try hard to please since they don't want to anger parents who, for the most part, pay the tuition for students. I called physical plant to say that one of our windows was broken and a workman showed up to fix it in less than 20 minutes! One of my housemates said to him, "Were you sent from Heaven?" Yes, yes, he was. For more info on Wesleyan University see my review at http://www.epinions.com/content_56050159236.  |
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