This is the introduction to a compilation of articles concerning different types of college experiences. And before you ask: no, I don’t dislike my college experience. But I come from a college prep school, and I spent a lot of time watching TV shows and movies that glorified college, so I was gung-ho on the idea that these were going to be the best four years of my life. And I (as many of my friends and fellow students have as well) had this panic—this anxiety—on whether I chose the right school.
College is a weird time. You have the immense responsibility at a completely arbitrary age to choose, in some regards, what you’re going to do for the rest of your life. Before you say, “Whoa, Ari, I think you’re over-exaggerating,” no, I’m not. Junior and seniors in high school have to look critically at a wide array of colleges and find one that meets their economical, geographical, and social needs, and most importantly, has to offer the right kind of academic department.
And how the heck are you supposed to know what you want to study as a teenager? I came into Kenyon wanting to study one thing and switched my mind, and luckily the school’s programs were strong; however, some students were not as lucky. And at other schools, my friends found dilemmas, both socially and academically.
Now, I understand that we do not live in a perfect world and no choice is “the” perfect choice. No matter what, there are going to be bumps in the road. That I do understand, and I’m perfectly content having my bumps and my friends at other schools having theirs. What I find fascinating is how nearly every person my age is in a college style institution, and all of those schools are widely different.
(And I do understand that college is not for everyone, and I understand and respect that not everyone can/wants to go to college. However, because this is a Her Campus article and for the sake of my argument, we’re going to go ahead and only focus on people aged roughly 18-22 who go to college.)
While I’m choosing to spend the next few years in a village in Gambier, I have friends walking the streets of New York, or within the college campuses of New Orleans or Downtown Los Angeles. When I walk on campus, I have a 90% chance of running into someone I know. When my friend at NYU walks down the street, she is walking amongst students, professors, and most importantly, other New Yorkers. I could wear sweatpants or a t-shirt to a party, and my friends wear bodycon dresses to their sorority formals.
What I’m trying to get at is that we’re in this odd period of limbo right now where, for the most part, we’re living on our own but also studying. We are adults in the sense that if we want to eat only ice cream for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, we could. However, we’re going through life within an institution, and are forced to be on meal plans, go to college parties, and abide by other college cultural norms and policies. Never again in my life am I going to be so aggressively surrounded by people solely my age with this large amount of freedom. How do we spend that time? How do we choose how to make the most of these (give or take) four years of our lives? What do we each want out of college, and how do we take the actions to create those experiences? And in the end, what does it all mean?
Again, I’m not sure what I’m going to get out of doing this project. Am I going to get upset about going to school in a tiny village? Maybe. Will I get the answers to what is college and what are we all gaining from this experience? Also a “maybe.”
However, I think what I’m most interested in that I truly believe that college has been a transformational experience for me. It has pushed me to look critically at myself, my values, and the kind of person I want to be. I do have to attribute that a lot to Kenyon, and in that, I wonder about other college experiences, and how different institutions shape people. Ah, my sociology professor would be so proud.
And yes, I am aware that maybe there is no greater answer to these questions; moreover, maybe there is no greater answer or secret to unlock about the ~college experience~. But I think that there is. And selfishly I think that in some regards it’ll cause me to gain more pride for Kenyon, and this cute and unique little college in a village that I’ve come to love and wrestle with. So stay tuned to hear about different college perspectives!
Image credits: Giphy.com