A little over two years ago, I sat at my dining room table, writing my admission essay for Rutgers. I remember staring at the page for a long time. I doubted my ability to answer a question I knew so little about: how would I contribute to the diversity of Rutgers. Instead, I wrote about the lack of diversity and how my cookie-cutter town attempted to take away my individuality, as it did to many of my classmates. I described the suffocating way my town looked down upon those who expressed any interest in being different, the way people laughed at my sister when she dyed her ponytail dark purple, and especially the way people talked about those who were born into different circumstances than the rest of us. By the end of the essay, I realized that Rutgers was an opportunity to remove myself from that environment, but did not understand the impact it would have on me until much later.
The following March, I decided to attend Rutgers and nervously paid my deposit. A few months later, I found myself in a room with a stranger in a building filled with even more. I soon started to make friends and created a place for myself in this huge university with more diversity than I had ever imagined. By the end of my second semester, I had learned more about feminism than I thought was possible, what white privilege is and how it affects everyone, and gained insight into the “Black Lives Matter” campaign. I learned about socioeconomics and politics, expanding my viewpoint way beyond the small town mindset from my childhood.
I came home for summer break and my hometown seemed strange because of how I had changed. I felt educated. I felt mature. I felt accomplished. I felt different. It was not until almost three months into the summer that I realized why I felt I had gained so much knowledge. I was talking to hometown friends about their college experiences when I realized the diversity Rutgers proudly boasts became one of the greatest teachers I have ever had. The impact Rutgers makes on its students is not purely academic. The diversity of Rutgers expands the minds of its undergraduates in every way imaginable.
Of course, that is not to say I learned nothing in my classes, but Rutgers offers a unique opportunity to interpret information through different perspectives. By thinking deeply about the facts I had been given and discussing them with classmates and friends from disparate backgrounds, I learned things that could never be directly taught; what is taught in the classroom is expanded upon by the diverse, open-minded nature of Rutgers.
After talking with my friends from Rutgers, I was able to confirm that this idea is applicable to all Rutgers students and alumni. Rutgers students are educated twice during their time at RU: once by their professors and once by their peers. That is the RU difference.