This is a love story. The happy ending hasn’t occurred yet, but we’re in the middle of the honeymoon stage. A few fights have occurred, but we’ve managed to overcome the issues & have positive expectations for the future. In honor of Valentine’s Day, I’d like to express my adoration for Pomona College in a paragraphed poem…before you start reading…let me warn you. This love declaration does not rhyme.
Choices—College is an overabundance of choices. Oftentimes, students may find themselves in trouble for the types of choices they make. Although you have to attend school or receive education until you’re 18 or graduate from 12th grade, college isn’t mandated by law. You choose to succeed. Every class you attend, every assignment you turn in, every party, event, or club that you’re involved in…will primarily be your choice. I’d tell you to make only the best choices, but then I might set you up for later guilt…a few mistakes won’t jeopardize your experience…just make sure you choose the “right” ones to make…
Classes—Hopefully, you’ll attend a school with classes that spark your creativity, challenge your thinking, and provide healthy frustration. Pomona boasts great classes and faculty with PhD’s and vast student involvement with research, but I didn’t understand the significance of having such great professors & course material until I was attending as a student. Now, don’t get me wrong…I have classes that make me groan and I’ve taken a few that I was overjoyed to be done with…but the GREAT definitely outweighs the bad. College is about academic growth…classes are an integral component of that academic facilitation. So even if you took Basket Weaving in high school to earn that “A”, step outside that comfort zone in college…
Involvement—As mentioned before, college is full of choices. You can get involved in a variety of activities…or…you can opt out of campus or service-related involvement. Personally, I love to remain active, often, overwhelmingly so. One great thing about my college is that there are so many options available that allow me to get involved in exactly the ways that I’d like. I’m interested in educational improvement & success. There are so many mentoring and tutoring programs at the school that I’ve had to limit my scope…but that’s an AMAZING thing to be able to say. This also applies to student-run organizations and other activities around campus. With every event that I choose to attend…there’s something else that I’m missing…
My Bed—With all that running around, between choices and classes and extracurricular involvement, I’m often exhausted by the end of the week. Scratch that, I’m tired every night by the time I make it back to my room. This has developed into a new love for my bed. If you get to college & have the urge to go and go and go (similar to the Energizer Bunny), make sure that you allocate time to recharge your batteries. Running on an empty tank is dangerous for your health, as well as your outlook on your experience. Between you and me, sometimes I even hug my bed (we’re just that close).