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opinion:
What I learned
in college
The day was hot, so
I slipped into a comfortable pair of old shorts and headed to
the journalism department where I had work to do. Far from being
a trendy statement, they were shorts I often wore when comfort
was foremost in my mind; something that has become more important
than fashion since entering my 30s. Upon stepping into the newsroom,
I was hit with several comments that implied I might have just
arrived from Mars.
"Don't wear
those shorts," one friend said, with a disapproving frown.
"Nobody's wearing shorts like that."
Having seen literally
thousands of people wearing similar shorts all across the
planet, I realized that some of my fellow students were living
inside a tiny box where everyone is supposed to act the same,
wear the same clothes and listen to the same music.
Their world is
narrowly defined. And for many Cal State Long Beach students,
ignorance dominates in a place where it is OK to show up late
everyday and let their cell phones ring during class sessions.
They seem oblivious
to the harsh and radically diverse world that awaits them
beyond this campus.
For them, the real
learning has yet to begin.
For me, the learning
continues. I quit a stable job as a business professional
to come back to school and pursue a career as a writer. Yes,
I know this sounds typical and droll, but it is my dream,
even though it may not be unique.
In addition to
what I learned in the classroom, I will likely remember the
"extras" to my educational experience at CSULB.
Within weeks of
starting, I discovered a bureaucracy that sucked up my time
like a huge vacuum. Dealing with it was like having to jump
forwards and backwards over an endless series of 10-foot high
hurdles a countless number of times just to stay on track
for my degree.
Forms, assessments,
audits and advising appointments stretched across the horizon
in a seemingly endless maze of officialdom. And none of it
had anything to do with what I came here to learn.
But inside that
maze there were a few guardian angels who bent the rules just
enough so that I wouldn't be drowned by the powerful undertow
of policy and procedure. They taught me how to deal with a
suffocating bureaucracy; a skill I am sure will come in handy.
In addition to
the unrelenting flood of forms, I had to stand in line five
times as long as a cold-war Russian citizen would in his entire
life, but for no good reasons. As I stood, however, I found
that I could catch up on my readings.
I discovered that
not only were some of my professors unable to remember my
name, they were unable to remember their own names. Some just
liked to hear themselves talk while others seemed to take
pleasure in being mean. But two or three dramatically changed
my life with their incredible ability to grab my attention,
and I will never forget them.
Despite the fact
that I was a typical college student with little or no money,
I was routinely expected to pay twice as much for supplies
and services than was the general population.
I once paid $90
for a new economics text only to be told at the end of the
semester that the school would not buy it back -- for the
usual 20 percent of the purchase price -- because they were
now using a newer edition.
I am now using
that text as a doorstop.
But as I gripe
about the frustrations I endured, I am reminded that my time
at CSULB was a lot more exciting than the boring job I left
to come here.
Not only am I leaving
with the degree I set out to get, I have an expanded view
of the world. Nothing could have improved my life more dramatically
than the dimensions a liberal arts education has added to
my perspective.
John Caldwell
is graduating with a degree in print journalism from Cal State
Long Beach.
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