11/22/09
Recently I have expressed interest in transferring schools for various reasons, but I realized this past weekend that I could be much worse off than I am now. With all due respect to the university mentioned in this blog, my opinions are derived from one weekend visit to the school. For all intensive purposes we will refer to the university I visited this past weekend as “School-X.”
This past week was excruciating. I have never felt so overwhelmed by tests and papers and projects in my life. Just so this blog doesn’t become a pity party, I’ll cut to the chase and say I made it through it, thankfully. So after I put it all behind me, I thought what could be a better way to blow off some steam than by paying a visit to my best friend at School-X.
Traditionally, School-X has a reputation of being a party school. My friend, a baseball player, is reputed as a partier himself. Before I say that I was astonished by what goes on at School-X, I must say that I should have been prepared for it. In actuality, I thought I was prepared for it because I was in desperate need of a college activity other than studying.
I arrived at School-X early Friday evening. By early, I mean before dinner-time, which where I come from is usually 6:00 PM. I know for a fact that no university has exams the week of Nov. 15, but after one stroll through the dorms, one would think that exams had just concluded. The place was a zoo—a zoo of intoxicated animals. And while they say it’s always five o’clock somewhere, everybody had been drinking “milk” since long before 5:00 PM based on the eastern US time zone. My friend proceeded to show me to his room where five guys were playing what appeared to be a game of basketball, except they were using ping-pong balls and multiple, little “baskets.”
As the night progressed, it became more and more evident that students at School-X really enjoy their college experience. I couldn’t help wondering if any of the students actually go to class, because by the looks of it, class didn’t seem to be the biggest priority for many people at School-X. While my conclusions are entirely inconclusive and somewhat demeaning, I understand that the kind of things I observed more than likely take place at every single school. However, in comparison to UNC, School-X has got us beat in the partying department. By a long shot.
Believe it or not, my weekend at School-X was quite fulfilling. It was interesting to go to a school as an outsider-looking-in and see what goes on. I often wonder how people perceive my school when they visit. One thing that I did discover upon returning to UNC is that on Sunday afternoon when most of School-X is recovering, our students are studying. I was proud when I looked through the study lounge window. I was proud to see scholars’ eyes concentrated on books, not being filled with clear-eyes. While I cannot cast judgment of School-X’s academia, I will say that UNC is a very solid school. For now, I’m perfectly fine where I’m at, where I have all the resources I need, where I can view rare book collections, and where I can balance having a good time and having a strong GPA.
