Hm, an interesting weekend. I went to visit a friend at St. Olaf College, the only other college I even considered during my college application process. I had been there before, but this weekend I got a real insider's view. Wow, is it different there.
People at St. Olaf kid that their school is like Hogwarts. They shouldn't joke-- it really is. It is beautiful in every way; the scope of the facilities is monstrously intimidating (sauna? post-modern art building that resembles the most expensive of downtown lofts? one of the top-ranked food services in the nation? do I need to go on?); it is elevated out of the city of Northfield upon a towering hill; the buildings are archaic and grandiose; the student body is charming and intelligent. Sound perfect?
In a way, it is. It is the archetypal college campus. It is everything a college should be. I really like it there, and not just because the person I'm seeing attends the school. And yet--
There is not a single doubt in my mind that I made the right choice when deciding where to enroll. Yes, I can affirm that there are certain things about St. Olaf that, on the surface, may seem more appealing than Augsburg. But I know that it just isn't for me. I couldn't live in a college town, isolated on a hill, separated from the rest of the world. I need to feel as if I am a part of full community, not just a community of people I go to class with. I need a real worldview, not a seclusionist and haughty (but pretty) life. I'm not trying to bring down St. Olaf; it is a wonderful institution with many, many great qualities. They do engage their community in what ways they can. They are equally valid as an institution of higher education. But Augsburg is my home, and I could be nowhere else. I am Augsburg. My flaws are Augsburg's. It's flaws, mine.
Speaking of flaws-- my illness got better for a bit, then took a significant turn in the opposite direction. My temperature soared to 103°F yesterday. I've been battling chills, aches and a killer sore throat and head. I called in sick to work today, something I never do. I need sleep, but I have a large research paper due tomorrow. AHCK! Frankly, it has been a terrible day, full of emotional highs and lows, uncertainties, heady conversations, feeling crummy, and homework homework homework. Ah well-- it will all come together somehow. It always does. And I'm trying to maintain (or at least feign) a positive attitude. After all--I'm home.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment