What I learned in College

What I Learned In College
By: Matt Wright, B.S.: Recreation & Park Management/Criminal Justice from Northwest Missouri State University, Maryville, Missouri

University: an institution of learning of the highest level, having a college of liberal arts and a program of graduate studies together with several professional schools, as of theology, law, medicine, and engineering, and authorized to confer both undergraduate and graduate degrees. (Webster’s New World Dictionary and Thesaurus: Second Edition)

See? I learned that I should always tell you where I got my information! Plagiarism is frowned upon at any school, including Northwest. However, the line between plagiarism and citing a source is thin, and at times a bit transparent. You just have to know how to do it correctly so even if Turnitin.com says it’s 45% plagiarized, you know that the professor will see that you’ve correctly cited and let you use it anyway. Related: Why are there multiple styles of citation, you ask? I guess they teach that in grad school. They all seem similar enough to me. It’s like the Discovery Channel lately. Anyone who has a strange, dirty, dangerous, or otherwise taboo job can have their own TV show. (Deadliest Catch, Swamp People, Big Shrimpin’, Gold Rush, Bering Sea Gold) When in all actuality, these shows are all quite similar. You’ve seen one, and you can almost guess what the next one is about. I can’t wait to see what the next season of Gold Rush is about. That was sarcasm. Oh, and why can none of the ‘stars’ be understood without the use of subtitles?

Which brings me to my next piece of wisdom: Drugs are bad. Not to mention illegal. The only people that want to hang out with people who do drugs are other people who do drugs. Don’t be one of them. It seems like a lot of them get caught on campus especially. Not worth it.

Similar: Alcohol can be bad. Turns out, you can make it through college without partying. It is possible. Promise. Who would have thought? Briefly, here are 4 stipulations I have about alcohol.

1.It has to be done legally. Plain and simple. If you’re not 21, you shouldn’t have a hard time deciding.
2.It has to be responsibly. Just because you’re 21 doesn’t give you the right to make a fool of yourself. It also doesn’t mean you can endanger yourself or others.
3.You have to like the taste. Why would you put something in your body that you find disgusting? If you have an answer, refer to #2. Alternative: Gatorade tastes good.
4.You have to be able to afford it. Duh. Water is cheap. And contrary to popular belief, it’s not carcinogenic in Maryville.

Alcohol is not always the right answer. Unless of course the question is “What is C3H7OH?”

So many things are advertised as ‘free’ these days. Or at least implied as free. Example: “Every Northwest student gets a laptop!” True. But they forget to mention you pay $14/credit hour in ‘technology fees’ whether you use that laptop or not. I graduated with 144 hours. You do the math. There’s no way around it, just watch out for things that you think are free.

It’s ok to mess up. It’s going to happen. Learn from it. Next slide, please.

Try to find an on campus job. There are many, and for all types of work. Since the jobs are on campus, they put your schoolwork ahead of your job and make sure to work with your schedule to find times that best work for the employee and the university. I worked for the Environmental Services grounds maintenance crew over one summer and fall and enjoyed the outdoors and active working environment. I also worked for the University Police Department as a dispatcher. The best move I made in college was taking that job. I found out that I wanted to have a career in law enforcement, and am currently pursuing that career. Prior to dispatching, I had 4 majors because I couldn’t decide what I wanted to do.

Speaking of UPD, the officers on campus are real. Not security guards that drive golf carts and can only chase you to the edge of campus. They are state sanctioned, which means their jurisdiction is the state of Missouri. Iowa isn’t that far away, but I doubt you’d get there if they were on your tail. And they just got a brand new Tahoe and Crown Vic. Oh, they have real guns too. With real bullets.

On campus, technically pedestrians have the right of way. This doesn’t mean that you should walk into the road without looking. At least 4 people were hit by a car on campus in the 4 years I was there. And it wasn’t the drivers fault. Don’t worry. The speed limit is 20 on campus, so they were not seriously injured. I realize we’re not all Usain Bolt, but most people who are paying attention to their surroundings should be able to take two sidesteps to avoid contact with a car.

Find a good teacher and take their classes. Even if you don’t need them. Two best professors at Northwest: Brian Hesse and April Haberyan. Of course that’s my opinion, but take a poll and they’d be near the top guaranteed. He’s political science/history/African studies and she’s Psychology/Sociology.

It’s not ok to be a teacher’s pet in high school. It is, however, ok to do so in college. People will still resent you, just like in high school, but you’re mature enough that you don’t really care what they think, and you’ll do better in the class than they will. Play basketball in the rec center on campus with Hesse? Check. Volunteer to help with a simulation exercise for another class taught by Haberyan? Check. A’s in every class I took with them. Boom!

Visit professors in their office if you have a problem. This can be for academic reasons or personal reasons. Two girls visited a professor one day after hearing him verbally disrespect Christianity multiple times in class. To their surprise they got an apology from the professor and never had to deal with that issue again. Take a lesson from them and have the courage to stand up for what you believe in.

Take a fun class. Or you could be like me and pick a fun major! There are plenty of hard classes out there. Economics comes to my mind first. Yuck. Spread out those fun classes, try to take one a semester to stay sane. Climbing wall=Fun class. Golf course maintenance=Fun class + Free pass to Mozingo Golf Course. Proof I learned something too: Did you know there are 63 chemicals used on the grass? Chemicals to make water puddle, to make it absorb, to make the grass grow, to stunt its growth, pesticides, fungicides, etc.

Get to know people. You can be who you want to be in college and there will be someone with similar likes and dislikes. To find them you may have to actually leave your room and meet people. It will be worth it. Bible studies, intramural sports, video games, working out, even riding motorcycles or playing guitar. These are all things I did my freshman year with people who lived in rooms whose doors I could see simply by sticking my head out of my room. Now I can’t walk through the Union without seeing someone I know. That is one thing I like about Northwest.

Don’t be a freshman. Of course, everyone is going to have a first year at college. But don’t make it obvious that it is your first year: Don’t dress up for your first day of class. Look nice, sure, but don’t overdo it. Don’t use the trays in the food court. You will soon find that they are unnecessary unless you’re holding a plate and drink for your friend on crutches, or I suppose if you’re really hungry. Don’t look lost. Getting lost is ok, people will feel sorry for you and help you out. Looking lost is different. People will still help you out, but you’re about to be someone’s newest Facebook status.

Get involved. There are 180 organizations on campus. That’s an accurate number too. I asked a friend who happens to be a tour guide. (See: “Get to know people”) There will be something for you. We have a bass fishing club for crying out loud.
GPA matters. After all, aren’t you going to college to learn? You may as well do your best at it. It’s costing someone a lot of money. You, your family, the government… Don’t waste it. GPA is what a lot of employers and schools and such focus on. You almost have to have a degree to understand what all the numbers and abbreviations mean on a transcript, but anyone can find ‘GPA’. Hint: the closer to 4.0, the better.

Don’t hate the Academy Students. They might be a bit immature at times, but you were there once too. And dang it if they don’t ruin every professor’s grading curve! But I suppose if you got your TV taken away for cussing, couldn’t leave the building after 10pm, and had to order pizza via the old ‘rope out the window trick’ (yes, I’ve seen it done) because even the delivery guy can’t get in the locked doors, you’d have plenty of time to study too. You’d also probably get a little wild when they let you out during the day. Can you blame them? No. Invite them to your study group. It then becomes a tutoring session. Everyone wins.

Enjoy the beauty of Northwest’s campus. We are fortunate enough to have trees and grass and rabbits and birds and a pond with fish. A lot of people work hard to keep campus looking the best it can, might as well enjoy it. Most other schools aren’t as fortunate; they’re made of concrete. Fun fact: Northwest is the Missouri State Arboretum. Another fun fact: I correctly used a semi-colon. I think.

Don’t chase the squirrels. You won’t win. Besides, they didn’t do anything to you. Admit it, you’d freak out if they chased you back.

Take some risks. So many people go through college hoping to blend in and avoid embarrassing situations. Don’t. At least you’ll be able to laugh about it with your friends later in life. When I look back on my time spent at Northwest the classes I took probably won’t be the first thing to come to mind. Let’s be honest.

“Dude, remember Professor Dr. Adam’s 1 hour and 15 minute long Zoology lectures on Tuesday’s and Thursdays at 8:15 a.m.? That was special. Oh, and how about Dr. Brost’s Literature class? So freakin’ sweet. Man, I wish I was back in class.”

That’s ridiculous. College, for me, was more about learning who I was and life lessons than it was about learning information. Of course, grades are important, and depending on your career choice, they can mean you getting into a better school once you’ve got your ‘pre-‘ out of the way. So don’t overlook them.

Parks & Rec majors aren’t a joke. While you’re off learning Freudian theories, what reacts with Potassium, the square root of 2, and other job-specific items, we’re learning universal skills. Leadership, people skills, programming/planning, etc. Oh, and when we’re climbing that wall we’re gaining trust, teamwork and self-esteem. Not to mention we’re getting stronger mentally AND physically while you’re sitting in one of those uncomfortable desks in Colden Hall with your caffé latte and mini-muffins. Related: Vitamin D doesn’t come from fluorescent lighting.

Take a chance every once in a while. Grow a mustache simply because you can, even if they are gross. Wear a rabbit-fur hat even though it looks goofy but it keeps your ears warm. Maybe it will become the new style (yeah, I take credit for starting that). Ask that hot girl from your Biology Lab out on a date. Who cares if she rejects you and says she is way out of your league and that you’re a loser. In 5 years, you will barely even remember who she is. Or who knows, maybe she’ll actually say yes. On second thought, consider shaving off the mustache before you ask her.

There are so many more things I learned in the last 3.5 years of my life that I can’t remember off the top of my head right now, so I will leave you with this: Don’t rush it. I made it out in 3.5 years. I took too many classes too fast! It worked out for me and my future career perfectly though. It was no doubt a ‘God-thing’. I’m just saying, if you have the time, it may as well be spent in college. It seems that every year was better than the last. It’s the last step before you’re in the ‘real world’ and have adult responsibility and have to get up before noon and all those other dreaded things you hear about. Enjoy college.

Guess Who Forgot They Had A Blog

Me. That's who.
I would apologize for not posting in such a long time. But that would only work if people had been upset that I hadn't posted. So I won't. Because they aren't that upset I'm sure.
I suppose I'll just start by giving a brief synopsis of the events in my life for the second half of 2011.
I started my last semester of college. Weird. It didn't even really sink in until about halfway through that I was going to graduate and be done with college courses. Forever. And it was a pretty good feeling. Also, knowing that I would be around for the Spring 2012 semester, and not have to take ANY classes felt pretty good too. I was lucky enough to find a house to live in with a few other guys, one of which is the son of the owners. That makes it pretty laid back and rent is really affordable. It's my first year living with more than one person, and has been a blast! All 5 of the guys that have been here (not all at once) are great roommates and all easy-going in general. We've had some good times, and I'm sure these next few months will be no exception.
I am still involved in BSU, even though I graduated. They let me come back to play Bass in the band again until I leave for good.
I am now on a city-league basketball team in Maryville with about 10 other guys. We won our first game last night, by the way. That would make us, by all accounts, undefeated!
I was fortunate enough to travel to Florida with one of my [former] roommates and the one that took his room for this semester. He was hired for an internship in Ocala National Forest just north of Orlando. We had a good time driving down, of course. We thought it was cool that Smyrna, TN - where we went on a mission trip two years ago - was within 3 miles of being EXACTLY half-way. So we called them up and they were able to give us lodging for a night on our way down. The second night we camped a short distance from the beach. Daytona Beach, that is! It was a little chilly, especially for Florida weather, but it was still nice to be in the warm state. After dropping him off, we flew back from Orlando. That is the way to travel! It took us 36 hours to drive the 1300 miles down, but 2.5 hours to get back and was about the same price for a ticket as we spent on fuel. Oh well, lessons learned. (also, he was reimbursed for fuel by his agency later on, so that is good)
Many people have been praying for me as I go through the application process to get into the Highway Patrol Academy beginning in April. I am very thankful for all those prayers, and am also pleased to say that I have been offered a conditional offer of employment! This means that I will still need to pass a psychological and medical test before a final offer of employment is given, THEN I will have to get through the 6-month training in Jefferson City. As I have been from the beginning though, I am still not worried about it. I know that God has a plan in it all and that I will end up where He wants me. (I would be perfectly OK with ending up as a Trooper, by the way!)
I have taken up every oppotunity to use the phrase "...back when I was in college" in the recent weeks, and probably will continue to do so throughout the semester.
I enjoyed Christmas, as I do every year! It's my favorite holiday by far. I was slightly disappointed (and still am) that we didn't have snow (and haven't had snow). Now that I have a 4-wheel drive truck, it doesn't snow. Seems like I should have gotten one sooner and we could have missed out on some serious weather.
Speaking of the truck, it was beat up by the Maryville hail storm in August! As much as I would like to have a dent-less truck, the damage is hardly noticeable and the insurance company offered about half of what was left to pay off, so that decision was fairly easy. Afterall, it's a truck, it'll just add character. Also, I will probably have it so long that whoever buys it when I'm finished with it will not care about a few hail dents because it will have so many miles on it.
I am now trying to find a job for the next 3 months, but no one seems to want to hire someone for a short amount of time. Hopefully something will come together as I will need a little imcome for rent money!
I'm sure there's plenty more I could write, but that should be sufficient for now.