I come from the small town of Crosby, Texas, population 1,714. It would not be very adventurous of me to say that my hometown is very conservative, simple, and country. It doesn’t offer much in terms of entertainment and, in all honesty, there isn’t much to the majority of its inhabitants. Crosby is a town that shelters its people against their will: the African American population lives (literally) across the railroad tracks from the whites, nearly every person is Baptist, an alarming amount of people that I talked to thought Barack Obama was a Muslim, Myspace is more popular than Facebook, George Straight is king, Wal-Mart is the coolest place to go, and a typical high schooler’s Friday night consists of getting drunk on the grass farms or going mudding (for those of you who don’t know, mudding is where you ride four-wheelers through—what else—mud. Woo Hoo! Sounds like a blast right?).
EVERYONE ONE IN CROSBY SHOULD HAVE ONE OF THESE. NO, IT ISN'T THAT BAD...BUT IT IS PRETTY CLOSE.
It doesn’t exactly stimulate the imagination to say the least. So when the time came for me to choose a college, I wanted to go somewhere that would open my eyes to the world, give me life experiences, cut the cord that tethered me to such an ignorant past, and show me the truth in life: the path to freedom. I wanted to begin my own American revolution. I felt it necessary that I go to a place that, as Bartlett Giametti described in his Yale freshman address, emphasized a “civil existence by rejecting judgements based on race, religion, gender, ethnic background, sexual orientation, political or philosophic belief” (X321). Essentially, what I desired was something that was as radically different as I could find. UT at Austin is that place. I appreciate the bums on the streets, the cross dressers on the sidewalks, the hippies that sell jewelry: I had never seen anything like it before I came here. I love the fact that on the first day of our World Literature class I met for the first time a Hindu, a Buddhist, and a Jew (three religions in one day!).
PLAN II HAS OPENED MY EYES TO A MUCH BROADER WORLD THAN I AM USED TO.
Plan II, with its ivy league quality education and public school price, also offered me relief from the pressure of having to major in something that results in a high salary, for my parents definitely made their feelings about me going to somewhere like Notre Dame heard: their attitude was “If I am going to spend that kind of money (45,000 a year), I want my kid to get a great paying job” (Brickely, “Value of the Liberal Arts, X326).
WHEN CHOOSING A COLLEGE, I WANTED TO AVOID THIS TYPE OF SITUATION.
Instead of having to worry about paying off the mountainous debt that I would inherit the day I graduate, I can focus more on looking for a job that I will enjoy and truly want to do. While I want to be a doctor right now, I am comforted by the fact that I can change my mind if I want. I recognize that I could very well be terrible at organic chemistry, that it might eat my soul. I just don’t want to put any more pressure on myself than there already is. I want to make a lot of money; I just don’t want to HAVE to make a lot of money. I would rather have a “life of decency, justice, and dignity” than a fat wallet, and I believe many of my peers here feel the same way (Giametti, “Yale Freshman Address”, X321). We all hope to make money, but it is not our number one priority.
AS AMERICANS, I THINK THE IDEA OF FREEDOM IN ANY ASPECT OF LIFE IS EXTREMELY APPEALING, MORESO THAN IN OTHER COUNTRIES. I WAS ATTRACTED TO THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE A CAREER THAT PLAN II OFFERED.
Finally, I worked really hard in high school. I sacrificed a lot of fun, friendships, and lifelong memories so that I could get into a prominent school. Though I know no one deserves anything, I couldn’t help but feel that I was entitled to acceptance into a prestigious institution. Plan II’s philosophy of “[giving] the university’s best to the best in the university” (Jim Anderson, “Dean Parlin’s Liberal Arts Plan II to Attract Cream of High School Graduates”, X343M) was exactly what I had been looking for. While I am completely in love with my current location and situation, I was a little distraught with some of its side effects.
I have been on campus for a little over a month now, and just this past weekend I decided to visit home. While I was glad to see my family and some old friends, I can’t say I was too terribly excited to return to the place I grew up. However, one distinct difference that I noticed while I was there, and that Dana concentrated on, was that I definitely felt elitist. At one point I had to step back and just laugh at myself, at how much of a douche I was being. Yet, I couldn’t really control my pompous feelings. When I walked into Wal-Mart to buy some groceries, I felt like I owned the place; I knew I was the smartest, most cultured person there. While that is a title I enjoy having, I don’t want to think I am better than someone just because their education stopped with the completion of high school. I was humble before I left, and I want to remain that way. I was nearly disgusted with myself and my “education for a life, not a living” attitude (Parlin, as cited saying in “Plan II at the University of Texas at Austin”, X343I).
http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/154822
THE CREATORS OF SOUTH PARK DO A GOOD JOB OF PORTRAYING THE KNOW-IT-ALL COLLEGE DOUCHEBAG, WHICH I FELT LIKE AFTER MY TRIP TO WAL-MART.
I guess I momentarily forgot that intelligence is not an indication of character. I really feel blessed to be included in such an esteemed and intelligent group of peers, but I have to make sure that it doesn’t go to my head. I must ensure that I achieve a level of success in Plan II, appreciate the opportunities and knowledge that it offers me, but all the while remain grounded.
A BOOK THAT I, AND MAYBE ALL OF US, SHOULD ONE DAY READ.
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