A Reflection....

"I have never let my schooling interfere with my education. "
Mark TwainUS humorist, novelist, short story author, & wit (1835 - 1910)

I love Mark Twain. During this quest for a B.A. in English from such an accredited University, I once wrote a paper on Mark Twain and some of his more satirical works of literature. But anyway, wiser words were never spoken. Yes, I have a lot of book-knowledge that I have acquired in my five long years at UNT. However, I must say that if I were to weigh my book knowledge against all of the life lessons and experience I have gained, I must say that I feel more educated about myself, life, and the world in general than I do about Pascal's Triangle or Reconstruction after the Civil War.

College for me has been such a learning experience. When I entered into this institution in the days of yore (2000), I knew nothing about myself outside the little world I had built around me in the tiny town of Krum (stop laughing) , Texas. I've really learned some valuable lessons throughout this process. Don't laugh, some may seem funny, but they're really things I didn't know fully until I experienced them firsthand in college:

1. Setting your alarm to play loud Tejano music to wake your drunk ass up for your midterm may seem like a good idea the night before, but when it actually happens, all it does is induce the inevitable hangover vomiting.

2. Sleeping through a class (or 5) is NOT the end of the world. But it may bite you in the ass if you forgot to read the attendance policy on the syllabus that you threw away after the first day of class.

3. This is not high school. Nobody gives a shit what organizations you belonged to, how many times you made all-state choir/band, or that you were runner up for Homecoming Queen/King.

4. Stay AWAY from the guys in the jazz department. Sure they seem all cute and worldly and talented over a few drafts of Shiner Bock beer, but when you wake up you see that worldly is equal to "35 and still going to school just so they can play in a lab band and avoid a real job."

5. Having an open mind is paramount above all other qualities gained, not just in the world in general, but also on a public university campus.

6. Again, this is not high school. You don't have to join organizations till your plate is full, there are LOTS of ways to make friends.

7. Talk to your professors. 9 times out of 10 they are completely cool with you forgetting to bring in your paper. Usually you can email it in by 5pm, or make it up. Just be honest and open with them. They are here to help you....no, really they are.

8. Use the resources you are offered. Free counseling and career advice, Supplemental Instructors in your basic classes, free sodas on University Day.....you pay for all that stuff anyway in your fees. You might as well use them.

9. Don't be afraid to give a little ribbing back to the professors (once you've silenty assessed whether or not they will take it). Usually they could use a little humor to break up the class...sometimes it's okay to say things like, "You're just making that up aren't you?" Usually they are. :)

10. Go to some of the events on campus, like the debates and guest speakers. Who knows, you just might come away with a little more of that open mind I was talking about.

11. Listen. Just take a day or your lunch hour or something to sit outside and watch people and listen to what's going on around you.

12. Always have respect for other people's beliefs and opinions. You can think in your mind all you want that they are completely wrong and going to hell for it, but if you just shut the hell up and respectfully listen to others, you will be a better person for it. Trust me.

13. Use the library.

14. The world is a big scary place...but if you believe in yourself and love who you are turning into, it's not so bad.

15. Be honest with yourself. Know your limitations, but continue to set goals.

16. Have FUN. Need I say it again? This is NOT High School. Making the honor roll or the dean's list or whatever is only good for one thing: getting a little LESS heat from your parents. Nobody else cares.

17. FIND YOUR OWN IDENTITY. You may not, after 4 or 5 years, be even slightly the same as the person you were when you graduated high school. I know I am a completely different person, and much better because of it.

18. Take lots of different classes for your electives. Don't make them all about your major.

19. Go out on a school night. Everyone else does.

20. At least one semester before you graduate, arrange your schedule to where you have Fridays off from class. Trust me, the first time you go out with everyone on your floor on a Thursday night, you will NOT get up for that 8am math class. :)

And now, 23 days away from my own college graduation...I leave you with a song (courtesy of the musical Avenue Q).

What do you do with a B.A. in English?
What is my life going to be?
4 years of college, And plenty of knowledge,
Have earned me this useless degree!
I can’t pay the bills yet,
‘Cause I have no skills yet,
The world is a big scary place!
But somehow I can’t shake,
The feeling I might make,
A difference to the human race