GO BUCKY!It finally has come to this. I took my oldest daughter on a college tour last week and found out something I already knew. I miss being in college and it isn't 1982 anymore.
We toured my alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The campus is still beautiful, the student body still diverse, the trek up Bascom Hill still exhausting, the Memorial Union still has music on Friday nights, the classes are still huge, the professors are still boring, Memorial Library still has study cages, Babcock ice cream is still delicious and I still miss it all.
Never mind that my parents told me that it would be the best 4 years of my life. Like most things in life, you don't appreciate that fact while you are experiencing it. You are too busy living it and think it will go on forever. I miss living on Langdon street and planning Friday classes around Thursday night escapades. I miss the Rathskeller although I can go there anytime. I miss my sorority sisters and communal living. With that living came housekeepers who cleaned our rooms, made our meals and adorable frat boys who served them to us. Yeah, I miss that.
I miss the school spirit. During the information session, the speaker told us about the UW games and the student spirit but she summed it all up when she told us that when on a walking tour, a young man came flying by on his bicycle, flipped it into a bush and jumped up safely yelling "GO BADGERS"! You don't get that everywhere. As a side note, you might want to take a look at this clip from You Tube just to be reminded of what a football Saturday at Camp Randall is like.
I miss visiting my Dad who worked on campus as a fund-raiser for the UW. Maybe that has something to do with my "there is no better school for the price" attitude. I also figured out why he was in that line of work. Being in that environment keeps you young and in touch and a continual student of life.
Back to the classes are still boring. Sarah and I audited an Art History class as part of our time on campus. I was amazed at how many students use laptops to take notes during lectures. It is so simple now. Plus, there is the added bonus of variety. When you get bored, you can quick check your I-Tunes library right before you doze off for a few minutes. Not like the old days. We noticed that those who did not have laptops, in between taking copious notes, were either reading the comics or doing Sudoku.
When I sat there during the information session, there were people there from all over the U.S. I wanted to jump up and shout "I am an Alumnus. Of course you want to go here! Why do you need convincing? There is no better school! Just ask me, ASK ME!" But at the risk of embarrassing my daughter more than I already do, I thought better of it. I hope that she decides to go here but I will leave that decision up to her. I will tell her that it will be the best 4 years of her life and she will ignore me. I will go hang out with her on the Terrace and live vicariously through her life. I know she will be close but I will miss my first born being gone. But at least I know what she will be experiencing. UW pride. The kind you get when you are singing the Varsity song at any athletic event and you know you've earned the right to sing it.
Between you and me...she looks great in red.
4 comments:
I also heard that class was less than exhilerating. Apparently my daughter was in it. Tell S that she should definitely enroll.
Jim, when we saw her, the first words out of her mouth were "this class is so boring..." Apparently she didn't have a laptop to check her I-Tunes!
I'm glad to hear that she didn't have her laptop. I can't tell you how annoying it is to be giving a lecture when the students are checking email, gaming, and surfing the net. Computers in class as a rule turn out to be a negative.
The best ideas sometimes don't evolve as planned.
As one of your best friends growing up I love to read your stories. Having completed the college search process with my three children and facing an empty nest in August let me give you one piece of advice. Enjoy every moment helping your children make the best choice for themselves. There are so many schools to choose from and there is a school that will be the right fit for all of your kids. While it is sad to have them gone it is wonderful to live their new lives through phone calls, emails and visits. There is nothing like a wonderful college experience for both your children and yourself. They too will realize you were right when they are walking their own children down that path. Keep writing, it makes my day.
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