This morning I’m writing from a coffee shop on Mill Avenue in Tempe, Arizona, just off the Arizona State University campus. It’s move-in week at the ASU dorms, so all the wide-eyed, optimistic new students are setting up and getting settled, anxious to explore the wonders the world has to offer them. Suckers.
No, really. I envy them. I don’t mean to get all wistful and “I wish I could go back to college” but basically, I wish I could go back to college. I could have gone to ASU you know, and sometimes I still wish I had. The deal is, a very, very long time ago, before what I call “The Awakening,” my greatest ambition was to attend Brigham Young University (BYU). I got my Associates degree from a two-year college also owned by the LDS church, and it just seemed natural to finish my bachelors at the “Y.” The trouble was, BYU admissions didn’t share the same vision. I was sent reeling since I had absolutely no backup plan. (I have since come to believe that BYU did me a huge favor by rejecting me, but it took me years to realize it.)
In a panic, I applied to ASU and NAU. ASU was my first choice, or rather second I guess. But when I wrote the application form I used my Idaho address, so ASU decided I was an out-of-state resident, and I couldn’t seem to convince them otherwise. Looking back, I don’t think I tried very hard. A phone call to admissions would have done the trick I suppose. My problem solving skills weren’t the best at that time. So Northern Arizona University became, by default, my school of choice.
For a long time I felt like I’d made a big mistake by going to NAU, but I no longer believe that’s true. Because of NAU I studied in Montpellier, France, and there formed some of the deepest friendships of my life, that exist even to this day. I will see one of them next week in fact when I visit New York. (Hi Kristen!) Because of NAU I was able to explore my identity in an environment that was overall non-threatening and low-pressure. Finally, because of NAU I met the most awesome person ever (Hi Jeffers!), whom I love to the ends of the earth. I don’t even want to think about what my life would be without her in it.
Oh. One thing NAU did not give me was a stellar education. That’s as much my fault as it is the school’s. It’s my fault for not taking advantage of what was on offer, and NAU's fault for sucking.
So that’s what’s on my mind today. That, and how college students are really, really hot.
No, really. I envy them. I don’t mean to get all wistful and “I wish I could go back to college” but basically, I wish I could go back to college. I could have gone to ASU you know, and sometimes I still wish I had. The deal is, a very, very long time ago, before what I call “The Awakening,” my greatest ambition was to attend Brigham Young University (BYU). I got my Associates degree from a two-year college also owned by the LDS church, and it just seemed natural to finish my bachelors at the “Y.” The trouble was, BYU admissions didn’t share the same vision. I was sent reeling since I had absolutely no backup plan. (I have since come to believe that BYU did me a huge favor by rejecting me, but it took me years to realize it.)
In a panic, I applied to ASU and NAU. ASU was my first choice, or rather second I guess. But when I wrote the application form I used my Idaho address, so ASU decided I was an out-of-state resident, and I couldn’t seem to convince them otherwise. Looking back, I don’t think I tried very hard. A phone call to admissions would have done the trick I suppose. My problem solving skills weren’t the best at that time. So Northern Arizona University became, by default, my school of choice.
For a long time I felt like I’d made a big mistake by going to NAU, but I no longer believe that’s true. Because of NAU I studied in Montpellier, France, and there formed some of the deepest friendships of my life, that exist even to this day. I will see one of them next week in fact when I visit New York. (Hi Kristen!) Because of NAU I was able to explore my identity in an environment that was overall non-threatening and low-pressure. Finally, because of NAU I met the most awesome person ever (Hi Jeffers!), whom I love to the ends of the earth. I don’t even want to think about what my life would be without her in it.
Oh. One thing NAU did not give me was a stellar education. That’s as much my fault as it is the school’s. It’s my fault for not taking advantage of what was on offer, and NAU's fault for sucking.
So that’s what’s on my mind today. That, and how college students are really, really hot.
0 Responses to “Phoenix: Off-campus”
Post a Comment