The feeling comes when I’m at a gathering with a group of friends discussing our most interesting classes and assignments. It comes when my parents’ friends ask me about my major or how school is going, and I see their faces light up as I tell them about my accomplishments thus far. It comes when I realize that it’s 1:00 AM and my roommate and I both should’ve gone to sleep hours ago, but we lost track of time talking about everything and anything. It’s a feeling of pure contentment and satisfaction, and when I feel it, I think, I am so glad I’m in college.

Even before I started my freshman year at UMass Dartmouth, I thought of myself as someone with a pretty open mind. But college made open-mindedness take on a whole new meaning for me because there were so many new things waiting to be discovered.

I suddenly had the opportunity to explore subjects and topics that hadn't been available to me in high school—things I never even realized could be studied in such depth. My college classes have helped me figure out what my interests are and form opinions on all sorts of topics. The classroom setting has been good for me; being encouraged to share my ideas and hearing other people share theirs provides me with so many new ways to think about things. I'm able to participate in more conversations than I would be if I weren't in college, and with the passions I've developed over the last couple of years, I'm certain I've become a more interesting person to converse with!

I've had some pretty enriching experiences outside the classroom too. I've attended support group meetings with friends, where even if I did not identify with the other attendees, I was welcomed. I've attended a wide variety of campus-wide events—some to raise awareness for causes, some to educate students on social issues, some just to give us a chance to de-stress after a tough week of classes. That's how I've gotten to meet such a vast array of people. People from all walks of life, from different places and different backgrounds, of different ethnicities, sexual orientations and gender identities, each with their own unique story.

College isn't just a place; it's a whole experience. An experience that not only improves your chances of getting a great job and having a good future, but also teaches you so much about the world, about life, and about yourself. I have grown so much since starting college—intellectually and spiritually—and it really saddens me when I hear people say that going to college is a waste of time and money or isn't worth it. What I wish those people could understand is that I'm getting so much more out of it than just a degree.