I've been often told that graduate school is the only thing that matters. The general consensus is, "It doesn't matter where you go for your undergrad, as long as you have the credits you need to go where you need to go." I mean, I'm only an undergrad. I'm not an expert by any means, but that is true to a degree (...pun partially intended). But, in my personal opinion, the right college can make all the difference in the life of a student. For me, Wooster is that school, but it's different for everyone.
If I hadn't chosen to come to Wooster, I wouldn't have been exposed to the cultures I've been exposed to that are different from my own, outside of reading about them online or in books. I wouldn't have made friends from Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, France.
I wouldn't have met the professors who gave me the opportunities to research, to learn, to explore, to research topics that are near and dear to me--or topics that became near and dear to me. I wouldn't have had an opportunity to do a website for my Junior IS, to write a few articles for the Voice. Heck, I wouldn't have begun my first novel, at the urging of my English professor.
I wouldn't have made some of the best friends I've ever made. And, to be honest, that's what baffles me the most, that I may not have gotten to know these wonderful people. I wouldn't have gained the specific opportunities I have, such as living in the French Suite, running Woo-Con (cue the shameless plug for the event), helping cultural groups on campus, working in the library's Digital Studio (which got a spotlight here!) and helping with my coworkers to get that program started, learning more about technology along the way. Heck, I never would have started writing for Odyssey!
...Or, maybe I would have, but not this specific Odyssey. The one thing is, I'm not living in a sci-fi novel, so I can't actually travel through timelines and figure out how things would have gone. I mean, I would have made other friends, other opportunities. But, the thing is, the ones I have made at Wooster are dear to my heart. I mean, I'm sure wherever I went, I would have ended up as at least a little bit more mature, a bit more experienced in life. Still, for me, the people at my school are why I love it so much, and why I eagerly await returning after each break.
But, I'd like to think that this school, and the people who I've met here, have changed me for the better. So, that's why, in my personal opinion, the college you go to matters. Because, if you find the right school, that school can change you, and help you grow, for the better. I know that Wooster has done that for me.
