Often times, students walk around campus complaining about some aspect of our college. Whether it’s the food, the people or lack of variety, many students feel parts of our college life need to be revamped. However, what many forget is that they choose to come here.
This is not high school; Americans are not forced by law to attend college. It seems as if our society sets educational achievement standards higher and higher, compelling citizens to earn a bachelor’s or a master’s degree to be successful.
But there are and will always be those who are not cut out for college, those who would be better suited going to a trade school, taking over the family business, or transitioning from life-long athletes into coaches.
In that light, it is important for MHC students to realize that they attend college because their path beckons for some type of degree. Additionally, each student should count it a privilege to go to college; there will always be those who do not have the opportunity.
Although our school is small and does need improvement in countless areas, the positives of attending college at MHC are more than many may realize.
The advantage of a small campus is extremely beneficial in many ways. Take for instance, getting to class. On the campus of many Division 1 schools, students must take buses to class – this means that these students cannot crawl out of bed at 8:55 a.m. and make it to their 9 o’clock classes. Students can do that here because any building on campus is less than a five minute walk from everything.
A second advantage of living on a smaller campus is certainly the ease with which students can meet and spend time with friends. On a campus of 30,000, countless people never cross paths, and if students do meet others whom they may want to befriend, they have to put real effort into forming those relationships. They could go entire weeks without interacting, unlike students do here.
Another obvious advantage of MHC is the small class size. Students receive more focused attention from their professors than those at larger schools. MHC students, for the most part, are not taught by graduate students, as is common in Division 1 institutions. MHC professors actually teach their classes, and as a whole, are extremely accessible.
Certainly, enough cannot be said about the faculty. Although departments are small, most of the professors are knowledgeable and credentialed. Their travels throughout the world, higher degrees, research and interests speak to their qualifications. They are qualified to teach at schools that could pay them more, give them more opportunities, and provide them larger resources, but they choose to teach here. Although they chose these sacrifices, they are still sacrifices.
There are other numerous positives that come with attending college at MHC, as there are many negatives. However, we should all stop and think. We should ask ourselves: What drove us here? Remember the factors that pulled us to this place rather than somewhere else. Whether it was sports, scholarships or the beautiful terrain that surrounds us, we all came here for different reasons, but we are all here – and that is not by chance.
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