2008 Woodie Awards
Tabula Rasa
My Summer at Public U.
Julie Casper Roth
Issue date: 9/15/05 Section: Opinion
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Waste. In my father's dictionary that word is synonymous with "Smith College." He attended a small branch of the state university system for both a Bachelor's and Master's degree and "turned out OK." Whether he had attended Princeton or Amherst or any other school, chances are that he would be making no more and no less income than he does currently. Why couldn't his daughter see this and understand that a school name isn't a making or breaking point in finding future success?
Truth is, I do understand this but I also believe that one education over another can give a student an edge. This summer I witnessed this first hand. Along with many other Smith students, I enrolled in summer school classes in an attempt to scrounge up some extra credits. I found those credits at Public U-a place that enables its students to save a few dollars while learning the "sink or swim" version of education. It was time to test the waters and see if Smith really had/has anything on Public U. Especially since Smith's ranking in U.S. News and World Report plummeted to 19 this year. Also, schools both private and public have been undergoing enormous face lifts and even name changes to up the marketing and admissions ante in recent years. Even all-female Wells College couldn't hold its own. This year's class will be its first with males in the classroom. With all the competition out there, it seems very possible that a Public U education could be nipping at Smith's heels. Here's my experience in sequence.
1. I stare at a rectangular hole punched through the faux wood-paneled wall. I have no problem with the hole. Walls get holes. Even at Smith. I'm sure it was the result of moving furniture into the crawlspace of the room assigned to my class of about 12. There's no way of moving without asking another person to stand and move his/her chair. The classroom is crowded and hot, but turning on the air conditioner might drown out the professor. I must be resilient and absorb the material while the humidity is making my eyelids heavy. There's just one hole. I can deal with that.
Truth is, I do understand this but I also believe that one education over another can give a student an edge. This summer I witnessed this first hand. Along with many other Smith students, I enrolled in summer school classes in an attempt to scrounge up some extra credits. I found those credits at Public U-a place that enables its students to save a few dollars while learning the "sink or swim" version of education. It was time to test the waters and see if Smith really had/has anything on Public U. Especially since Smith's ranking in U.S. News and World Report plummeted to 19 this year. Also, schools both private and public have been undergoing enormous face lifts and even name changes to up the marketing and admissions ante in recent years. Even all-female Wells College couldn't hold its own. This year's class will be its first with males in the classroom. With all the competition out there, it seems very possible that a Public U education could be nipping at Smith's heels. Here's my experience in sequence.
1. I stare at a rectangular hole punched through the faux wood-paneled wall. I have no problem with the hole. Walls get holes. Even at Smith. I'm sure it was the result of moving furniture into the crawlspace of the room assigned to my class of about 12. There's no way of moving without asking another person to stand and move his/her chair. The classroom is crowded and hot, but turning on the air conditioner might drown out the professor. I must be resilient and absorb the material while the humidity is making my eyelids heavy. There's just one hole. I can deal with that.