A monumental decision was laid out in front of me in the form of two acceptance letters. I sat pen in hand on that fateful May morning, poised to decide my collegiate future.
The choice was difficult. Two Big Ten rivals: Wisconsin or Illinois? After 15 minutes of feverish introspection, I put the pen to the paper and signed my acceptance letter for the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
I understood that this single penstroke would open a door to a new path for the next four years of my life, but I would not fully comprehend the gravity of that decision until several years later.
Now, today, as I sit at my laptop and the five-year anniversary of that morning swiftly approaches, I can confidently assert that the decision I made five years ago was the best decision I have ever made.
However, my initial reasoning for making this decision was not the same one that drove me to sign my letter of intent.
As I neared the end of my senior year of high school, I was more concerned with the fun factor that is so often associated with college. Although I would like to think of myself as unerring, this was not the best method of reasoning.
Yes, Wisconsin has a great academic reputation, but at the time, I was more interested in fulfilling the common high school graduation party mantra that ""college was the best four years of my life.""
Even though I can safely say that the past five (not four) years have been the best of my life, it is not because my college experience was fun. It is because of the positive formative impact it has had on the person I am today.
The UW-Madison experience made me into a better human being. Allow me to elaborate.
Although the courses I took over the years did improve my intelligence, I do not attribute my personal growth solely to the academic realm. The UW-Madison experience is far more than that.
The factor that had the most profound impact on my personal development was the community on this campus.
The students I met throughout my time here in Madison exposed me to a wealth of diverse backgrounds that were absent in high school. The UW melting pot combines the down-to-earth, tell-it-like-it-is rationale of rural upbringings with the fast-paced, fashion-focused mindsets of the urban exiles.
This rare combination of lifestyles from two very different ends of the spectrum allows UW students to gain a better understanding of the blood that runs through American society.
Madison's environment is also a major contributor to the formative process.
The social activism seen during the 1960s may have declined over the years, but it has not faded into obscurity. It lives on under the guise of neighborhood co-ops, protests on Capitol Square, Distinguished Lecture Series speakers and the crazed rants of Library Mall radicals.
Once more, if there is one lesson I have learned here in Madison, it is the fact that exposure to different modes of thinking betters us as individuals.
If there is one piece of advice I could give to those students who find themselves fortunate enough to continue their collegiate experience, it would be to keep your eyes and ears open to the people and places that surround you.
Observe a rally on Capitol Square, visit your local co-op, attend a DLS lecture and immerse yourself in the atmosphere of a summer night on the terrace. Because for far too many of us, graduation will bring with it a return to the monotony of a uniform life.
Tom Hart is a senior majoring in history. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
