The most frustrating question I was asked this past summer was, “Why did you choose to go to school in Wisconsin?”
Coming from east Tennessee, it is an appropriate question, but nonetheless, a difficult one to answer. My dad graduated here, and it’s always been a dream school of mine. That’s usually my response. In reality, though, the answer is much more complicated. Much like Robert Frost’s famous poem “The Road Not Taken,” I had two general choices in deciding where I wanted to go to college. I could either stay in-state and most likely go to the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, or go out-of-state. Like the narrator in the poem, I wouldn’t consider either path the road less traveled, but rather both equally as traveled upon; many of my friends stayed in-state, and it was hardly uncommon to go to school out-of-state.
I chose to go to the University of Wisconsin-Madison because I needed a change of pace. I needed to branch out and get out of my comfort zone. And isn’t that really the quintessential college theme? I may not necessarily be taking the road less traveled by going to an out-of-state school like UW-Madison, but hopefully by being as active on campus as possible, I can help create my own proverbial road. To me, that’s what really makes college special. It’s where we as students learn more about ourselves. We are able to branch out and emphasize each unique perspective that helps us differentiate from our peers. In college, each student can create his or her own unique and individual “road less traveled” through his or her involvement on campus and in the community. But of course, there are other reasons to get involved as well.
I, like the majority of students from outside the Madison area, will have at least a few times in which I’m going to miss my family and friends back home. There will definitely be times where I’ll be thinking about specific people and wishing I could see them. By keeping involved in campus affairs, not only can students help to make themselves stand out, but we can also use our involvement to distract us from thinking about the loved ones we are missing.
While we come to this school as one body and one class, we each have unique talents and mindsets that separate us from others. This potential can either be ignored, or we can take a leap of faith and dive into the vast sea of clubs, organizations and activities offered by UW-Madison, and use these talents or interests to mold and shape our futures and our road ahead. Each student travels on his or her own road. No one else can claim to be the exact same person with the exact same interests, hobbies and goals as another. However, if we choose to pass up opportunities around campus, we might end up missing out on discovering who we are—not only as students at this university, but also as individuals. So this fall, let’s all try to take the road less traveled and get involved—meeting new people and doing new things, and in the process, discovering ourselves.
Allen is a freshman with an undecided major. How do you plan on making your college experience a memorable one? Do you feel the university offers a wide-enough range of clubs and activities? We would love to know your thoughts! Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
