I decided to reply this way, as I felt the comment section would be inappropriate for such a long winded answer.
Some history. Both of my parents are from the same small town in Arkansas. My grand-parents and great-grandparents both lived their whole lives in the same town. I had many aunts, uncles, cousins in the same town. All through my childhood, we spent almost as much time in Arkansas as we did in Tulsa or Houston. As with most Arkansans, all the members of my family were HUGE Razorback fans, even though none of them went there, let alone attended college. Only my father and one of his sisters ever went to college.
I always "knew" that is where I would go. My father, somewhat teasingly, always told me that I could to college anywhere I wanted, but he would only pay for Arkansas. By the time I got to college age, I was ready to get away from home. My thinking was that Arkansas was far enough away to be away, but close enough to my grandparents (2 1/2 hours) and I would see my parents when the made their numerous trips back home. Arkansas was , and is, a small school even though it is a state school (when I attended, 15,000 undergrads and only slightly higher now). I liked the small class sizes, the small but beautiful campus, the area of NW Arkansas and, of course, I was totally indoctrinated into the whole Razorback sports hysteria. I had gone to my first Razorback football game when I was 2 months old and had been attending or listening to games my whole life.
It's too bad that I wasn't exactly the best student - had I been, my experience would have been even better than it was.
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5 comments:
A more honest route to UA than mine to UT. I was chasing a skirt. Never even saw the campus until the day I moved in.
Scooter: Is that the skirt I'm familiar with? or an earlier one?
My college-picking story has some similarities. U of MInn. was far enough from Bismarck that I wouldn't be expected back except for holidays. But close enough that I could get home for holidays or emergencies by car. And my family had visited Minneapolis many times so it was a familiar city. And the core of the campus is lovely. And I wish I'd been a better student. ( I think I might have been if the classes were smaller and/or if the T.A.s had spoken English.)
It goes without saying that what would have really helped me be a better student would have been being smarter and/or working harder.
Nope. The skirt was another earlier one. The story is almost pathetic. Someday, I'll put it to print.
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