PUBLISHED: 05-04-09

Editor’s Note

Graduating? Hate Columbia? Make a pro-con list

Toward the end of every semester, I (like most students) experience an intense feeling of anxiety and desperation to be done with it all. It’s usually more like a desperation for a break, I suppose. And this semester, my last, the feeling seems much more intense than usual.

I’ve experienced severe depression and anxiety from the whole not-having-a-job thing, mostly because I feel like a mega-failure. But what’s worse is that in the past few weeks, I’ve transferred these emotions into some really negative feelings toward Columbia and other things for taking over my life and putting me into unimaginable debt with, what feels like, nothing to show for it.

It’s a really confusing time for me, and most of you, I’m sure, as I’ve never felt anything but love for this college. I dreaded leaving for the longest time, but lately, all I can think about is crossing the stage at graduation and never looking back.

So, I thought it was time for an intervention. I made a list—much like my predecessor did in this column space last year—of my favorite and not-so-favorite things about Columbia, from the experiences I’ve had in the past four years here.

Not-so-favorites

Part-time faculty: Granted, a lot of the part-time faculty here are fantastic for making connections and learning real-world lessons about your field. But, honestly, some just don’t know how to effectively teach college students. Well, most of them are overworked and underpaid, so I guess who could blame them for being grumpy?

Administration: Bless their hearts for working hard, but some of them have made some pretty terrible decisions—ahem, exorbitant spending?—and seem to be really out of touch with the students. The bureaucracy at this college is out-of-this-world, and the administration has pulled some pretty desperate stunts to keep some things on the hush-hush. Tame those egos, folks!

Attitudes: Let’s face it—we’re a hipster art school. There’s bound to be a large population of pretentious turds roaming about campus at all times. But that doesn’t mean I have to be OK with it.

Attendance policy: Wait … there isn’t one! This would normally be good, but because there isn’t a collegewide policy, instructors can pretty much enforce whatever policy they wish. Let the student choose whether or not they want to fail the class by missing out on all the material.

Favorites

Faculty: The instructors I’ve had—specifically in the Journalism Department—are, bar none, some of the most talented, inspirational and brilliant people I’ve ever come across. They genuinely care about their students and will do anything for them if they deserve it and work hard enough for it.

Resources: With things like the Portfolio Center, internship coordinators, networking events, renowned faculty with lots of connections, among many other things, there’s really no excuse to not succeed. I realize this sounds crazy, coming from a graduating senior without a job, but just humor me.

Location: Hello! We study, work and play in downtown Chicago. For a girl who lived, worked and played in wheat fields and at the nearby Wal-Mart in Kansas for 18 years, this was a dream come true.

Students: To be honest, a lot of you really get on my nerves when you’re obnoxious in class or push your way to the front of the crowd waiting for the elevator with little regard for manners. But when you get down to it, there are some unbelievably talented students at this college. I love seeing my classmates accomplish amazing things, and your creativity really inspires me to work harder and keep on keeping on.

Happenings on campus: We’ve had speakers like Jane Fonda, Chuck D and (soon!) Ray Bradbury; crazy circus performers at Convocation; amazing forums and panels on social issues; and other consistently great galleries and exhibits always popping up in various buildings. There’s always something to do or someone to see, and I only wish I would have had the time to enjoy these opportunities more.

So, as you can see, my pros do outweigh the cons. Just writing this has cheered me up and put things into perspective. (Shout out to my predecessor for inspiring me to compile this!)
I suppose I really do love this place after all.

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