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My College Days — Boy Did I Have It Made
I recently attended my 50th high-school reunion, and as I reflected on my graduation in 1969, I also recalled my first year of college in September of that year. I was extremely nervous, of course, because I had never lived away from home before, and I would have to share a dormitory room with someone I had never met before. Fortunately, I adjusted to those new realities quite easily and quickly, and within a week or so, I settled in for what would become the four easiest years of my life. Naturally, I was too young and immature at the time to realize my good fortune, and I took everything for granted, but looking back now as a relatively wise old man, I finally realize I had it made.
The first advantage I enjoyed as a student on campus is that I did not have to deal with the morning commute. During my high-school years, for example, I would usually walk to school, take a city bus, or find a ride with friends who had both licenses and cars. The walk option was probably 45 minutes carrying a gym bag (at that time, no one used back packs) while the bus option usually took a half hour, and I had to stand in the aisle most of the way. The friend option was an easy 15-minute drive, but that didn’t happen consistently until my senior year. Part of me wished I had a car of my own, but I had no comprehension of the adult responsibilities that would have been involved: paying for…
