Curtis WestbayThe classes are fun
I remember very vividly a class that I had to take during my freshman year in college— History 104: United States History (1607-1877). I was not excited to take it, but I had to obtain some general education credits. I didn't want to learn about American Colonial history. By the second week of the class, I couldn't wait to go to the lectures. My professor was so passionate and articulate and interesting and patient and funny. He had hilarious idiosyncrasies that became inside jokes with the new friends I was making. Who knew that learning about the Stamp Act could be fun?
This class wasn't even in my major. In fact, at the time, I had entered college as a Political Science major— that didn't last for very long. Another one of my favorite classes, Latin, was also a class that I took only because it fulfilled a requirement. It became my college majors (Classics), and a lifelong interest of mine. All because learning was fun.
Not everyone is like me, though, endlessly fascinated and easily distracted. For some, the opportunity to take in-depth classes about a persistent interest is really exciting. Our students will have the opportunity to dig deep into subjects that they've only scratched the surface on. And it will be frustrating, challenging, intriguing, and, yes, fun.
The people are fun
In college, I met lots of people: older students, fellow freshmen, professors, operations and support staff. It was liberating to have more control over my peer group in college, and I gravitated toward people whose goals and aspirations were similar to mine. In the dorm building, I met people from all over my state and all over the world. Again, it wasn't always perfect— there were disagreements. But it was exciting and interesting, too. Everyone seemed to have unique experiences to share and those unique experiences contributed to a wide variety of ideas. Unlike in my hometown, where there was extensive overlap in the experiences of my peer group, at college it was exciting just to hear about the differences in the lives of my classmates who grew up only hours away from me.
The experiences are fun
I got involved in a variety of student groups that I never had in high school (e.g. the rugby team). Sometimes, I found comfort in sharing time with other students who had passions similar to mine. As nerdy as it sounds, I really enjoyed drinking coffee and laughing with fellow Classics majors at my 2AM shift of the "Homer-a-thon," a 24-hour reading of Homer's Iliad aloud in its original Greek. On the other end of the spectrum, I will never forget the nerves and excitement before I rappelled down the huge wooden tower as a part of my Military Science 101 course. In between class time, there were fun activities planned in the dorms by my Residential Advisors— older students who worked on campus helping younger students in the residence halls. But most of the fun activities I had weren't arranged for me. They were spontaneous, like a late night breakfast with friends at a local diner that made great pancakes. Thinking back makes me feel nostalgic.
The campuses are fun
This may sound weird, but college campuses feel different. I remember walking the campus of Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York on a counselor tour, and one of the other counselors remarked that the library felt like something out of Harry Potter. College campuses have a historic feeling of gravity, but that doesn't mean they feel stuffy. There are all sorts of people vying for your attention. In common spaces on campus, there are various events, many of which have no other goal than fun.
The homework is fun
This may sound even weirder, but the homework is fun. Stick with me— the homework, especially that assigned in courses that interest students most, can be pretty fun. Professors have pretty interesting questions to ask much of the time. One of my favorite surprises was a homework assignment on soil types in Agriculture Science 100 (yet another class that I had to take). I had been reading something in Latin for a class on the Roman Republic, and it made more sense after I saw a soil type map that my Agriculture Science professor shared with me. He even got excited enough about the crossover between the two classes that he modified assignments so that I could research the ancient Mediterranean and soil types at the same time. Yes, even the homework can be absurdly fun in college!