OPINION & EDITORIAL
Go out and live life!
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Also by Matt Modell:
- Taking responsibility for your decisions (April 24, 2003)
- An honorable and just battle (November 20, 2003)
- Ethical behavior should be encouraged at universities (December 10, 2003)
- Fixing the problems of ASM (November 25, 2003)
- The key word is 'illegal' (December 4, 2003)
Related Stories:
- Why do we drink so much? (October 3, 2001)
- Stress will subside, suicide bad choice (December 7, 2006)
- Full throttle to the bottle (December 14, 2004)
- The Scooby-Doo Syndrome hits this senior hard (September 18, 2002)
- Popular culture's unpopular slang (November 22, 2004)
by Matt Modell
Thursday, December 12, 2002
Coming into this school year, I had been on campus for the past three years, going to class and running through the daily routine of college life. College is a great time, and I’m in no real hurry to graduate, but I was missing something — a taste of the real world (or closer to it).
I have spent this past semester interning at the White House in Washington, D.C. This has been the most exciting and incredible experience of my life. I will never forget the people I have met, the work I have done or the talented people I work with at the White House.
Taking a semester off to go out and get a glimpse of the world that surrounds Madison has allowed me to get a better perspective of what is in the future and what I want out of life.
Friends have studied throughout Europe and the world, raving of their experiences, the people they met and the benefit of seeing a diversity of ideas and perspectives. Every last bit of that is true. You get a new perspective on people, friends, Madison and yourself.
Madison is a beautiful city, safe and a good place to live. But there is more out there to see, experience and enjoy. Living in Madison is like living in a bubble.
While Washington, D.C., isn’t reality either, at least here people come from all over the country. People from Texas do not see things the same way as people do from Wisconsin or California.
College is the best opportunity to see the world and try something different. After college, commitments such as family and a job get in the way — in college, taking a semester off is easy. Abroad programs are usually only a little more expensive than a semester’s tuition, and many internships will not allow you to wait until after college, because they require you to receive college credit to be accepted.
Some campus “leaders” speak about the need for diversity in order to receive a high quality college education. What they really mean is diversity in skin color. This is wrong.
What is needed, and lacking, is a diversity of ideas and opportunities. Diversity in skin color alone is not beneficial; a campus with people that are diverse in backgrounds and life experiences makes for a higher quality of education.
Going out and experiencing life and seeing more than just the upper Midwest gives a person a better understanding of people and an opportunity to learn from people that are from all over the country and world.
College is about taking risks and taking advantage of opportunities. Going to Mexico for spring break, even once, is an example of going out, experiencing a new scene and doing something new.
Too many of us get caught up in one or two things. For some people, it is homework or class. For others, it may be student government or drinking. The point is that too much of anything means the loss of other great opportunities
Taking a semester off to see more of the world will give you a new perspective on life. It will refresh you and make Madison a little more interesting after being away. Go out, see the world, meet new people and take advantage of every chance that comes your way. We are only young and in college once.
Matt Modell (mmodell@badgerherald.com) is a senior majoring in journalism and political science. He is in Washington, D.C., this semester for an internship.
