Shawn Mercer
We’ve all heard it. Ask any number of students why they’re at GC&SU and they’ll say, “because I didn’t get in to UGA.”
Since when were we even comparable to the largest university in the state?
Students come to GC&SU looking for an Athens experience, and of course, are disappointed. Don’t lower your expectations, change your attitude.
Our little town is often compared to Athens, which hosts 30,000 students-about six times more than our student population. Athens is like Milledgeville in that it is a small town, but in no other aspect are the two a fair comparison.
As a school with six times the student population, UGA students obviously provide a greater source of revenue for the small town in which they live. More revenue means more opportunities for businesses and more opportunities for entertainment.
We may have fewer establishments in which to enjoy our crazy college years, but there are plenty of places to entertain ourselves. Almost every establishment downtown has nights of the week with specials geared toward college students and if what we have is not enough you might be in college for the wrong reasons.
Although we obviously don’t have the same selection of nightlife, we have opportunities here that students disappearing into the crowds of larger universities will never experience. That experience is atmosphere.
The truth is, our university provides an ambience incomparable to that of larger universities. Our modest campus allows small class sizes in a personal learning environment that creates plentiful opportunities. Most professors here know the names of all of their students by the middle of the semester, and even know most of their students on a personal level-sometimes even inviting them to their homes. This personal level of attention is something that is virtually impossible for professors at enormous universities to achieve.
Anonymity is not an option here. That means in the bar, as well as in the classroom. Your mistakes are molehills that quickly become mountains, but your triumphs are celebrated regardless of their stature. You win some and you lose some.
Suffocating in a herd of students on our way to class is just not our style. Once students accept that GC&SU is not UGA, and that being different (not necessarily better) is a good thing, their experiences here, both big and small will become just a valuable as those felt by students who are just known by their numbers.
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Apr 15 2005. Filed under Opinion.
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