By: Jaclyn Wloszek
Sitting in the University of Akron’s library, you can see every single walk of life. It’s amazing how many types of people go here. The whole spectrum of life is covered on Akron’s campus, where every single style and way of life imaginable is on display.
I never thought much of this diversity until I visited the campus of Miami University. Don’t get me wrong; Miami is a beautiful, red brick, academia university. It’s also safe, and everyone always has the perfect outfit on when they go out. Conformity is the way of life at Miami.
I had a perfect trip, but I left thinking that they are missing out. They are missing out on the diversity of human life that Akron can offer. Why is this important? They are missing out on a life lesson more valuable than their cost of tuition and the degrees they will receive.
As they sit on a large sum of money and hope to be accepted to the best programs because their degree is from Miami, they lack the pure life experiences of other human beings to support them in the future. It’s the adaptation, not the conformity, to society that is key in the academic experiences.
Personally, I know my time thus far in Akron has prepared me for what the real world can throw at you rather unexpectedly. This knowledge cannot be measured in tests or papers. It’s the experiences that shape my life. Without acceptance, experience and perspective, a degree is nothing but that, a degree.
Akron might not be the safest school, but it prepares you to watch your back and not be so naive; I can’t say the same for some students who attend those other schools like Miami. Akron’s not the cleanest part of the country, but it gives you the perspective on what you can do to improve the world. Akron’s not just one demographic, but many, and it’s better off this way. It makes you work with people that aren’t like you, aren’t as preppy or as religious, for example. Maybe you will never see Akron like I do; maybe you’ll always think Akron’s a dump or that it’s the perfect way to waste four years, but to me, it’s a lesson and an experience that, for a while, I thought was a detriment to my life. I now look at it as a lesson to live by.
