by
Taylor Nelson
College,
thus far, has been… an experience. Some of it has been tough, but a lot of it
has been really great. And I attribute a lot of the greatness that I have
experienced to being a part of Barrett, the Honors College.
I
was a social butterfly in high school. Volleyball, marching band, choir, NHS,
broadcasting and the senior video… you name it, and chances are I was probably
involved with it in some way, at some point.
For
some reason, coming to college changed that. I was suddenly a lot shyer and much
more reserved. I was out of my comfort zone, and that was intimidating.
That’s
where Barrett really became a blessing in my life.
You
don’t have to be best friends with everybody to always have something to talk
about in the elevator, be it Human Event or the really delicious cookies we got
on the first day of classes or how, exactly, you pronounce the word
“houyhnhnm.”
The
sense of community that I have found with B-town D-town has really helped me
break out of the shell that I, apparently, formed somewhere between high school
graduation and Taylor Place move-in day. Now, through my involvement with
Honors Devils and the many community events that Barrett plans, I feel like I
belong. I’m still stretching my wings a bit, maybe, but that’s okay, because
the Barrett downtown community is a fantastic place to do so.
On
top of the personal perks, Barrett offers so many academic opportunities that
are so, incredibly beneficial. Trust me, you won’t realize just how nice free
printing and early registration are until you make some friends who don’t get
those privileges. Also, I have come to the conclusion that if you can write an
essay for Human Event, you can write an essay for practically any other class.
You will also, undoubtedly, learn how to argue, and very well, at that. (And if
you’re stubborn, like me, you’ll find that this newfound ability to support any
argument comes in handy.)
It’s
probably really cheesy and somewhat cliché to say that Barrett changed my life,
but I think it did. If I hadn’t been a part of Barrett this year, I know that I
would have had a much different freshman experience. My mother may have
pressured me into applying to the honors college, but without a doubt, it was
one of the best college decisions I could have made.