Diversity of Thought
Since I transferred from a 4 year state university to a community college, my eyes have really been opened to the diversity of people in the Metroplex. While my old university had a sizable international population, most of the students came from a few select countries. In my new school, many students from South America, the former USSR, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa have all been in the same class with me (at the same time in a class of <40).
Another noticeable difference I've seen in community colleges is that people are more likely to talk and be friendly to students they haven't had class with before. At my old university, cliques made the transition from high school to college, and the students' sense of community was limited to the same 4 friends they did everything with in high school. These little cells usually aren't very diverse and the group makes it known consciously or unconsciously through barriers put up in their body language that strangers aren't necessarily welcome. Here, it feels like you are surrounded by lots of friendly faces. As many of the students are older and their high school cliques have long been outgrown or left behind, they are forced to outreach to others to form study groups and networks for navigating through college.
The motives for attending higher education tend to be more diverse as well. Many of my fellow classmates here have riveting stories to tell about what inspired them to come back to school or anecdotes of what life was like in their former country of residence. In contrast, at university, the primary goal of most of the 18 year olds was to obtain sufficient training for a job and to party with friends. While these aren't necessarily bad goals, a lot of the students were so burnt out on academics from 13 years of primary and secondary schooling, they refused to do reading needed for class or do any intellectual growth. While this same sense of academic malaise does rear its head in a community college, the increased number of older students contribute a different set of perspectives as well.
One of my former classmates devoted much of his life to doing missionary and volunteer work for a large local charity whose purpose is to help the poor of our local community and metroplex. I asked him about what it was like to do missionary work and he told me about traveling to an Native American reservation. The reservation was remote from any sort of civilization and what few roads went into it were in bad repair. Due to the isolation and poverty, much of the local population had turned to alcohol abuse as a diversion from their problems. The poverty of these people meant they would go and buy cheap hairspray and drink it for the alcohol content as regular alcoholic beverages cost too much. He said although these people were in horrific shape, they were glad to see outsiders and very gracious hosts with what little they had. He said they were highly receptive to the Word and the messages of hope and love their visitors brought. His experiences as a volunteer inspired him to return to school (he already had a bachelors degree) and become a dental hygienist to do volunteer work in the free dental clinic associated with the charity he loved so much.
All in all, I've had a much better experience than I expected when I transferred to put obtaining my nursing license on the fast track. Already, my exposure to multiple cultures, religions, and customs has helped me relate better to people at work and I also hope it makes me a more compassionate nurse when the time comes to pass that I get my license. Like it or not, Texas is a diverse region and if you aren't able to interact with cultures other than your own, it will put a damper on your success in life.
Another noticeable difference I've seen in community colleges is that people are more likely to talk and be friendly to students they haven't had class with before. At my old university, cliques made the transition from high school to college, and the students' sense of community was limited to the same 4 friends they did everything with in high school. These little cells usually aren't very diverse and the group makes it known consciously or unconsciously through barriers put up in their body language that strangers aren't necessarily welcome. Here, it feels like you are surrounded by lots of friendly faces. As many of the students are older and their high school cliques have long been outgrown or left behind, they are forced to outreach to others to form study groups and networks for navigating through college.
The motives for attending higher education tend to be more diverse as well. Many of my fellow classmates here have riveting stories to tell about what inspired them to come back to school or anecdotes of what life was like in their former country of residence. In contrast, at university, the primary goal of most of the 18 year olds was to obtain sufficient training for a job and to party with friends. While these aren't necessarily bad goals, a lot of the students were so burnt out on academics from 13 years of primary and secondary schooling, they refused to do reading needed for class or do any intellectual growth. While this same sense of academic malaise does rear its head in a community college, the increased number of older students contribute a different set of perspectives as well.
One of my former classmates devoted much of his life to doing missionary and volunteer work for a large local charity whose purpose is to help the poor of our local community and metroplex. I asked him about what it was like to do missionary work and he told me about traveling to an Native American reservation. The reservation was remote from any sort of civilization and what few roads went into it were in bad repair. Due to the isolation and poverty, much of the local population had turned to alcohol abuse as a diversion from their problems. The poverty of these people meant they would go and buy cheap hairspray and drink it for the alcohol content as regular alcoholic beverages cost too much. He said although these people were in horrific shape, they were glad to see outsiders and very gracious hosts with what little they had. He said they were highly receptive to the Word and the messages of hope and love their visitors brought. His experiences as a volunteer inspired him to return to school (he already had a bachelors degree) and become a dental hygienist to do volunteer work in the free dental clinic associated with the charity he loved so much.
All in all, I've had a much better experience than I expected when I transferred to put obtaining my nursing license on the fast track. Already, my exposure to multiple cultures, religions, and customs has helped me relate better to people at work and I also hope it makes me a more compassionate nurse when the time comes to pass that I get my license. Like it or not, Texas is a diverse region and if you aren't able to interact with cultures other than your own, it will put a damper on your success in life.
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