College has always been known as the time where students can choose what they do, how they do it, where they want to go and why, but where students go might not make as much of a difference as they’d think.
Though school pride and family traditions may affect the choice an individual makes, with undergraduate schools the name alone doesn’t matter.
Other activities, like making life-long friends, getting involved in extracurricular activities, finding a mentor and working with professors who make the students’ education their priority is more beneficial and can make the person happier in the long run, according to an article by QUARTZ.
Abby Nielsen, a sophomore art major from Ogden, said: “It’s all about the people you surround yourself with. Each person has a completely different experience even if they all go to the same school because they interact with different people.”
Being happy during and after college is determined by more than the school itself. Every college has clubs and activities it offers for its students, encouraging them to not only make friends but perhaps find a passion that continues on after college as well. At Dixie State University, the fashion club, the pagan club, the M.I.C. and DSUSA are just a few of the clubs and organizations that offer unique activities around campus.
With the variety of professors students work with throughout their college career, finding a few or even just one who shows a professional interest in their academic success can be encouraging. Professors can also double as mentors, which can build a unique bond and maybe even a life-long friendship, creating an overall better college experience.
Ryan Bauer, an alumnus who graduated in 2017, said he found his mentor while studying history. Bauer said they still talk to this day.
Another way to get the most out of your college experience is to make friends, possibly life-long ones.
Students can also meet people from different walks of life, making connections that might come in-handy in the professional world.
Hannah Goodfellow, a freshman athletic training major from Salt Lake City, said, “The connections you make in college are more important than the college you go to because of how it can build you up personally.”
When trying to really experience college and all it has to offer, joining clubs, putting oneself out there and finding the right people, whether they be mentors or something else entirely, is what matters. It’s not about where students go to college, it’s about what they do once they get there.
