I unfortunately spent my second four-day weekend of the semester (Mondays and Fridays off, I'm the schedule master!) not getting to most of the work I should have. This time I blame Valentine's Day, which I celebrated on Saturday. It's a lame excuse, since I still had Friday, Sunday and Monday, but oh well.
Since there isn't much new to report besides the mind-numbing amount of reading I have this term (all of my classes, even to some extent Microeconomics, are VERY reading intensive), I'm going to respond to some of the things Sarah brought up in her earlier post about her dissatisfaction with Macaulay. Although Sarah has the right to express her opinions, and provide a realistic idea of what life at Macaulay is like for her, I want to give you readers the other side of the story :)
Macaulay IS different from your typical college campus. The students are spread out at seven different campuses across NYC. Common events are planned on evenings and days off so that the maximum number of people can come (and there are not many mandatory common events scheduled throughout the semester, usually it’s only two or three, so while it may be frustrating, it’s not too often) since they are traveling from all over the city. The dorms at Hunter are all singles, and besides seminars and honors classes, which are the minority in your schedule, you are just one of 16,000 undergrads, making socializing and finding your niche difficult. Hunter College consists of three buildings on 68th street connected by walkways, with some other buildings used for various purposes scattered throughout the rest of the city. Completing General Education Requirements can feel like jumping through hoops and arbitrary requirements and designations can frustrate your plans.
BUT
Having students at all different campuses means that when you do get together at Macaulay, you are with students who’ve had completely different experiences than you, and I think there’s something valuable to be gained from that. In fact, my best friend goes to Macaulay Baruch. I met her at orientation. I love that the dorms are singles, because it means you have your own private space, and you don’t have to worry about a crazy roommate – but you can still see friends from school because they’re in the same building! And most of the people I have met at the dorms have been extremely friendly and open. Though socializing may be difficult, the fact that Macaulay/hunter doesn’t force a group of people down your throat forces you to be more outgoing, and also means you are more likely to find a group of people who are more suited to be your friends (which is another advantage of attending such a big school in such a big city!). Though Hunter itself may not look very green, something that is better than any college quad is just two blocks away – Central Park! (and it’s just a block away from the Macaulay building as well). And while GERs and other related difficulties can seem incredibly frustrating, EVERY college has them. I have friends who go to NYU, Columbia, Harvard – they all complain about dumb requirements or rules regarding their schedules. There are going to be a couple of classes you have to take in college – wherever you go – that you don’t want to. Some of them you will hate. Some of them you may end up loving and being incredibly thankful you were forced to take them. You never know until you try.
I completely respect Sarah’s opinions about Hunter/Macaulay, and if she chose to transfer, I would respect that as well. The important thing about college is not to go to the school with a prestigious name, or the school that’s free and gives you a Macbook, but to go to the school that’s the right fit for you. Macaulay at Hunter is the right fit for me, and hundreds of other students. Use this blog and all resources available to help decide if it’s the right one for you. If it is (and if Macaulay agrees of course) I think you’re in for an amazing college experience.
…Off to do that work I should’ve done this weekend.
Kaitlyn
Kt.ohagan@gmail.com
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