Thursday, April 14, 2011
Meet The Locals
Unlike many prospective college freshmen, I'm actually remembering that I will live in a town as well as in a dorm. My life is not going to be in a bubble made up of the school, the dorm, and sports. I actually will leave campus, which means I want to know what the town is like, and get a sense of the people. I have always heard about town and gown rivalries, where sometimes the locals hate the scholars, and the scholars hate the locals. I want to fit in, and be perceived as me, not just some kid at a university. And who knows, maybe I'll meet the woman of my dreams, and settle in that town. But of course, more immediately, where are the pizza places, other cheap eats, good bookstores, and sports bars? This is what a college student will need for at least the next four years. So, with that in mind, I asked for some brochures from the local visitors' bureau, and highlighted all the places the towns featured. Now I got smart. I went to the college website, and found email addresses of students. Basically, I emailed them, and asked them about their honest opinion of the college and town, because I didn't want the hype from the visitor's bureau to be my only source of information. This is painstaking research I know, as I reach for another slice of pizza, but it is absolutely essential, because I will live in the town too.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
You definitely have to meet the locals. I mean, you need to know them in case your dorm burns down. You need to have a steadfast plan, someone to stay with, so that you don't have to spend money on a hotel. If you become friends with Mr. Barto whose daughter died in a car crash and who has an extra room for you to stay in, thats great. You wouldn't have known that without meeting the locals. Also, you should know where the good pizza places. If you have to drive 20 miles out of your way at 12 o'clock in the night for a good pizza, you're doing it right!
ReplyDeleteKnowing the locals is always a great advantage, in the event of an emergency, of if you have no friends lol.
ReplyDeleteThe more people you know, the better. Its always good to have someone to lean on if something goes wrong. Also, e-mailing the students and asking about themselves dosen't neccessarily mean that their response is the truth. Make sure of the people.
ReplyDelete