 Drew Dorner '08
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BEING UNDECIDED Upon arriving at Miami, my goals were simple. I wanted to find a career path that suited me. I had been VERY undecided as an incoming freshman, which is perfectly fine and rather normal. In addition to that, I wanted to make the adjustment from dependent/tax write-off for my parents to responsible - to a point - adult. Now at the helm of my own life, it was time to develop characteristics and skills that would be crucial once I hit the working world. Business aside, I wanted to find a group of people with whom I could forge a lifelong friendship. DEFINING COLLEGE "College" happens in two places: in the academic buildings and classrooms where one is educated formally and outside those buildings, where experience and interaction take over. "Indoor" education helps one to develop the expertise needed in the various professions while "outdoor" education teaches a person about his or her self and the way the world works. Sometimes these two worlds overlap as classroom knowledge is applied to real world situations. Personally, enrolling in political science and law-related courses helped me achieve my goal to find a profession fitting for me. On the flip side, college is more than exams and lectures. Just as students must learn about cells, circuits, regression models or cost/benefit ratios, they must also learn about themselves. If I had to guess, I'd say the key to learning about oneself is finding those things in life for which one has a certain zest. For example, I like traveling and music. To satisfy those interests, I spent a semester in Luxembourg (highly recommended) and joined the Glee Club (also highly recommended). I've found that when you pursue an interest for which you have great passion, you tend to throw your entire self into the process. This, in turn, reveals all kinds of characteristics about a person. When I was in Europe, I frequently found myself venturing off onto side streets and away from the "group." This doesn't mean I'm a constant "loner"or a hermit; it just means I like to explore things beyond a superficial level. Along the same lines, I monitored my spending in Europe and compared it to that of others and found that, more often than not, I live more frugally than most of my classmates. Finally, through Glee Club, I learned that when I share a common goal with others (i.e. putting on a good concert), I tend to apply myself more so than I would for an individual goal. Now a graduate, all of these traits guide me in pursuing future goals. A LESSON FROM DR. HODGE I remember giving a tour once. Just as I was passing The Hub (you'll know it when you see it), Miami president Dr. David Hodge walked by my group. I stopped him and asked if he would chat with the prospective students about why Miami was such a great place. He told the group, "Students at Miami aren't the type to sit around and watch the world go by." He explained how Miamians follow their passions and pursue their goals. For some students, they know what those goals are before freshman orientation. For others who are like me, college is about discovering what it is that ignites a fire within oneself. Either way, to have learned so much about myself is an experience more valuable than any tuition check or diploma, and to have done it at Miami - a university that stresses all the things that a college experience should have - only made my four years that much greater.
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