Academic Shenanigans - A Memoir

My daughter tells me that she sometimes uses my college academic experience to encourage her students to work harder on their grades. Today, I thought I’d write about my college antics for my writing practice. Maybe someone else will realize how important it is not to waste your college years! 

It’s spring, 1968. The country is in the middle of the Vietnam War. I lost my favorite uncle, Bobby, age 25, in the war just last year. But here in small-town Lewes, Delaware, on my family farm, Vietnam is far away and not currently in my thoughts. All I can think about, today, is my new home for the next four years, the University of Delaware. 

My Uncle Bobby

I had made plans for my boyfriend, Ernie, to meet us and drive up with us to visit the campus. I met Ernie, a coast guard sailor, through my older brother, and we had been dating for the last year. As my parents and I were getting ready to leave, the phone rings. It was Ernie. He gives me an ultimatum - marry him or go to college. I was speechless. I sure didn’t expect that. I chose college, however I did spend quite a bit of  time crying on the way up the highway. But, the excitement of going to college kept me moving forward.

 

I loved school and I especially loved my home economics teacher, Miss Parvis. She was my hero. I was going to be just like her - a home economics teacher. Because I was a good student and from a lower income family, I had earned a scholarship/work study program that paid my way through college, in full. There was no way I was giving that up.

Betty Crocker Homemaker of the Year

What I didn’t realize was the difference between small-town, sheltered farm life and big-town, university life. Instead of classes being 10-15 students, my classes are in lecture halls of 300+ students. Instead of teachers who know you and encourage you in your studies, my new teachers are dots on a stage. The classes are not what I expected. My dorm smells like marijuana. Students are making out on the steps of classroom buildings. Boys are streaking in their birthday suits, wearing a mask no less! Hydration is primarily booze, not water, and partying is the main course. I am definitely a “fish out of water.” 

 

It wasn’t long before my goal in college was no longer to become a home economics teacher, but to date one guy from each fraternity on campus. Studying was non-existent. It was all about the fun. This was a life I had never experienced, and I was ready to experiment.

 

By the end of my first year, I was on academic probation. Therefore, I quickly devised a new goal - study just enough to stay in school. I did NOT want to go home. The only classes I did well in were organic chemistry and psychology, so I changed my major to psychology. I didn’t like that. Next, I changed to business administration. Why? I have no idea, but it worked, at least for the remainder of my college career. In fall of my 3^rd year, I married Bill and left college for good, or so I thought.

 

Fast forward to the year 2007, almost 40 years later. I’d been very happy as a stay-at-home mom while my children were growing up. Now, my kids were out of the house. Bill was legally blind and no longer able to work. Any additional income was now up to me. I decided to go back and finish my college degree. 

 

I applied to Oklahoma State University and was appalled to learn that my 1.7 GPA from University of Delaware followed me all the way to Oklahoma. I was admitted, but I was on probation with the understanding that I had to get my GPA up to 2.5 in order to graduate. In other words, I had to earn a 4.0 in every class or I would not graduate! 

 

I never worked so hard in my life. I studied for hours on end, read extra books when available, and spent many hours in the tutoring center. I was a journalism major so I started my own blog and even made it on Good Morning America because of my blog. 

But I did it! I brought my GPA up to 2.97 and graduated at age 60. Even though I had a 4.0 cumulative average at OSU, I was disappointed to learn that I wouldn't graduate with honors, again because of my past shenanigans! But at least I did graduate! 

 

It makes me wonder what my life would have been like if I had applied myself the first time around! The moral of this story is: Your grades will follow you everywhere. Do it right the first time!