The University of Mount Union

Date: Mar 26 2008
Major: Biology (This Major's Salary over time)
I went to Mount Union in the late '80s as an international student (I am Cuban and was living in Puerto Rico at the time). I only went cause my sister went and I followed. I do remember college as the best years of my life, but it was not because of the people I met at the college, it really was because I was going away for college and it was all new to me. The few people that became my friends were mostly international students as well, since the int'l student body is comprised of about 10 students and most of the gringos probably thought we were from Mars. They are mostly people from small towns in Ohio who have never even left Ohio or seen Disney World and they're (most of them) ignorant. Ignorant in general, but def. ignorant about other cultures (one time someone asked me if people in Puerto Rico actually lived in homes or in treehouses - NO LIE).

The campus is very small and there's nothing to do but get drunk on weekends. Many students belong to frat/sororities and they're totally stuck-up. The major entertainment (besides getting drunk or watching old movies at the 2-movie cinema) was a trip to the 5-mile away WalMart Wanna-Be store, the only one in the entire town. On the way there, the "townies" constantly screamed at us college people and flicked us. There was this ONE lousy bar where everyone went to get drunk, woo hoo.

My biggest disappointment was my faculty counselor. He practically ruined my life. During my first year, my GPA was a C because I was working on my English skills. By my junior year, my GPA was consistently 3.8 and I always made the Dean's List. Besides, I am excellent at test-taking and, being a minority, added with all these other assets, I could have had a real shot at medical school, which was my dream. He never advised me to pursue it; on the contrary, he told me right off the bat to forget about it. I applied to graduate school and was accepted (and finished) but he was a lousy counselor for not encouraging me to pursue my dream. Years later I realized I had a real shot at medical school, but by the time I already was married and had a baby. Thank You, Dr. Epp. YOU SUCK.

In reality I have great memories of my college years - the freedom, the college experience, great (international) people I met, but that's only cause I'm a positive person and I make my own experiences - not because the people there even tried. If you live in Ohio and are a hick, stay there and you'll be happy - but if you have an inch of open-mindedness, get out of that hick town and go to a diverse university.