St Lawrence University

Date: Aug 30 2008
Major: Biology (This Major's Salary over time)
Throughout high school I was a very focused student/athlete that excelled in both while maintaining a very demanding job, to boot. I probably didn't devote as much time to my social life as I would have liked but hey I was focused on a greater goal during that time in my life. My family was close and successful, but not so successful that I lost sight of the ground. I spent my summers working on a farm and playing in various sports leagues. In my opinion I was an ideal student for whatever university I chose. St. Lawrence was one of the schools that I was accepted to, and certainly not the most prestigous. What brought me to St. Lawrence was the fact that the majority of the successful people I knew in my area were all St. Lawrence graduates, and they all knew one another and kept some kind of special relationship amongst them simply because they had once attended this school. Upon arriving to St. Lawrence I soon realized that I was surrounded by children of privelage. There were those that openly flaunted their status, and soon I realized that even the "hippies" wearing their homemade clothes and Birkenstocks had parents whose fortunes rivaled that of small third world nations. I initially was not exactly the social butterfly and I certainly felt like a fish out of water at first. The first year program was instrumental at introducing the young, naive, and generally overwhelmed college freshman to the University, the professors, the ideals of each specific department, and to their peers. Canton is certainly no metropolis which forces the students to find or create their own entertainment. It is my belief that boring people are often bored. The sheltered atmosphere of St. Lawrence is safe, clean, beautiful and above all challenging. I feel it offers a perfect environment for learning which I feel is all that you can ask of a University. I feel that it also forces the student body to create their own entertainment, in many ways, which further strengthens the community as a whole. I befriended students who came from every walk of life and found their stories and experiences to be quite valuable in many ways throughout the rest of my life. I grew both academically as well as socially while here, in ways I would not have had I been located near a larger city with all of its distractions. The true strength of St. Lawrence that many magazines and narratives miss is that of the social connections that one can make at this institution. The sons and daughters of the rich and powerful will typically become the rich and powerful of the future. I feel that the networking opportunities are second to none at St. Lawrence, and I am proud to say that I am a graduate of this great institution and cherish the memories and friendships that I made their as a student. As hard as any institution may try to better its students, the world is still what you make of it. I feel St. Lawrence, "leads the students to water, but it cannot make them all drink."