As we prepare to leave Matthew on the doorstep of the University of Northern Colorado this August, I was thinking about my own college experience and how different things are today.
Back in my day, we did not have laptops, let alone personal computers. We had electric typewriters and if you were lucky, you had auto-correction built in! I went to the Mainland for my first two years and since my dad was really upset with me for choosing an out-of-state school, the deal was that I had to travel by myself. In fact, all my friends who went away to school traveled alone. My mother-in-law took my husband to college in California. Yeah, I’ve teased him about that on occasion!
My friend Mei Jeanne said she didn’t have computers in her day either. She claims that she used a quill pen and got around by horse and buggy. However, she does admit that her parents took her to college. Theresa remembers having the good old electric typewriter too and that her dad pretty much just dropped her off at the UH dorms. Do any of you recall actually visiting colleges in person? Not me. I had to pick my school based on the colleges’ view books. Matt? He visited almost every school he applied.
It’s amazing to see how college has changed. You can order everything you need for your dorm room online – linens, laptop/printers, microwave, refrigerator and they’ll have everything ready upon your arrival. You can also pick your roommate and dormitory. And you know what? The food is pretty good now on campus, not like that SAGA crap they served at UH!
College kids today have so many choices – multiple food stations in each cafeteria plus a fair share of fast food chains on campus. University of Northern Colorado also has a hair salon with dirt cheap prices (I should get highlights while I’m there) and their bookstore is run by Barnes & Noble. They also have their own computer store (Apple authorized, mind you) and the dorms are Internet-ready. Sheesh! No wonder college is so damn expensive now.
I just saw photos of Matt’s dorm. Recently renovated, Matt will share a 2-person suite. He’ll have his own room and will share a small living room and bathroom with his roommate. I can already envision his requests…TV, DVD player, Wii.
Now that I’m the mom, I definitely have a different perspective on traveling alone. Although I did it with relative ease (and this is before the advent of cell phones), I would never let Matt go to Colorado alone. Times are different now and although he’s a pretty savvy traveler, there are just too many things that could go wrong. I know this borderlines on being “helicopter” parents but we plan on spending only a few days in Greeley with the boy to get him settled and then we’re leaving for Disneyland before he has to register for classes. We figure he needs to do something on his own. Plus, I want out of there before he asks for help with his first load of laundry. It will be good for him to experience the horror of pink underwear or running out of clean clothes after a few weeks. His first few months of college life should provide for some interesting blog content. Stay tuned!
