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I wrote this in the fall of 1999, my final semester at Penn State
Having been at Penn State for four years
now, I am not sure if I am ready to say
good-bye just yet. I have generally enjoyed
my time as a student, particularly since I
came up to University Park. Throughout the
experience, I have tried to get as much out
of it as possible. Inside and outside of
the classroom, I have learned much and
grown as a person. ( I have a page within
this site about
my education. )
My experience in the classroom has been
memorable. I have been very fortunate to
have some of the professors that I have.
The names Bettig and Gronowicz are at the
top of my list of favorite professors. Dr.
Bettig brought out the most of me in a
course. His excellent lectures inspired me
and assured me that I had selected the
right major. My world view is greatly
enhanced by his "political economy of
communications" focus. I thank Dr.
Gronowicz, a history professor I had for
two semesters at Hazleton, for showing me
how to be a university student, in addition
to his teachings which were enlightening
and at times, extremely humorous.
Media Studies has worked out very well for
me, I cannot think of a major that I could
have gotten more out of. I am proud of what
I have done and hope that I can continue it
at some point in the future. I am really
going to miss sitting in class and
participating as I learn. I found that
participating in my classes enhanced them
tremendously, I was more interested, and I
learned more.
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Outside of the classroom, I tried to
make it a point to do things that
would make me smarter - I did not
want learning to stop when I left
class. I made reading an important
part of my life - when I could. I
think one of the things I will miss
most will be sitting outside on Old
Main lawn, or my spot in front of the
Carnegie Building and reading. Being
outside, beneath the majestic elms,
is so relaxing and peaceful. Penn
State has the largest strand of elms
in the world, or very near that. Warm
days at Penn State make you feel so
happy to be alive. The biggest
downside of graduating in December is
probably having the cold, gray
overcast fall and early winter as my
final time as a student.
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On a lighter note, the things that are
generally considered "college life" by some
people, have been fun too. My years at
Hazleton, I was always going on road trips.
Sometimes I would visit my friends at their
schools, like Shepherd College in eastern
West Virginia or University of Virginia. I
also made a lot of trips to New York City,
often for no particular reason. In my
sophomore year, I found myself in the Lehigh
Valley a lot, there was a wonderful movie
theater near Easton that we must have gone to
about ten times to see movies, especially the
Star Wars Special Editions (take a look at my
page "
That's Entertainment" for more). The
proximity to many of these places is probably
what I miss most about Hazleton. Here in
Central Pennsylvania, there is nothing
nearby.
Above: FB Aaron Harris
runs through Ohio State, the most
incredible play in the most
incredible game I have ever seen,
October 11, 1997.
View it QT
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Throughout my time as a student, at
both campuses, I have been an avid
Nittany Lions football fan. The first
four years, I never missed a game and
made it to an away game at the
Meadowlands vs. Rutgers once. The
streak is in jeopardy this year, but
thus far, I have made the first two.
The excitement these games have
provided has been tremendous,
particularly the games vs. Ohio State.
While PSU lost in 1995, they won in
dramatic fashion in 1997, the most
incredible game played in Beaver
Stadium ever. Even though most games
are not so intense and dramatic, just
thinking about the Blue Band March onto
the field the first game of the season
can get my beating fast. Tailgating,
naturally, has added to the experience
as well. I even got to have my family
up a few times, which was great,
particularly in '98 when my dad came up
to the Michigan State game.
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Like most college students, I managed to
party and go out, but probably less than
average. I was not really a drinker until I
got to be a junior, and that really got
going after I turned twenty-one. My
favorite times where always when I was with
a good friend, just hanging around,
laughing, and getting a little tipsy. Every
once in a while, I would go somewhere and
dance or go crazy, but not too often. I
think I liked it that way. Just for fun, I
made a exaggerated page within this site
about going out on the town, called
After Hours.
Whether I like it or not, its all coming
to a close. In truth, it is time to move on
to other things. I think I will miss my
relationships with my professors the most,
friends will still be around. These
relationships, and some of the things
mentioned above, helped make my experience
more than just "college."
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