Anyway, I've been thinking a lot about college lately; namely other people's experiences. I still have quite a few friends in community colleges, which makes me look back on my own experiences at one of the local CCs. I hated it. H-A-T-E-D it. At the beginning of my "higher education," I'd started college in August of 2003, when I was still a confused 17-year-old. I had decided on a school called The University of Redlands, located approximately 45 minutes east of Los Angeles. The appeal was a) it was small, b) it was a liberal arts school, and most importantly, c) it wasn't too far from Disneyland. Unfortunately, it was in the Inland Empire, which is a dusty, smoggy, desert that is even worse than LA itself.
Needless to say, I immediately regretted my decision and chose to return home for my Sophomore year. Because my major was undeclared, I had no choice but to go to College of San Mateo (CSM), the closest community college. I'd been there before for various reasons; I'd even taken film classes there during the summer before 7th grade. It didn't seem like it would be terrible.
It was awful. It felt like being back in a public high school, which was one of the last things I could have wanted. I had very few quality teachers, a hell of a time finding parking, and the old buildings had absolutely no air-conditioning. You must understand that CSM is up at a bit of an elevation, and the late-summer heat was awful. There were countless times that I sat in my seat, sweat blurring my vision and my head feeling light, unable to concentrate due to the 90°+ temperature inside the classrooms.
After three semesters at CSM, I transferred to an art school (that would literally accept anyone) out of desperation to make a quick escape from community college. When I hear my friends talk about their schedules, it makes my body tense up even imagining waking up at eight in the freakin' morning to be at class by 9am. There just weren't enough options!
That's all for now. I think I lost steam.
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