"You don't know what you've got 'til iIt's gone"
Kate Fowler
Kate Fowler
Issue date: 10/9/07 Section: Opinion
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Considering GSC's four-year degree offerings are currently limited, I predict that most students are planning a transfer to a larger institution after locking in their core curriculum. Having made the switch myself, from GSC to UGA and back again, I would like to offer up a few cautionary words to help students anticipate changes they might incur during the swap.
Using the University of Georgia as an example, anyone could spot the students' top complaints by skimming the headlines of the school newspaper, The Red and Black. "Trust Instincts About Safety", "Changes Can Make Classes Less Crowded" and "Crimewatch Deluxe" caught my eye, and for the most part, they touch on two of the worst side effects of a major university---competition and crime, the big Cs.
UGA weighed in with an enrollment of 33,660 for fall semester 2007, and with numbers like those, it's no surprise that tasks such as registering for classes or scheduling appointments with instructors transform into full-on, melee style fights to the proverbial death. What's more, parking at the overflowing university is handled with what I've termed the Annual Parking Lottery Extravaganza which is less of a celebration and more of a scheduled mass panic attack as all 33,660 anxiously await the revealing of their assigned lots, some of which will cost upwards of $350.
By comparison GSC, with a fall 2007 enrollment of 5,418 at the Oakwood campus, gladly distributes parking passes to all students by way of a $10 auto registration fee. Although paved lot passes remain first-come first-serve, resorting to the grassy overflow lot is a far cry from the short end of the stick. True, it may be quite a hustle to library classrooms from that lot, but being accustomed to the lottery, I can't help wondering if it's my birthday every morning as I nestle into a spot that's actually within viewing distance of the campus.
If you're not fazed by competition, then allow me to turn your attention to crime. Statistics between minor and major institutions compare like top news stories would between Detroit and Mayberry. I'm thinking something along the lines of "Three Murdered in Home" and "Senior Ladies' Bake Sale" respectively.
Using the University of Georgia as an example, anyone could spot the students' top complaints by skimming the headlines of the school newspaper, The Red and Black. "Trust Instincts About Safety", "Changes Can Make Classes Less Crowded" and "Crimewatch Deluxe" caught my eye, and for the most part, they touch on two of the worst side effects of a major university---competition and crime, the big Cs.
UGA weighed in with an enrollment of 33,660 for fall semester 2007, and with numbers like those, it's no surprise that tasks such as registering for classes or scheduling appointments with instructors transform into full-on, melee style fights to the proverbial death. What's more, parking at the overflowing university is handled with what I've termed the Annual Parking Lottery Extravaganza which is less of a celebration and more of a scheduled mass panic attack as all 33,660 anxiously await the revealing of their assigned lots, some of which will cost upwards of $350.
By comparison GSC, with a fall 2007 enrollment of 5,418 at the Oakwood campus, gladly distributes parking passes to all students by way of a $10 auto registration fee. Although paved lot passes remain first-come first-serve, resorting to the grassy overflow lot is a far cry from the short end of the stick. True, it may be quite a hustle to library classrooms from that lot, but being accustomed to the lottery, I can't help wondering if it's my birthday every morning as I nestle into a spot that's actually within viewing distance of the campus.
If you're not fazed by competition, then allow me to turn your attention to crime. Statistics between minor and major institutions compare like top news stories would between Detroit and Mayberry. I'm thinking something along the lines of "Three Murdered in Home" and "Senior Ladies' Bake Sale" respectively.
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