ARCHIVE:: APRIL 2002 :: ON CAMPUS

The Complete College Experience
Focus on Opportunities to Learn Outside the Classroom

By Harlan Cohen
Special to The Wall Street Journal

Prom is almost here! But this column isn't about prom. I was just trying to get your attention. This is about college -- again.

On Campus Harlan Cohen

College is not just four more years of school or job training. It's a collection of experiences that will create lasting memories and help define who you are. So when you're making decisions about college, choosing an environment that offers opportunities outside the classroom is just as important as choosing your courses or your major. It might even be more important.

Consider this: There are 168 hours in the week. Approximately 20 of these hours will be spent inside the classroom (assuming you go to class). This leaves 148 hours to work, study, sleep, bathe, eat and do whatever else you want. For me, the challenges, the disappointments and the victories outside the classroom are the memories that endure. High school prepared me for life inside the college classroom, but it was life outside the classroom that prepared me for real life.

The problem I've encountered is that barely anyone talks to high-school students about life outside the classroom. It's always about getting into college, making the grades or picking a major. But there's a whole other world once you get there, one that is far too important to overlook.

I asked college students, past and present, to share some of the out-of-classroom experiences that shaped their future. I hope it gives you something to think about this spring and beyond.

The Vibe

This past year, I've visited over 30 colleges, and each one has a distinct "vibe." It's like a body odor, but without the smell. The vibe is the pace of life, the political views, the way people dress, the way people talk, and the general attitude. And it's almost always found outside the classroom.

"Ultimately, the thing that helped me was getting the general attitude of the school," says Adam Rehmer, now a senior at Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill., who recommends spending at least one night on campus before you choose a college. He gauged this by "asking the people at the college challenging questions and going in with an aggressive attitude." Mr. Rehmer's day of soaking in the vibe helped him decide on the smaller Augustana over a much larger university.

The more comfortable you are with the vibe, the easier it is to explore and take risks with the rest of your time on campus. Mr. Rehmer lived in the dorms for two years, then moved to a fraternity and has become extremely active both on campus and in the community. Things he never intended to learn: Dorm life helped him manage his personal relationships. Fraternity life helped him to understand how to manage an organization/business. Campus activities helped him budget his time efficiently and connect with people. It was all part of his college education.

Living It Up

Mr. Rehmer's experience illustrates how much you can learn without even going to class. Consider your residence halls, for instance.

Not all residence halls are the same (or smell the same). Some are big and some are small. Some cater to upperclassmen and some to freshmen and sophomores. Some are co-ed, or have co-ed floors (sorry, there are no co-ed rooms). Some are "residential colleges," where you live among people with similar interests. Each of these environments offers a different experience, yet any one of them will help broaden your education.

It's an experience that many commuter students miss out on, says Nic Heinrich, who started out college living at home. "I spent two years commuting, and I never really felt like I was part of the college," he says. "I made friends only with those I knew from class, and anything outside of class I never participated in, because I wasn't there or didn't know about the events."

So he transferred, and he's now an upperclassman at University of Wisconsin-Platteville. "I needed to live in the dorms," Mr. Heinrich says. "Though I was uneasy at first, I can still say to this day that dorm life was the greatest experience in college. I made an entire social network of people, some who are my best friends today."

Getting Out There

And don't forget that there is a world outside the classroom and the dorm. Much of your college education will come from the resources and diversions you have access to off campus, in the surrounding town or a nearby city. A campus in rural America offers a whole different set of experiences from a big-city campus, though both can be equally enlightening.

Alexis Abrams started her undergrad at a small college in rural Ohio, but after two years, felt she needed more variety. So she transferred to Columbia University's Barnard College in New York. In her free time, she got involved in the International Center of Photography there, and eventually she became a docent, or outside lecturer. So where is she now? Back in the heartland, pursuing her passion in photojournalism as a graduate student at the University of Missouri in Columbia.

Every college offers a unique experience. So how do you know you'll end up at one that's right for you? It might seem like an overwhelming decision, but it doesn't have to be.

Just ask yourself this one question: Can the college I've chosen offer me a comfortable place where I can take risks, expand my mind and discover my passion, inside and outside the classroom? That's what a complete college education is all about.

Send your comments to harlan@helpmeharlan.com