From June 20 to July 12, my view of my future, and more specifically, college, changed. At Radford’s Governor’s School program, I learned what it meant to grow up. I stayed in a dorm, sharing my space with not one, but three other students. With the wide variety of disciplines, such as visual, vocal, or performing arts, I met so many people from all walks of life who had aspirations entirely different from my own.
Radford has an extremely walkable campus, with freshly mowed lawns and brick paths between buildings. The dorm I resided in, Stuart, was in the middle of campus, and near to my classes. I preferred to take walks in the evenings while the sun was setting to call my friends or listen to music. I realized that I would want to stay in a dorm and have a preference for a smaller, walkable campus.
Artis, a new building containing classrooms and studios, was opened only months prior to the start of the program, so everything was clean and fresh. Each class held around 30-40 students at maximum, and I realized that I enjoyed the familiarity of smaller classes, as I truly got to know my professors. Each student was invited to be open and curious about what we were learning, and although we had a schedule, we could stay after to ask questions regarding the material we learned or our project.
Governor’s School students were all given a final project, and humanities students had a poster presentation on a topic of our choice. My group chose to present the lack of long-distance public transportation. This project was eye-opening for me, as I was able to work with like minded individuals who genuinely wanted to perform well, properly assigning work, rather than feeling like I was the only one showing up and putting in effort. It showed me how collaborative projects would rely on my own (and my group’s) planning, rather than the time in class dedicated towards it. We were given access to the campus library and databases and were expected to research on our own accord. Although no assignments were graded, it gave me a base expectation of what I need to personally prioritize in college, like how I needed to read materials the day assigned, as they would be mentioned before their formal due date. In the morning, we had classes with our professors, and then after lunch, we would have a keynote presentation. Keynotes were two-hour lectures on any given topic. I learned a lot on those topics, but I also learned that, in order for me to keep focus and write notes, I have to sit in the front few rows.
Being there helped me gain an idea of what independence means in regards to my future. As long as we stayed on campus grounds, we could go anywhere during breaks and on the weekends. Some places we would go included the grocery store on weekends, where we could buy ourselves snacks and microwavable food to make after curfew. We also had the opportunity to get food delivered to us, so my suitemates and I would have a weekly fast food day. I was responsible for getting up on time, making it to breakfast and to my classes, and then getting back to my room in time for the nightly dorm checks. I was fully in charge of myself and my own actions, and it was a weird, but welcome, feeling.
Although it was only a few short weeks that I attended Radford, I learned so many valuable life lessons that I will carry with me now and during college. My time at Radford influenced my view on where I want to attend and why. I learned that I prefer convenience and walkability over driving to campus everyday.
