Collaging College

Many students get their perception of what the "college experience" should be like from movies like Animal House, songs like Asher Roth's "I Love College" and popular culture.

Not the Average Student?

College students use the perceptions they gain from the media and other sources as the quintessential idea of what college is supposed to look like. For some, college is a time to revisit an educational past that was not finished. For others, it is a time to start fresh at a new place and continue their educational journey.

With education becoming more widely available, the face of the "average student" is ever-changing. At Cal State Monterey Bay (CSUMB) the average age of a student is 23.1, according to a survey done in 2008. Dr. Renée R. Curry, Dean of CAHSS at CSUMB says, "We have to remember that college-age students include young people from 18-25 years old, but it also includes a great number of students from different age groups who have already experienced other parts of life such as parenting, military service, volunteerism, business ownership, traveling, and more."

"College Experience"

Because of the varying factors of the individual, the "college experience" is different for each person because it comes at a different point in each persons life.

Gary Rodriguez of the Personal Growth and Counseling Center at CSUMB said, "For most college students, college is a time for self discovery and a time to figure out who they are and who they are going to be. It is about finding their niche and what they love doing." Later adding, "This a very different college experience in the sense that it is a very supportive campus environment."

Many professors at CSUMB have seen students go through the "college experience" first hand. Dr. Ernest Stromberg from the HCOM department said "College experience can be so much more than learning a job skill or checking a requirement box." There is some scientific proof that college is not just gaining a skill. Some scientists say the challenges faced in college add to the experience. According to Abigail Baird, Assistant Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Dartmouth University and Craig Bennett, graduate student of Dartmouth, there is a lot of change going on within the brain from age 18 and older. "During the first year of college, especially at a residential college, students have many new experiences. They are faced with new cognitive, social, and emotional challenges," said Baird.

An Experience For Each Person

When it comes to the "college experience" it boils down to each individual. No media projection could ever be completely right because there are so many aspects to the experience. Keosha Griffiths, senior, HCOM, is graduating this spring. She said, "College to me was four years filled with stress, excitement and especially uncertainty. I do believe that I have changed significantly."

As Dr. Joe Larkin, HCOM professor put it, "The brain doesn't go through college by itself; the whole person goes through college and is affected by it."