I used to do IT support for a whole building when I was a undergrad student. One of the professors once had a quote stuck on her door:
"People may forget what you say.
They may forget what you did,
but people will never forget
how you made them feel."
I was a drop-out college student who attended that small, cheap public university in the middle of nowhere as a last resort because I ran out of options in my country. Studying there was nothing short of life-changing. Long story short, 11 years later, I just earned my doctorate degree not so long ago and working my dream job.
By the way, after graduating from the small state school, I got accepted in a much larger research university that gave me a free ride. But it was that little school that I had to work my ass 20 hours a week for 4 years that feel I owe my big gratitude for. That little school was the one that gave me hope that I could change my life and had professors and faculties that went out of their way to help a no-name international student. The other day, I was offered an internship in a very good place. The international student office told me I couldn't accept it because of the laws or whatever. There came a professor whom I barely talked to. She was then the head of the business school - one of the departments I did IT support for. She offered to go with me to that office to argue with the director of the international office on behalf of me. And she did. And she won. I didn't have to say a word.
I think it was how you make them feel that makes them remember what you did, not the other way around.
I tell people that unless they have the right connections or are destined for greatness, they should go to state school. At state universities, the professors either can't cut it as researchers, or they just give a shit about teaching. Either way, your average instructional experience is going to be better as an undergrad, because it's the professors' job to instruct you (and, for some, their passion). At a research university, teaching plays second fiddle to research -- always.
Plus, state schools are cheap in your home state. You can avoid crippling debt and get more faculty support, thus avoiding having to figure out the rules on your own with a $50,000 per semester Damocletian sword over your head.
I like your story too. But I have to point out that there are plenty of other stories I've heard. People who drop out and never recover. People who attend a public school and can't find a job since they are competing with people from better schools. People who never get accepted to any graduate programs.
So, while I like your story, I think that those with an agenda would view it as a justification for harsh policies - since some people succeed even when things are harsh. (Forgetting that more people succeed when things aren't harsh - and I've heard lots of stories to confirm that too.)
I am under no illusion that among people who dropped out, the number of people who end up next to the dumpsters is going to be more than ones who become billionaires. Same to state universities vs private universities. One shouldn't drop out a good university when they have a choice. One shouldn't choose a no-name public university over Stanford when they have a choice.
I didn't have a choice not to attend a cheap public school.
I just want to tell my story to share the story that good teachers are everywhere, even in cheap public schools.
That's the maximum number of hours that international students could work outside of normal class hours. Basically, that makes attending classes+work an 8-to-5 job. And then I had to come home and study and do homework. Since I had no choices, I didn't have a problem with it.
"People may forget what you say. They may forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
I was a drop-out college student who attended that small, cheap public university in the middle of nowhere as a last resort because I ran out of options in my country. Studying there was nothing short of life-changing. Long story short, 11 years later, I just earned my doctorate degree not so long ago and working my dream job.
By the way, after graduating from the small state school, I got accepted in a much larger research university that gave me a free ride. But it was that little school that I had to work my ass 20 hours a week for 4 years that feel I owe my big gratitude for. That little school was the one that gave me hope that I could change my life and had professors and faculties that went out of their way to help a no-name international student. The other day, I was offered an internship in a very good place. The international student office told me I couldn't accept it because of the laws or whatever. There came a professor whom I barely talked to. She was then the head of the business school - one of the departments I did IT support for. She offered to go with me to that office to argue with the director of the international office on behalf of me. And she did. And she won. I didn't have to say a word.
I think it was how you make them feel that makes them remember what you did, not the other way around.