It's easy to complain about what goes on at UB. Whether it's the poor quality of the bathrooms or the infrequent appearance of Stampede buses, it's easy to make a list of beefs about this university.
But really, we're pretty lucky to get to go here.
After all, for all its faults, UB is a reasonably prestigious university. Ranked among the top 150 colleges in the country, we can be sure we're getting a quality education.
Many kids are not afforded this luxury. There are lots of young children who will never get to go to a decent college because they are not getting a decent education in their youth.
They go to terrible elementary schools and equally bad high schools, where a fair amount of them drop out. Even the ones who graduate do not have an adequate education to survive in college.
The much-talked-about documentary, Waiting For "Superman," discusses this problem in great detail, showcasing the struggle many inner-city youths go through just to get a real education.
Admittedly, the film exaggerates things a little bit. The movie makes it look as though all public schools are terrible, and it suggests that the only way to receive a quality education is to attend either an expensive private school or a charter school with limited openings.
I happen to know this isn't entirely true from personal experience. I attended a public school for all of childhood, and I received a quality education that more than prepared me for the rigors of attending college.
Still, while the film is not entirely accurate, its overall message rang true. Even if I was lucky enough to receive a quality education in a public school system, there are many kids who aren't as lucky.
For all the complaints we have about UB, in reality, we are all very lucky to attend a university of its caliber. Sure, we earned it by studying and getting good grades, but there are many students who don't really get that fair chance.
That's why we shouldn't take our education for granted. Let's be honest – the vast majority of students here do it on a fairly regular basis.
Think of how many times you've skipped a particularly boring class because you just didn't feel like going. Hey, it's understandable; it's not easy to be motivated all the time. Just remember, there's a student at a lesser college (or maybe a dropout) who would love to occupy that empty seat of yours.
This probably sounds like a lecture, but I've been guilty of this, too. For much of my first three semesters at UB, I blew off classes on a fairly regular basis. Only after receiving a particularly disappointing GPA did I realize how foolish I was being.
It's easy to make fun of all the bookworms here – the kids who study all the time and have no social life to speak of. In reality, though, they might be the only people here who really have their heads on straight.
They are aware of the quality schooling they are receiving, and they make the most of it.
E-mail: john.hugar@ubspectrum.com
