College: Problems and Opportunities

College is an interesting place. Much different than high school, it is a large environment where it is easy to get lost in the shuffle. There are many difficult aspects of college that movies do a great job of displaying. "Animal House", shows how difficult it is to fit in. Pinto and Flounder, two of the main characters find it hard to make friends and are brushed aside when they go to a rush event at Omega Theta Pi fraternity. That scene shows how first year students may find it difficult to get involved and find an organization that is right for them. Interestingly enough, they do find that in Delta Tau Chi, thanks to Bluto. The important message here is to surround yourself with the right people. The Omega Theta Pi fraternity hazes their new members and humiliates them. Surrounding yourself with the right people will help you fit in and give you a more positive experience. 

"Need some money? I can help you"

Money is a problem that a lot of college students will face. Take Ben Campbell from the movie "21". Ben is trying to save up to pay for Harvard Medical School, good luck Ben. He finds an opportunity because of his strong ability in Math, to count cards in Vegas. Ben does but gets himself into trouble. He eventually loses all the money he had been saving up but receives a scholarship instead. Temptation, morality, and money will all be encountered throughout college. Ben is tempted because of the need for money, but chooses a morally questionable path (breaking the law is questionable and counting cards in Vegas is illegal). The constant reminder of paying for college can really haunt someone as it is an incredibly large burden for a 20 something year old to tackle on their own. Tying this into "Animal House", surrounding yourself with the right people is important. Temptation is something that college students encounter daily, whether or not to go to class, to spend a night out rather than studying are all situations that may be encountered and sometimes long term goals get blurred with short term wants so it is important to stay focused.

College will also provide opportunities for your future. Mark Zuckerberg discovers the opportunity of a life time when he is presented the chance to design a social network. He takes the idea and runs with it and creates something that most of us use on a daily basis, Facebook. The point here is that the opportunities that college will provide are endless. There are tens of thousands of people at Rutgers, all of whom can provide something for you. It is important to realize how many possibilities college holds for you. Never take something lightly because you never know what can be the opportunity of a lifetime.