Is the "real world" ready for us? Us meaning college students raised within the Oxford bubble, or at any other college for that matter.
We get so excited to leave that high school lifestyle — living with our parents and making curfew — that we think, "I'm independent now in college."
With that "I'm independent" mentality, we start building our lives around what we want for our futures. Sure, our resumes and cover letters make us look better, but what about our attitudes? Can we really say we're all grown up and ready by the time we leave? Some people behave like they're still in high school.
A couple weeks ago, a Duke University student, Karen F. Owen, made a PowerPoint presentation meant to be a mock thesis of all the men she slept with, rating them by performance, looks and personality. She ended up forwarding the PowerPoint to some friends, who then leaked it all over the Internet.
The men in this PowerPoint were absolutely furious, some intending to sue. When asked about her huge mistake, Owen pointed out fraternities make lists like this all of the time. Still, she said repeatedly, "I regret it with all my heart. I would never intentionally hurt the people that are mentioned on that."
Then why make it at all? Think about the repercussions when you do something huge like this. You can't just hide under a single "I'm sorry" and think it will be all right.
In an essay in the Oct. 22 issue of The Miami Student, Sarah Title wrote, "How can so few words provide healing power to such a large range of issues and conflicts between all sorts of varied relationships? People generally seem to accept ‘I'm sorry' as being a legitimate expression of remorse."
If we are all working to improve our future, to really be independent, to be better people, maybe we should also work on our behavior. Your first job interview is really your best performance for the company you intend to work for.
They can't see how you really act right off the bat. By no means have I been a saint these last three years, but sometimes reality really hits you when you begin to interact with the same stupid drama every weekend and you think, "Is this real life? Is this behavior really acceptable?"
We all think because parents don't watch our every move at college we are free to do as we please.
Yes, we are free, but that also means our choices reflect our behavior and they are not always the best choices or the best behavior.
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So next time, think before you act — if you want to look stupid in public, then by all means go ahead. But don't hide under your "I'm sorry" or "I really regret that" sayings afterwards.
Of course college is a time to have fun, but if you really want to say you're on your own, you're all "grown up," then don't behave like this is still high school.
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