University of Virginia Library

Not All That Bad

Being a first-year man at Virginia is not the
greatest thing in the world. You will find that
your dormitory, especially if you live on
McCormick Road, will assume the air and
appearance of a cell block on more than one
occasion this year. You may have been a hot
shot in high school with lots of friends who
shared your high opinion of yourself; here,
you are for the present just another face in a
crowd that gets larger every year. You
probably had your own room at home, or a
bigger one than you have here, where you
have to cope with a room mate who sleeps at
odd hours and likes classical music.

Mother's cooking was striated to your tastes
and there was plenty of it; here you will find
that the grease is ladled freely and the meat is
second rate. The girl that wore your high
school ring is either still in high school or
going to another school which is miles away
and you don't have your car here because of
the stupid rules; so you're frustrated. In high
school studies were never anything to really
work up a sweat about and the good grades
that got you in here were fairly easy to
obtain. The University will require that you
either spend a good deal of your time at your
books or quickly learn to finesse your courses
if you want to maintain a friendly relationship
with your dean. The whole situation is enough
to nauseate anyone.

But someday, soon perhaps, you may find
yourself strolling down the Lawn with some
fellow students who have quickly become the
best friends you have. Or you might go down
the road and find a relationship with some girl
who puts the high school honey to shame.
Maybe you'll discover, somewhere in the
depths of Alderman Library or the classrooms
of Cabell Hall, that the pursuit of knowledge
can be stimulating and enjoyable. Or it might
come on some winter night in a friend's
apartment, tuned in to some good music and
turned on by some good grass. Suddenly you
will step back from yourself and realize that
there's something to the old saw that the
college years are the best of one's life. You
may even find yourself supremely happy that
you chose to come to the University.