For the record, this is not a piece on how to choose your undergraduate college. This is the story of how I chose my undergraduate college. There’s also a mini-rant about college sports. Just a heads up.
Peek inside in the mind of a 17-year-old kid just trying to figure it out.
There was never a question as to whether or not I would go to college. It’s pretty much what my family did and does. However, I wasn’t sure what that process would look like or where I would go.
Growing up I always wanted to play football for the University of Miami.
I also liked the University of Michigan. They were killing it on the football field and the ball court in the early 90s. Their basketball team started five freshmen known as the “Fab 5.” They changed college basketball forever.
The Fab 5 broke all the rules, and beat everyone, except that one time in the NCAA Championship game against Duke and that other time that we won’t talk about but might be a part of the video below.
As much as I wanted to play football in college, after about 15 minutes on the varsity team in high school I snapped out of that fantasy real quick and couldn’t take my helmet off fast enough.
Before then, one of my junior varsity coaches told me that if I kept playing the way I was I could get the attention of a smaller school and maybe get a scholarship.
I nearly took that as an insult, because the thought of a free education just wasn’t enough for me. I needed to be Barry Sanders.
If I couldn’t be Barry Sanders, I needed to be Dan Marino, even though I played defense.
As great as a free education to a small school would have been, I didn’t think I could become Barry or Danny while playing at Ouachita Baptist University, even though it’s the Harvard of South Central Arkansas and not LSU as the logo and color scheme below might suggest.
Some folks might be thinking I was just driven by sports. That would be pretty silly of me, right? You could argue that, but I was hoping to play sports in college at one point. If I couldn’t do that, I would do the next best thing, be a fan. Experience the atmosphere. People want to align themselves with winners, and look cool. That means a lot, especially to young people.
So when Nike co-founder, Phil Knight, uses his alma mater—the University of Oregon—as a prototypical sports apparel design lab, it’s smart. If Nike is working on something new, Oregon is the first to get it: new fabric, designs, color schemes, even if they’re not school colors.
Oregon recruits speed. What looks cool? People moving fast. What looks even cooler is people moving fast in flashy colors. Talented, highly-recruited, seventeen-year-old athletes along with daredevil product designers dig that.
Shiny stuff helps make recruiting classes better. Better recruiting classes usually mean better teams and better results.
When major colleges do well in their revenue-generating sports (i.e. football and/or basketball), they usually see a spike in applications the following year. More students equal more application fees, more tuition, more selectivity from admissions, more dorms, more books, more top-notch professors, more t-shirt sales, more everything.
College sports is big business, billions big.
Uniform Combinations – 5,011
National Titles – 0
#7 Ranked Incoming Recruiting Class at time this article was published
#11 Ranked Team at time this article was published
And fighting out of the blue (orange and white) corner. … With one set of white pants, sadly, we have Auburn University.
Uniform Combinations – Like 2 and a possible (for my Spades players)
National Titles – At least 2 (It’s complicated)
#11 Ranked Incoming Recruiting Class at time this article was published
#16 Ranked Team at time this article was published
Lower ranked recruiting class and overall team than Oregon
Still favored to beat Oregon on 8/31/19 by four points
Another reason math and I are enemies
If you can’t win championships, at least win the style wars. It’s valuable. Some schools are just louder than others, partially, because they have to be. I’d bet that there are more high-level college football players within an hour’s drive from Auburn, Alabama, than in the entire state of Oregon and possibly the entire Pacific NorthWest.
Considering Oregon’s time zone and geographic location (i.e. far away from the rest of the country), one can say it needs to have a “Hey, look at me,” attitude
The Oregon Ducks idea of getting attention:
Let’s turn into actual ducks before the game, fly into the stadium, and morph into some part-human-part-duck-death-delivering-creature at the 50-yard line, and then burst into billions of little Nike Swooshes right before kickoff.
The Auburn Tigers idea of getting attention.
Hey, Carl. Open up your Macintosh. … Sorry, your Gateway. Anyway, move that slider that makes things more bigly or not as bigly in that computer software program.
This happened in real life.
Auburn will probably still win. This post will be updated either way.
Update: Auburn won 27-21, but Oregon outplayed them for most of the game and should have absolutely won.
The University of Miami recently signed a tatted-up punter from Australia who looks like he eats other punters. This made the news everywhere, even though he wasn’t highly recruited. That means cool points not only in Miami, not only in Northern California where he played junior college ball but also in Australia.
And then The Rock happens. …
Now that kid in Australia who plays rugby wants to be a running back at #theU, and that girl who loves The Rock now wants to go there, because she can smell what’s cooking in the MIA/305/Dade County.
Then you get some of the greatest football players in America to come to your camp, and hang out for a few days. …
And during that time you find out your head coach is secretly an Olympic diver.
Mo’ money.
Even with all this, the University isn’t in the same galaxy as other cash cows like the University of Texas or Ohio State University.
But the championships, the NFL Hall-of-Famers, the food, the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary, the clubs, the music videos, the flavor, the sexy, the 75-degree winters, the tatted Aussie, The Rock, the Paradise, The DJ Khaled, the 305.
Believe it or not, we’re not talking about football. It’s about attraction. We make ourselves attractive every day. Schools want to be attractive to students and vice versa. Employers and job seekers do the same.
Oh, Yeah. … How I Chose My Undergraduate College
I was an OK student in high school. I think I was a little better than my glorious 2.6 cumulative grade point average suggested, but I’m somewhat of a fan of myself, so I may be biased.
My main area of study was girls with a secondary focus on sports. I wanted to go to college in Atlanta, Georgia.
Not really. I wanted to rap.
When I was little, my family spent a couple of winters in the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. Snow. Sleds. Fireplace. Fun. One time we went during the summer. Mud. Roaches. Boring. Suck.
I remember riding one day on I-75 through Atlanta and taking a detour to visit the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). I fell in love with the brick campus along with the look and feel of the city, at least the parts I was able to see.
Georgia Tech was my dream school now, just like that. Atlanta was my dream city, for some reason. I still don’t know why. I didn’t know the place. It wasn’t “ATL” yet. I hadn’t spent any real time there. I think it was just big and different, and I liked that.
The Hip Hop group, Outkast, was from there, so I guess that helped the marketing department.
I wanted to be in a big city in the South for college, and Atlanta seemed to fit the bill. I loved Miami, but I wanted something new. I’d still root for my Hurricanes from afar.
It was 1996 during the time the Summer Olympics were held in Atlanta which made everything more romantic. I remember seeing fireworks from the highway on the way back home. I think it was during the closing ceremony. I was a sophomore if I remember correctly.
I decided that Atlanta was going to be it for me, but I needed to figure out how I would get there. I still considered schools in Florida, but that was just because I felt I had to.
I remember speaking with one of my teachers in high school. I told her that I wanted to go to school in Atlanta, and study business. She told me an interesting fact. The third most popular language in the city was Japanese. I thought that was cool. I wasn’t expecting that.
She also told me about a school I had never heard of, Clark Atlanta University, a historically black school with a good business program. I was listening.
The Search
I had little help during my search for the perfect school. My parents were always working, and a lot had changed since they went to college. I remember picking up huge books that seemed to have every college on Earth listed and reading through all of their stats like student demographics, average SAT scores, cost of attendance, acceptance rates, nearest metropolitan areas. …
Exciting stuff? I guess. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
In case you haven’t realized it by now, I didn’t know what I was doing. I was trying, though.
Who Made the Cut?
When it came time to apply to schools I had a list ready:
- Georgia State University
- Clark Atlanta University
- The University of Central Florida
- Florida A&M University
- Florida International University
- Florida State University (Sorry, Hurricanes. I didn’t have the grades or the cash for the University of Miami).
What about Georgia Tech?
After doing additional research I quickly learned that Georgia Tech was not going to happen, because a 2.6 GPA wasn’t all that shiny no matter how well I got along with all my classmates and teachers, how well I rapped or how fine my girlfriend was (and she was). That type of social currency would have killed today.
Here’s what happened.
Georgia State University (Atlanta, GA)
They had a music business degree that was interesting to me. I got accepted but ultimately decided it was too expensive. Room and board was really expensive. GSU was part of the Olympic Village for the 1996 Summer Games. The Olympic marathon ran through the campus. That was pretty cool, but not enough for me to pony up the extra cash.
Now had you told me that Dominique Dawes was a Resident Assistant or a student there, this post might read a bit differently.
Clark Atlanta University (Atlanta, GA)
I got accepted and was offered a $4,000 scholarship but that just wasn’t enough. I think tuition was about $17K a year, which is a steal nowadays. I never visited Clark or GSU. They were both in Atlanta, and that’s all I cared about.
University of Central Florida (Orlando, FL)
Again, accepted, but I drove by the campus in Orlando, and the whole place just felt like it had no soul. I don’t think class was in session, but I just got a vibe that whispered, “Pssst. Hey, you. Mickey’s dead. Oh, and Mickey and Minnie were cousins. You should probably just keep driving, but do it slowly. Don’t be a speed demon. A lot of people retire here, and they’re from even worse places than Orlando.”
I apologize, Orlando. You’re a fine town, and you didn’t deserve that, but these are facts.
Florida International University (Miami, FL)
I got in, but they wanted me to go to school in the summer, which meant I would start right after graduation, which I didn’t want to do. Additionally, I wanted to leave home, and see something different. I knew half the people at FIU. I felt like going there would be like going to 13th grade, not because it’s a bad school. It’s a good school. I just needed a change. Plus, my elementary school graduation was there every year, and I lived about 10 minutes away, so I kind of felt like I went there already.
Florida State University (Tallahassee, FL)
I didn’t get in. I think they were upset with how much of a Hurricane fan I was coupled with the fact that the greatest athlete in their school’s history wore a Jheri curl. Haters. It was weird, though, because my guidance counselor senior year said that I was a shoo-in to get in. They had a business degree with an entrepreneurship focus that looked interesting. Maybe they weren’t hating, and my guidance counselor just had a sense of humor.
To think, if I had gotten accepted and was about 15 years older, I could have done his homework. #livingthedream
Florida A&M University (Tallahassee, FL)
I got in. I went here. I loved it. I’ll tell you more about my time there in another post. I planned to go there for two years; transfer to FSU, and go for that business degree.
I don’t remember ever visiting FAMU or FSU’s campus. I suggest you visit the campus of a school before deciding it’s your destiny. … If possible.
Sometimes in life, I just go. Though that may sound either really brave or really stupid, I knew I had the option to go back home if I wanted to.
I had to fight my parents tooth and nail (mainly my dad) to leave Miami for school. Mom was a bit more easygoing. I remember my dad coming over to my mother’s house to hear me plead my case.
My parents got divorced when I was 11. Seeing them sit next to each other at my mother’s kitchen table was surreal. Deep down there’s an 11-year-old in me who still wants mommy and daddy to be together. They both remarried and are in their 70s, so I’m not going to put any eggs in that basket. However, seeing them together was awesome, even though they were conspiring to destroy me.
In hindsight, I’m pretty impressed with my decision-making, because it was I who decided that the Atlanta schools were too expensive, even though that’s where I wanted to live. My parents could afford it, but I considered their finances. I guess the frugal me was born. Thank God for the Florida Prepaid College Program.
High five, mom and dad. … Really wish you would’ve stayed together, or at least not live on opposite sides of town, because even though dual Thanksgiving sounds awesome to my spirit animal, it’s a logistical nightmare.
Off to Tallyho!
By the time I got to FAMU, all the dorms were full. My best friend from high school and I split a one-bedroom apartment that cost $350 a month, total. Awesome. I slept in the living room. My best friend’s cousin—who also happened to be my girlfriend’s cousin—lived in the same apartment complex. We all hung out. It was fun.
We would jump in my best friend’s cousin’s Honda Accord about once a month to go back home. We listened to more music from No Limit Records than anyone ever should.
We lived up the street from a place on Tennessee St. called Guthrie’s. They sold chicken fingers and not much else. We would go there so much that I can still quote my friend’s cousin’s order. Every. Single. Time.
“Let me get a Gut box, extra toast, no slaw.”
I liked the slaw. If we were balling we’d get an extra finger and extra sauce.
One of our neighbors/friends worked there. We’d walk her home, because she got off late at night. She’d bring boxes of chicken home. Awesome.
N.E.R.D – No One Ever Really Decides (On a Major)
I started my college education in general education and hoped to get into the school of business. I took some business classes that I truly enjoyed, especially Introduction to Marketing. Then I took Principles of Economics I. I got an A. Cool. Then I took Principles of Economics II Honors.
I wish death on Principles of Economics II Honors. Who signed me up for this? Who did this to me?
I ended up withdrawing from that class and took it again later at Broward Community College, now Broward College. I passed, but I believe I got a concussion in the process. I can’t remember.
Since I didn’t have a mentor or patience or the desire to be challenged, I let my experience with that one class create a ton of doubt about whether or not business was for me. I still planned on going that route, but that doubt got bigger by the day.
FSeeewww!
I started taking a math class at FSU to get a feel for the campus. I figured I was going to transfer anyway. I might as well start now.
I hated it. Everything.
Maybe I didn’t hate it, but it just felt so wrong. Maybe I was just scared. Maybe it was the fact that it was a math class that took place in the morning, two things I didn’t like combining forces to do me in, similar to my parents getting together during that whole kitchen table fiasco from high school. Maybe its #theU. I still can’t call it.
One thing I do remember was running into (not literally) an older gentleman making his way to class. He was blind. I saw him a few times and would offer to give him a hand, and I would walk him to class. He appreciated that. That stuck with me.
I decided I didn’t want to go the business route, but I wanted to stay at FAMU.
So I went window shopping to other departments in the university and spoke to a bunch of people. Anyone who told me that their curriculum was math-heavy was quickly met with holy water. I remember walking into the school of engineering—which is awesome, and FSU totally jumped on our bandwagon—and being greeted by a man who asked me if I was ready to join the real world.
In my mind, Real world = math. Peace out!
I ran out of there faster than lonely people run to facebook to show the world how not lonely they are.
I’ll tell you to your face that I’m lonely, Mark!
Then I went to the school of Journalism.
Me: Any math here?
Them: The #@!$ is that?
Me:
I learned about journalism, specifically broadcast journalism.
The Truth About Broadcast Journalism (Throwback Edition)
- Lugging around video equipment in a suitcase the size of a small refrigerator
- Your camera uses tape (videotape and possibly scotch tape to hold the camera together, because we’re at an HBCU, and we don’t have money like that)
- Lots of shooting
- Shoot everything
- Writing
- Rewriting
- Meet the editing bay
- You will sleep in the editing bay
- You will question your life in the editing bay
My Truth About Broadcast Journalism (Final Fantasy Edition)
- #@!$ math!
- I’m going to be on MTV!
Career Option #1: Be the guy on MTV who says, “What up? It’s your boy! We got the top 10 videos poppin’ off right now! Stay tuned,” while making unnecessary hand gestures to the camera.
Career Option #2: Be the guy on BET who says, “What up? It’s your boy! We got the top 10 videos poppin’ off right now! Stay tuned,” while making unnecessary hand gestures to the camera.
My first taste of broadcast journalism included a teacher who I swear existed solely to show me that I was not supposed to major in broadcast journalism. He was a cool guy. He just didn’t play any games, which I respected.
Then I remember having to do what’s called a “package,” essentially a news story. I had to do one about a town hall meeting, which is boring by default, and I had to another one on birds that kept dying, because they were flying into cell phone towers or something like that. I love birds, but at some point, they have to realize that they can’t fly through stuff.
Anyway, I’m going to be on MTV! … It’s ya boy! Remember?
My packages were awful. The audio was off. The editing still haunts me to this day, and will probably curse my children. This wasn’t even the worst part.
My professor told me that I needed a haircut and that my shirt was wrinkled and clashed with the color of my skin.
Wait. What? You’re telling me that I’m raggedy and the wrong color? Got it.
I thought it was kind of racist, but he was and still is black, so I let it slide. He didn’t have to go for the shirt, though.
So, I’m window shopping again, but this time I stayed in the journalism world. I learned about public relations.
Me: I’m currently in broadcast, but I’m thinking of switching. Can you tell me about public relations, please?
Them: It’s more money and less work.
Me:
Me: How do you feel about my shirt?
Them: It’s fine.
Me: Darn right it is.
I liked PR and stuck with it and graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism (Public Relations). I had great professors and one in particular who was sort of a mother figure/mentor. She always kept it real. I appreciated that. In hindsight, I wish I utilized her more wisely and more often.
One day I mentioned being interested in creating a magazine but couldn’t, because I didn’t have money to go to print. She recommended I create an online magazine.
I looked at her like she had six eyeballs. I couldn’t grasp the concept the concept at the time. … An online magazine?
I’m dating myself, but just an FYI, YouTube didn’t exist yet.
A couple of years later I would start that magazine (print and online). To make a long story short, it was fun while it lasted.
My bad, Professor Kimbrough. Love you. Miss you.
A Funny Thing
Thirteen years after deciding that business wasn’t for me I went ahead and got a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree at Mount Saint Mary’s University in Los Angeles, because God has a sense of humor, and I dig that. Though I would much rather prefer a joke that didin’t cost me 40 grand (and that’s a bargain).
Remember how much I hated shooting video in college? I would later become a part of a camera team for a production company with a YouTube channel with over 180,000 subscribers and over 27 million views at the time this was written. Shooting video is one of my favorite things to do now.
So What Changed?
I just learned a lot more about myself as I got older. I realized that anything in life worth doing was going to be challenging. I had to put in the work. Many things in life came easily to me. I’m not bragging, because I had many areas in life I found to be challenging and still do.
Over the years, I was just willing to put in the work if I wanted to do something and not run away from it. I changed my attitude.
My newest challenge is learning how to edit video. I’ll let you know how that goes. Pray for me.
In Conclusion
Choosing the right school can be tricky, scary and exciting all at the same time. There are so many schools to choose from that it can be overwhelming. Get an early start on your search. Don’t wait until the last minute. If you get into the school(s) you want, great. If you don’t get in, it’s ok. Don’t destroy yourself over it. You’ll be fine.
If you change majors, that’s fine, too. If you change majors twice, you won’t die. If you’re on your fifth major, at some point you may want to get that checked out. No judgment here, just saying. You think you know what you want until you don’t.
I wanted to go to a major school with a big football team, and study business. Then when I had the opportunity to do so, I did neither. I don’t regret my decision to attend FAMU one bit. I loved it. I learned so much about myself, and I’ve made friends and business partners that I’ll keep forever.
What was your college journey like? If you’re in the process now, how’s it going? Do you have any questions or advice? Let us know in the comments.
Thank you for coming through. Please, subscribe, like, share, follow or whatever else people are doing now. All that really helps a lot. Be good.
Aurelio, Part Time Adult
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