In
case anybody is curious, the drive between Lexington, Kentucky and Champaign,
Illinois is not short. To make
matters more interesting, my anticipated route was hindered by closed roads in
Louisville, the possibility of epic traffic jams in Indianapolis because of the
Superbowl, and rainy weather. Although I
was excited about being in Champaign over the weekend, I was not looking
forward to the drive up.
Thank
goodness for a great friend who accompanied me on my drive! Even in the rainy conditions and occasional
traffic, we had fun on our miniature quest.
Our trip was marked by continuous conversation, a relatively painless pass
through Indianapolis during the Superbowl (which was pretty cool), humored disbelief
that every radio station seemed to be playing the same three songs over and
over, and apartment hunting in Champaign.
Yikes! It is hard to believe that
graduation and graduate school are just a few months away!
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| Carrie & her fellow ambassadors prepare to throw out footballs during Roundup |
As
graduation in May approaches and my time as a Wildcat draws to a close, I have
had some time to reflect upon the four years I have spent at the University of
Kentucky. When I was in high school, I
knew I wanted to complete my undergraduate degree, to go on to either graduate
school or a professional program, and to do a really good job in my
classes. These goals remained relatively
unchanged over the course of my undergraduate studies, even in the face of
obstacles such as diabolical classes that made me wonder if I was going to lose
my sanity before I graduated from UK.
Yet, as a high school student I did not consider how much I would enjoy
college. The trip my friend and I made
last weekend provides an excellent example of one of the things I enjoy most:
spending time with friends and having a blast.
College
is a great opportunity for many reasons.
As a student in the UK College of Agriculture, I love how my professors
devote themselves to the education of their students, that there are plenty of
opportunities to be involved in undergraduate research, that I have been able
to travel all over the United States, that there are numerous extracurricular
activities in which students can participate, and that I have met so many
amazing people. Ultimately, college is
an exciting training and transition period between high school and a career.
So,
in many ways, college is like a road trip.
You have to know where you are starting at, where you want to go, and
the route you want to take. When you are
starting out, it may seem like a long ride to your final destination. You may even encounter traffic jams and road
blocks along the way. But, I think most
students agree that college is a fun and rewarding journey.
Carrie is a senior at the University
of Kentucky, majoring in Horticulture, Plant & Soil Sciences. She is from Princeton, Kentucky. She
is involved with the COA Agriculture
Student Council, and post graduation, she will be attending graduate school in
plant breeding and genetics.
