The “mainland college advocates” say you’ll meet people different from yourself in the mainland!

But a Hawaii student @ UH gets to learn how people from other parts of Hawaii live!

My high school (McKinley) was an urban, mostly immigrant, partially ghettotized, and one of the least “local” schools in Hawaii!

So meeting people from the Neighbor Islands, rural Oahu and suburban Oahu was an eye opener for me!

So was meeting UH students who came from Oregon & Washington (where most of the mainland students @ UH came from) an eye opener

1. One in your academic field (studying Chemistry or English, et al.; performing research; getting to know the library; doing an internship; producing papers and reports); and
2. One in the challenges you will face (eating potatoes, shoveling snow off your car, understanding “New York-ese”, trying to figure out how to get from Columbus, Ohio to Philadelphia, buying an airplane ticket, finding your lost luggage, answering dumb questions about Hawaii, etc.).

In many ways, as a preparation for life and the difficulties and opportunities that globalization presents, the second will be more important than the first.

I agree with the sense of unknown that many high school graduates encounter once in college. I went through it twice. Once in transitioning from a country town like Kahuku…to Manoa…and eventually to Palo Alto for grad school. In both cases, long distance relationship failed and I had to learn how to assimilate into my new surroundings.

Now that I am back at Manoa obtaining an MBA degree with a few degrees already under my belt, the only adjustment that I’ve had to make is allotting time between full-time work and part-time evening classes.

Great blog, btw.

“Sure, the University of Rochester boasts a 40 second response time to calls from the emergency phones around campus, but how long does it take someone to hit you over the head and drag you away, or stab you, or shoot you?”

“Well, the campus is beautiful and affluent, but right across the street is the lowest income area I’ve ever seen in my life. The residents of that area often come across the river to rob college kids. Like the guy who lived next to me in the dorms; he got punched in the face right outside our building!”

Students and/or their parents pay good money for college and the costs that come with it. Quality service should be offered and if it’s not then students have the right and even duty to fight for it. There are multiple levels and entities that exist at Universities for students to get the support they need. And don’t be afraid to shake the different branches on the tree. It’s not always popular to do so, but if you’re fighting for what’s right and it can benefit the lives of those around you, then it’s worth it.

Coming from Hawaii and going to school on the East Coast, I would say, don’t be afraid to make friends with people other than people from Hawaii and California. I fell into that trap and although I love my friends to pieces, it’s nice to have diversity.

Freshman ten (or fifteen): it’s a reality.

Exploit your hawaii-ness. People love it. And get used to people telling you, “Why in the world would you want to come here?” when you tell them you’re from Hawaii.

Keep up the great writing!