Life as a College Student

I enjoyed my four years as a college student.  I was on my own for the first time, and I think I did okay, despite what I consider a sheltered childhood.  Life seemed to be so simple back then.  I wasn’t aware of the use of any drugs or too much alcohol by students.  Of course, I’m sure that there were people that used them, but I never heard of any problems.  We all had the usual problems such as passing exams, writing term papers, deciding what to do with our lives, and wondering whether to date certain people.

I was busy my first semester.  I took seven classes—Freshman English, History of civilization, Physical Science, Old Testament, Understanding Art, Understanding Music, and Team Sports.  It was 18 hours.  I never took that many hours again because it was almost too much for me.

Besides studying in the library or my dorm room, here are some of the other things that I did--

On Sunday mornings, I attended the big Presbyterian Church in town.  I also went to a group for college students, which met on Wednesday evenings.  We did all sorts of things like playing games, listening to guest speakers, watching films, and having discussions.

I spent time with friends—girls and guys.  We always had a good time and laughed a lot and, at times, cried together.

Other times, I went to the student union.  There were pool tables, tables to play cards, and a juke box with room to dance.  That fall the song Pretty Woman by Roy Orbison was popular.  Now whenever I hear the song, I think of my first year of college.

The dramatic art department put on plays, which I always went to.  It was neat watching people that I knew.

Because “The College of the Ozarks is an institution of higher learning in the Synod of Oklahoma and Arkansas of the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.” we were required to attend chapel on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.  Tuesday chapel was a church service; Thursdays was what we called a “blow for culture” with singers, musicians, or similar programs.  I usually went to chapel on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays even though it wasn’t required.  On those days, students volunteered to give devotions.

Many of the guys checked out the freshman girls by asking them out on dates.  So my freshman year I had dates with 16 different guys.  Mostly, we went to college dances, the movies, out to eat, the student union, or basketball games.  We also went to a nearby lake or to a drive-in restaurant (like Sonic) called the Diamond.  By my senior year, I wasn’t dating very much, although I did have a fiancé part of the time.  Many of the people that I knew in college married before they finished.  It was more the thing to do than it is now.  There was a saying that some girls went to college to get their M-R-S degrees.

Below is a photo of me during my freshman year.  I was 18 years old.  Click on photo to see my poofy hair better!  And of course, my cat-eye glasses.