As a junior, I feel that I’ve been in college long enough to be able to give out reasonably sound advice about how to survive in college.

It took me awhile to get to this point, but now I’m pretty sure I have what I feel is the No. 1 thing anybody needs to have a good college experience. That one thing is a connection. Connections. However many you want, you need them.

You see, within three hours of moving here my freshman year, I decided I didn’t like it. I moved in on a Saturday and by Monday morning I was researching the procedure to transfer to a different college.

Sure, classes hadn’t started yet, I hadn’t met many people, but I was sure I didn’t like it so I was gone. I talked to my parents about it, and my mother wanted me to do whatever it was that would make me happy. 

My father was a little more pragmatic. He pointed out that I had worked hard to get here. I worked hard to get the scholarships I needed to pay for Baker.

Then he asked if I would really get a good idea of what the university is all about from a semester here. He suggested that because I already had a year paid to go the full year. See what I can do with that much time and if I still wasn’t enjoying myself, then by all means, get out.

I'm glad he was so persuasive.<br/>Soon after that conversation, I started to make those connections that are ever so important. By the time spring break rolled around, I guess you could say I had friends.  They were insane. They were loud, and they were obnoxious, but they were mine. They were what I was looking for that first weekend and didn't find.Soon after that conversation, I started to make those connections that are ever so important. By the time spring break rolled around, I guess you could say I had friends.  They were insane. They were loud, and they were obnoxious, but they were mine. They were what I was looking for that first weekend and didn't find.
Soon after that conversation, I started to make those connections that are ever so important. By the time spring break rolled around, I guess you could say I had friends.  They were insane. They were loud, and they were obnoxious, but they were mine. They were what I was looking for that first weekend and didn’t find.

They were the type of friends that you see yourself forming a weekend motorcycle gang with, just so you all can “get away from it all” every now and then.

However, the fact that I had friends did not deter me from choosing to leave Baker. I just resigned myself to the idea that the leaving would be hard but it would be worth it. Right?

As the school year started to come to a close, a strange thing happened. People started to come out of the woodwork in order to try to convince me to stay. I had several professors talk to me. I had students  I barely knew sit and talk with me for a half-hour. Then I had my friends.

They were almost zealous in their campaign to get me to stay. My leaving was the subject of a Facebook group. These crazy friends sat me down on several occasions and did their best to convince me, but due to my western Kansas determination, I listened to the arguments and ignored them. However, at one point, it became clear that I would be missed. 

In spite of the orchestrations going on around me, the thing that kept me here was a simple “Please don’t leave,” spoken by a guy I had barely hung out with the entire year.  We knew each other, but I don’t know if it would go much further than that. 

I made him laugh and that is what he said to me. It struck me that I was happy here. I had friends. I had friendships with professors. Baker was a place I could garner the attention I require to thrive. Baker was a fit.

So I stayed.

Those connections have only deepened over the last year. Plus, I’ve recently discovered a new connection that may very well be one of the strongest yet, and it thrills me. So folks, if you make those connections, you too can have an awesome college experience.