I am often reminded that I am getting what I pay such a high price for at Hamline. Small class sizes and close interaction with professors are something we all get to benefit from. Is Hamline just an extension of high school? Are we coddled too much? We brag about diversity, but how diverse are our friend groups? Our classes?

For me, coming from a town of 5,000 people, my class sizes were very similar to what I’ve experienced at Hamline for the most part. More attention is given to me than I would receive at a public university, much like high school. In class, we get to have discussions that actually flow. Similar relationships grow between my professors now as did with my high school teachers then. Maybe with a bit more swearing. I’m able to have professors multiple times for different classes, just like I did before. I love that I have been able to have professors two years in a row at Hamline. You really get to know them and they get to know you in return. This gains the ability to build a relationship that could lead to internships, summer research or even just trust and mutual respect. However, Hamline acting as a continuation of high school isn’t always for our best interests.

I was that kid in high school who wasn’t quite “popular,” whatever the hell that means, but I could get along with everyone. My school was small, along with my hometown, so we all knew each other. I hated the cliques in high school. I hoped college would be different. I worried I wouldn’t make any friends because everyone would be so bound in their groups. You see this in many movies about college life. You’ve got the stoners, the nerds, the rich kids, the artsy onesI could go on and on. I’m sure you’ve come to recognize these stereotypes and college cliques.

While I did make some friends, I know other students have a hard time fitting in. College should be a time to branch out and grow, you can’t do that unless others want to branch out to you. Along with other students, I’ve found Hamline to be quite clique-y. I even know people who have transferred out for this very reason. It can be so hard making friends in college, but at Hamline, especially difficult. Many here are so stuck in their cliques and groups. I’ve found that students in athletics are especially guilty of this. Unfortunately, I have frequently heard stereotyped comments about footballers, baseball players and girls in gymnastics.

I think I can speak for many when I say I don’t want college to be like high school. High school can live on in the memories of a past I never want repeated. In high school we were naive and possibly sheltered from diversity. We could act like kids and get away with it. If this is just high school 2.0, when do we really grow up?