I’m a big fan of swirling–that is, attending more than one college or university prior to graduating. For one thing, it teaches flexibility. If you do it right, it’s a great way to save money and still graduate from an outstanding university. It’s also an excellent way to learn more about your own best learning environment. And moving to new places–even just across town–is always an exercise in adapting. We’re better off when we play with our brain plasticity. (Lots on this in my book!)
Today, Colin Barey shares the story of his swirler education. I met Colin back when he was about 16 when he used to hang out in the store I owned on Main Street in Forest Grove, Oregon. Colin was clearly a very bright, articulate young man, and I always knew he’d do well. I didn’t know he’d do well by swirling, however–I figured he was on the Reed-for-four-years track. Wrong! And he’s better off because he swirled. See for yourself:
My undergraduate academic career was broad if nothing else; kind of a sampler platter of Portland-area institutions. I went to four different schools in the 4-and-a-half years it took me to graduate, guaranteeing that I would have the longest transfer transcript ever printed. I didn’t start my college career by trying to break the record for number of institutions attended. I really wanted to go to one place and settle there. Instead, I became like a wandering tinker, my tin pans clanking as I pushed my ever-increasing cartload of credits down the meandering, uncertain road toward graduation. I started by going for the top drawer: Reed College, the most venerated institution in Oregon.
I could never really commit myself to the Reed College identity. I couldn’t stand the “Reedie” persona and I rebelled against it be becoming more outwardly conservative. After having long hair all the way through high school, I got a buzz cut. I wore clothes to class (one of my classes had a guy who came to class completely naked every day). I refused to ride a unicycle or try any of the mushrooms that they guy in the next dorm was growing, before he started selling meth to homeless people who would wait for their product in our dorm social room. Reed was not for me, although I did get a great grounding in classical literature there. And mononucleosis.
I decided not to go back after getting my sophomore year award letter, in which, thanks to the fact that my dad was no longer in optometry school and now had a job, my grant was cut almost to nothing. I didn’t want to run up a ton of debt at a place I hated, so I went to Pacific University for a term. Nice place, decent teachers, but expensive and irrelevant, like most small private colleges. I decided to try the practical route and go to PCC to get some credits out of the way on the cheap.
Much to my surprise, PCC Rock Creek was great. I think it was the best experience that I had in undergrad. Unlike lower-division classes at any state school, there were never more than 20-30 people in a class. The professors were, by and large, excellent; I decided to focus on my life-long passion – history – after going through Prof. Bruno’s Western Civ cycle. The professors were all accessible and many of them really seemed to care about their students; a far cry from Reed, where I personally watched one eminent, often-published professor get his jollies by ruthlessly brow-beating and insulting freshmen in his intro to philosophy course.
I transferred one last time, to PSU, another underrated institution. A lot of my long-held historical prejudices were upended during my 2 years there. I met a lot of great people and most of all, I loved what I was studying. I also have PSU to thank for the best experience I ever had in undergrad: the capstone requirement. Designed as a way to force students to use their disciplines on a real-world community service project before graduation, it’s seen by a lot of seniors as an onerous waste of time. I think that’s a shame.
I was lucky in the offering that term: the Vanport History Project was in its final stage. I was part of a team whose job it was to write and design historical interpretive signs to be displayed on the Heron Lakes public golf course, former site of the Vanport wartime housing project. It was the only time I had the chance to be a real historian; going through the archives of microfilm at the Oregonian, writing copy, and finally helping to fight an ultimately unsuccessful political battle with the Portland Parks Bureau over a sign acknowledging that Vanport was the genesis of Portland’s black community. Though the Bureau could not be moved from its belief that reading about racial history would be disturbing to golfers for some reason, the signs that we were able to make are still there and will be, hopefully, for ever. It was, truly, a capstone, something that gave order and strength to my jumbled hodge-podge of an academic career. It was also the only thing I ever did in college that mattered.
Okay, full disclosure: all four of my daughters took classes or seminars at PCC, one graduated from Portland State University, and I’m a big believer in the value of these “underrated” institutions.
You might be interested to know that Colin ended up getting a law degree at U of Oregon. Where is he now? He’s living and working and loving life in Japan. See, there’s something about swirling that opens you up to the idea of moving around to find the most exhilarating options–and in a changing world, flexibility is critical.
Have a swirler story to share? Email me at maya (at) mayafrost (dot) com.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Excellent concept “swirling”. I tried to sell that idea to my daughter at Duke U but she wouldn’t go for it. I personally think it is an excellent way to experience the world. Can’t wait for your book.
Sometimes I wish I could’ve done that! It really does give a great range of freedom. I think I’ve had a good balance of experiences in college though. Went from Beaverton, OR to Central Illinois and experienced massive culture shock. I fly back and forth so it defines lines for sure. I also have been taking time to travel during my summers.
I’ve really enjoyed plugging in and forging great relationships here. That would be the only downside of swirling for me. I got lucky and got planted pretty quickly here and have loved it at the University of Illinois at Springfield!
Didn’t know there was a term for this…but I guess I’m a swirler. Transferred from school #1 after my freshman year, spent a year at school #2, spent my junior year at school # 3 and then back to school #2 for final year. Four years, three schools.