Iremember being in high school and thinking how fun college would be. I chose to come to Harding, and I couldn’t be happier that I am here. Although the majority of students at Harding seem to be more than satisfied that they have chosen to come here, there are always those few who complain about their experience at Harding.
Yes, I realize there will be students at every college who didn’t choose to be there. Either their parents pushed them to go, it was the most financially viable option or something else along those lines. But to those students, I want to say this; even though it wasn’t your choice, try to make the best of it without complaining. You can get something out of every situation you are in, and complaining just ruins the experience for others.
But to those students who knew exactly what they were getting when they came to Harding and are now here complaining: Stop it. I realize some rules at Harding are a lot more strict than at other colleges, like we are required to go to chapel and Bible class, but that’s just what makes Harding what it is. That’s what makes Harding unique.
Even if you had not visited Harding at all before you came, a simple trip around the Internet could have told you what kind of school it was, so that is no excuse.
The other day I was sitting in class listening to a fellow student complaining about how they thought their department isn’t doing a good job, about all the ways they think teachers could be teaching them better and how other schools were so far ahead of Harding. I asked them if they had visited Harding and if they had known they wanted to major in that field before they came, and their answer was yes. If you knew what field you were going into and the department was not up to your standards when you visited, then why did you come? And if you don’t like it now, why are you still here?
I heard a student the other day say, “I wish we went to a real school.” I wanted to turn to them and ask, “What does that mean? Are the students you go to class with fake? Are your professors fake? Is the diploma you get when you graduate fake? If this isn’t a real school, then why are you here?” The fact that Harding is different does not mean it isn’t real.
If you are here at Harding, and especially if you have chosen to be here, it is time to stop complaining. Make the most of your experience and stop ruining it for others.
Yes, Harding has some rules I am not too fond of. Sometimes I get tired of going to chapel every day, sometimes I would like to stay out past curfew and sometimes I get tired of Bible class, but at the end of the day what Harding offers us as students is invaluable for the rest of our lives.
I can deal with the rules and the other things that may not be my favorite about Harding because Harding offers so many other things. I can make life-long relationships here, I can learn in an environment where my teachers actually care about me, I can grow closer to God in a personal way, I can talk to professors who have a vast knowledge of Scripture and can teach me the history behind the church, I can learn God’s will and I can learn how to teach that to others. I have so many great opportunities at Harding.
