There are some things I could regret in my seemingly short time of existence, but I try not to dwell on the past. Unfortunately I've been reminded that this September marks the first school year that I wouldn't have been taking had I stayed the course in University four years ago.

As friends back home are receiving their University degrees, I am sitting here in London, at Fanshawe College, pondering my outcome.

Three years ago I made the decision that I was college-bound after feeling like I hadn't really learned anything in University. Theoretically, I did. But what new skill did I possess? Perhaps I can write better essays, articles and research reports, but where's the action in that?

I came to college because instead of always writing and saying something, I wanted to actually do something. Even though I could be framing up a hard-earned degree this September, I consider the amount of opportunity I've been offered at Fanshawe and all of a sudden the University road looks a lot less paved.

I'm not trying to be a fanboy for any post-secondary institution, but I will tell you about my preference for college, and hopefully put to rest a very unfortunate rumour about the post-secondary alterative that is college.

I know this is a rumour, because I held the same beliefs four years ago, and it's one that stems from the decisions I made in high school when given the choice between courses tiered “Applied/College” or “Academic/University”. We were told by guidance councilors that the academic version of a course would be University-oriented and would thus involve more discussion and abstract thinking. The applied version of a course was more hands-on, involving a lot of examples and geared more for the College-bound. When asked about income, they always assured us that more money could be squeezed from a University degree.

I don't know about you, but at the time, when carefully considering your future, did it not seem more appealing to go to University? It did to me (and my parents), but now I find myself here at Fanshawe College, braving yet another school year. Now that I've seen both sides of the coin here is my experienced opinion on the matter.

It is ludicrous to suggest that college education involves less intellect. It takes plenty of thought and abstract thinking for our tradesmen to build and maintain our infrastructure (and last time I checked, they take home a pretty nice paycheck).

It takes the same sharp skills for our graphic designers, filmmakers and photographers to create beautiful, awe-inspiring works. It takes careful calculation and understanding for our culinary artists to conjure up a mouth watering main dish. Are any of these skills mastered in a lecture hall?

Personally, as a Television Broadcasting student I've put to use more information from a single editing class than I ever would have in some lecture titled “Reflections on the Imitation of Greek Works in Painting and Sculpture through the 18th Century”. The notes from that actual lecture remain hidden in one of my old notebooks never to see the light of day again, and though the notes are taken I don't remember a thing about that lesson. But that's because it wasn't practical. Editing class, however, has proven its worth. I've been working as a videographer this past summer for the FSU and those classes have proven invaluable to me.

Rest assured that your choice of coming to college (and particularly Fanshawe) is a good one. Your student union is top notch, and your teachers are people with real world experience. You'll work with the same resources they would work with in the real world, and you can bet that most of them aren't located in a lecture hall.

Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.