By Tatem Cox
Fall 2023
The story of my college decision is well, kind of random. For as long as I can remember, my parents have encouraged me to go to any college I want to and become anything I want to be. As cliche as their words were, they gave me complete freedom to go wherever I wanted to. So why in the world would I pick a random D1 school in the middle of nowhere Oklahoma?
When the time came to actually select a college, I wanted to pick one that had a little bit of everything. My graduating class had thirty-two graduates, so I was inclined to pick a larger school to get the “big school experience.” (It is a little crazy to me that I have lectures that are bigger than my whole high school.) On the other hand, I didn’t want to just be a number or statistic, I wanted to meet people and make real connections. I also wanted to attend a college that could cater to all of my interests. Growing up in a small country town, I had the opportunity to do literally everything! I was always very active in agriculture and FFA, anywhere from raising and showing goats to cotton and land judging. But another big part of my life has always been sports. So I really wanted to select a college that not only had a variety of sports for me to watch but also had opportunities for me to play. The last activity-based requirement that I had was regarding the ministries on campus. Growing up, church was very important to my family and to me. I knew that I wanted to attend a school that would have a plethora of campus ministries that were active. Now taking all these “desires” into consideration, the college I selected would have to be well-rounded and a little bit diverse. So I began looking.
Naturally, I visited colleges in my home state of Texas first. While I found colleges that checked some of my boxes, I could not find one to check them all. I found colleges that had strong traditions in either agriculture or sports but not both. I looked at colleges with strong religious affiliations but no agricultural programs. When I did find a college with all 3 of my interests, it had so many students, that I felt as if I would be lost in the crowd. I was becoming discouraged in my search for the place I would call home for the next four years of my life. This led me to think outside of the box and cross my state line in pursuit of a solution. However, going to college out of state meant I would be all alone. Other than my classmates who were going out of state to play sports, all my friends were planning on attending college in Texas. College in itself is a daunting thought, but it is even more terrifying when you think you will have to go through it all alone. Despite my fears, I continued my pursuit of finding the perfect college. Because I live fifteen miles from the border of Oklahoma, I thought the most logical option would be to look at schools in Oklahoma. After a swift Google search, I rapidly concluded that there was really only one viable option for me in Oklahoma. (Who really wants to listen to that “boomer sooner” song any more than they have to.) It was the fall semester of my senior year at this point, and most of the people around me already had their college plans set in stone, so I went out on a whim and signed up for an OSU campus tour on September 9, 2022. At that time, I did not personally know anyone who had attended OSU. Though I had little knowledge of Oklahoma State, by the end of the day on September 9, I was fairly certain I had found my home for the next four years.
When I walked onto the Oklahoma State University campus for the first time, it was the beauty of the campus that immediately struck me. Opposed to the other schools I visited before, it appeared OSU took great pride in the way their campus represented itself. I was mezmorized by the similitude of each building, and the simple yet astounding attention to detail of the landscape. The more I walked and talked, the more at home I felt. My tour guides were overflowing with genuinity and joy as they strived to make me feel comfortable. They answered each question with confidence and grace. From the janitors, to the tour guides and faculty members, I was met with an inviting smile. At the end of my day I was left confused as to how a place so immensely daunting could feel so much like home. I knew that if I decided to come to Oklahoma State Univeristy, I would be able to find the community that I had been yearning for for so long. As it turns out, a land grant university is the perfect place for me. The mission statement all land grant universities strive to achieve is to provide an affordable high level of education for Americans who otherwise wouldn’t receive a higher level of education, and to prepare them to become successful, impactful citizens (NASGULC, 4). The aspirations land grant universities are actively pursuing, align with my own personal ambitions for my future. I may not know exactly what I want to do for the rest of my life, but I do know that I want to be a productive citizen. My goal is to become a well-educated professional through whatever opportunities I will pursue and to push myself to overcome any of the setbacks that I will indefinitely face. Even though I did not necessarily know what a land grant university was prior to enrolling at OSU, I am genuinely thankful to be at the college that I am today.
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