Assignment #7-- Daniel Mendoza Vasquez

Though the more cynical side of me would like to scoff at the ridiculous price and difficulty of accessing higher education in this country, I will almost certainly be doing everything within my power to get into an ideal school. Yes, the system is, without a doubt, extremely flawed and exploitative; more of a business than a service no matter how much colleges claim to be ‘non-profit’. And yet, the value of an actual degree can never be overstated. It is now a key that expands your employment options infinitely, far beyond that of a high school diploma. Moreover, for most of the fields that I am personally interested in, it is either required or very useful to have a degree in them. Business certainly has a lot to do with intuition and socialization, something that isn’t concrete, but a major in business can teach the best way to use those skills and provide a better understanding of how the market works. Careers in foreign affairs and diplomacy, another field of interest for me, are almost entirely in government and exceed credentials.

Even then, the concept of college itself is appealing to me. Going to school and taking classes isn’t inherently bothersome, it’s that I have to stress and study for things that I have no interest in and that I know I will not pursue. It’s the rudimentary nature of required classes that angers and annoys, not ‘learning’ itself. So, getting to choose what type of field to study, along with much more flexibility and freedom, doesn’t seem like a bad thing. On a less deliberate note, I am torn between which of these three places I’d like to attend: Tulane, which is in New Orleans, my fantastic city of birth; New York University, located in cosmopolitan and urban heaven; and the University of Miami, residing in another great city that boasts warm weather and a gateway to Latin America. UCLA, too, grabs my attention but seems too far away. Of course, I’m getting ahead of myself in debating these things, I have to get accepted first--and they’re all quite selective.