Editor's note: The following is a Daily Texan -30- column. In the typewritten days of the newspaper industry, "-30-" dentoed the end of a story. A -30- column gives graduating staff members an opportunity to reflect and speak their minds.
UT-Austin admitted a record 81 percent of next year's freshman class under the top 10 percent law.
I was a victim of this unfair rule four years ago, and I thank God every day for it.
Eager to escape the cliquish halls of Westfield High School in Houston, I knew I wanted to live in Austin. When Rice University told me, "No thanks," attending school here became my priority.
I spent days perfecting my application and essay, hoping my writing faculty would woo admissions officers. A standardized rejection letter from UT Admissions Director Bruce Walker said it all: No top 10 percent, no acceptance.
To my disgust, friends sent half-completed applications and ridiculous essays - one babbled that he was raised by zombie-aliens on the fictional planet Zarka - because they knew the law would admit them. This after one difficult advanced placement course dropped me from 44th, or top 5 percent, in a 1,000 plus member senior class to 135th, a respectable top 16 percent finish.
The generic letter offered that I could enroll in the UT System's Coordinated Admissions Program, attend a satellite school, and if I maintained at least a 3.0 GPA, secure a spot at the Austin campus my sophomore year. I accepted the offer with reluctance and decided to suffer through a year at UT-Arlington.
My defeatist attitude changed in my first week on the Arlington campus. The potluck roommates I feared might be arrogant, insulting jerks became instant friends. The Shorthorn, the acclaimed campus newspaper, became my second home as a rookie news reporter. I authored more than 100 articles in two semesters there and annoyed President James Spaniolo with my frequent interrogations of the campus administration.
About two weeks into the school year, I met the best friend I will ever have. We both loved NBA basketball, performing and listening to music, and the use of understatements. Michael Jordan was an average basketball player, no?
That freshman year I initially wrote off as a waste was my best to date.
The lesson here? Some things happen for a reason. I sometimes regret my decision to leave the Arlington campus for the twice-as-large one in Austin. I never regret going there. Prospective college students in my former boat - who live with timidity, reservation and anxiety - will initially consider this place a social inferno. I hated this figurative refrigerator when I arrived and did not understand how a campus of 50,000 plus students could be so uninviting, save sporting events.
Then, I joined The Daily Texan staff, and it helped make this enormous place seem a bit smaller. All incoming and freshman students should involve themselves in organizations, jobs and events that enhance, not waste, their lives. I spent six semesters in the squalid Daily Texan basement, breathing its toxic air, bemoaning its fluorescent lighting and giving my life to the paper. I wouldn't have had it any other way.
As a news writer, I am rarely allowed to publish opinions, so here are six things I want you to know:
1. Most journalism professors tell me the newspaper industry is locked in the fetal position. When I tell some friends about my decision to pursue a reporting career, the answer rarely changes: "Aw, that sucks." It does not suck. People need newspapers even if they would rather not admit it. That includes you, Joe Smith, engineering freshman, and you, Patty Davis, dance junior. I agree that newspapers must adapt to the technological climate and improve content. However, unless you plan on analyzing Austin's annual budget yourself, take the few minutes you know you have, and read the newspaper! Those critics who say they can survive without newspapers will pay dearly for their ignorance.
2. The Daily Texan owes UT President William Powers many thanks for his candidness and flexibility. I remember heading to the UT Tower for an interview with Powers in spring 2006. He arrived 15 minutes late because of an engagement with Walter Cronkite. Instead of shortening my interview, he asked two deans to wait outside his office until I finished asking questions. This generous behavior is typical of UT's chief administrator. I urge other top officials to take note.
3. The words "college student" and "library" mesh as well as "bacon" and "ice cream." I admit my library visitations have been infrequent at best, but I have been. The libraries here contain world-class literature, artifacts and other pieces you will not find anywhere else. Turn off that iPod and television for an afternoon, and visit The Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection or the Harry Ransom Center.
4. Apartment realtors in this city are human vultures. You do not need to hunt for a place to live in October, but these agents tell you otherwise. Less than two months after moving into my first apartment, my realty company asked me to decide if I wanted to re-lease my unit and pay an extra $100 per month. With some items still in boxes, I caved, as those creeps knew I would, and signed the re-lease.
5. Think your campus food stinks? Few college cafeterias could concoct the exotic burrito UT-Arlington's Connection Cafe served me during my freshman year - warm and cold throughout, with refried beans, plastic-like rice, carrots, day-old spaghetti, imitation cheese, frozen broccoli and chewy beef. Now I know what prison food tastes like. That same semester, I attended a few administrative functions with delicious catered food. If you don't think most students and staff members get the shaft when it comes to campus dining, you don't know the system.
6. Grades and GPAs are overrated. I tanked one semester here, but I do not let that failure dent the stern work ethic my parents instilled in me. Study and participate in your classes, but do not let schoolwork rule your college tenure. A well-rounded university experience means a well-balanced life. Attend symphonies and concerts, experience Weird Wednesday at the Alamo Drafthouse, allow time for your favorite TV show(s), exercise, spend time with worthy friends then study.
I consider the term "weirdo" a compliment. It means I have an identity and know where I want life to take me. Most students who are reading this column cannot say the same. I am a ridiculous San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets fan at a time when it is not acceptable to loyally support two division rivals. My musical schizophrenia - Miles Davis, Art Blakey and Charlie Parker one moment, Jewel the next, Argentina's Soda Stereo, Neneh Cherry, then a raucous Pantera jam - usually solicits laughs. I enjoy long walks on the beach, and no, this is not a cliche ploy to attract women. I once detested the rosy cheeks I inherited at birth but pay little attention to them now.
Be proud of who you are, especially those things you cannot change. Embrace them as I have, and you will lead a happier life.
There is a lot of sadness in the world, but Austin ain't it.
¡Chau UT, cuidate mucho!
Robert Kleeman will graduate this month with an English degree and Spanish and journalism minors. He hopes to spend at least five years reporting and editing at newspapers in Texas. His dream jobs include being an NBA analyst on ESPN or ABC, covering the Rockets or Spurs as a beat reporter, living in Argentina and touring with a signed band as a drummer and/or singer.
