So after much debate and applying what I learned in Microeconomics to this decision that was engulfing my mind for the past few months, I've decided, I'm ready to return to the college life I had back in the fall semester of Freshmen year at the University of Maryland, College Park. Now don't get me wrong, Miami has served as a stepping stone in my character and intellectual development, but I've realized that Miami caters to a certain segment of students, and I'm not in that target market. For the past eighteen years of my life, despite the four months I spent in Maryland, I've been living in a bubble, one of the safest, cleanest, and most elegant places in the world, we'll, the continental United States. Boca Raton, Florida is not a realistic place for the majority of the world. Driving down Glades Road, it is not abnormal to see luxurious automobiles such as Mercedes Benz, Porsche, BMW, and Lexus, stopped at every stoplight. It is not abnormal for teenage girls to be awarded with breast-implants or other forms of plastic surgery as means of graduation presents. It is not abnormal for five year toddlers to be walking around with Apple iPhones and Coach purses. Religion is more like a competition, which is very apparent, when it comes to the 13th birthdays for Jewish males and females. Bar and Bat Mitzvahs have transformed from religious milestones into huge galas featuring priceless decorations and entertainments, such as performances by some of the hottest performing artists, such as South Florida native FLO-RIDA. I knew there was a reason I left this fantasyland after senior year, yet I took a step backward and returned to this. Coral Gables, another form of Boca Raton, with a lot more Hispanics and Spanish advertisements. This place is the Beverly Hills of Miami. However, now that I think of it, I'm being a little harsh on Coral Gables, because the University of Miami is located in this enclave of wealth and prestige. The town is not catered one bit at all to the college student, which is a tremendous downfall for me. Despite the few UM signs and logos that are scattered throughout the vicinities, it seems like any other neighborhood located outside of a big metropolitan city. The soft, sandy beaches and the crystal-blue, clear water does not do anything for me as I've been brought up on the beach since I was a baby. The hustling nightlife of South Beach is nothing huge for me either, as I've been exposed to this for so long, and I've never got hard for any of it. The University of Miami attracts two types of individuals. One set being the wealthy jet-setters children who have been brought up eating caviar and flying jets, and the on the other spectrum, the struggling middle-class individual children who chose to attend this fine institution due to the generous merit scholarships that are provided to the best and the brightest students. I do not fall into either of those spectrums, as I am not the son of a CEO nor do they have any form of financial aid. The University of Miami is costing my parents a little over $50,000.00 USD annually, but my parents consider me to big one of the biggest assets and investments in their lives, we'll one of three, the two being my older sister and brother. However, for that type of investment, I do not feel it is justifiable for me to stay at this place or in South Florida if I am not getting what I initially wanted to get out of college, that experience that my sister spoke of that she had at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Days that consisted of tailgating from the beginning of the morning to the late hours of the afternoon after the Minuteman beat their opponents. Followed by nights on Fraternity Row, moving from house to house, just consuming cheap tasting brew and getting belligerent with your closet friends. From the moment I hit high school, I knew I wanted a big, public school, and leaving that domain was a big mistake on my part, but I'm glad that I have two more years to continue what I started. I'm looking forward to being able to walk a few feet off campus and being able to get food and alcoholic/ nonalcoholic beverages into the wee hour of the mornings. Looking forward to being able to walk outside my fraternity house and seeing crowds of students getting ready to rebel after a week of tedious and gruesome schoolwork. And lastly, being able witness the Tarheels kick some college-ass in football, only yards away from my fraternity house, after tailgating with my fraternity brothers. Like Asher Roth says, "That party last night was awfully crazy...drink my beer and smoke my weed, but my good friends all need...man I love college. I'm ready to return those parties that are epic and end with me passing out on the floor after singing obscenely drunk on Youtube (inside joke from UMD). Now, it's a bit of a bittersweet moment, as I'm going to miss my friends and acquaintances at theU, but come back at a later time for a blog about all the memories of Miami.
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