Paying Homage to Your University Is Important Even After Graduation

While attending college earns you the obvious degree that will hopefully make you more employable in your chosen industry, there are so many other benefits outside of the academic realm. Sure, you learn valuable skills in the classroom, but there are some things that come along with undergrad that will stick with you for the rest of your life.

You make amazing friends and memories during your four years of undergrad, but it’s the sense of school pride that really makes college special. Your alma mater quickly becomes part of your own personal identity, and you assume all of the history and character traits of your school on to your own individual character.

Any given student can probably list off a spew of quirky facts about their university’s history at the drop of a hat. From why the mascot is what it is to how the school got started, there are certain facts that become ingrained in your bank of semi-useless knowledge.

Something as random as the year the school was founded may seem insignificant, but it carries a lot of meaning and pride for everyone associated with the university. Whether the school first opened its doors in 1636 or 1693 may seem trivial, but it makes a huge difference.

The first college in America was the prestigious Harvard University founded early in the 17th century. It wasn’t until 57 years later when the next college hopped on board with the trend to higher education, a study points out. The College of William and Mary was the second university founded in the states.

Having the honor of attending one of the first universities in the nation is something that’s not taken lightly. Aside from the obvious bragging rights that come along with earning a place at one of the most elite schools across the globe, students can say they were a part of a school that trail blazed the higher education industry as we know it today.

Getting into America’s most prestigious university still is no easy feat and most likely never will be. Just this year the school hit a record low accepting only 4.50% of applicants for the 2023 class. This means 1,950 out of 43,330 hopefuls secured their spot as Harvardians.

Of course, these schools function much differently now than they would have several centuries ago, but it’s still a cool concept to consider. Even though today’s students played no role in the school’s founding, they are still connected to its history by association.

Without today’s students, the school’s founding in the 1600s would have led to nothing. The vision for the institution developed by people several years ago relied on people to trust the process and carry out the vision. The hard work to build up the school’s reputation and credibility has been done, but today’s students are the ones that keep this reputation alive.

When you invest every waking minute of your life into one place for four years, there’s no surprise that it’s easy to get attached to. Your school’s history becomes your history and honestly, there’s nothing wrong with that.