Students Lacking Pioneer Pride

Whenever I watch ESPN's "College Gameday," I find myself wondering what a collegiate experience like that would have been like. What would it be like to paint my face and scream my head off rooting on Michigan at the Big House in Ann Arbor, or being one of the "Cameron Crazies" during a Duke Basketball game? For a sports enthusiast like myself, it would have been awesome, but the over/ under on my semesters in school would have been 1.5. There are times when I'd watch Jeopardy: College Edition and wish I had attended an Ivy League school. Maybe I should have gone to USC, North Carolina, Harvard or Yale, but truth be told, it wasn't in the cards for me. I never applied myself enough to get the grades to have a shot at those high profile schools. However, if you told me a decade ago that I would go to William Paterson, I would have laughed and then gotten irritated by the assumption. It was considered by some of my classmates to be on par with a community college. 

When students go about applying for colleges, there are three distinct groupings each school falls into during this process: the "pipe-dreams", the "possible" and the "fallbacks". I had applied to Miami (pipe-dream), St. John's (possible), Ramapo (possible) and Morris County College (fallback).

Those school groupings require no in-depth explanation, but what does require some analysis are how some schools are lead pipe locks to end up in certain categories. Here at William Paterson, the grouping and reasons some students end up attending this university fall into that last group known as the fallback application. The unfavorable belief comes from two stigmas that are in place: quality of education and lacking a serious campus life.

While some may view William Paterson as a backup plan, it is so much more than that. In writing this article, I became aware of one thing that would never have come to mind that is sure to be questioned and scrutinized by the believers and nonbelievers alike. Just by taking some time to review the numbers reveals that out of all the options for higher learning in North Jersey, our university ranks up there in terms of value. This, however, doesn't seem to translate to higher regard from students and parents. The truth is that when weighing five crucial factors, there is a picture that comes crystal clear for all to see. William Paterson is the best value in the area.

The five factors are overall acceptance percentage, average SAT scores, transfers accepted, tuition costs, and financial aid needs meet percentage. These are not the only statistics, but of the statistics available these are truly the most fitting numbers of this time. In these categories we can determine competitiveness, inclusion and, the most important categories given the economic climate, tuition and financial aid.

These numbers have spoken loudly in favor of William Paterson and its phenomenal educational value, but what about the Pioneer Pride? Is it out there? Can it happen at a commuter school?

Sure, we can't compete with the likes of the big time sports schools or the prestige of the Ivy Leagues. However, our hockey and bowling teams deserve some kind of rabid following, because they are phenomenal. It may just get a little weird to walk into a bowling alley decked out like you're going to the SEC championship game.

Most students who fall into the commuter category are on campus long enough to go to class and use the library or computer lab. It's just the way it is. The campus life is not in the same ballpark as Rutgers or Princeton, mainly due to a lack of anything resembling a college town. There is no extension of WPU beyond the parking that gives the visual appeal associated with the idealized campus life some soon to be college students crave and expect. It's just Wayne, N.J., not party central.

With all that said, let's all take this opportunity to recognize the excellent value of WPU and stick up for it when someone calls it a "community college" or says "they would never go here." Tell them we don't want them here and give them a, "What does the five fingers say to the face?" Okay, well don't do the last part, but show some pride and stand up for your school. I swear Pioneer Pride will become cool again.