Hunter is the best school in America

When you think of “college”, a campus with a quad or two in an isolated little town, dorm life, small classes, and the works typically come to mind. Old quiet libraries. Dozens of buildings and halls strewn to and fro. Raging parties and a booming frat life.

So, it goes without saying that Hunter is not your typical college. Our main campus is five buildings (four if you count North and Thomas Hunter together) in the middle of the hustle-and-bustle of the Upper East Side. Our halls, elevators, escalators, and classes are packed like cans of sardines. Students frequently complain about the malfunctions of CUNYFirst, class selections, and frankly anything having to do with technology (although at least HunterNet got a sweet update over the winter break that doesn’t require you to sign in all the time anymore). Dorm life is limited only to a few, with most of us commuting home (for some of us, it’s outside the five boroughs). Hunterites complain, sigh, and simper. Why is everything so hard?

If you think about it from a different perspective, however, maybe we’re actually better than all other colleges. Now, you’re probably smirking and whispering “Wait, what?” under your breath. But bear with me. Hunter’s situation and significant difference from the typical campus is that it’s more like normal life after graduation. While your typical college kid is sheltered away in some idyllic campus in some small town for four years, and walks 15 minutes from the dorm to the classroom, we have to wake up early, hop on a train, and/or bus, and/or ferry, and commute back-and-forth. Guess what? We’re all going to have to do that when we graduate and get jobs. Except now, we have experience with long commutes and they have to get used to it.

CUNYFirst isn’t working properly? You wait for an hour at the Financial Aid office only to come out pissed off that your FAFSA didn’t process again? You wait for days to grab a class that you need, and end up getting a Staff Pick? Guess what? That’s how it really is. In truth, you can’t expect things to ever go right when you’re out there in the real world. That’s just how it goes – there will be plenty of times when systems backfire at work, when waiting for ages at lines will lead to an unhappy answer, and when you don’t get what you really want at your job or side-project or life in general.

The kid at the cute college campus has it way easier. The kid at the cute college campus will also probably not be as prepared as we are for all the crappy things life throws in our ways. We at Hunter actually get excited when we get the class we want, and the escalators work, and the Financial Aid office says something we want to hear. We develop a sense of stoic patience and a thick skin, and truly appreciate the moment when something goes right. That’s the kind of attitude needed upon graduating. The kid at the cute college campus, where things go swimmingly most of the time, may have a more optimistic expectation of how the real world functions, and thus have a harder time facing post-college life. When all the other college kids are protected by fragile eggshells, we come out with plate armor made of stainless steel.

Now that I’ve covered how we come out stronger, let’s be real and consider our actual situation. We don’t have a campus with a quad? So what? We’ve made New York City our campus, and Central Park our quad. We don’t have cool dining halls? So what? We’ve got cafes, restaurants, and bodegas just blocks, and not the next town, away. Don’t get me started on work experience and internships either. Most college towns don’t provide those opportunities. Ours are a train ride away, at most. We’re blocks away from the Museum Mile, a few train stops away from the most interesting and fun neighborhoods, and are in the middle of the one of the most diverse cities in the world.

Speaking of diversity, Hunter – like all schools in the CUNY system – is known for it. Look into any classroom, and you’ll see people of all races, creeds, and beliefs, each with their own story, struggle, and experience. It’s not uncommon to find one or two older students in any classroom – middle-aged and senior citizens interested in and studying the same thing as you are. Don’t be shy, and try talking to one of them. You might learn something valuable or simply make a friend. I took a Causes of War class last semester, and there was an aged man with a walker. The class was talking about the Korean War. When he spoke out, it turned out he actually lived through it. I don’t doubt that you, or any of your friends, had a similar experience here at Hunter.

Since Hunter – again, like all CUNYs – is a public college for the working-class, we get all of this for cheap. A typical semester at a typical college can cost more than $10,000. A typical semester at Hunter? About $4,000 on average. What about friends and parties and all that? There’s a running joke in Hunter that everyone keeps to themselves, and it’s a generally anti-social school. However, try introducing yourself to someone in class and strike up a chat. Smile at that pal of the friend you ran into on the Skybridge. Pretend you don’t have a pen in the library, and ask for one from that handsome gent or lovely lady who’s hitting the books too hard and may need a distraction. Friends and parties and new experiences would hopefully follow in time.

Do you see the advantages you have over that guy or gal in a cute meadow in the middle of a beautiful campus in the middle of nowhere? They’re sheltered compared to us. We’re getting stronger and tougher. In the middle of NYC. Among faces of all ages and cultures and walks of life. Next time you complain about how this or that isn’t working, remember – you’re just getting more prepared for what post-grad life is like. We’re actually the best.

Plus, actor Vin Diesel, two members of the rock band The Strokes, and poet Audre Lorde are Hunter alumni. Beat that.