Matt Peters | Editor

Credit: Beth Rankin

If you told me four years ago I’d be sitting here writing about the advantages of going to Kent State, I probably would have laughed.

But alas, I am now an old man and hopefully slightly wiser. And in my old age I have discovered Kent State truly is a land of opportunity.

Laugh all you want, I would have too just four years ago. I indulged in my fair share of days spent ripping on Kent State and the fact that there was nothing to do. But, my seniority has led me to believe it is there, you just have to look.

Like many others past, present and future, I sat in my Small Group residence hall freshman year complaining that everyone left campus on the weekends and there was nothing to do. Later, I made several friends who had shared the exact same experience just a building or two away. The opportunities are out there, whether you realize it or not.

I would advise students to get involved. College is a great way of meeting people with diverse backgrounds and interesting stories to tell. You might get some of that hanging around your dorm room, but it would only be half of what you could be experiencing. I got involved; I joined the Daily Kent Stater. Aside from honing my journalistic skills, I have grown as a person by meeting a large variety of people.

Even today, I’m constantly finding out new things about the area I wish I would have known years earlier. Don’t worry about going off the beaten path. You never know what you’ll find.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to be a little bit mischievous. I could tell you all about the times my friends and I duct taped a drunken roommate into his bed or the time we launched 72 bottles of Sprite Remix through the air in front of Eastway, but perhaps I will save those stories for my grandchildren. The “real” world of responsibility is still years off for freshmen. Enjoy it.

Matt Peters is a senior journalism major and the editor of the Summer Kent Stater. Contact him at [email protected].