Eric in Wonderland?

Is my college life like Alice in Wonderland? I would say, like Garrison, both yes and no. There are many characters and symbols that I can relate my experience at UT with. Here at UT, I am still trying to discover where I belong. Yes, I love campus and love the faculty, but I’m still looking for my niche. Yes, I am a BHP and Plan II student. I am on the Undergraduate Business Council and involved in Honors Business Association. I love going to the Plan II office to chat with fellow students and grab a cookie. However, what exactly is my experience at UT?

Sometimes, I feel that I, like Alice, am in an endless hole, falling about “four thousand miles down” (Carroll 13). College seems routine and predictable. So long as I study hard, get good grades, and enjoy the experience, I’ll make it out of here in four years and move on to other things. However, I want my pilgrimage through college to memorable, not like the black void that Alice witnesses in her fall through the hole.

Also, the rabbit, to me, represents the pressures of society to get places. I agree with Rania and David that the White Rabbit parodies “the rush of college life and the necessity of purpose, both with overwhelm the freshman” (Rania and David, in Bump 281). With his pocket watch and blazer jacket, the rabbit reminds me of the pressures of the business world. Business casual. Business professional. Dinner etiquette. Career fairs. Networking. Recruiters. Corporations. I don’t want to be like the Rabbit, in a rush to get from one place to another that I forget about the path. College is more than about getting a degree, it’s about growing up, being “independent”, and developing friendships. The Rabbit, for me, is not my friend. He is the pressure from parents and others that cause me to worry about my future. Dr. Moon Draper, my Plan II Bio professor, told us during one rant of his that these four years yours to use how you like. You can spend them bumming around watching TV and “hanging” out with friends, or you can enjoy a social life yet at the same time, take advantage the university has to offer.

Also, since I’ve come to college, I’m some what changed my outlook on life. I’m big on rationality and humans making their own decisions. I try to live life without regrets. One phrase I remember learning during a leadership camp in high school is “live life so well that death trembles to take you.” Unlike Alice, I try not to regret anything I do. When Alice was swimming in her tears, she remarked, “I wish I hadn’t cried so much! I shall be punished now for it” (Carroll 25). I feel that living life accepting your decisions and dealing with the choices you’ve made is part of living. In college, I may make some poor decisions, but the important thing is to learn from them. I may be tempted to “DRINK ME,” but I know I can make my own decisions and be responsible for my actions (Carroll 16). Alice makes choices that lead to the series of events that follow. Likewise, choosing do to this optional DB, studying instead of going out, starting homework early, reaching out to a friend in need, or whatever all collectively contribute to the entire college experience. Living without regrets is important and is vital in the life learning process.

I feel that Alice in Wonderland is a great parody of the college experience. My college experience so far, in some ways, is an Eric in Wonderland. I must make the most of my four years here at UT and learn from my actions.