In my three years writing for Pipe Dream, a lot has happened. We had a change of president, Osama bin Laden was killed, a huge basketball scandal took place and Godzilla must have attacked Japan at least five times during my sophomore year alone. And, during all of this, not once did I take the time to change my stupid headshot.
My relationship with Pipe Dream’s opinion section has been a tumultuous one. It was never fun getting up earlier than I’d like to on Sunday for short, usually boring opinion section meetings, but then again sometimes there was pizza! At times, I got to write columns on topics which I cared for and could write for hours about. Then again, there are a number of columns I hurriedly scraped together after finding out I missed my deadline. I’m sure you’ve noticed, and I’m sure my editors have loved me for it.
Pipe Dream, however, has only been a small part of what Binghamton had to offer me. Though I came to Binghamton as a prospective student of evolutionary biology, I eventually turned towards majoring in English and philosophy, thanks to a poor Calculus 2 experience and some pressure from my high school English teachers.
I know, I know. I’ve gone from having a stable career to most likely working as the manager of a fast food joint, but I don’t think I regret my decision. I’ve gotten to take some very interesting classes, on topics ranging from metaphysics to persuasion in ancient Greece — with some equally interesting and helpful professors.
And, who knows, maybe this whole writing career thing may actually work out. Ah, who am I kidding?
Even though we all come to university to further our academic endeavors (that is why we do this, right?), there’s plenty more that Binghamton has to offer. There are so many clubs that I don’t think there’s space in a single column to discuss all of them. There are always events going on, including TED Talks and one of the best ones of them all, Spring Fling, which you better have gone to this past weekend.
There are other lesser-known gems like the library’s book sale and the LANime, but that’s why it’s always a good idea to check up on B-Line every once in a while. You know you’re just staring at your email in that one class that lets you bring laptops in. Tweeting about how boring your class is can wait until it ends, so you may as well learn about what’s going on around you if you don’t want to learn about the role elephants had in taking down the Third Reich.
As I’ve written about in another column, it’s nice to get away from Binghamton every once in a while. Each college and the college-town that comes with it has its own events, idiosyncrasies and charm which deserve checking out. I’m sure you have some friends in a nearby college, right? Why not pay a visit to Cornell for Slope Day, or Cortaca (unless, of course, it’s in Cortland and you visit there).
You don’t need to visit a university for a good trip either. Syracuse is 45 minutes away and has some great food in the form of Dinosaur BBQ. If you’re really adventurous you can even take the drive to Philly to get a great taste of history and Philly cheesesteaks. And, if you’re one of the 25 percent of students that doesn’t come from Long Island or NYC, you may as well visit those locales while you’re so close.
This all being said, there are some things Binghamton has which no trip can replicate. Even if you don’t think it’s for you, try to check out the bar scene on State Street at least once. The Nature Preserve is a must-do as well as Binghamton Lake for anyone who enjoys the great outdoors.
Anyway, this is becoming a rant and all I’m really trying to say is that Binghamton has plenty to offer and you shouldn’t squander your time here. It’s hard to balance everything at once with so many choices to make, but those are the kind of decisions you have to make when you’re on your own. I know this is all cliché as hell and Drake put it much better when he said “YOLO,” but I’m not going to tell you how to live your life as long as you live it. Who am I to tell you what to do? I’m just an opinion columnist!