Leadership

Through reading the testimonies and biographies of some alumnus of the University of Texas at Austin I got a better grasp of how much U.T. has changed over the years, but also how key professors are to the educational growth of the students. While the biggest change for me since attending U.T. has been added responsibilities, I realized that the level of which I retain information has increased drastically. I feel that the classes that I have done greater in is a result of the the amount of respect I have for the professor teaching the class. For example, I didn't expect to be so wrapped up in my art classes that I would forget to eat and hardly sleep because I would be working so hard on my projects but I realized by the end of the semester that I wasn't working so hard because I loved the projects but  

because I respected those teachers so much that I didn't want to disappoint them. That definitely didn't happen for me in high school. Those experiences have taught me that before I attach my name to anything I want to be sure it is the best I can possibly do in the time allotted and has made me better at managing my time.

Denton A. Cooley said about U.T., "...the lack of personal attention and support of individual students imparted a spirit of independence and competitiveness that offset the most theoretical disadvantage of an oversized student population." (p.865) I completely agree with his statement. I was used to having some what "one on one" discussions with my teachers in the past, but at U.T. it has been my responsibility to follow my progress and work to make good grades. I think that has been an important factor in the change that I have noticed in myself since coming here. Even better, the UGS course has given me the opportunity to maintain a good relationship with students around the same age, which has proven difficult in larger classes. To have a class of 300 where I have spoken maybe 3 sentences directly to my teacher and to go to a class of 18 is awesome. I have the same pressure to do well, but I can build awesome friendships and gain a better sense of the diverse community U.T. harbors.

Not only does U.T. encourage personal growth toward more independence, it also allows its students to speak their mind and express themselves. By having a large body of students who are willing to be leaders of their causes, U.T. has seen it's fair share of the expression of the first amendment.

Betty S. Flowers comments on the boycotting and rallying that students were doing at the time she attended U.T. saying, "We were terribly self-righteous. We had no sense of the fragility of institutions, of the ease with which something precious and complex like a university can be damaged." (p.881) U.T. has proven itself to be a strong institution that encourages freedom. While of course we are not completely free to do what we want, we can express ourselves in a manner that causes no harm to others. Which is fine by me.

-Arctic Fox