January 28, 2000 ~ Response to a Flamer

Some guy came into The Well, the online opinionated magazine that I run, and started talking about how WWC was a terrible school because it doesn't teach you how to screw people over in the business world. It turned out that he wasn't even who he said he was and was just flaming and trying to piss people off, but this is the response I wrote to him. I thought it was worth something.

Dear John~

I am currently an English / Creative Writing major at WWC, with a minor in Religion. But this is not where I started.

Portland State University has a Business College that ranks third in the nation. It prides itself on providing its 15,000 students with "an education for the 21st Century." On the first day of classes, my Honors professor told us that he was there to "make us professionals."

I too made a terrible mistake in my college selection process. You see, writing is my passion, and it is what I wish to do with my life. PSU's English Department was small, and its Creative Writing Department was non-existent. I was lost in a sea of 15,000 faces all repeating a refrain of "I will be a professional." Class sizes were huge, and I was lucky if my professors remembered my name.

I began researching small Liberal Arts colleges to see who could offer me a good writing program. Warren Wilson appeared to be perfect for me, and I figured I could try for it the next fall. Much to my surprise, my Honors Professor called me up after class one day, and informed me that he had picked me out as one of the ten students in his 100-student class who he was positive would succeed. He informed me that because this was the honors class, this put me in the top ten students of the entire Freshman Class of PSU, and he wanted to make sure I planned to stay at the University until I graduated. In order to assure my stay, he offered me a full-ride scholarship for my entire four years at Portland State.

I went home that night in tears, torn between certain economic success and my dream of becoming a writer. I knew that my entire family and many friends would probably be upset with me if I turned down the "right thing to do" and instead pursued a writing career. To give up this scholarship, in their eyes, was to commit corporate suicide.

In a quavering voice, I called the Warren Wilson Admissions Office the next day. I was informed that it was quite a coincidence that I had called when I did, because a Warren Wilson representative was due in Portland in two days. Coincidence? I thought. This is a sign from God, a stroke of fate!

Donna Kilpatrick interviewed me right on the spot, and I told her my story. She immediately took me to a pay phone in the lobby and had me call Richard Blomgren, the Dean of Admissions. We had a friendly chat, and he encouraged me to go ahead and apply for the Spring Semester, even though the deadline had passed at least a month before. I walked away from the interview in a daze, and decided to skip my PSU classes for the day. When I got home that night, I stayed up until 5 am filling out applications, writing an admissions essay, gathering references, preparing writing samples, and faxing it all to Warren Wilson. I collapsed in bed that morning exhausted but filled for the first time in months with a sense of purpose and accomplishment.

A week later, I got my acceptance letter in the mail. That very day I told my Honors Professor he could keep the thousands of dollars he had offered me for my education, and I sent my financial aid forms to Warren Wilson. I had two weeks to pack, tie up all my loose ends in the city in which I had spent my entire life, and ready myself for the leap of faith of a lifetime. You see, I didn't find out that I would have enough financial aid for Warren Wilson until two days before I stepped on the plane. As it was, I ended up spending the very last of my savings account on that first semester of tuition.

I have now been at Warren Wilson for over a year and have had the most fulfilling, rewarding, successful, and meaningful experience in my life. I have to work extra jobs to stay here, for I am poor, but it has been more than worth my effort and sweat.

The first semester that I was here, I noticed that Warren Wilson did not have many publications. I made a request to create a new work crew to supply the community with an opinionated publication of some sort. They granted me my request, and the product is what you see before you, The Well. I know I speak for my crewmembers as well as myself when I say we are very passionate about what we have created here. This is a dream, now become a reality, and the people who have made it happen are all very motivated, kind, and brilliant people.

But Warren Wilson is a MISTAKE, you say. I agree that it was a mistake for you. For me, however, it has been one excellent experience after another. My classes are wonderful, and the Professors all challenge me to exceed my expectations for myself over and over again. I don't need any strict rules to keep me in classes; I come to classes because I enjoy learning in them. This college stands for excellence in academics, service towards others, and a healthy work life. All are ideals that I am willing to stand for and learn.

My work experience on the Well has done more than enough to provide me with the experience I need to succeed in the career path that I have chosen based on what I am passionate about in my life. I have learned how to program web pages, which is a very valuable skill in today's world, no matter WHO you work for. I have found an outlet for creative expression, and also a place to voice my ideas and opinions. I have gained invaluable management and editorial experience. I have gained further experience in the world of publishing my writing, as well. Aside from that, I have learned what it is like to work in an environment where the main focus is not making as much money as possible, but instead creating a quality product which will affect the lives of others in a positive way and will provide a means of communication for a rapidly growing community. I know that is not what is important to you, but it is what is of the utmost importance to me and to many others like me. This is why I am positive that Warren Wilson is perfect for meeting my needs. I could not possibly be happy living any other way.

Your memories of Warren Wilson must be quite painful still to return after 12 or 13 years with still existent emotional baggage. I hope your posts in The Well have allowed you a chance to vent, and maybe heal a bit.

I hope that your future holds fulfillment of your purpose within it. I do admire your determination. It would take a great deal of effort to succeed in the corporate world without the proper preparation for it. Congratulations, too, on your marriage and expected child. A child, by the way, is not a very logical economic venture but does give rewards in ways far more exciting and beautiful than a large bank account. Above all, I hope you will allow your child to fulfill his or her purpose in the future and follow that which is written on his or her soul in the language of hopes, dreams, and passions.

Fare thee well,
~Melissa

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