TELL1-Kulp

__** What do you believe is the purpose of a college education? **__ I believe that the purpose of a college education is different for everyone. For some, it means to go out and party and have fun as much as you can. For others, it means studying so hard alone in your room all day, every day. For me, I feel like a college education is about finding yourself through the interactions and people you meet. The experiences and challenges you go through college are completely different among every person, but in the end, it makes up who you are. I feel like the purpose of college education is to have an idea for what you want to do during the rest of your life and who and what kind of friends you want to have along for the journey.

__** What does it mean to be educated? **__ Just like the purpose of college education is different for everyone, what it means to be educated is also different for everyone. For me, being educated does not mean you spend so many years in school and you are considered to be "educated". I feel that you become more educated once you leave the classrooms. Outside of the classrooms is where you find out the most about yourself and the world around you. It's where you find what things are most important to you and what you do with your life once you find what is important to you. Being educated means to knowing what to do once you find yourself and the information you gain from other people and experiences.

__** What experiences have you had with education that led you to this belief? **__ I feel way more educated about certain things in life compared to other people because of my past experiences. I did not really have an education my whole junior and half of senior year in high school. Instead, I spent everyday of my entire junior year and the first few months of senior year in outpatient physical therapy, and then the next 2 months in a hospital for treatment of my RSD. I did not have structured schooling and pretty much skipped that year and a half of school, but I felt like I became way more educated than I ever would have if I didn't have those experiences outside of regular schooling. During that time, I found myself and the things most important to me because of my experiences and the people I met and talked to. It was a very complicated time for me, but meeting, talking, and finding out the pasts of some other people has had helped me have an education most people would not have the chance to get.