Going to college is not just an academic adventure for the treasure of success. The more I traverse through the terrain of our higher-learning institution, the more it seems like the status-quo is hypnotically satisfied with a purely pedantic pursuit.

The experience of attending a university has become dangerously centralized around merely fulfilling prescribed sets of expectations in order to, in turn, assert economic viability.

True, to some extent we are all attending college in order to gain access to higher levels of our stratified society; we’re all making our way into what we hope will be financially secure and flexible living environments.

If all we take away from our college lives is a diploma, however, I’m sorry to say, we’ve missed out on the whole point of our adventure.

We’ve been indoctrinated into the view that the college adventure is the gateway to the real world; you go to college in order to gain access to a “higher” rung of society.

In a country that encourages individualistic ambition and competition for its capitalist conquest, we are taught that going to college is the step you need to take if you want to provide yourself with economic security, opportunities and stability.

Going to college is a process which will mark you with status in the class of achievers.

Although it cannot be disputed that getting a higher education is economically practical, the abundance of emphasis on the economically individualistic purpose of getting a degree can lead to speculation of whether or not students view their college experience as an opportunity to better their social and cultural understanding and awareness.

A university is not just a vessel which will propel your status. It is an organic medium for all kinds of knowledge, passions and wonder; it creates an experience of possibilities.

The experience of going to college connects students in a social network that is lush with diversity. An environment of diversity is one in which cultural exchanges can occur quickly and fluently.

Although the paths of communication within an environment of diversity can, and often, become neglected, they cannot be destroyed. And although they cannot be destroyed, they cannot essentially be alive unless collective engagement is directed toward maintaining their health.

Thus, the participation of the social network influences and determines the condition of an environment of diversity. In a good condition, such an environment can provide people experiences that are valuable, powerful and highly educational. What we read and memorize through college is at least as important as what we learn from the cultural exchanges we experience.

Iowa State is an environment of diversity with profound paths for cultural exchange. It is our responsibility as the student body to realize this and to maintain and cultivate these paths.

We must encourage social engagement and emphasize the value of cultural understanding for reasons often overshadowed by those who wish for us to merely understand college as a tool for status attainment.

Be aware that in addition to possessing a degree, possessing an awareness and tolerance of a variety of cultural perspectives is integral for individual flexibility and interrelationship quality.

Moreover, not possessing cultural adaptability produces barriers of segregated isolation and fosters environments in which intolerance, discrimination and ignorance can breed.

The future of our lives is being created as the present unfolds. Currently, we’re preparing ourselves for a life with a college education. Although this education is an exceptionally valuable asset, it should also be an experience in diversity.

Engage yourself in it and enhance your understanding and tolerance of one another. Check out socially active student organizations; keep your eyes and ears open for cultural events — keep your mind open; share your thoughts and listen.