.png)
 |
| Travis Wilson |
Dear Potential McConnell Scholar,
You are probably carefully
researching the McConnell Center by reading this blog, just as I did a year
ago, in order to tailor your application to appeal to the reviewers. Much has been written on this blog about the
life experiences of the McConnell Scholars as we experience the transition to from
high school to the University of Louisville. I will try to add my humble perspective
to the existing myriad of views so you will have a clearer idea of some aspects
of freshmen McConnell Center life. Hopefully,
it will be of some use to you in your near future.
If you’re like most good students during
their senior year of high school, you are stressed and spread rather thin between
your various classes, activities and applications. If you think it is difficult now, I hate to
tell you, it only gets worse. During your
freshmen year of college, you will work harder than ever, think harder than
ever, sleep less than ever, and be challenged in difficult personal ways more
than ever. However, if you are strong
enough to push through, you will learn more than ever, learn differently, learn
to work harder, make close friends, and begin the process of learning to think. Not to mention that you will have more fun
than ever before. I thank the McConnell
Center for playing a crucial role in making much of this happen for me thus far
and I sincerely look forward to the next three and a half years.
One theme that was very striking to
me as incoming Scholar and that I’m certain will occur to future McConnell
Scholars is the process of learning how to think. Most students were never introduced to this
concept in high school, including myself. While it is rarely discussed as a stand-alone concept, it is evident in
every seminar and in some of the higher quality classes that I have been
fortunate enough to attend. You will be
forced to think differently in order to comprehend the topics presented. Soon you realize that the goal is not purely gaining information about history and
politics; rather, we analyze these topics in order develop our minds in a
manner that make us more viable candidates for any type of work.
To someone who is considering
making the McConnell Center part of their college experience I would urge you
to focus on thinking. Personally, I have
noticed two types of people who receive this scholarship: those who think, and
those who know. I believe that the ability to think and understand things
is more valuable to success than simply learning information and showing that
you know it. Thinking quickly and
critically was certainly my path through the interview process. Depending on the opportunities that you have
been provided, this may come naturally to some degree. One habit that I found helpful to me throughout
my high school years was reading some in-depth history books that lead you to carefully
consider the concepts represented. The
depth of thought that I have been introduced to through the seminars was still
a shock to me initially, but I believe that it has helped me greatly and
provided a better background on which to discuss some of the topics.
Enjoy your senior year and continue
to improve your thinking skills. But
look forward to college. It is
difficult, but is also a wonderful time in so many ways. Hopefully you will also be as blessed as I
have been to be a part of such a great program that provides so many
opportunities to develop.
Sincerely,
Travis
Wilson
P.S. Remember: You can sleep when you are dead... but sleep occasionally or you will end up
dead. I learned that the hard way but
not quite so literally.
Travis Wilson, of Boone County, is a freshman McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville. He is studying political science, history and business.