I went to college in my youth, and eventually received a bachelor’s degree in General Mathematics from Auburn University in east Alabama. I said eventually; I spent eight years working on my four-year degree. I wasn’t enrolled in school about half this time. I either worked blue-collar jobs to raise tuition money or played guitar full-time in cover bands. Maybe I was undisciplined.
When I first enrolled, I wanted to study music. I took several music courses and made good grades, but quickly realized that I didn’t want to teach music. Since the guitar was my favorite instrument (and wasn’t taught at AU then), I changed my area of study a few times until I settled on Mathematics. By then, I just wanted a degree. I made mostly A grades (with a few Bs) in the freshman and sophomore math classes I took, and I had a good feeling about studying math. We’ll return to grades later.
College was very affordable then. When I started as a freshman in 1972, tuition was $125 per quarter for in-state students (Auburn changed to semesters many years later). Tuition was raised to $150 per quarter the next year. Students were outraged at this price increase. One year of school (three quarters) cost $450, who could afford that? Adjusting for inflation, $450 in 1973 is equivalent to about $2600 in 2020. For in-state students, tuition for one year (two semesters) at AU in 2020 is a little over $11000. Comparing $2600 to $11000, tuition at AU was drastically more affordable in my youth than it is now.
If I was just out of high school today, I’m not sure I could afford a four-year degree from Auburn University, unless I had a scholarship. I wouldn’t want an enormous loan debt. I probably would attend a community college for the first few years (which aren’t inexpensive either, but they’re much more affordable than AU). My parents suggested I live with them for a year or two after high school and take the daily bus to the Central Alabama Community College forty miles away. I rejected that suggestion; I was ready to strike out on my own and attend a “real” college. I’ve since learned CACC is an excellent school. My parent’s suggestion sounds like a good idea now.
When I took junior-level math classes, my grades suffered a little. The material was more difficult, and I wasn’t able to coast. Plus, I wasn’t the best student in these classes as I had been in some earlier courses. The cream was rising to the top, and I wasn’t at the top.
In 1977, I quit school to work with a band full-time. At the time, it seemed like a good idea. I made some money and became a better musician. Still, if I’d stayed in school, I would have graduated earlier. I have friends who claim I did the right thing; they wish they’d done something fun when they were in college. These people all finished school and started their careers before I did.
In the fall of 1978, the band situation ended (they replaced me with a more talented musician), and I was lying in bed one morning at my parent’s house. I thought to myself, “You need to go back to school and finish your degree.” Seconds after that, I heard my parents talking from the dining room: “We’ve got to get him back in school, maybe help him financially.” It was a coincidence, I guess, but it was weird. I got up for breakfast, they cornered me and suggested they help me finish school. I said sure, and they looked shocked. Maybe they thought I’d put up a fight.
I returned to school in 1979. I took some graduate-level math classes that were nearly out of my league. I struggled to pass these courses. During this period, I began to realize that maybe I was an acceptable mathematician but wasn’t a great one.
My last term at Auburn University was my worst one. I took four classes: two graduate math courses, a Spanish course, and the AU Jazz Ensemble. In my hubris, I wasn’t worried about the math classes, I planned to spend most of my studying time with Spanish. Spanish was the hardest subject I studied in college; my brain didn’t want to learn another language. The Jazz Ensemble was a fun class I’d already taken.
I was stumbling through the term when the Jazz Ensemble was invited to perform at an alumni party in Jacksonville, Florida. It was optional, and I should not have participated in this performance. Still, I skipped classes on a Friday and traveled to Jacksonville. I didn’t bring my schoolbooks or notes with me. The band sounded great, and I had a blast. I arrived home late Sunday night. Monday morning, I returned to school, and it was like I’d missed a month, not a day, of classes. I was lost in the math and Spanish courses. The final exams were about a week away. I started studying, but I couldn’t seem to catch up. When final exams began, I expected to fail every class except the Jazz Ensemble. I was already planning to retake the math classes in the summer and then take Spanish only in the fall. Except I passed each class with a D grade, except Jazz Ensemble. I’m convinced at least one of the teachers just gave me a D instead of the failing grade I deserved because he knew I was about to graduate. My grade-point average took a big hit (the one-hour A in Jazz ensemble didn’t help much), but I graduated.
I didn’t attend my graduation ceremony. I’m not sure I regret this, though if I graduated this year, I’d probably participate in the service.
A few weeks after I graduated, I attended a wedding reception, and most of the AU Math department was there. Suddenly, these heavy-drinking professors seemed more human to me. I tried some punch, and it was about half grain-alcohol. I couldn’t swallow it. The professors drank it like it was Kool-Aid. Good times.
After graduation in 1980, I had a $2400 loan debt for a portion of my college expenses. It seemed like a lot at the time. Accounting for inflation, that’s about $7500 in 2020 dollars, which compared to the school debts many students have today, isn’t much. For what it’s worth, I paid off my massive loan debt, $25 per month.
I considered getting an MBA, but I was soon employed and decided to work on one of my practice marriages instead. By the time this marriage failed several years later, I decided not to bother with an MBA.
It’s doubtful that I’ll return to college (as a student) again.