Assignment #7- Ellis Padgett- Creating a Monster

Creation: Victor Frankenstein did it with his monster, Geppetto did it with Pinocchio.  And while I do not plan to be smashing together bits and pieces of objects to stitch together a creature, I do plan on creating in college.
College for me is an opportunity to take the work ethic I have developed in high school and apply it to what I am truly passionate about. It is also about discovering what those passions are.  Spending time looking at colleges recently has allowed me to truly see the variety of opportunities; from child development classes to a class on the politics of Kanye West (University of Washington, if anyone is interested). Taking advantage of those opportunities is immensely important. I want to take classes that push me to do better and explore more- but also to create. 
Taking part in a hands on experience that allows you to really apply your knowledge, see where you have gaps, and fill them in, is what I really look forwards to.  I want to get out there and finally delve into these topics that really interest me, tying them into the real world and my future as I move along.  I see college as the basis for my working life.  Whatever I work to understand and achieve in college I would like to see flow smoothly into what I do career wise.  And that is why a hands-on experience will be so important. Education doesn't end when you graduate college; it continues all of your life. It becomes a matter of choosing what you're going to keep learning about. If college lays the foundation for a subject, it is up to the student to continue to grow, develop, and expand that foundation into something that truly matters. 
The idea of creation reappears forever and always. That is what excites me; being able to do. The ideal college education isn't just one that teaches you facts. The ideal one allows you opportunities to explore and apply on top of that. Whether it involves working in groups or problem-solving alone, college is a stepping-stone in learning how to contribute to the world. It's learning how you're going to fit in- or hopefully stand out.
Frankenstein's monster and Pinocchio certainly stood out. But that's what made them memorable. And who knows- if the monster was given an opportunity to create something in college, maybe he would have finally created a girlfriend!