Thursday, June 26, 2008

schoolin' em

Here I am, R-A-W
A terrorist, here to bring trouble to
Phony MC's, I move on and seize
I just conquer and stomp another rapper with ease
Cause I'm at my apex and others are below
Nothing but a milliliter, I'm a kilo
Second to none, making MC's run
So don't try to step to me, cause I ain't the one
I relieve rappers just like Tylenol
And they know it, so I don't see why you all
Try to front, perpetrating a stunt
When you know that I'll smoke you up like a blunt
I'm genuine like Gucci, raw like sushi
To stage a rage is what rap did to me
To make me want to create chaos and mayhem
Cold rock a party until the A.M.
I'll make a muscle, grab the mic and hustle
While you stand dazed and amazed, I bust a
Little rhyme with authority, superiority
And captivate the whole crowd's majority
The rhymes I use definitely amuse
Better than Dynasty, or Hill Street Blues
I'm sure to score adored for more without a flaw
Cause I get raw

Big Daddy Kane (RAW)

Oh how I miss those college days. Those were the best times. I'd chop my arm off if I could go back and do it again (minus the work...ha). I think that most of you who read this have either graduated college, have taken some college courses, or are currently in college. If you haven't...that's cool too.

As many of you know, I graduated South Carolina State University. I enjoyed my time there. It was a life changing experience and I wouldn't trade it for the world. I became a man there and I made some great lifelong friends along the way. I loved it. Was it my first choice??? NOPE! It was probably my 4th or 5th choice. It was a school that wasn't too close or too far from home. But it was the school where everybody in my family had gone. I wanted to do something different. Once I was offered a scholarship to play football, I changed my mind. LOL

If I had to make a decision on college now...would I go to SC State??? Probably not. That's no knock on my school. If I were looking to go to a school where I could get a great education and play football, I'd go somewhere else. The education is still great but the football aspect has declined.

I have no regrets about my decision to attend SC State. I earned a degree in marketing. I won a Black College National Championship in football. I met my wife there. I also met friends like Rezidl, Bacote, Clark, Big Mel, and Steve. Brothers for life. I wouldn't have met them had I gone to Harvard.

I watched this report on tv the other day by Dan Rather that talked about kids and the pressure that they are under to make the decision to go to the "right college". The kids that they interviewed talked about the "image" of the schools that they were applying for and what they thought about college.

What about you? Where did you go to college? If you had to do it again...would you choose the same school that you attended? If not, where would you go?

Hollatchaboi!!!

34 comments:

Trish said...

Am I really first for once????

I went to SHAW UNIVERSITY.
I think I would go there if I had to choose at this point and time.

I had great college years.
Those are memories you never forget.

Anonymous said...

I went to State University of NY at Old Westbury. I had a blast. I think I did more in them 4 years than I have done in the 16 years since.

But I don't think I would choose that school again if I had a choice. Too close to home. And too many hood cats who only went to college because of government stypens (sp). And I mean that. They were there for 1, 2 or 3 semesters tops and failed out or were kicked out for various infractions.

Jazzy said...

I went to an expensive azzed NYC private college. It cost an arm and a leg, but their flexible schedule allowed me to keep my full-time job and go to school full time...at the same time.

If I could do it all over again, I would have worried less about having my own place and working to pay for said place...instead I would have went away to college - somewhere far from NY.

Keisha "Kitten" Isaacs said...

Hey Brother!

I went to Northern Illinois University (NIU) in Dekalb, IL....I ended up there cause some of my high school classmates were talking about it...and I was like..."all yall going? What the hell, I'll apply too." It ended up that only 2 other girls and myself went to NIU....I'm not even sure if the others in the group ever went away to college....Anyway, I met my roommate and sistah-girl for life when I went down for a placement test and an interview...we hit it off and declared we'd be roommates if we were accepted....16 years later she has the title of my best roommate, best friend, and sister!....Her kids call me "Auntie Keisha"

I pledged Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc...in my sophomore year 1993....and from that experience I grew in my leadership abilities...and developed a lifelong bond with my wonderful sorors from our chapter..in fact...one of them is my other best friend and little sister for life....Her kids call me "Auntie Keisha"

I ended up doing an on campus internship in the child development lab...and found favor with the director of the program...from that bond....She helped me become the writer I am today....and made it happen for me to get a free ride in Graduate school...so that I could continue working at the Lab school with
"my babies". I got to stay....got paid monthly...and got free tutition....as a Grad Assistant....

I grew up in college....I spent 8 years at the University becoming the woman I am today....I met some awesome people who are still apart of my life to this day....Would I do it again...YES!!!!....Every tear...sweat...hangover...fear....
hurt....joy....and again I say hangover was worth it....and I thank God to this day for the favor I recieved while I was there...and for HIM always being a provider...even when I didn't know it was HIM who had my back the whole time....

prettyparker said...

I was accepted at Boston College, Miami University in Oxford, OH and chose to attend The Ohio State University.

I wouldn't change my decision because I met my hubby at OSU and it was closest to my parents in Cleveland. I was a momma's girl and it took years for me to get used to not being with my parents.

OSU is a great school and it prepared me for dealing with corporate life and the real world.

12kyle said...

@ Trish
Yes! You are FIRST

Was Shaw always your first choice?

@ brad
If you had to choose again, where would you go? Tell me what school.

@ OD
Can we get a name of the expensive private school??? LoL

Where would you have gone? What school?

@ Keisha the Kitten
I've heard that NIU was a great school. Sound like it was the perfect fit for you. I didn't know that you pledged Sigma Gamma Rho? Cool!

@ prettyparker
I am very familiar with Ohio State b/c my pops went there a hunnid years ago. LOL

You met MrParker there? Awwwwww.

The Pew View said...

Baby I didn't go to college but I sho learned a whole lot of lessons during my lifetime. I went to the school of hardknocks and chile trust and believe I got some bumps on my head from being hardheaded under this here wig. I considers myself like a professor cause Lawd knows I den schooled quite a few peoples. Take care now.

Signed
Ruthie Ann

Rich Fitzgerald said...

I wrote a long dissertation, but blogger jacked me for it, so here is the short version.

Went to Univ. of FL -- Go Gators!
If I knew then what i know now I would have gone to Hampton in Virginia. They prepare their business students far better than what I was given at UF. I guess since "daddy" didn't have a company for me to ride up into, I got all I had coming with my piece of paper bearing the schools name.

Had a blast in college socially, but as I stated earlier, the degree didn't do for me what I thought it would. I'm supposed to be making over six figures, large and in charge by now. The only time I came close is when I ran my own landscaping (not cutting grass but real landscaping) firm a few years back.

Forget name recognition, I'm choosing my kids school based on how well the school prepares them to succeed in the real world. Currently my daughter goes to a school I had never heard of because their program was top notch for Photojournalism (always in the top 3 in the country).

Rich Fitzgerald said...

Oh, what I meant to say is that as far as college goes, everything I have today, everything I've earned is built on skills I had before I ever stepped foot on campus. Other than access to positions that only accepted college graduates, UF didn't really provide me with any edge. Companies train you to do it their way once you get in the door anyway.

I'm a Programmer Analyst today not because I took classes in school, but because I've always been great in math and was able to pass an exam my former company gave when it was looking to train it's programmers in-house.

I guess being a first generation college graduate will bless those that follow me more than it has me, but I would do it over again, just not at the same school.

The Jaded NYer said...

I went to Alfred U. in Western NY; not my first choice but:

1- I f*cked around and let my GPA dip towards the end of my junior year of HS

2- St. John's and Hamline in MN wait-listed me (BASTARDS!) and

3- my mom felt the applications to Brown and Dartmouth were too expensive and refused to pay for it, as well as the MA schools I wanted to apply to. Nice, right? lol

would I go back? well I made some awesome friends at AU, but if I had to do it over I'd have fought harder for the Brown & Dartmouth oppty and maybe held out for St. John's a bit longer.

Eb the Celeb said...

Well you already know how I feel about this convo dear blog brother

AGGIE PRIDE!!!
AGGIE PRIDE!!!
AGGIE PRIDE!!!
AGGIE PRIDE!!!
AGGIE PRIDE!!!
AGGIE PRIDE!!!
AGGIE PRIDE!!!
AGGIE PRIDE!!!
AGGIE PRIDE!!!
AGGIE PRIDE!!!


I am a PROUD alumni of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and would not have changed it for the world.

You know from my questions post that it wasn't my first choice, but I cherished the years I had there. Without that school I would not be Eb the Celeb. It really made me grow and define who I was as a person.

Can I get an A-G-G-I-E PRIIIIIIIIDDEEEEEEE!!!

ShellyShell said...

I went to the State University of New York at Stony Brook. I double majored in Political Science and History and have a minor in Biology. Now can someone tell me how I ended up in finance working with Hedge Funds? LOL! The "Brook" wasn't my first choice but I didn't get into my first..The University of North Carolina at Chaple Hill. I got into my second THE Ohio State University but my parents felt like it was too big and I would just be a number. I guess they didn't get the memo that Stony Brook is the 2nd largest SUNY school it had 33,000 people. I got into Syracuse(too close to home) Alabama(why) and a few others. I ended up choosing The Brook because it was 8 hours from my parents and it has an excellent science and math dept. and at that time I was a Bio major and the close proximity to NYC.

I don't think I would choose it again. I do believe I would have gone to an IVY or somewhere like Duke. Although my brother went to Cornell and hated it. He transfered to USC(trojans)after his first year. But all in all going away to school really was instrumental on me becoming the person I am today. I had excellent professors(Amiri Baraka to name one)I met great friends and I seriously got my party on...lol! I had many nights coming to the city on LIRR,partying and studying on the train back to campus and getting back just in time for my 8am!

All in all I had 5 great years of college and I would never trade those memories for anything!

Mo said...

I go to Northeastern University in Boston. As much as I may complain and bitch & moan about the obvious racism from the city & school, I wouldn't change it cuz I've had some great struggles here that have helped develop me into what I am today. I met folks that will forever be in my life so I wouldn't change it for the world.

tris. said...

and i sure will keep coming back ;)

i applied to Syracuse University, two SUNY Schools (as safteys), and Temple University. I got in to all four.
and now i am going to be a junior at Temple University in the fall. if I could go back in time would i have went here?? ummm...no. not that temple isn't a great school it's just that as a high school student preparing for college i was definitely a little too lax. my mother made it clear that under no circumstances i was allowed to attend school in ny (where i'm from). so i did what any girl who loves the city would do. i researched colleges in what i believed to be the closest thing to nyc. philadelphia. boy was i wrong. it's nothing like it. i actually hate philly. it definitely wasn't what i expected.

on the other hand, these past two years have been the best years of my life. i have had a BLAST. while the work has been rigorous, its overshadowed by how much friggin fun im havin. i've learned so much and grown up so much in the past two years. i'm glad that i went away (even if it was philly). and i wouldn't trade it for the world.

Beautifully.Conjured.Up said...

I went to Spelman College by choice (my first choice), and it was mainly because I went to an all white school high school...plus I wanted to have that "A Different World" experience.

I had a great time there, and I wouldn't change it for anything. Even though I was accepted at some of the best schools (i.e. Princeton, Smith, UCLA), I felt a connection at Spelman...a connection that said I was suppose to be there.

The summer prior to my arrival, I didn't want to go because everyone was feeding me negativity saying Spelman women were stuck up, mean air heads. My experience was totally opposite of what people were telling me. I experience being around a diverse group of beautiful, intelligent black women who were confident in themselves. In conjunction to that, I had acces to Morehouse, Clark Atlanta Univ., and Moreshouse School of Medicine in a very close walking distance. Where else could I receive that?

I'm now attending a predominately white institution for grad school. It's not the same at all, but I'm grateful for the 4 years I had at Spelman...THE BEST SCHOOL IN THE WORLD!!!!

12kyle said...

@ Pew View
I know that you graduated from the school of hard knocks...Summa Cum Lawwwdy! LoL

@ Rich
Blogger has been trippin today.

Hampton over Florida. I hear you. Nuffin wrong with that, bruh. You give an interesting perspective b/c I've heard folk say that about HBCUs. As for me, the school of business gave me everything that I needed to be ready to go to war.

You made a good point. So many kids who they intereviewed on tv talked about the image of the school. Some even worried themselves to the point where they got sick. Too busy worried about what their classmates would think about their college choices.

@ Jaded Santana
I could see you strolling on the campus of Dartmouth. LOL. Seriously, your story reminds me of something that happened to me. One of the schools on my list was Syracuse. Yeah...I wanted to leave the heat of South Carolina to be in the winter wonderland of Syracuse, NY. When my mom saw the cost of the application, she said..."I'm not paying for that application. If you wanna go ALL the way up there, then you need to pay for that." LOL. I filled out the application...but it stayed on the kitchen table. Haaa

@ Eb the Celeb
This will be the ONE day that I'll let you come on here and I won't hate on your school

(*side note...for those of you who don't know...the school that she went to and my school are fierce rivals)

Glad that you enjoyed your time there.

(see how nice I was...no hate. LOL)

12kyle said...

@ ShellyShell
One day you'll have to explain how you ended up doing hedge funds. LOL

Ohio State is HUGE but so is Stoney Brook when you consider that they had 33,000 students. LOL. Maybe your folks did miss the memo.

I have also wondered how I would have faired at an Ivy League school. I know that I could have done the work. Just dunno how I would have fit in socially. I have a cousin that graduated from Cornell. He loved it! We talk about it a lot.

ShellyShell...you partied in college???? Nooooooo...say it ain't so! LMAO!!!

@ Kieya
Keep on hangin in there at Northeastern. It'll be over soon!

@ ms. uncensored
So your parents made you leave the state to go to school??? Hmmmm...*taking notes...sounds like a great idea to send the boys out of state*

Sounds like Temple is a great school. It's just in Philly. Philly just ain't New York. No place is like New York. LOL

@ Beautifully.Conjured.Up
Welcome to the 12th Planet. Make sure that you come back. We have a good time over here. We're here every day like the school bully.

When I first moved here, I used to hang at Spelman sometimes. That was before I got married, tho. LMAO!!! And it is the best school...because it's the school that you picked. Everybody can say that their schools are the best. Spelman is better for you than UCLA, Bowling Green, or Vanderbilt b/c that's the school that you chose! Glad to hear that you enjoyed Spelman

Dreamy said...

okay sorry im am a late to the party,lol

but i graduated from Southern University A&M College in BR. La. Its a HBCU school. i really enjoyed my stay there and if i could do it all over again i wouldnt have let myself get sidetracked with my ex and got into the Vet School.

Bet you didnt know that I wanted to be a Veterinarian huh? Anywho my first choice would have been LSU, i really love that college. People can say what they want but they had my major and they have one of the best Veterninary schools in this country.

If only i couldnt rewind back time...*sigh*

anywho honey you were kind of late on this post, you slipping Kyle,lol

Dreamy said...

i meant if only i could rewind back time,lord i am gonna have to start proof reading before i press publish,lol

PCD (Pretty Circle Drawer) said...

hmmmmmmmm, i went to the university of prettiness and i would not go again if i had the choice...i'd go to FAB U!!! tee hee hee

EazyduzitVA said...

Hampton University .... aka the "Home By the Sea". Enough said

K-Dot you already know what it is?

-Q. said...

LMAO- you were in HS/College when Kane's RAW was poppin.. I remember how young I was at the time cuzz that was my uncle's joint!

I went to D'Youville College up in Buffalo- and expensive as lil private school that had a bitchin Physical therapy program..

But Orangeburg, right? I went to Military school(HS) in Camden,SC.. Yea i see trish went to shaw, thats CIAA and Eb and Aggie like my momz..

I really dont know about your question.. There will always be better facilities to learn, its having the opportunity(wherever) and making the most of it bro like i see you did. It would be a priceless experience anywhere

-Q.

12kyle said...

@ dreamy
Late??? Noooo I was on time. LOL

Yes...I've heard of Southern. We played em in football...but we didn't win (dammit!)

You wanted to be a vet? Word?

@ PCD
Look at you...not co-operating. lol

@ Da Reason
Yeah. I know bout Hampton. I remember getting my acceptance letter to Hampton and SC State on the same day. Hampton was high on my list. One problem...they were headed for probation in football. I couldn't go through that. I know we would have really been a problem at HU together. But I had to make that move to Orangeburg. It worked out for us, tho.

@ -q.
Yeah bruh. I was in high school when RAW came out. It came out in ' 88. I graduated high school in ' 91.

I heard of your school b/c my cousin went there for a second. She didn't like it and left after a semester. Yeah. My school is in Orangeburg. I've heard of the military school that you went to.

Good points. I think we all made the most of our opportunities. That's so important

i.can't.complain. said...

u already know

i graduated from that good green and white.

michigan state university,

i only applied to two schools, msu and spelman

got in both

just between me and u i wish id gone to spelman.

but i did have a great time and got a fantastic education in east lansing.

*waits for big brother 12 to bash our football/basketball/hockey/golf team(s)*

-1-

12kyle said...

@ -1-
No hate today, lil sis. LOL

MSU is a good school. You had a good time and you got that paper. That's all that counts.

*tempted to hate on MSU but I'll wait till football season*

LMAO!!! Thanks for coming thru as always.

i.can't.complain. said...

by the way...

this is awesome to see all of our people holding degrees

that's hot

cyber high-fives 2 u all

-1-

CHA CHA said...

I went to University of Phonenix...hated it.

Dione said...

I received my Industrial Technology degree from none other than the groves and classic halls of South Carolina State University in the HOT suburbs (well, not the suburbs...) of Orangeburg, SC!! I applied and was accepted to A&T but mom's wasn't paying outta state tuition and I applied to Clemson.
Kinda glad I didn't go to Clemson because it is so HEAVY on the research and research papers as I found out while taking grad classes there... I LOVE the programs at Furman so I'd pick that as a viable choice today if SCSU wasn't an option.
I'd repeat my days at SCSU. I was surrounded by two extremes in middle and high school- lily white and hood black so SCSU rounded out my black experience. Plus I met good folks like Kyle but apparently I'm not part of the "Friends for Life" circle... Haaaaaa!!

Mizrepresent said...

I went to Indiana University, IU Hoosiers baby! And some the best years of my life. Wasn't my first choice, but my last...my first was Julliard, and then Spelman, but could not afford either one without a full-fledged scholarship, but i must say attending IU was very rewarding. Being in that diverse mix prepared me for the Real World!

12kyle said...

@ -1-
I agree!

@ Poca
telluswhyumadson!!! LOL

@ Dione
You know that I left you out on purpose because I knew that you'd have something to say. LOL. You know that you're in the circle! You funny

@ Miz
I believe you. I can see how IU would get ya mind ready for the real world.

The F_Uitlist said...

Hollins College in Roanoke, VA

If I had to do it again I would make the same choice. I a great set of friends that I probably wouldn't have made even if we were at the same school. WE are that different but when you are 1 of 20 black students you learn to look past some things.

12kyle said...

@ The F$%k it List
1 outta 20??? WOW!!!

Dione said...

Naw my brutha. I believe it was your AGE that let you forget. Don't try to blame it on intentions!

The Second Sixty-Eight said...

Well. This is a mixed bag of a question for me. I have school hopped. I have been a student at four different places since high school. I would take and leave them all for various reasons.
Since graduation from high school I attended:
The United States Naval Academy Preparatory School.
Morehouse College.
Wayne County Community College.
Wayne State University.
Hopefully this list won't grow anymore until after I get my B.S.