>>Johnathan Bunton, Guest Writer

The term “full college experience” is thrown around as much as a Kardashian sister as by underclassmen everywhere. It seems, at its core, a fairly self-explanatory phrase, one that brings to mind late nights, football games and dorm life.

But at its heart, what does the “full college experience” really mean? Much like dorm air conditioning, the definition seems to be missing.

For most I asked, the response seemed virtually unanimous.

“Meeting new people, possibly meeting new your new partner and also partying,” one student said. If we define this as the college experience, where does that leave the people who choose not to go to parties or live on campus?

I’d like to propose a new definition.

The “full college experience” every freshman is seeking is whatever you would like it to be. If you enjoy pure academics, go to class and work hard. If you’re a huge fan of sports, go to the games and support the Govs. If your forte is the social aspect of college, be a social butterfly. Getting the most out of college is up to each individual, and in the words of the late, great Hannah Montana, “Life’s what you make it.”

This leaves every student at APSU with a big decision: “What should I do to get the most out of my college experience?” That’s the glory of college — it’s an educational Burger King; you can have it your way.

For instance, the college experience for me involves going to class through the week, then binge watching Netflix while devouring a whole stuffed crust pizza on my own. This may sound like the activity of an antisocial individual with little self-control with regards to pizza (moderately true), but I’d like to think that if this is my ideal way of living in college, I am still getting the “full college experience” some fret over so dearly.

You are living the “full college experience” if you are happy with yourself and how you are living your life. Do what makes you happy. Don’t let others’ stereotypical definitions of college get between you and a stuffed crust pizza. If you want to go socialize and meet other people, go for it. If you prefer days of sleeping with hours of Netflix and video games in between, do that.

Either way, you can safely claim to be living the “full college experience.” TAS