Still, as funny as I find the “You look like you’ve got elk in your freezer…”-type experiences I've had, there’s a part of me that wonders if I’m doing something wrong by coming to a community college in Denver looking (and sounding) like my rural Minnesota cousins. I know I’ve earned my place (and my GPA) as a community college student (and professor’s pet) without even trying. I know I don’t have to change my appearance or my hobbies to be successful in college. But, I still don’t fit in; occasionally, I even catch a whiff of elitism from one of my peers or even a professor. And I sense that might get worse when I leave community college behind for someplace even more pretentious. 

Also, I’m afraid of leaving much of my beloved family behind, if that makes sense. I know that rural towns have been suffering from “brain drain” for decades, and for very good reasons. However, while I may not politically agree with my rural relatives, and may even end up much more “well educated” than them, I still love them very much, and cherish their company. 

Meanwhile, I also have very “well educated” relatives who… well… let’s just say we don’t get along too well. They’re not bad people. They’ve just got their own issues and ways of living that has nothing to do with their education, but still don’t mesh well with mine. 

In other words, I worry (perhaps too much) about what I may or may not leave behind when I inevitably take the plunge into even higher education than community college. I worry that I might unknowingly get arrogant or “lose touch” with the rest of the world, and with my cherished loved ones, if I get too far into higher education. I worry that my loved ones might view me differently (and not in good ways), too. I hope that makes sense.