A Free Voice by Miguel

A Free Voice by Miguel - November 2016 Scholarship Essay

How does college most impact one’s growth? Although there are many college experiences that stimulate growth (and thus are worth being thankful for), I will be most thankful for the freedom of intellectual exchange, which is simply not found as significantly in high school and is valuable to one’s personal growth in many ways.
Growing up in a small high school, I have about sixty classmates in my graduating class. My school does not organize any clubs centered around intellectual exchange, i.e. a Young Democrats or Young Republicans Club. The risk of intense judgement and the lack of diversity in opinion all contribute to this lack of forums for healthy intellectual exchange outside of the classroom; these explanations tie back to the small class size.
Even if I attend a moderately small college, I still anticipate that these problems will be less significant. Among the colleges I plan to apply to, most have graduating classes with thousands of students. The mere existence of large graduating classes fosters the intellectual exchange that my high school lacks. Intense judgement will not be a problem, as one can easily find a group of people who will be open to, if not accepting of, one’s opinion. Also, increased diversity in opinion will be more helpful to intellectual exchange (through the presentation of conflicting opinions) and result in personal growth.
Furthermore, the credibility of a college draws speakers from all backgrounds, from controversial politicians to successful CEOs. My high school only rarely invites guest speakers to address the students. By contrast, a college will invite and host many personalities, each with something insightful to show or say. These guest speakers undoubtedly contribute to a healthy diversity of opinion, and help stimulate free thought in college.
Freedom of speech does matter; our Bill of Rights makes that quite clear. What matters about freedom of speech in college is that it contributes to a sense of security with one’s opinion. If a student feels threatened by contradicting the general student body on certain stances, he will no longer feel as passionate about his outlying opinion. This scenario leads to a dangerous mob mentality situation, where intense judgement and monolithic opinions prevent the exchange of free thought. The existence of forums that pledge freedom of intellectual exchange will allow the minority opinions to remain legitimate. Minority opinions, even the most extreme (but non-violent or non-hateful) ones, deserve protection under the Bill of Rights, a belief dating back to the Founding Fathers.
Simply because it is a valuable right that my high school lacks, freedom of intellectual exchange is the part of the college experience that I will be the most thankful for. And I know that many people appreciate it too, the ability to fully use one’s First Amendment rights. Free voices are the bedrock of our beautiful republic. A free voice is the most expansive voice. A free voice is the most sophisticated voice. A free voice is the most powerful voice. And by advancing free intellectual exchange, colleges advance the free voice, bringing new meaning to the phrase “liberty and justice for all”.