The best of times, the worst of times

Life at Duke University can be miserable if, when and because:

People are not just apathetic, but often selfish and rude. Everyone wants everyone else to participate more in campus events, socialize beyond their small group of friends, and reach out to people beyond the Gothic Wonderland; yet no one thinks they are apathetic themselves. Diversity is a celebration that no one is attending. How about 90 degrees and no air conditioning. Finding a parking space or trying to talk your way out of an inexplicable $100 parking ticket. People you thought were your friends won't say hello to you on the quad. Diarrhea courtesy of Mr. Han or the Rat. Roommates from hell. The fact that at college people are supposed to finally like and respect one another for what really matters, but instead, at Duke the beautiful and rich still top the social ladder. Your friends are drunk and you're not. Our team lost to Carolina. Professors talk at you instead of to you, or they just don't care. Dating has officially died. You're a girl but refuse to survive on diet Coke, bottled water, plain bagels, lobby shop candy or oxygen and carbon dioxide. You're a guy and you don't like to drink, watch sports or play video games. You're a writer, singer, artist or musician. You're too black, Latino or Asian. You're not black, Latino or Asian enough. You're a dreamer. It's not about learning and discovery, but job training for doctors, lawyers, consultants and investment bankers. The Bryan center Walkway smells like crap. As a freshman, you have to pay for breakfast when you can't drag yourself out of bed before noon. Sometimes, you have to drag yourself out of bed before noon. If you don't want to be in a fraternity, you have to find a way to enjoy the Durham nightlife. You never seem to see the people you really want to see and you never make a real effort to hang out with them because you just "run in different circles." Having 100 pages to write in a week. Four tests in three days. One of the best nights of your life turned into one of the worst when Trajan tripped and a bunch of punks from Connecticut became champions.

Life at Duke University is fantastic if, when and because:

It can be 70 degrees in the middle of winter. The Gothic Wonderland really is a beautiful wonderland. You can always find people who are brilliant, compassionate, passionate, intelligent, intellectual or just plain fun. Bottles of wine at the Oak Room. Throwing a Frisbee on the Main Quad. You get the best seats in all of Cameron Indoor Stadium. Beating Carolina after being down 15. Burning benches (even when the administration tells you not to). Corey Magette slapping the backboard. Trajan Langdon's pre-game warm-up. You learn more from late-night conversations with your friends than you ever could in class. Ditching class and having picnics in the gardens. Concerts. Plays. Performances. Springfest. Sundresses. You find a professor who changes the way you view yourself and the world around you. Macdonald's milkshakes. Mudsliding during a hurricane. Being so drunk you don't care how dumb you look when you dance, that you have tons of work to do, that you didn't think he or she was really that attractive when you were sober or that you know you will regret everything you're doing the next morning. The GA song. A few committed people really can force positive change. You don't do the reading for a class and still get an "A" on your paper. Honey's. The way the Chapel looks just before sunset. Sitting on a bench with friends and staring at the stars. Procrastination. You enjoy your classes. The crossword puzzle. Getting dressed up. Pick-up basketball games. You go to one of the top universities in the nation but most students still know how to have a good time. Caffeine. Frat parties when they're playing '80s music and you're a freshman and haven't yet realized how lame they are. Being a senior, going to Satisfaction's every Thursday and not caring what anyone else thinks. Spring Break. Kegs and Clowns. Last Day of Classes. Finding yourself. Not finding yourself. And more than anything, realizing that it's all coming to an end, but that you've made good friends, and the only people you have to say goodbye to are the people you never cared about in the first place.

Joshua Weber is a Trinity senior.