The Benefits of Going to School NOT on the Coasts

The question I normally get from people (after they understand that the school is in St. Louis) is:

How do you like St. Louis? Living in the midwest?

Coming to college was my first experience living in the midwest. I always thought that going to school here, rather than in New York, Penn, Chicago, LA, SF or SEA would be a big disadvantage. I’ve found that in some ways it is, while others it is a HUGE advantage (things I had never thought about).

Let’s start with the disadvantages because they do exist. The first being the weather — the St. Louis has really eh weather. The next big thing is lack of density. I like dense places because the pace of life increases, and with it the flow of communication and more ideas come about !

But now for the insight — why the hell do I think that St. Louis beats Silicon Valley (for college) in many ways.

You see, coming to St. Louis I knew there were many problems with the city. I think everyone knows that if you watch the news every once in a while. I have always looked at that as a disadvantage.

Until I came and found that every flaw is an opportunity to find a solution. As bad as it sounds, coming to a place that is imperfect gives me more chances to make a difference and make an impact. Which brings me to my next point — go to a smaller city.

St. Louis is relatively small. Meaning no person is more than 2 emails away. And that has been so true for me — helping me get internships and plugging me into the city within weeks. It has given me an opportunity to excel, bypass a learning curve, and start talking to people quickly! A city like St. Louis loves determined people and puts them on a platform to succeed.

In Summary — the bad can be the good. Look for the positive’s in the negatives.

Woah. You read the whole thing! Thank you so much. I’d really appreciate if you shared this with a friend!

Let’s continue this conversation

twitter — @jrdngonen

email — jordangonen@wustl.edu