College is Like Sesame Street

I watched a program on Sesame Street's international appeal last night and found myself thinking about a college education. Sesame Street is a world-wide phenomenon. Its aims are grand - equalize the playing field between the children of the haves and have nots by providing free, high quality educational fare. Scientific studies have shown it to have a positive effect on learning among children, one of the few examples of television having a positive impact. How is it related to a college education?

Consider the program I linked to. It details the efforts of the Sesame Street Production folks to bring programming to the children of third world and ethnically divided countries. In war torn Kosovo, for instance, Sesame Street is bringing both ethnic Serbian and Albanian children on the air together. In Israel, it brings Israeli and Palestinian children together as friends and playmates. In South Africa, one of the muppets on the program has HIV. In short, Sesame Street is bringing the world's diversity into focus, breaking down barriers that have long stood.

Colleges and Universities have been places that have nurtured such diversity for some time now. In fact, it is becoming more difficult to find colleges that don't have a fair representation of peoples from the different ethnic, cultural, and social groups that make up America. In my view this is positive. People from different backgrounds are brought together with the same goal, learning. College is a laboratory for the greater American society. Yes, people tend to hang out with others like them, but the opportunity to intermingle and make friends with those completely different than yourself is ripe. I suggest you look at a college's diversity if that is something that interests you. Remember, if circumstances force you to go to a college that isn't as diverse as you want, there are opportunities (e.g. National Student Exchange and study abroad) to study elsewhere (where diversity is plentiful) while continuing to earn credits at your home college.