Kansas State University - Royal Purple Yearbook (Manhattan, KS)

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Although it ' s not listed in the General Catalog, many colle- giates decide their major will be that of professional stu- dent. With the help of an adviser, these kids adopt pseudo- majors such as medicine, architecture, law, and post-grad- uate degree. And, after 20-odd years behind the textbook, finally emerge as The Professionals . Pre-lofty laurel sojourn rough By John Lonergan If you have a friend who ' s there, then you ' ve likely already heard the stories — some true, some truly exag- gerated, but all of them grim. You ' ve heard of the breakdowns, breakouts, flunkings, withdrawals, cheatings, beatings, and always, always, the pressures. Yet each year the number of people wishing to subject them- selves to such torture grows and grows. To the average student these images spell grad school, vet school, med school, and law school; but to those applying and those applied, they mean only one thing: excelsior . Call them what you may, post-grad- uate positions are some of the most fiercely contested jewels in the aca- demic world. Fortunes are gambled and friends are made and lost in the quest for the holier-than-thou Grail. And regardless of the trials and tribula- tions one may face in the various pro- fessional schools. the biggest trick of all remains getting in . To aid in this regard, pre-profes- sional clubs at K-State, their ranks swelling yearly, attempt to help the young hopefuls maximize their advan- tages for admittance. No fact or factor is unworthy of exploitation. In these highly competitive fields, this is simply a way of life. Still in the long run it is the student who must be able to sell himself. It is his responsibility to see that he has the appropriate GPA, test scores, extra- curriculars, or what ever deemed nec- essary for acceptance. And should he not find the pot of gold at the end of his purple brick road, the unpleasant task of finding a more suitable pigeon hole for but another luckless student is left up to the adviser. The pursuit of higher education to many is a passion, to most an impossi- ble dream. But despite the horror stories about life one step beyond, every indication is that if the post grad- uate had it to do over again, he ' d do it over again. For the successful appli- cants. the worries are certainly not over, but the important one, accept- ance, has been permanently con- quered. 22 — Prolessonal schools

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