By Michael Sterling (Econ’81)

I’ve often asked myself, “why do we so focus on and reminisce about college more than other times in our lives as we get older, and, therefore, why is our college experience so vital to who we will become?”

Everyone eventually reminisces about their experiences while attending college. It’s literally inevitable. While the specific memories are different for each of us, most find ourselves coming to the same conclusion: nothing in our lives can compare to the life experiences we had while going to college. This is not to say that our lives since have not been full of many gifts such as marriage, children and for some lucky ones, pursuing and excelling at our career of choice. But I have heard it said in one way or another that, after college, we all spend the rest of our lives looking for something that is similar to college. So, why do we all reminisce about our “best years” and perhaps even yearn for them?

As we move through our youth we have the “once in a lifetime” opportunity to experience literally everything for the first time; the first time we fell, tasted ice cream, kissed someone who wasn’t a relative – you name it — everything has a “first time.” Surely you can remember the first time you experienced something of importance. Perhaps it was the first time you met your best friend or maybe the first time you moved to a new home. Whatever it is that comes to mind, we tend to remember those events that were not only significant but also those that were most enjoyable.

Now, why is our reminiscing about college so predominant? Think about it for a moment. As an infant we certainly experienced many new things but our minds didn’t permit us to really focus on them because we were not yet developed enough to make sense of the world around us, let alone a specific moment. It isn’t until a little later in life that we begin to develop enough mentally to be able to recognize and mentally “hold on” to some of what happens in our lives, including some specific events.

Our teens and high school is when the culmination of our experiences and our mental development finally combine to yield in us a hungry and curious mind with the ability to notice specific moments in our lives. It is from this point forward (for a handful of years) that the world and all its splendor are recognized. Beyond this, college adds key components that take this to its quintessential level: emotionally maturity and absolute freedom in an environment unlike any other.

College is the first time most of us really move away from home, mentally for sure and usually physically as well. Everything around us is new. Every day is filled with something new to learn, and this isn’t just in the classroom. While we learn much about the world in our classes, we actually learn more about ourselves outside of the lecture hall. Our thoughts are our own and our creative juices flow unfettered by parents or familiar surroundings. Instead, our concerns are focused on the moment, our curiosities (which we tend to indulge) and what we are experiencing. That’s right, we are actually “living in the moment” with the ability to see and remember the moment, the full color spectrum. We experience ultimate personal, intellectual and emotional freedom unencumbered by the harsh realities of life.

The component that gives us this freedom to experience so much so freely is the lack of financial, family and other responsibilities. It isn’t until after college that those loans we accrued become a debt we have to pay. Nor do we have car payments, health insurance and the costs of raising children, the necessity of retirement savings and so much more. These things are what take away our ability to really be creative and free emotionally and mentally throughout our lives.

Perhaps if we didn’t have to deal with so much as we get older we might not reminisce about our college years, but except for a handful of the very well-to-do, college is the only time we have to experience the wonderful culmination of so many things. Perhaps we capture a taste of this in our later years, but unfortunately at that point we no longer have the innocence of everything being new nor the health and physical well-being of our youth to go with them.

So this is why I and so many others reminisce about our college years. I’m certain that my thoughts about my time at CU are similar in many ways to those others have. Rather than me reviewing those moments, why don’t you take a minute after reading this and think about your past experiences? I will tell you this, I learned a great deal about the world and about myself while attending CU. I only wish I was a little more aware of each and every one of them. But then again, perhaps if I were, they would not be the great memories they are today.

Michael Sterling (Econ’81) worked in various successful business roles in Denver until he eventually relocated to Southern California. There he embarked on a career in the film industry, both behind and in front of the camera.

He primarily worked in senior operations for Ascent Media and recently accepted a position with NBC Universal as project manager of Media Operations & Library Recovery with responsibility for daily operations, finances and functional aspects of NBCU’s vault recovery efforts at building a best-in-class media library operation for the storage and repurposing of the companies physical and digital assets. In his spare time Michael has extensively traveled and enjoys various sporting and artistic events, as well as snorkeling in Belize.