[Deetman]

For the most part I completely agree with the sentiment being expressed in this thread. I can't speak from personal experience of being a college mentor, but I can definitely say that becoming a college mentor is a big decision. I was extremely close to joining Purdue's FIRST program, I had gone through everything required to become a member and the decision was down to me. After looking at what my course load for the second semester would be (19 hours) and other commitments I already had, I made the difficult decision to pass on joining as a college mentor. Looking back at my first year I do not regret this decision one bit. I never would have been able to get the excellent GPA I have, enjoy the social aspect of college, and make the commitments to the student organization I am in had I joined the FIRST program at Purdue. I am not trying to discourage anyone from doing this, I just want to enforce what has already been said about thinking carefully before you act. There are times where I did miss FIRST, especially towards the end of the second semester where I had a strong urge to build something, but just did not have the time to do anything about that.

Above all that, here is what I feel the important part of my message is. There are other things besides FIRST out there. Stepping out of your shell and trying new things is part of what college is. Purdue, like many other schools, has an extremely large number of student organizations on campus (700+). These can range from engineering related clubs such as Solar Racing, Formula and Baja SAE, all the way to things that are a bit more out of the ordinary like an impromptu comedy club or a wine appreciation society (for those of you of age). When you get to whatever college or university you are attending there will be TONS of callouts. Find a few that interest you besides FIRST and go to the callout. Who knows, you might find something you can be just as, if not more, passionate about.

Kevin Dieterle
Purdue University class of 2009.