By Raegan Turner | Staff Writer
Baylor University students and their social lives have been featured in a new book, “The Students, Yes: An Odyssey Through Student Social Life at American Colleges”. The novel is a collection of Drew Ott’s experiences while visiting universities across the nation.
After making the decision to cease his formal education after graduating from high school in 2010, Ott began to be curious about what life as a college student is actually like, and if he was missing anything by not partaking in it. This interest was the catalyst of his year-long adventure spent documenting the behind-the-scenes of college life.
In the book, each chapter features a different story written from Ott’s perspective about one week in the life of a random student from colleges such as Texas A&M, Stanford University, Brigham-Young University, University of Chicago and even Baylor.
Chapter two of Ott’s book follows the activities of a previous Baylor student, who is dubbed “Kevin”. The book details Kevin’s alleged educational pursuits, everyday habits and sexual escapades. Many of the adventures of the account allegedly take place both on and off campus. Ott describes how the view he received from his time at Baylor differed from his expectations, but also does not necessarily encompass the range of experiences possible at the university.
“Baylor has a reputation of being a nice and wholesome school. Maybe it is for a lot of students, but my host showed me a world that was dark and disturbing, and not wholesome at all,” Ott said. “The Baylor chapter deals with sex, love, and infidelity. Personally, I think that makes a school more appealing. I’d want to know that dramatic and important things are happening on my campus. But I have also heard that at Baylor if you prefer the more wholesome side of things, you can have that experience too.”
McKinney senior Denton Wood discovered the book on Reddit, a popular forum website, and read an excerpt of the text that Ott had posted on Baylor’s subreddit page. He said he is slightly shocked at some of the content in the chapter yet aware that some of the situations depicted are a reality for portions of Baylor’s student population.
“Several people on the thread were able to relate to his experience, and someone on the thread talked about the divide between partiers and non-partiers on campus. I don’t think the chapter provides a large enough picture of student life at Baylor. Kevin’s experiences are relatable for some people, but they aren’t for others. I hope they aren’t for a lot of people.” Wood said.
Ott did ultimately unearth an answer to his initial question about the overall college experience: by foregoing a collegiate experience, he also gave up being a part of a unique community.
“I definitely missed out on a lot by not going to college. One of the best things about college is the feeling of being a part of a community. My trip was an unforgettable, life-changing experience, and I surely enjoyed it, but I was always the strange visitor, and I didn’t really belong.” Ott said. “There’s a great essay written by a college student where she describes the feeling of being a part of a community on a college campus, and she calls the feeling ‘the opposite of loneliness.’ I never really felt that.”
To find out more information or purchase “The Students, Yes: An Odyssey Through Student Social Life at American Colleges”, visit this webpage.
