When I was applying to college, Indiana University was the cheapest of the top-10 undergraduate business schools in the country. For a kid with little money but a strong interest in business, attending IU was probably the luckiest move I ever made. As a freshman, I decided to complete the toughest requirements for my major early on and take my freshman classes during senior year–mainly so that by the time I was old enough to drink, classes wouldn’t be so hard. By the time the school realized what I’d done, I’d completed the coursework for half of an M.B.A.
I went to Marist to play on their club football team: I was a quarterback, kicker and punter. I remember having a lot of laughs at Marist. My friends–many of whom I still stay in touch with–and I had good, clean fun. Probably my fondest memories are of the year I spent abroad at the University of London. That experience helped me open up my eyes to the greater, international world of politics and furthered my interests in policy and journalism.
COLIN POWELL Former secretary of State; City College of New York, B.A., 1958 I grew up in a tenement neighborhood in the South Bronx. I graduated from high school with a C average and few ideas about my future. I entered City College as an engineering major–my mother’s wishes–and couldn’t believe what I’d gotten myself into. After five months I switched to geology. I got to study rocks! It might seem surprising, considering my later career, that I didn’t major in political science or history, but it’s not like I was telling people I was going to be secretary of State … It was unimaginable . In 1954 I joined the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC)–a program providing me with the discipline and order lacking in my life.
I grew up in a very conservative household–but luckily for me, also quite artistic. When my parents demanded I go to college–I had considered taking a few years off to pursue my theatrical interests–I chose Bard. It’s located in the beautiful Hudson River Valley, and was conceived as a bohemian school. I remember being taught by Anthony Hecht, the renowned poet, and performing with Bill Evans, the famous jazz pianist. In my spare time I sang and played the flute for a jazz group and participated in some bizarre, but wonderful, Shakespearean plays. I remember one performance where I performed while standing on a moped in a bikini. I give Bard a lot of credit for helping me to begin my career: I learned jazz and theater there. In terms of advice, I’d urge you to pour yourself into everything that interests you. Take advantage of all the opportunities.
