Over the summer, a friend of mine asked me, “If money was no object, would rather be studying at BGSU or at Georgetown University?” For lots of reasons, I told him I’d rather be here.

Sound a bit crazy? Who knows? But the fact is that while I could find lots of things I like in Washington, D.C., I like what I have here.

For all you incoming freshmen, you’ve probably seen countless examples of what I mean. You’ve toured the campus, stayed in the dorms and maybe eaten in the Falcon’s Nest.

There are plenty of sports to be had, teachers who truly desire to further your education and people you don’t yet know who will become your best friends.

This section of In Focus, tailor-made for you newbies, is designed to inject a bit of reality into the hopeful plans above. There’s ugliness everywhere in life. This campus is no different.

For example, some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet will swipe your ID card in our dining halls. They’ll even help you out when you realize you have no idea how to properly clean up your tray (don’t worry, you’ll figure it out pretty quickly).

But did you know the same card you just had swiped is part of the same new BG1 Card that could keep many of your peers from buying books one day?

Hopefully, the answer to this question is “yes,” if only because you’ve read that article before making your way to this column.

There’s little point in getting blindsided by the realities of the University

What’s a great way of starting to make progress on these issues? Dialogue. What’s the best way to further dialogue? Information.

The articles in this In Focus edition are designed to provide some information to start those conversations.

Hope you enjoy the stories.