Then and Now: How Life Has Changed for WU (BOD Mag)

Time is a strange thing, regardless of whether it is moving forward actively, or if you are thinking about the past. It is hard to say how time moves or how we perceive it. One moment, you are a senior in high school, or you’re thinking about going back to college. The next moment, you are only a few weeks from graduating. The time was marked by unexpected moments, failures, and successes. Everyone has had the paper they wrote the night before turn into an A.

Let’s take a blast to the past and compare five years ago to now.

In 2012, Psy, a South Korean, had a mega popular success. His song Gangnam Style was hardly in English, but it swept through the nation.

In 2016, Hello by Adele become one of the most popular songs, featuring no Korean and no dancing that imitates riding a horse

In 2012, Forbes listed Biomedical Engineering as the most commercially viable degree.

In 2016, the trend falls closer to computer science, software engineering, and electrical engineering, but overall Forbes chose Chemical Engineering that year.

In the 2012 London Olympics, the US won overall acquiring 46 gold medals.

In the 2016 Rio Olympics, the US won overall again acquiring 46 gold medals.

In 2012, SpaceX delivered its Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station. This started a new interest in space travel and was quite the milestone.

In 2016, Virtual Reality Helmets become commercially viable. Allowing, among many other things the ability to feel as though you are flying a drone from a cockpit.

In 2012, Sword Art Online was one of the most watched animes of the year. Featuring. A character in a virtual reality setting.

In 2016, HBO’s Game of Thrones was one of the most watched television shows.

Between 2012 and 2016, Washburn gained Lincoln Hall, the Welcome Center, and beautiful students like yourself.

On average in 2012, gasoline cost an astronomical $3.80.

Yet in 2015, gasoline was $2.45 on average.

In 2012, Marvel’s the Avengers premiered and it was the highest grossing movie of that year, featuring an all-star cast of superheroes.

In 2016, Deadpool, another character created by Marvel, becomes the highest grossing R rated movie since Passion of the Christ.

The past may not be a predictor of the future, but the past is a reminder of what can happen. Whether you want to be a superhero actor, a writer, a gold medal winning athlete, an artist, a geologist, or an astronomer, Washburn University has something for you.

Knowledge is tinder for dreams and ideas. After you graduate you will have a richer understanding of the world. So, go on and walk. Walk a few steps closer to the future.