Bardo’s story from freshman year
What was your first day like as a freshman in college?
I went to the University of Cincinnati and I got 100 percent lost my first day. I went to the university that night and found all of my classrooms because I did not have a clue where any of my buildings were. I had gone to orientation but I was not orientated.
What was your major?
I thought I was going to be a dentist so I went to pre-dental advising. I found out some of the courses I had to take involved sculpting and I knew that wasn’t going anywhere good so I decided to be an economics major.
Were you involved in any extracurricular activities?
I was in ROTC. It was big on that campus at that time and I also worked. I was on the drill team in ROTC but I was not involved in any formal clubs.
Where did you work while in college?
I sold women’s shoes, I boxed the mail, I delivered the mail, I worked at a hospital pharmacy, I mowed lawns, and I delivered drugs for a local pharmacy
What car did you drive?
I had a 1962 Volkswagen convertible. It was hot; red with black vinyl. It was cool. I think it cost me $600 dollars and it had no air conditioning, of course, and some of the windows sort of worked.
What did you like to do in your free time?
I was a big sports fan. Basketball was a really big deal there and our arch rivals were Bradley and Wichita State.
The university would bring in rock n’ roll groups so I went to concerts. I had a lot of friends who lived near the university and so as I got older I would go hang out at friend’s apartments. As a commuter student, hanging out at your parent’s house wasn’t that cool.
How would you describe yourself as a college freshman?
It’s funny how these things work. I was a really bad student. My first term grades were a 1.3. I was one step ahead of the draft board. I really hated college and I didn’t want to be there but it was better than being in a foxhole.
What is the worst advice someone has given you?
You should major in this because you can always get a job.
What experiences in college best prepared you for what you are doing now?
In terms of jobs, it was working at the hospital. You got to see humanity in a very different way. When you go into an emergency room at a welfare hospital on a Saturday morning you see people who have been knifed, people who have been shot; you see people who are too poor to go anywhere else and it really colors how you view the world.
It raises to me the question ‘How do we create a situation where people have opportunities?’ I also had a long line of professors that helped me figure out what I was going to do.
How did your goals shift as you were in college?
I had no goals as a freshman. My goal as a freshman was not to go to Vietnam at that time. By the time I was a junior it changed dramatically. It was ‘Can I be part of a situation that creates opportunities for people?’
Did you envision yourself as a president of a college?
I think about the people that I had in my high school. If most of the people in my class were still alive, they would be laughing their heads off because (they would ask ) ‘This crazy guy went and did that? You have to be kidding me.’
During my junior year, my parents were distraught that I had not figured out what I was going to do with my life.
One thing I liked to do was travel and my so my dad came home one day and told me ‘why you don’t go to Europe and study for a year?’
In order to study abroad I had to get my grades up. England changed how I viewed the world and my last term grades were a 4.0.
If you could give advice to John Bardo as a freshman, what would you tell him?
Go to class. It is easier to pass a test when you know when they are giving one.
Any final thoughts?
Enjoy your time at the university. It is a very, very special time of life.