“Dont think too far ahead in college; take time to smell the coffee” |
| Dont think too far ahead in college; take time to smell the coffee Posted: 17 Jan 2011 07:51 PM PST "So what do you want to do with that?" It's a well-meaning question. The people asking really hope to hear something awesome in response. But in my case, it usually ends up being a Q&A about law school or whatever's the hot job of the day. I don't know if I should repeat some prepared, austere response, or try to have fun with it. I'm usually left wanting no matter what my decision because I hope to impress them. There are so many questions to answer when trying to decide which vocation is the correct one, and it's not like there's some campus resource that will tell exactly how to help me suddenly 'get my act together.' We all want to find that perfect internship, meet the perfect contacts and go through college without having anxiety about 'the real world.' I've always disliked the phrase 'the real world.' It makes me feel as if I'm a lesser human because I don't have a 9-5 job or worry about mortgages. Sure, I have a winter break to spend however I want, but I still have the responsibility of taking advantage of my given opportunities. I identify with what UI alum and author Dave Eggers calls "sucking the campus dry." In a visit to his alma mater in November, he shared his views about life as a student, saying, "You're waiting for your moment. Make sure you take advantage of [the school] while you're here." There are so many ways to do good work and grow from new experiences and challenges as a student. It took five semesters on campus and one abroad for me to fully realize how much you can do in good ol' Champaign-Urbana. It's impossible to know where I'll be in five years, and I wouldn't want to know even if I could. Getting there is a process. There are all those obligations to fulfill, but there are also people to meet, places to see, lessons to learn and memories to make. It's not at all helpful to fret over what you need to do to be 'successful' in ten years. You gotta find new goals to achieve and then chase after them. Some students decide to skate through these four years without ever seriously challenging their maturity, but there are others who are doing everything they can to learn how to do positive work. It's easy to lose sight of goals in the midst of new discoveries, though. While we may know what kind of person we want to be, we may not know how to get there. I wish it was easier figuring out where to turn for the right courses, campus resources, extracurricular activities and social groups. I remember my days as a bright-eyed freshman, always wanting to find my niche while not having regrets about missing some opportunity. For everyone out there looking for the right stepping stones on their way to making the most of their time at Illinois (or anywhere, for that matter), take note from experience. Talk to people who have done things you would be happy to say you've done. See what made someone get involved in some particular activity, look at how they went about it and the results of their actions, and question whether you would have done the same thing under the circumstances. The most impactful idea from Eggers' conversation was this: You can create the life you imagine, and the University helps you do that. It's not about seeing one path as the only way to accomplish anything. Whether it's volunteering as part of an alternative spring break trip, studying hard to learn what you can in a given class or working the register at a local restaurant, there are always opportunities to make lasting, positive impressions on people. Each moment is a new one, and they should be taken advantage of accordingly. Alex is a senior in LAS. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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