I am currently about a half way through my first semester in college. When I started this semester I had this cliché in my mind of how college was supposed to be. Man was I completely WRONG. It's not how movies show it to be, but man would it be cool if it were. There aren't friendly people every corner you turn. No group picnics in the middle of the grass like on Pitch Perfect. Oh, and don't even get me started on the whole 'you can skip class whenever you feel like it' crap. The reality is, to excel you show up unless you're lying on your deathbed.
In high school, I had always had an abundance of friends that I had built up over the years. I started college expecting to make friends in each class. I'm halfway through the semester and have hardly any friends from college. Sure, I have a few acquaintance's, but no real friends. My only advantage of this is that I chose to attend a the university in my hometown, which allows me to still attend school with a few friends from high school. So unless you're a shoo-in for Greek life, starting a new social life in college is quite challenging.
I hear about parties and social scenes on a daily basis. At my university they say the weekend starts on Thursday, because the local clubs deem it as college night. Imagine how much of a struggle waking up for a Friday 8am could be like. I'm not who you would call a partier. I do, however attend a party school, or so I've been told. Many people who I talk to, hear about, or even just read about on social media party excessively. Now, I know, partying is essential to the average college student, but too much can be way detrimental your health, safety, and standings at school. So just remember the students on the big screen at your local movie theater didn't have a real midterm or lecture hall the next day.
Now, my purpose of this was just to remind people of what college is for, and why you're here. Yes, you're here to experience life. Yes, you're here to join activities, such as Greek life and other clubs and organizations. Yes, you're here to start a life of your own. BUT you're also here for greater reasons. Yes, you’re here to get a degree in something you love and are passionate about. Yes, you’re here to one day make a difference. Don't let distractions keep you from this. Learn how much partying and how much of a social life you can have without it being detrimental to your school work. Everyday when I walk through campus I hear stories of drunken nights, parties, and many bad choices. It affects your grades. If you think it doesn't, IT DOES.
We all chose to attend college for different reasons. Though we all have the same goal, to graduate and become a better version of ourselves. Today I was scrolling through my Tumblr app and came across a great quote. It read "today my Anthro professor said something beautiful: 'you all have a little bit of 'I want to save the world' in you, that's why you’re here, in college. I want you to know that it's okay if you only save one person and it's okay if that person is you.'" This quote really ran deep with me. So just remember next time you're out till 4am on a Thursday night, stumbling drunkenly into your door room, that you're here because you choose to be. Because you wanted to change the world, save the world, or even just change and save yourself. Remember why you’re here, and why you choose to be here.
-Over and Out,
B
