By By: EMILY YUSSUM
Staff Writer/Copy Editor
“Do something that scares you.”
I shouldn’t say that is the best advice I can give to students. Let your college years scare you. Again, it doesn’t sound like the greatest advice.
College is unlike any other stage of your life. Whether you attend right after high school or wait twenty years, whether you have a degree in mind or no idea what you want to do, do something you love, and probably even scares you. Life’s more fun that way.
I was scared to change my major halfway through my freshman year, but did it anyway. I was scared of the workload of taking on a minor, but I did that anyway. And I was scared to try new things and start new conversations, but I did those anyway too. I went through my college career knowing that if I didn’t challenge myself, I’d regret it many years down the road.
You meet people you never would have known otherwise. I’ve lost track of how many people told me that college helps build your network, but honestly, it’s more about finding people to learn from. In college, you find people like yourself, and also people who you have nothing in common, aside from having the same finals week.
If you enjoy something that once scared you, it becomes a great motivator. For me, I changed my major and added a minor, and became scared I wouldn’t graduate in four years. I’m now graduating after only three and a half years. I took delight in finding new ways to challenge myself, and thought of it as a fun rather than scary experience.
However long you plan to attend college is up to you. Just make sure you challenge those years and make the most of them with the people that are learning right alongside you.
I can’t believe my college career has at long last come to an end. It’s a bittersweet ending, but I’ve enjoyed these last couple years. I thank everyone I’ve gotten to know over the years for their determination to help my journey, and send a special thank you to my Preface family who have kindled my love for writing over the past year.
What are you going to do now? It’s the question everyone’s asking me now.
I’ve got my options laid out. There’s been a certain beauty to being a part of something, such as college, that has a beginning and an ending. It’s what made these past three and a half years so special and I can’t wait to see where my future is headed.
I wish you all the very best. And with that, I bid you all adieu IU.
