I recently caught up with one of my very good friends from high school. I hadn’t seen her in months and we were super excited to catch up.
But my excitement was soon extinguished by disappointment. She would talk and talk and talk, and when I finally got a chance to butt in, she would literally interrupt me with random words. She didn’t care what I was saying, which, fine, it was probably only interesting to me anyway, but she couldn’t even pretend to be interested.
I can’t imagine interrupting anyone like that, let alone someone I was excited to hear from. When we graduated together I felt we were on a similar level of maturity, but it’s clear she didn’t grow the same way I did in college. Or the same way those around me did. The friends and acquaintances I’ve made here would never treat me like that. I felt disrespected and annoyed.
I know this is a cliché thing to say, but you come into yourself in college. You’re given an opportunity to find who you are and grow as a person. And I don’t really think my friend from home is taking that opportunity. She isn’t different from when we graduated. She hasn’t improved upon herself in the year we’ve had to change ourselves.
I had to do a lot of soul searching this past year, my freshman year. I had no idea what I wanted to do or what I wanted to accomplish. I just knew I wanted to accomplish something. I have finally joined clubs, and am now doing things that I enjoy, things that will ultimately help me grow and gives me the experience I need to get a job. And I still have a lot to figure out for my future.
I encourage you to do the same soul searching. Find out the person who you want to be, and be that person. College is full of opportunities to change, grow and lead. Make this your time to find the people you want to be around. College is something that is there to prepare you for the world, don’t miss out on it.
So, don’t be like my friend. Join clubs, make new friends and mature. Become a better version of the person you were before. You come to college to prepare to get a job, but what makes all of the loans and stress and sleepless nights worth it are the other experiences you get by being in college.
Let these other experiences shape you into someone you want to be. Choose friends who are better than you, so that you can also improve. Find something you’re passionate about and become really good at doing whatever that thing is.
And don’t forget to keep learning. The world is full of opportunity, and it’s never too late to change yourself or be better. You have one life and you should be the best you can be.
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