I’ve hit a wall, a breakthrough if you will. I am a junior in college, trying to graduate with a degree in the now not-so-normal 4 years. If you’ve read any of my previous articles you’ll know I transferred after my freshman year. This messed up quite a few of my classes, and needless to say, I will be taking full course loads until I graduate. This is nothing new, I have been having 18 credit semesters since the day my parents dropped me off for move-in freshmen year. But now I finally get it. I think...

I used to envy my friends because of their free time, because one extra class can take its toll on you in comparison. The difference between 15 credits and 18 is an extra 3 hours of class time a week on top of multiple extra hours for homework. This is overlooked, maybe even underrated. But for me it's the norm.

You see, I used to think that college was all about getting a degree, making friends, and finding who you are. And it is. To an extent. People go to college for all sorts of reasons but I decided today that I want more. I want to do well in school, but now I don’t want to just take classes to graduate, I want to take classes to better myself or because it's something I actually have an interest in. I mean after all, if I’m going to be paying for college why not get the most out of it? I’ve done my fair share of dabbling around; switched schools, intramural sports, Greek life, artistic clubs. And I am still trying new things, because I do not just want to be gray. Sitting in classes I have no interest in to get a half decent grade, or to not push myself.

College is the safety net of the world, just a very expensive one. So why not try a little harder? Absorb everything you possibly can. Maybe this is one of the most trying times; juggling a social life, work, school, yourself. It’s a lot, but I just realized how much I love it.