College has the potential to be the most incredible and defining chapter of our lives, shaping us not only academically to prepare us for a hopefully plentiful career, but also socially, mentally, and emotionally.

College is an opportunity for us, finally independent adults, to construct the foundation for our future and experiment with who we want to become.

From the first moment we arrive on campus, we are baptized with an overwhelming swarm of information left for us alone to wrestle with, an overwhelming abundance of expectations from seemingly every direction, and truly overwhelming decisions we must make. This is only academic; most of us are starting from scratch to find friends which for many including myself is a stressful thought in itself, all the while missing the security of home, and many, many more concerns that plague the average freshman.

Prior to my arrival onto campus, I assumed that what I was known for in high school would seemlessly translate to college. To my surprise, by the middle of the semester I was performing poorly in the two classes that I assumed I would excel in the most. It hurt especially because I convinced myself that those two classes, first semester freshman year classes, were crucial in order to achieve a dream I had fought and yearned for throughout my entire life.

I needed those classes in order to audition for a major that I thought was absolutely perfect and ideal for me, but with the reveal of midterm grades, I concluded that I would need to approach my goal from a different path.

I knew that I needed to force myself to acquire a fresh perspective, and forgive myself for taking a risk that did not work out how I hoped it would.

College provides us with the opportunity to redefine and re-redefine ourselves. I understand the desperation to find some sense of common ground and normalcy within all aspects of our new adventure in the midst of the chaos, but in order to truly seize this opportunity, we must expect and accept imperfection as well as decisions that lead to dead ends.

Making the most out of college means finding the grit and determination within ourselves to branch away from the shallow end of what we thought was sure by taking risks with no idea of what the outcome will be. We should be so proud of ourselves for taking risks to hopefully achieve a goal; if we fail, it does not have to be the end all be all of a dream.

With a change of perspective, we can more often than not find a window to reach the same goal rather than going though the most obvious route.

Just because we fail does not mean that we will never succeed. We must not give up so easily, because anything worth the effort of striving for in life will require persistance that can only come from within ourselves.

We need experiences that call into question who are are, and force us to ask what is worth fighting for. They comprise the most important parts of who we are. To let embarrassment, anger, and disappointment in our failures prevent us from learning and potentially gaining a new outlook on life would be doing a disservice to ourselves. That is the whole purpose of college; to take risks and devise a strategy to recover and pick ourselves back up again if we experience discouragement like failure or rejection.

The most fulfilling knowledge resulting from experiences even beyond college will not come easily. Growth comes from the path we take, the obstacles we overcome, and the risks we gather the courage to make.

College will surprise us. We will meet the harsh reality that not everything will work out how we want it to, and as we pick ourselves up we may find that reality left a bruise. I implore you to remember that bruises fade, and protecting ourselves from acquiring them is not worth more than the parts of ourselves that we discover through risks.