Our main goal in life is to find utter happiness; to be surrounded by those we love, and to be doing what we love every day. We find ourselves wondering when we will achieve our goals, or if we ever will. Deciding our goal in life as a student is stressful, so many options, not enough time or money, or even connections, and achieving it is even more difficult. However, college is the chance to break out of your shell, the push to broaden your horizons and take opportunities that were once not available.
The transition from high school to college was an interesting one. Going to a new school not knowing anyone and not having a clue how to navigate around a gigantic campus was a pain. My mind would worry and wonder, Oh god what if I go to the wrong class? Who would I have lunch with every day after class? Would I look like a loner if I ate alone? Should I join this organization? What if I don't make any friends? Are they judging me? There's no way I'd make a fool of myself right?
On the first day of college, I got drenched in the rain.
Forgetting my umbrella in my car, getting lost a few times and having to run from the University Center all the way across campus to get to my first class, Pre-calculus, I walked into my first college class completely drenched and embarrassed. I felt as though I was being stared at and thought,
"Ugh, typical freshman move, this is going to be terrible"
But in fact, the opposite happened. I sat down next to this girl, and we joked about how bad the weather was. We ended up getting lunch after class the first day, then it progressed to every day after class, and now she is one of my best friends.
Within the first week of my freshman year, I realized that if I keep worrying about these small things I'd never be happy. Nobody really pays attention to what you wear or who you hang out with, so might as well focus on yourself and what makes you happy. I decided to put myself out there and to do that I knew I had to be confident and take chances.
Soon enough I joined organizations such as the Billiards League and the MIS Student Organization. I've made countless friendships and have been introduced to incredibly successful people within my first semester. Being confident is hard and it will definitely push you out of your comfort zone at times, but it will also expose you to opportunities that you may not have had the chance to get before.
I'm grateful I learned this my freshman year instead of 3 years down the road where it could be harder to open up with those around me.
No matter how long it takes, put yourself out there.
Take chances you may not normally take, introduce yourself to those around you, network, find out what you're interested in and join organizations that you find appealing. We all know the struggles of being a student, so you'd be surprised as to how many others are feeling lost about what they want.
If you search for what makes you happy it will be found, you just have to be willing to take the first step.
