Growing up, I always heard people speaking about the “college experience.” I didn’t fully understand the meaning behind that term before I entered college, and almost a full year later I am in awe of all that being a full-time college student has done for me. The experience is more than just attending classes and getting good grades, it’s the way you are slowly and beautifully revealed as who you truly are.
I now understand the liberation of leaving home
Sorry Mom, Dad, siblings, and dog, but being away from home has been a blessing. What I mean by that is, it has truly been eye opening. I didn’t realize before how being confined to one space can limit your ability to grow. I was molded into my surroundings before, but by coming to college I have had the opportunity to expand on all the best parts of me. I now know all the pieces of me that were truly me, and what pieces were just a product of living in the same place for so many years. I love the sense of self I have developed in knowing who I am, no matter where I go.
I can participate in activities that unveil my passions
Attending college is gaining knowledge about other people, the world, and the role you want to play in the grand scheme of it all. My school is full of people who have come to better themselves through education and opportunity, and I have become completely inspired by all of those whom I have met. Everyone comes here with a passion for something, or with the determination to find what it is that consumes them, and it is infectious. I love the classes, the clubs, and the organizations at my school because they give everyone and myself the opportunity to feel like their own person, and not just one amongst the crowd.
I belong to a privileged group of people, and I will act thusly
During my first week of school, I learned that only 5 percent of the world's population ever receives a college diploma. Upon discovering this, I immediately had the revelation that I am honored to be among some of the most privileged people in the world today. I have the freedom and opportunity to become one of the 5 percent, and therefore, the opportunity to lead as an example for others and help them. I know that in the midst of grades, midterms, work, internships and social life, I will never forget what a gift it is to simply be here.
I do not have a sense of reliance on anyone else to complete me
Attending university, I have been able to envision the life I want to make for myself. I can work towards a degree that will make me qualified to turns my passions into my career. Therefore, I can build a life without feeling an aching dependency on anyone else to do it for me. Knowing I am capable of leading my own life on my own terms is the greatest liberation I have ever experienced. I feel whole within myself, and no need to desperately search for another to complete me.
I may be one person, but I have the power to make a difference
All my life, I felt like just another one among the bunch. I was going through life, not knowing who I really was or who I truly wanted to be. I always knew I wanted to pursue a higher education, but I never realized how much it would change my outlook on life. I feel deeply empowered by my opportunities, my passions and my ability to make a difference in not only my life, but in others. Through my education and ever building knowledge, I am becoming more and more my own person each day.
I am continually and eternally grateful to be in college, and most importantly, for the opportunity to discover who I truly am in this life.
