“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald, A Curious Case of Benjamin Button
For many of us, it’s finally nearing time to head back to college: our home away from home. Whether it’s your first time or your fifth, you’re probably nervous, excited, and overall unsure of what to expect this year – that’s understandable. The Fitzgerald fanatic that I am, I always love to start off my school year with this quote and I’ve never found it to be more encouraging than I have this year. College is the time to “find yourself” and be put in all kinds of situations you aren’t used to. Get ready for culture shock first-timers.
“You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing.” There is so much truth in this statement. There are so many different possibilities for your life, and this is the time to stop trying to conform or follow anyone around you. No one else has the exact same goals, ideas, perspectives, or even classes that you do. Find what you love and stick to it. Most importantly, don’t change yourself because you feel like you have to. Stay true to yourself, take care of yourself, and do what’s best for you.
“We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it.” These are so commonly referred to as the best years of your life. It’s the time to have fun and be on your own before you fully submerge into adult responsibilities – take advantage of this! Live life so you won’t have regrets when you grow older. Don’t sleep in your dorm room by yourself all weekend just because you don’t have class; go out hiking or exploring or bake cookies with your neighbors across the hall. I was super excited to find the free petting zoo at our state park. There are so many opportunities for you during these years – you just have to look for them and take advantage of everything college has to offer.
“I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before.” You will be challenged. You will face rejection. You will be disappointed when you’ve always been a straight "A" student and walk out of intro biology with your first F on a test. You will learn so much about true friendship and who is really there for you. You will learn the hard way who isn’t there for you. You will appreciate everything so much more – whether it’s your mom’s amazing cooking and laundry skills, or just having your best friend live across the hall from you. I hope you realize how blessed you are to be part of such an amazing university and be offered such thought-provoking courses.
“I hope you meet people with a different point of view.” You will no doubt meet people who disagree with you. That’s one of my favorite things about college – the diversity. You will meet people from all over the world. My best friend last semester was an exchange student from Australia that I disagreed with about nearly everything – whether it was spiritually or politically or even socially. Yet we were still hanging out every other day. That’s the beauty of diversity and unity. You learn to agree to disagree and how to accept someone as a person rather than judging and accepting them based on their beliefs and views.
“I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.” This part speaks for itself. Don’t be scared to start over. Don’t be scared to change the way you do something even if you’ve never known anything different. Don’t be scared to stay true to yourself and do what’s best for you. This is your time – take advantage of it and be the best that you can be. If something bad happens, and it will, don’t let it discourage you. You can always start over – don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t . You don’t have to settle – make the most of every opportunity given to you. And make this the best year yet.
