As we head close to spring break, we are caught up in the hustle of the middle of the semester. And while you may be knee deep in a million midterms, papers, and assignments, we still need to make sure that we are making time for ourselves.
You’re 18 or 19. You’re living away from home for the first time. And suddenly you have to decide to take some classes that may determine what you may be doing for the rest of your life. Even though about four months ago your most difficult life decision was choosing Chipotle or Moe’s for dinner. It’s rough. You're confused. Your days are all blurred into one Mr. Krabs meme.
BUT. There are some small questions you can ask yourself to make sure that you are kind of on track, and if not, to lead you in the right direction.
1. Do your classes excite you?
Alright, in no way are you expected to be 100% passionate about every single class that you may have. But you definitely should aim to have at least a sparked interest in your classes every single day. And if not, change up your classes! Enroll in something you didn’t think you would be particularly interested in. Stay for office hours to talk to some Professors to see if there is something you can do to become more engaged. You go to college to study things that are more concentrated in your interests, so do it! This is the only time in your life when you can take a class on the History of Rocks or the Psychology of Serial killers or any other cooky course you may have the slightest interest in. GO rock it! (Pun Intended)
2. Do your friends make you happy?
While you may have not found your girl gang entirely just yet, examine yourself to make sure you have at least some people you can always count on. And if you don’t, recognize that and try to change that. Friends exist to bring you joy, and if they don’t leave. Odds are, there are some other people out there looking to be your friend. Go find them! Really make an effort to put yourself out there, but don't forget to be yourself.
Fight hard to find your bridesmaids and people you want to be surrounded with for life. You got this.
3. What’s next?
This is a scary question. But it might be time you ask yourself it. Do you have a rough idea of what you are trying to accomplish and achieve? What are your goals? Don’t have any, make some. The world is YOURS. Take advantage of it, but also make sure you have some sort of finish line in mind. Try making a vision board or being able to imagine where you want to be in a year, five years, or even within the week. This is one of the only times in your life when you can completely rewrite your story and start over as many times as you want without any dirty looks. Dream big!
These times are confusing, overwhelming, and incredibly rewarding. Take advantage of it. You got this.
