The first year of anyone’s college experience is bound to be overwhelming. For most people, it will be the first time they live without their parents: a time in which they genuinely feel a sense of ownership over their own lives. Due to this feeling of freedom, many college students have the tendency to abandon some of their previously set morals and decision-making skills and instead allow “having fun” to become their utmost priority. Although it is essential to enjoy life and take advantage of all the social events a place like a college campus has to offer, it is also important to never lose who you are in the process.
When attending college for the first time, it is not unheard of that one begins to let go of some of the things that truly make them happy. Often this is a ramification of over-committing oneself to the new social opportunities college has to offer. When I say this, I do not mean to condemn the lifestyle of partying or staying up to ungodly hours chatting with your dorm mates. Rather, what I mean is that there is a way to balance the new and exciting aspects of college while still making time for the things that have shaped you into the person you are.
Getting involved on campus sounds like a cliche but it is so important. Find your sense of community or personal identity by seeking out organizations that consist of people who have similar outlooks on life or have common moral values. It is crucial that you realize the value in finding organizations that cater to your needs, and your needs only.
College is about inventing the life for yourself that you desire to be a part of. For perhaps the first time in your life, you have been granted a myriad of opportunities that, when taken advantage of, could very well be responsible for shaping the rest of your future.
It is perfectly okay to jump out of your comfort zone: if fact, it is sometimes best to do so. However, never compromise things that you hold sacred in order to fit in with anyone else. You will enjoy the friendships you make a whole lot more if the basis of each individual friendship is genuine. If you change who you are, you may be satisfying other people's needs in a relationship, but yours will never be fully met. Do not be afraid to be selfish in finding what and who makes you happy because if you don’t, then who will?