Do I select answer A or C, choose to study chemical engineering or music theory, and decide to party tonight or attend that club meeting I secretly want to go to?
College is clearly full of questioning yourself and everything. that. you. Do.
As my first semester reaches the halfway point, I reflect on the choices I have made and all of the rewards and consequences as the result of them. College students are blessed with freedom both in and out of the classroom. This is a gift until you start to doubt yourself. Of course, your peers, families, and professors can all give you thoughtful insight on what they think is best. However, you ultimately have to accept that you're liable for whatever comes your way and how no one is to praise or blame afterwards except yourself.
In some ways, it is difficult to prepare for some of the realities of college and living on your own. High school teachers gave you background knowledge on ionic compounds and your parents taught you common sense, but rarely are there lessons on why you have to decide your career path at age seventeen (or do you?) or how to make the most meaning out of your college experience (answer: extracurricular involvement, but some partying is fun, too!). But the influence of adults can sometimes hinder youth from learning about themselves through self discovery.
I hope adults continue to children but allow mistakes to be made in order to for youth to experience hardships and beauty without the shadow of grown ups. If people think the transition from high school to college is tough, the transition from college to the actual real world is even harder. One transition is from a bubble to another (just enlarged) bubble full of peers your age, while the other is a transition from that larger bubble to an open plane of endless possibilities and more responsibilities.
Yes, we should all be aware of the impact our choices have. However, they should not scare us from taking risks or fearing change. I have made plenty mistakes but also many smart decisions on my own, and it is the continuous battle of deciding if what you choose the best option.
Trust yourself, and make the decision if you know that can handle the worst outcome.
