We all know the terrifying feeling of commitment. When you were younger it was so much easier to “quit” things like dance classes, piano lessons, or soccer. However, as we age, it becomes a lot harder to pick and choose where we want to invest our time. Time ends up being an investment. It always has been, but it matters more in college than ever before. If we want to graduate “on time” then we have to make sure we invest our time in the plan of study to get us on the right course. When you enter college, usually you have some sort of plan or major that you intend to invest your time in until you receive that beautiful piece of paper in that crisp little foldy thing. Time matters now more than ever and the pressure is on.
With so much pressure on our shoulders, us college students begin to panic. I struggle a lot with making decisions, and get extremely bored very easily with a certain thing. Not only did I transfer colleges halfway through my freshman year, but I also changed my major. On top of that, I might even be double majoring because I feel the need to maximize the bang for my buck on tuition.
Why do young adults feel this way? There are so many published pieces informing high school students to enjoy their senior year and cherish every moment because once graduation comes, you are not as “free” as you think. There are so many responsibilities that add up quickly, making your summer before college a little more stressful than one might think.
Society is constantly adapting to what works and what doesn’t. What makes the country and the people flourish? What doesn’t? Using this knowledge, a foundation is created for different standards that “We The People” must follow and fall in line. I’m talking about cultural norms that when broken, are looked down upon. Most students aren’t only feeling the weight of passing their classes or getting into college, they are also feeling the weight of how they would be viewed by society if they didn’t fall into line with the rest.
There are so many different routes we can take in our lives, yet in high school and college we make some of the most important decisions. Our grades in high school determine our college fate. Our college and major determine our career. Our career determines our paycheck. Our paycheck determines our style of living. Our style of living determines our social status. And the list continues. This is why college kids feel pressure. We know it’s “just an exam” and we should just “try our best,” but how are we supposed to do just that when we can come to the conclusion that one little mistake can change our entire life?
That is one way to view our lives. However, as I’ve said, society is constantly changing. If this is true, we should be able to determine our own path. We should decide what is best for us instead of falling in line with the norms. As a labeled “millennia” young adult, I feel a strong pull to make a difference to a crumbling, failing cultural foundation in America. We can choose to fall in line with the standards that have been created for us, or we can choose not to.
I can choose to double major a semester later and graduate a year later and not feel shame for not making the stealthy appearance of walking the stage with my peers. I can choose to learn content for an exam because I am genuinely interested in it and not worry about my grade but instead worry about the knowledge I am learning. I can choose to feel passionate about whatever I desire and not care about how much money I am going to make while contributing my work with society.
Wouldn’t that be ideal? To choose your own path? I believe it would be. I will not be falling in line with the rest, but I will choose to be independent and make decisions that will better me as a person. Because in the end, the better the people, the better the country. And right now, our society sucks. We can change what “success” truly means. We just have to start making the right choices.
