Plazafest has come and gone, your classes are locked in and the semester is in full swing. You’ve probably been carpet-bombed with pamphlets from hundreds of clubs and given your name and number to more people than you can care to remember. Now you have to zero in on what it is you actually want to commit to. That’s a tall task for a freshman.
Experiences created outside the classroom will be some of the most memorable you’ll have. More than that, they will make you a more well-rounded person. Plazafest should have introduced you to the huge variety of student groups on campus, but even if you didn’t you can look them up online. Or maybe there’s something else: Greek life, a new romantic interest, or just someone who wants to hit the slopes when winter comes around. Do something, but there’s definitely one thing you shouldn’t do. Don’t pigeonhole yourself and don’t stick to what you’re good at.
College is a time to study and become an expert in your chosen field, but it is also a time to try new things and to explore your interests. The degree is to make you successful, but what you do outside of that makes you interesting. No matter what you choose to do with yourself after college, you’ll need a hobby that’s something other than what you’re going to do day in and day out.
College students may have this grand idea that they are going to commit themselves to one thing and become the best person in the world at that. Then that’s all they focus on. However, it’s incredibly important to step out of your element and do the things that no one, not even your parents, would expect you to do. It may even be the most important thing you do in college. If you don’t have good social skills, join a group or a club that gets you around people. If you’re pursuing a liberal arts degree but want to learn a technical skill, do it. On the flip side if you’re studying engineering but you’ve always wanted to learn how to play the ukulele while river dancing, then go for it. There will be a million other people with comparable professional talent to you, but ultimately being good at the job isn’t what will get you the job. It’s going to be why you’re an awesome person to be around.
These are hard steps to take, especially as a freshman. You’ve probably already committed a large chunk of your life to what you’ve decided to go to college for. But don’t be scared or afraid to do those new things. Don’t wait to be good enough before getting involved outside of your major. Maybe you’ll fumble around like an idiot while trying to play basketball or figure out real quick that you don’t like that book club and don’t care about John Steinbeck, but there’s no way to make those discoveries or find the passion without taking the initial step. Another great thing about college: it doesn’t matter how terrible you are, all of these groups want fresh blood. You’ll fail miserably and have to dust yourself off multiple times, but college definitely won’t be the last time you have to do that and it’s a very important skill to have.
Getting into college. Getting your degree. Those are the easy parts.
Life’s too short for easy.