by Reilly Huber
You made it into college! What now? As someone who thought I had things all figured out on my first day of college, this question quickly made itself apparent. And it scared me. I had worked so hard in high school to get into a good college, and to choose the “right” major, but as soon as I entered my first class, I realized I was clueless as to what I actually wanted out of life. As an eighteen-year-old who just moved out of their parent’s home, I was overwhelmed. In an increasingly competitive world where branding and networking are so important, necessary even, to securing internships and job opportunities, you not only have to know what you want, but you have to be willing to get it.
For an eighteen-year-old living on their own for the first time, this can be overwhelming. It felt like everything I had done and everything I was doing was wrong; and it felt like everyone was already ahead of me. But it wasn’t true; and I wasn’t alone in feeling this way. I changed my major on the second day of college, but unmaking all my plans was the best decision I could have made.My roommate and I were both going to be Emerging Media majors on the Character Animation track. After the first day of classes, she came out of her room and told me she was changing her major. I was shocked. I knew that changing your major was allowed, but I didn’t think it was normal. I thought that I was supposed to pick a college with the degree I wanted, get my dream job, and then be super successful. But here was my roommate, her life plan already derailed.
The next day, I went to the same art class she had been to the day before. At the end of the class, the professor said that we should practice drawing in the art building for at least eight hours before the next class. I heard the professor’s passion when she told us that when she was a student, they kept the building open past midnight. I saw the determined looks on some of the other students’ faces. I didn’t feel that way. I didn’t care that much about getting better, and that’s how I knew I needed to find something else. I didn’t change my major because I didn’t want to do difficult things. I changed my major because I realized that some difficult things are worth doing.
But what? That’s when the panic set in. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing with my life, and yet, it was still happening right in front of me, there was no way to stop and get off. I went to an academic success coach, and she told me that it really wasn’t uncommon to change your major, and that until I decided what major I did want, I could finish up my GEP classes without falling behind. So I took her advice,switched into the first open GEP classes, and that was that.
My first semester of college showed me that learning in college happens in more places than the classroom. I was learning how to cook for myself, how to do laundry, get along with roommates, and make friends. As I thought about what I wanted my new major to be, I started thinking about myself, and what I really enjoyed, not just what I was good at. During all this, I began writing again, a hobby I hadn’t had time for in years. Soon, I was writing almost nightly. It wasn’t long before I realized that not only was writing something I was passionate about, it was something I wanted to get better at. And even if it didn’t lead to my forever career, the idea of writing brought enough excitement that I made the decision to switch majors to Creative Writing. Even though I’m not sure where it will lead, I’m learning so much, and I’m excited to learn more.
After successfully picking a new major, I was on the right track and I thought my troubles would vanish. I was ready to gain leadership positions in my clubs. I was ready to make more new friends. I was ready to start looking at internships and jobs. I made the mistake of assuming all this would happen at once and that being on the right track guaranteed this. I made the mistake of assuming that there even was a “right track.” Again, and again, I’ve learned that there isn’t.
My sophomore year of college has flown by, and I have found that the plans you don’t make often work out better than the plans you do. I have auditioned and interviewed and been rejected. I have applied to dozens of jobs, only to receive back one or two replies. And at first, these losses hurt. A lot. I felt like I wasn’t even qualified enough to try. But that’s just it. I tried. While at the time the rejections and obstacles I encountered felt like “setbacks,” I have come to realize that all along they were redirections towards a better path. Learning to seek the good in the opportunities life does give you rather than those it doesn’t, is so important in learning to be an adult. Recently, my favorite professor announced that she was going to be the new faculty advisor for the Cypress Dome internship (an editing internship for a campus-wide creative writing magazine), and I decided to apply. I got in, and now I have a new opportunity that I can’t wait to begin in the fall.
Even though some things haven’t worked out, I have a passion that I’m excited to pursue, I have made several close friends that I adore, and I am putting in my best effort. That is success to me, to have fun and keep trying. You’re only in college once. You’ll make it to adulthood sooner than you think.
