Four years ago, I remember walking onto campus thinking I had things figured out.
I’d heard all of the how-to tips that were supposed to get me through the four years that turned into four-and-a-half years of college.
Don’t pack too much. Don’t call home too much. Don’t party your way to failure. Don’t study your way to insanity.
I also understood that knowing these guidelines would get me absolutely nowhere. <br/>I would eventually end up homesick with too much stuff crammed into the teeny tiny space given to me in Irwin.I would eventually end up homesick with too much stuff crammed into the teeny tiny space given to me in Irwin.
I would eventually end up homesick with too much stuff crammed into the teeny tiny space given to me in Irwin.
I would eventually skip class because I had stayed out too long the night before, and I would later go crazy at 4:30 a.m. wondering if I would ever know sleep again while I wrote my LA 101 paper that should have been done weeks in advance.
Now, four year’s later, I face a whole new battleground.
In four months, I will graduate.
As this slowly sinks in, I realize I'm in the exact same position as I was as a freshman. <br/>I've heard all the advice.I've heard all the advice.
I’ve heard all the advice.
Begin looking for prospective employers. Polish up the resume. Start networking and making connections with those who can help you find a job.
I know what I’m supposed to do, and yet I feel as if I will never be prepared to finally have my diploma in my hands.
As Dec. 13 creeps up at an accelerating pace and I start going through the first of the lasts, I realize preparation will only get me so far.
Just like it took missing a few classes to realize how easy it was to get behind in a class, it will take experiencing the “real world” to understand it.
As a freshman, I wasn’t the only one who thought I was ready for what was ahead of me and I know now that I’m not alone in facing the future completely clueless.
If I could pass on any piece of advice to not only freshmen, but anyone, it would be to expect things to go wrong. Expect plans to be broken. Expect to fail at something. Be flexible.
Life is not made with a cookie cutter. Rather, the edges are jagged and the form irregular. Problems will arise. You can’t expect things to fall into place, and you especially can’t expect your plans to always follow through.
The worst position to put yourself in is to think things are all going as planned.
Don't be afraid of the unexpected. Never believe that you finally have it all figured out, and never think it's time to stop learning.<br/>&#160;