I think by now any consistent readers of this COM Ambassador blog will know that I’m the emotional one. Whether it was sappily reminiscing on my first Open House as a newly admitted student or somehow relating my Australian study abroad experience to Lizzie McGuire’s Italian love affair, I’ve managed to make all of my contributions here just the right level of cheesy. And now that I’m a senior, you should expect nothing less, my devoted fandom.
It’s only (already?!) October, and I can just about feel my time at BU slipping through my fingertips. To be as cliche as I possibly can, it feels like yesterday that I was a senior in high school, rolling my eyes as older relatives/teachers/neighbors/my parents’ friends/just about every adult I ever encountered preached to me how college would be the best time of my life. Though I may have gotten tired of that redundant spiel at the time, boy does it sound nice being that annoyed eighteen year old right about now. I never doubted those who set my expectations sky high for these four years, but I also never thought my expectations would be exceeded. Despite any rough patches I may had during college, as I’m sure everyone has, I would not change a single experience at BU, as I feel that all of them having truly shaped who I am today.
See, I warned you this would get sappy and quick. But please, if you’re a prospective student or underclassman especially, stay with me a little longer because I have some wisdom that might actually be helpful. I’m not going to sit here (in the Questrom library to be exact – great study spot btw) and act like I’m all high and mighty just because I’m a senior. Three years and two months in college has taught me a lot, but it sure as Rhett hasn’t taught me everything. I can, however, say that I know what it feels like to be a freshman, worried that you’re not taking the right classes or making the “friends for life” that your parents have…to be a sophomore, uneasy about declaring your major because what if you end up hating it in a semester or aren’t actually good at what you’re interested in..to be a junior, feeling on top of the world when on campus but far less confident in professional settings because that other intern seems to know a lot more about x, y, and z. Yep, that’s right. You’re not the only who’s had such insecurities nor will you be the last. Those times of unease and discomfort and maybe even a little embarrassment are as much what college is about as the courses you take or dorm life you have. Better yet, there’s no better feeling than being able to look back at an insecurity a year (or two or three) later and say that you’ve conquered it and that it maybe was a little silly to have in the first place.
Before I really go off on a motivational speaker tangent, I’ll leave you with a final anecdote. A couple of weeks ago, I had my COM Ambassador group over for cookies and updates. They all filled me in on their freshman/transfer transitions thus far and seemed to grow gradually more anxious as they asked me questions like “How do I know if *insert major* is right for me?” or “How do I get an internship?” The question I was most surprised but also most glad to be asked, however, was “I know that good grades are obviously impressive, but what else do you think is important to have on your resume?” I reinterpreted this one a bit in order to fill them all in on advice that had been passed down to me through former peers, employers and professors alike, which I hope will only continue being shared. Yes, grades are important. And so are internships. And so are extracurriculars. And so is any and every other endeavor you pursue in college so long as you enjoy what you’re doing. Join a club because you want to, not because you think it’ll look impressive in the future. Then stick with it if you like it or quit and join another! Take classes and pursue those degrees that interest you because I promise, no matter how hard the material gets, you’ll want to master it. A minor in Comp Sci, for instance, won’t make you seem smarter or more “employable” if you never really put your all into it anyway. Bottom line, the only person who can waste your precious time these four years (because it is precious) is YOU. So take control of how it’s spent.
