Which is totally fine! But if you had told Freshman Josee that I would be in this situation, I think she would have a conniption.
In my first year, I thought I had things figured out to a T. I would get my dual-degree in journalism and political science. According to my ten-year plan, I would intern at places like the Boston Globe, CNN, and the New York Times while still working on my pre-law concentration. Of course, my first-year mind was realistic. There was no way I would go straight into law school after BU, I had to get my masters (of course!) and have 3-5 years of practical experience.
Now, I don’t regret having those aspirations and dreams. They helped push me to work hard and keep going. They gave me a chance to work towards something.
What I didn’t recognize, what I couldn’t recognize, from the outset, was how much things would change. Now, I still had high aspirations all of college, but I wasn’t used to evolving those passions and dreams and letting go of ones that I grew out of.
I had my heart set on becoming an international correspondent for the BBC. I even took on an extra IR bachelors so that I could get “deep background” for my dream job. I was in this for the long haul.
But, after taking IR courses, joining clubs, and interning abroad, I realized that I had other passions and skills I could hone in on. It was the hardest identity crisis of my college career when I realized that I didn’t have to be a journalist.
It took a lot of time, a lot of trial and error, and a lot of self-reflection to “give up” my old dream for a new perspective. But I’m so glad I did.
Now, I’m just a senior with no clue where she will end up – but with the self-assurance that it will be an adventure nonetheless.
