College: one of the most beautiful, terrifying, and life changing phases of your life. I entered college at UMass as a freshman majoring in Biology and unsure of what exactly I wanted to do with myself, equal parts nervous to live independently for the first time in my life and excited to make friends and broaden my horizons. Life in college was never linear — it was full of hills and valleys, highs and lows. It was full of boring days and adventurous days, productive days and lazy days. No day was ever exactly the same — even though the iced caramel sea salt latte from the Procrastination Station has been my go-to since I arrived at UMass and am now nearly a graduating senior. On that note, from a T minus 100-something-days-to-graduation senior, here are my favorite tips for finding yourself naturally over these four tumultuous years of college and advice that you can use to make the most of your university experience.
it’s okay to change your major.
I have met people that have changed their major up to four times and are now thriving, successful and happy with the field they chose to go into. I myself am a major-changer. I arrived to UMass a Biology major thinking that was the only way to get into medical school, but ended up finding a deep love and appreciation for the social side of medicine, and chose to major in Psychology on the Neuroscience Track instead, enjoying studying a subject that existed at the intersection of the hard and social sciences. I followed my gut after not feeling completely fulfilled and satisfied by my Biology classes, and as a result have found the most amazing opportunities in the department and been able to take classes with and meet faculty that have been nothing but supportive and encouraging.
take care of your mental health. this isn’t optional.
Your mental health is JUST as important as your physical health. I found out the hard way that pulling all-nighters would do more harm than good, and that pushing myself to study and get work done even when my body and brain were begging for rest would be highly detrimental. Particularly around midterm or finals season, when assignments start piling up, make sure to stay hydrated, make time to see your friends, get outside for some fresh air, and take time for yourself to do things you enjoy — even if it’s just for an hour a day. That hour is one hour less that you’re agonizing over your work and stressing yourself out.
quality > quantity
I worried so much about finding things to put on my resume so I could stand out when I started applying to jobs or graduate school, but swiftly realized that putting too much on my plate would just end up with me not giving 100% at any of the commitments and getting burnt out. Pick a few things that genuinely interest you — they do not HAVE to be related directly to the field you want to go into unless you explicitly want to do this — and commit to it longitudinally. By the end of senior year, once you reflect back you’ll be able to see how being an active participant in these activities may have changed you.
try lots of different things. be open to change.
I never pictured myself minoring in English in college with my cramped schedule, but I am about to graduate in May with a certificate in Creative Writing! Take classes that you never thought you’d take, even if just the first few lines of the summary interest you, stick to it, and see what you get out of it! A simple class that centered around reading and writing about trauma ended up shaping a lot of my interests and leading to me pursuing further study of English, even though I was a pre-med student. Make friends outside your major, push yourself out of your comfort zone, reach out to professors whose research you like. Make decisions that broaden your horizons and lead to change. Change doesn’t always have to be bad.
don’t be afraid to get involved.
Put yourself out there. Even if you’re a freshman, attend those club meetings, network with those professors, apply to those labs, apply to those jobs, pick up volunteering shifts within your community, try out for that dance team or acapella group, and sign up for those weekend art classes. Whether this is getting involved in academic endeavors or just spending time meeting new people and exploring your local town, get involved. You’re a valuable member of your community and you add so much to it, whether you recognize that or not. You’re important, and your opinion and your voice deserve to be heard.
As I’m moving on from UMass to a post-graduate job and then eventually — fingers crossed — to medical school, I hope to take the valuable lessons I’ve learned from faculty, peers, friends, and even my own little adventures to grow into the best version of myself throughout my twenties. I’m grateful to have gone to such an amazing university and to have had the gift of a college education. I hope that reading this, you feel encouraged to try new things and make your voice be heard, loud and clear. I hope that you treasure your college experience as much as I have, that you embrace change, take care of yourself, and live these four years with no regrets.
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