Who are you in this for? Why are you here? Are you enjoying yourself? What’s the long-term plan?
I know, I’m asking you the tough questions. But seriously, why are you in college?
I was inspired to write this after having a troublesome chat with my roommate when she was going through a bleak time considering her education and her future. It made me reflect on my own wishes and how I am spending my time, so I was compelled to write about it.
I know there are a thousand reasons to go to college, and they’re completely situational depending on a variety of factors. But, I believe that if you or your family is paying for an education, you should ideally enjoy what you’re doing. I think my thoughts on this also have to do with my philosophy on life: I want to enjoy my life. I want to have a good time and feel that I am spending my time doing what pleases me, surrounded by people that make me smile.
Thus, I believe what I do here, in college, has a lot to do with that. I’m studying communication, which is foreign ground to everyone outside my major. Everyone is completely perplexed. They think this is just common sense: “I do it every day. What’s the point of getting a degree in it?” Okay, true. But are you doing it to the best of your ability, with all these tools in your back pocket? I chose to major in communications, honestly, because I have no idea what I want to do. I want to be like Barbie — I want to do everything and have endless jobs so I can try it all. Communication studies involve all that I am passionate about, and I can do just about anything with it — so I’m feeling pretty good about why I’m in college. I am taking courses that intrigue me; I’m double-minoring because I want to take advantage of this four (or five) year opportunity to learn in-depth about all the things that I have an interest in.
Yes, I am a freshman. It is my second semester on campus. I’m a baby; I know nothing right now. This is why I’m okay with all of this — the exploration and not being tied down to a specific academic track. I truly believe that what I am learning here will aid me for the rest of my career, whatever that may be.
That’s just the academics. Why are you here, specifically? I don’t believe that anyone is in love with their college or their college experience, and I believe that should be normalized because the reality is, nothing’s going to be perfect. However, I think you should want to be here. You should want to learn and to meet new people if you’re going to devote so much time and energy to an expensive education. I find that to be a reasonable ask of my readers.
I know many of you right now are thinking to yourselves: “But, money!” Yes, money is important. Money is a way for people to thank their parents for their sacrifices and to create a new life for themselves. Money is definitely a gateway, but I don’t think it should be the end goal. The end goal can be anything but money for me. But what’s yours?
I ask you one more time.
Who are you in this for? Why are you here? Are you enjoying yourself? What’s your long-term plan? Why are you in college?