College, people told me before starting my freshman year, “changes you.” You become more mature, your views and opinions expand and bloom; basically, you transform into an almost adult, living and functioning on your own but not quite out in the real world. This is all well and good, but I have to confess: I really had no idea what people meant by this. I mean, of course you mature a little bit, but I didn’t think anything about me would really change. Well, I’m here to report that as my first semester at Tulane is coming to a close (I say as one tear streams down my cheek) (kidding, but not really) I have without a doubt, totally changed. They’re subtle changes, but it’s true! And it’s awesome. Not like you didn’t already know, but college is 100% awesome.
Before the first day of class back on one of those INSANELY hot days in August (shoutout to NOLA summers,) I decided to write down a few goals for myself. Nothing too big, but just things that I thought would be cool to accomplish. I wrote them down on two Post-It notes, stuck them in my desk drawer, and completely forgot about them.
To sum them up, I basically wanted to 1) Be more confident, 2) Work hard and do well academically, and 3) Understand more about what’s happening in the world. The last one, 4) “No Mud, No Lotus” is the title of a book my mom gave me. The meaning is this: the super beautiful lotus flower can only grow if it’s planted in mud. AKA, rough times are necessary in order to cherish the good one’s. I’ll admit it, the goals are totally cheesy (I love being cheesy) but without my conscious knowledge, I actually did start to accomplish them, thanks to Tulane. Going away to college is hard and was admittedly a bit of an adjustment for me, but it’s without a doubt the greatest experience that literally forces you to expand who you are. So, thanks TU (ha ha, get it?) You have helped me become more confident, hardworking, understanding, and an overall better human…in only one semester. Which leads me to my final statement: Second Semester, I’m comin’ for ya!