Two weeks into my life at university, I’m often left wondering whether or not I’ve shifted gears from high school. Was it just me or did it seem like everyone at frosh knew exactly where their life was going?
I am one of those people that eat ice cream for breakfast and pancakes for dinner. Being sure of my future and being driven towards a specific goal is not always a priority of mine. Maybe this is why I had a little not so mid-life crisis during frosh. I mean, I’m officially a student at the most prestigious post-secondary school in Canada, and everyone I talk to seems to have a life plan. I couldn’t help but be a bit envious of the extraordinary people I met at frosh. From British international students to commuters from Whitby, everyone’s reason for being at the University of Toronto sounded scholarly if not a little exotic.
I had this idea that once I graduated high school, I would magically become this super responsible and independent mature woman. After frosh and the first official week of school, I found that this is nowhere close to what I imagined. During frosh, I felt more than a little lacking while we went around the circle of introductions. Hearing about different majors and definite plans seemed to wipe away all those reassuring, “Don’t worry, no one knows what they’re going to do with their life” forums on Facebook. Saying that I was the only one without a plan would be exaggerating, in fact, I’m sure there are many others that are still in the wandering stages of their lives. Perhaps I’m just a bit curious and maybe even a teensy bit worried. It’s too early to say that university seems dull and saying that I’m not enjoying university would be premature. Who knows? Maybe I’ll miss the warmth of my bed a little less next week.
I think that part of the whole transforming into a mature super student is in fact, not transforming at all. Maybe it’s about adapting and “leveling” up when it comes to new habits and new experiences. I’m trying to come to terms that just because someone else has their future planned out to perfection, it doesn’t mean I have to have the same. It’s a little clichéd, but it’s one of those coming of age thingamabobs that never gets old (see what I did there?). The idea behind the fad saying, “You do you” is not completely off track. The wording may be a bit strange but the meaning of being yourself and tailoring your life to suit you is pretty profound. I’m learning to figure things out at my own pace and recognizing that it’s okay to be frazzled. It can be fun after some premature crises and crazy overthinking. So what if someone plans to major in business and eventually work at IBM? And so what if they plan to land a coop position at Universal Studios? If you like eating ice cream for breakfast and avoiding the laundry monster, you do that.
You do you.