My friends will tell you that I am a pretty boring person. I have never been drunk out of fear of making a decision I will regret or embarrassing myself more than I would otherwise. Moreover, I fit every stereotype imaginable for a Jewish student from the Northeast attending Washington University: I am a biochemistry major, a Jewish, Islamic and Near Eastern Studies minor, an active member of the Jewish community, a student-journalist, a tennis player and, you guessed it, a premed. I meticulously plan almost everything I do, yet it was the impulse decisions I made while at Wash. U. that stand out as some of my best college experiences. I’m not saying that you should do something stupid, but take a risk and try something new every once in a while.

As soon as I leased an apartment in the same building as a good friend two years ago, he suggested that we host a Passover seder and make everything from scratch. I love to cook, and the idea of planning a small seder with my good friends excited me; the small seder we had envisioned eventually transformed into a 35-person event that required three straight days of cooking and more calls to my mother than I make in a semester. I was really nervous that our event would flop, but the opposite occurred. Everyone enjoyed the lively discussions and good food, and I hosted another seder this year while a group of juniors, who were at my first seder, hosted one of their own. I went from nervously inviting friends to a meal to possible starting a long-term tradition, which is pretty cool.

I took a larger risk when my family and I went to Belize over winter break, an opportunity that not many students receive and for which I am incredibly grateful. While planning the trip, my mother gave us the option of spelunking through the Actun Tunichil Muknal, a large cavern that one must swim into before scaling rocks with nothing but a guide and a headlamp to illuminate the vast cavern. As someone who struggled with obsessive-compulsive disorder into high school, I never thought I would agree to an activity where I would be in a completely foreign environment; the cave was my favorite part of the vacation. I let myself into an initially uncomfortable situation, and I benefitted from a unique experience that not many are bound to have.

I realize that my “risks” were not huge risks, but to me, they seemed like big steps at the time. I urge my peers that are graduating and those who will return to the Danforth Campus next year to take advantage of this unique time in our lives where we can take some chances and possibly benefit immensely. Take a road trip with some friends without planning every stop; go to that huge party next door even though you don’t view yourself as “cool” enough to belong; try new foods (ethnic food is far better than any Italian food offered in St. Louis); take a class unrelated to your major; most importantly, resist the urge to blend in. I have enjoyed my collegiate tenure immensely, but I admit that my experience could be labeled boring.