MCTContrary to popular belief, Barack Obama is not the only one dreaming of change. But being a college student doesn’t magically change everything. Sure, the Quad is neatly landscaped, the floors are polished, and the Swamp is resodded-a few things have changed in preparation for the entrance of the Class of 2012. Don’t worry; the focus won’t be on you for too long. About two weeks from the first day of class, the first prospective students for next year’s class begin to visit.
There is so much hype surrounding your trip to college, that mystical place away from home where you can finally run your own life, without your parents nagging you to get out of bed before 2 p.m. on a Saturday. However, don’t be fooled by your anticipation and instinctual nervousness. These things too will become normal. There are of course the things happening on campus that only happen in college. You will stay up until 7 a.m., working on that paper, only to then fall into bed and sleep through the class in which you were supposed to turn it in (personal freshman year experience). As time passes, though, you fall into the normal routine of “the college lifestyle.” And this will be the lifestyle of your choosing.
It is a dream to think that Wash. U. will completely transform your ways of living, your old habits, or your entire personality. Sure, things will change, but only those things you allow. Wash. U. states that its mission for undergrads is “to prepare students with the attitudes, skills and habits of lifelong learning and with leadership skills, enabling them to be useful members of a global society.” Notice the lacking mandate of transformation. School is only here to “prepare” us. The way of college is one of self-determination. You will become what you make yourself to be.
So, I extend to you the best welcoming advice that I can give: take full advantage of the opportunity to live your life as you want it. The architecture of a long-established university (Collegiate Gothic, according to our Web site) mocks the mission of change undertaken by the resident institution and its students. Appearances and landscaping are only parts of the hoax that tells us that we must fit into a college stereotype. Find your own unique freedom here, in spite of what preconceptions you may carry. There will possibly be moments that will terrify you, in which you can’t necessarily handle the new independence you’ve gained. But this freedom is what we’ve come to, what we’ve craved for so long that we get jittery inside thinking about it.
Get active in the things you want to be, ignore the temptation to avoid your desires so that you don’t appear to be a total loser, and enjoy every minute of the experience. These times only come once. Don’t anticipate an earth-shattering time if you intend to go about college life passively. Enjoy meeting new people, but don’t put pressure into it. The incredible thing about this place is that it is one of multiple chances to make the necessary changes and to constantly reconsider yourself. But then again, this is the grand opportunity given to us every day of our lives. Make the most of each moment for no one but yourself. This is not about impressing anyone, but all about getting the most out of everything. So here’s to Ulysses and drinking life to the lees.
Tyler Peck is a senior in Arts & Sciences and can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].