At this point in your life, you’re receiving lots of practical advice about honing your expectations as well as perfecting both your studying and partying skills. I’m sure people will throw around plenty of different opinions about how many extra-curricular activities you should be involved in, what majors make the most sense and whether or not it’s possible to stay with your high school boyfriend or girlfriend. And while taking in and considering all of these issues is important, I think it’s incredibly easy to lose track of your dreams during the process. This is why my advice is simply to wish. Wish on stars, wish at both 11:11s and wish before you go to sleep.
College will be an experience of practicalities-you need to study, do your own laundry, take care of your expenses, register for classes and keep appointments with your advisers. You cannot have your head in the clouds. But at the same time, if you only keep your feet firmly planted on the ground, you will not achieve at your highest ability or have the experiences that will affect you the most. A practical major, practical courses, practical relationship moves, practical future plans and attempting to gain only practical and likely summer internships will close you off to the opportunities that give you a shot at making your dreams come true.
You’re about to start college, so I’m sure people having been telling you that this is your chance to do anything. Listen to them. A lot of times we feel like we have set limits in life when we are completely capable of exceeding them. Before you start college and as you continue the experience, keep looking deep within yourself. Is your impossible dream attending John Hopkins Medical School? Do you have a real interest in an obscure field that has limited job opportunities? Do you want to keep dating your high school sweetheart? You need to ask yourself these questions every now and then instead of focusing exclusively on the type of questions we ask more often, which are something along the lines of: Where do I think I’ll be able to attend medical school? What classes make the most sense for me to take in order to have a well-established, safe profession? What are the odds of this relationship working out? The practical questions are certainly important, but please don’t let them set the limits of your college experience. Doing this will only be a disservice to yourself and to our society.
Right now, you likely can do almost anything with your life. And if you set out to achieve your dreams rather than simply achieving something practical, if you take the crazy-sounding course that you’re interested in, keep working on that novel in between homework assignments, and seriously aim to attend the top graduate schools in the country, you’ll end up doing something you never thought possible. Instead of focusing on what you have to do to not fail out of college and to keep a balanced resume, focus on all of the things you could do if you had limitless intelligence, ability and charisma. If you always go after opportunities that seem impossible and impractical, every now and then one of those amazing opportunities will work out and you’ll be setting yourself up practically for the future you once only wished you could achieve.
Jill Strominger is a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences and Senior Forum Editor. She can be reached by e-mail at forum@studlife.com.