Many of us grew up in sports. Our parents suggested an art class in elementary school that went on to shape our lives for years to come. Classmates became our friends by default; we were around them day in and day out. Our meals were often prepared for us, without the need for us to plan and budget them.
Growing up, life just happened to us.
Now, take a look at life in college. Most students aren’t competing in athletics at the Division 1 level. Some spend less than 10 cumulative hours in class each week. Parents aren’t downstairs in the kitchen waiting to suggest the college equivalent of that sports team or art class we centered our lives around.
Naturally, this shift leads to some stagnation. That’s normal. Feeling a little stuck, maybe even a little bored is a good thing. It’s a great indication of what your next move should be: to make an effort.
The transition from high school to a public university is no joke. Sure, that first semester is chaotic, fun and full of firsts. But once the early chaos starts to die down, you realize you’ve got to build your own life from the ground up.
Leeah Heath, a fourth-year studying English with a concentration in creative writing, arrived on campus during the peak of the pandemic. When campus began to open back up and opportunities arose, she made an effort to get plugged in with groups and organizations that piqued her interest.
“I think college is a really good time to discover what you truly enjoy and not maybe what you’ve been told is ‘good’ to enjoy or things that are ‘worthwhile’ to you and [where you should be] spending your time,” Heath said.
As obvious as this point may seem, freshman year of college is when most people have to piece their own life together for the first time. Growing up, you get the sense that things fall into place over time and that you don’t always have to be in active pursuit of something.
Now that we’re away, instead of life just happening to us, there is the realization we have to make it happen ourselves. The best place to start is outside of your comfort zone. This is the time to branch out and take chances.
I’m not saying you need to take your friend up on a bet that you can’t clear the gap over the Free Expression Tunnel. Rather, you should meet that classmate for yoga even though you’ve never had an interest in doing so before. Introduce yourself to the student who’s wearing the same hat as you from that vacation in 2014. Take the two-credit hour class on the topic you had never even heard of before last year. Volunteer at the dog shelter just because you miss your pets.
It can be easy to feel overwhelmed when confronted with the hundreds of organizations, teams and clubs you could join. Just on the NC State website, the clubs span from animal science to Irish dance, and there’s always the option to start your own.
The most important thing is to not get hung up on which commitments will be the best. Give everything a chance. You will weed out the things that don’t suit you over time, but you have to show up. When you do, you’ll see that making an effort is more than half the battle.
