A realization that has become clearer with time is that college is much more than just classes. My nana told me countless times prior to leaving for Boston University that, “College is like a trial run in real life.”
I never really understood what that meant until it became my life.
I am so grateful to attend a school like BU because the opportunities here are limitless. Regardless of your major or background, the extracurriculars at BU are hands-on and stimulating. During my freshman year, in the midst of the pandemic, I began researching ways to get involved because I remember the feeling of being trapped in my little room in Rich Hall. I knew that I needed to branch out and get involved.
The first extracurricular activity that I joined was the Daily Free Press. I chose to write for both the opinion and lifestyle sections. I had my own column called “Intentional Evolution” and every week, I was publishing two stories.
Since then, I joined club water polo and two shows on BUTV10. Getting involved was the easy part. Figuring out how to manage my time as I began picking up more extracurriculars was a lot harder.
As a second-semester sophomore, I am still figuring out the whole time-management thing. I have found that I have a problem with over-committing myself. I am an ideas person to my core, and I often get carried away with my imagination and dreams and want to execute them all.
I have been told multiple times to choose one thing that I am passionate about and give it my all. The drive is not what I’m missing — it is the inability to choose what I want.
I love writing. I love waking up at 7:30 a.m. to be in a newsroom at 8 a.m., filled with the buzz of enthusiastic producers, anchors and crew. I love being responsible for a weekly package that I write, film and edit. I love it all, but I can not have it all.
My nana was right when she said college is like a trial. It is a messy and beautiful process of trying everything. It is about meeting people who open your eyes to new passions. It is about finding things to fill your days with purpose and joy. However, it is important to realize that time is not an unlimited resource.
This is something that I have had to come to terms with this semester. Trying things is good, but committing to the point of feeling like you are dating your calendar app is not worth it.
College is a time to try new things, but more importantly, it is a time to find what works for you. From experience, I can tell you that no matter what your passion is — whether it be coding or fashion — you must keep time available for yourself. Open space in your calendar means freedom. Treat alone-time like any other priority. You deserve to be free. After all, isn’t that part of the whole college experience?
