The time I spent in school before college is radically different from the experience I’ve had here at SBU so far. The vector of life I followed for eighteen years has bent sharply in the last few weeks, but in a way that I believe is good for me. Given what I know so far, I’ll do my best to create a hypothetical chronicle of my time here.
Looking at the academics, I currently hope to get a Master’s in CME, which in itself is a very difficult and trying task. I want to get good grades and gain the credentials and knowledge to have a productive and comfortable adult life. But really, that’s what everyone in college wants, and to use it as the center of my experience would be a generic cop-out. To me college isn’t just about that, or even mostly about that. If college was only educational in nature, it would essentially be grades 13-16.
I want to use my four years here as an opportunity not to transform myself, not redefine myself, but to achieve a better version of myself. We can change the way we treat others with a lot less effort than most people expect. The hard part is changing how you treat yourself. I’m hoping this time turns me into more of an adult, someone with less fear, more independence, sharpened social skills. I like who I am, but that doesn’t mean I’m at my best. I don’t think anyone is truly always at their best. I’ve seen the best version of myself, and I’d like to be that person all the time, not just sometimes. That’s my main objective of college.
How can I achieve these academic and personal goals? To be honest I didn’t do a great job of studying or focusing in high school. I stuck to what interested me and neglected the things that didn’t. I can’t do that anymore. I have to face my weaknesses, namely math, and also motivation. The university offers services to that nature, and I might take advantage of them. But I also have close friends who are strong in those areas, and I might seek help and consul from them.
If I look back at graduation, and I see that I’ve been a positive influence on others, that would be a point of pride for me. The only thing equal to the satisfaction from that would be the growth and maturation of myself as a person, the person I’ve always wanted to see in the mirror. The academics are easy; you just work. The other things are what I’m hoping to reach.