Photo courtesy of Jess Rush.
It’s often said that one’s college years are a very formative time in one’s life, a time when there is so much to take in. But these are things that are better off observed first-hand. Like Soren Kierkegaard once said: “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” I don’t think it was until the second half of my junior year at Connecticut College when I began to put together all of the puzzle pieces I had found here. Some I found in the classroom where I would sometimes wonder where the knowledge I was learning was going, some I found in the experiences I had with fellow camels, and some I found on my own, exploring by myself in the arboretum. You won’t really be able to see the full picture at the beginning, but I promise you that once you have enough pieces, everything you’ve learned and experienced will come together in the end.
In my junior year, I took an ice skating class (which I would highly recommend). Despite it not being a more “academic” class, I learned a lot. I remember I had a classmate who would often fall. Each time, she would get right back up and laugh, shaking it off. One day I skated up to her and told her that she was inspiring. I definitely would have thought that I’d be inspired the most by the classmates whizzing by me, skating backwards like they had been doing it their whole life. But while these classmates did encourage me to get better at these things, I was more inspired by my classmate who fell at least once per class. When she asked me in disbelief why I found her inspiring, I told her that I was so inspired by her resilience. But not just that, what I was most inspired by was how she was not afraid to fall. There were moves that I was afraid to try, such as stopping, because I didn’t want to fall. I remember falling towards the end of the class and wishing that I had done it sooner. Another student offered to help me get up, and this is representative of the type of community we have at Conn, as well as what lies beyond the fall. Sometimes we need a hand to get up. Had I not fallen, I wouldn’t have been offered the help to stand back up.
My classmate was learning each time she fell. Our brain is always taking in information. We don’t always notice until there is a perceptible amount of change, like being able to perform a new move such as skating backward, or finally being able to calculate a change in pH. When we are not afraid to fall, we are able to take chances and take risks that can lead us to great places. I’ve fallen here many times, but what I’ve learned is to not be afraid of it. Life cannot just be gliding perfectly on the ice, we must fall in order to understand what we have done wrong and where we can correct things, and to show others that it really is okay to fall. If my classmate didn’t fall, she might not have learned and progressed as much. I wouldn’t have learned from her resilience and eagerness to get back up and try again. Staying where there is no chance of falling can be safe, but you will miss out on opportunities to learn and people who will help you get back up.
You most likely already know that college is a time where you’ll learn many new things and be challenged in the classroom. So I’m not going to tell you to study a bunch because your parents or professors are probably enough of a reminder. What I’m going to tell you is to have fun. In doing so, you’ll make many memories and learn so much about yourself. In your experiences with others, you will learn who you are in relation to the world around you and you may be inspired by a quality in another, such as me with my ice skating classmate. In your first year, you might have zero ideas about your future. I barely knew who I was until my junior year. During college, you will learn so much about who you are and what you might like your life to look like down the line. It can be a time where you are finally understanding who you are, without anyone else’s input or influences. Figuring out these types of things can be immensely helpful in understanding yourself and your motives. Find out what you are passionate about, who you like to surround yourself with, don’t be afraid to get your heart broken (it gives you a lot of insight, trust me), and find ways to enjoy where you are at.
College is a transitory period in life, but that doesn’t mean that what you do during this time doesn’t matter––I have learned that it is very much the opposite. So spend your Friday and Saturday nights doing things you enjoy and spend time with people who bring you comfort and happiness (although you will most likely need some nights alone, too). When you look back on your college years, how do you want to feel? Maybe you would rather spend your Friday nights studying and that’s who you are, but maybe you’re like me and want to take time to enjoy your weekend nights. Finding a balance between having fun in college and being engaged in your studies can be difficult, but when in doubt, don’t be afraid to ask a professor for some extra time on an assignment or to go to office hours. Some of my fondest moments in office hours have been in my junior and senior year when I stopped being afraid of my professors and started asking a bunch of random questions like “do you think the lab rats experience love?” or even “what is the point of life?” (ask this question to a biology professor and you’ll finally find something they don’t know). If you get a lower grade than you were hoping on an exam or assignment, now you know where you can improve. Don’t shove the exam in a drawer like I have done many times before, look back over it and understand where things did not go well and where they could go better next time. You’ll learn what you’re best at and what type of thinking and skills you need to develop more. But make sure that during your journey through college, you spend some time honoring and listening to what will make you feel joy and help you through the tough times. Don’t be afraid to fall and to laugh about it, and know that your fellow camels will be there to help you get back up.
