I'm Registered to Vote, but I'm Not Old Enough
"Happiness has a way of sneaking up on persons when they are preoccupied with other things; but when persons deliberately and single-mindedly set off in pursuit of happiness, it vanishes utterly from sight and cannot be captured" -- Joel Feinberg, Philosopher
I stumbled across this concept in my latest reading for my philosophy class and quite enjoyed the sentiment. As my last blog post indicates, I was struggling to find happiness amongst my peers and the overall scene of college. My last post was simply an expression of my emotions in that moment, as all of my blog posts are, it was not a statement of a concrete belief that I expected to stay with me eternally. In fact, I hoped that it would not. I never wanted to be a part of the statistic of students who transfer, not because there is anything wrong with transferring, but because I already went through the application process once, and I have no desire to do it again. I did not want to worry about my credits transferring, or worrying if my scholarships would be honored, or worrying about getting campus housing. I simply was upset, and, as writing has always been my outlet in life, I wanted to write about it.
I deeply appreciate those who took their time to reach out to me. I wanted advice and feedback, and I received a plethora of it. To my family, my sister who sent her entire CHAARG club my blog and sent me their advice, my brother who took the time to write me a novel's worth of ideas, and my other brother, who told me I was being "a bit whiny." Between all of the comments and advice, I think I have gathered myself enough to say that I likely will not transfer.
Anyway, I am not LeBron, and my decision is unimportant and no one likely cares.
My real point is this: I am rather happy here at college, and it came upon me quite suddenly. I was dreading college. I despise change. I was depressed entering high school because I did not want to leave the safe confines of my friends and the easiness of middle school. I felt weird getting my drivers license, and did not understand how I managed to age 16 years. I freaked myself out as I walked into Krieger's for the first time reporting for duty. I never thought I would be as old as my siblings. I saw them go through the motions of growing up. I watched as they slowly grew up and left the house. I watched them learn how to drive, gain the responsibility for working, I watched them meet new people, fall in love, get their hearts broken by friends and lovers, and I missed them dearly every time they left for college. Everyone talks about "empty nesters" and they assume this just means the parents. But, we youngest children feel the same way. I watched my siblings with gleaming innocent through my youthful eyes. I was exposed to life's harsh beauty through their actions. I learned what I wanted to become and what I would never try by watching my siblings blaze the trail for me. I may have been younger than them, more naive and simply unlearned, but I still feel like a parent. They grew up too fast. And I never thought I would reach the same benchmarks they did.
My sister in particular, as she is closest to me in age. I remember when she went to college. I told my friends "my God, how do I have two siblings in college and one that is already graduated? They're so old." I viewed college as this foreign terrain that stands as a stepping stone in between the sheltered environment of education and the "real world." I saw it as a time to experiment; to take those odd classes that appeal to you, go to parties, meet people you were never before exposed to, and push yourself beyond the boundaries you were not even aware you set in your youth. College was this strange world to me that was only for super old people.
Now I am in college, and I still have acne and a baby tooth.
I feel too young to be 18. It is a very odd sensation. I am registered to vote. I wear jeans to class, if I even go to class, and I do my own laundry. College students are not as old as I always viewed them. And college is easy! I know that is unlike anything they ever teach you, but it really is. You have so much time to do everything you need to do. Most days, you have a complete 20 hours to yourself to get everything you need to do done. Not to mention the grading scale is a joke. It's not even an F until its a 59%, or 60, I do not know for sure. Anything above a 90 is an A. It is insane. And teachers are nice, and so many things are online. And, contrary to common belief, extra credit is still offered.
If I could speak to underclassmen, like, for instance, if I were a tour guide, I think I would just have one piece of advice:
Say yes.
Someone asked you to join the frisbee team? say yes. Your parents want you to try club basketball? say yes. There's a faith community group that meets every week? go. People want to go to the Indian's game last minute? say yes. Do not be afraid to go off campus on the weekends. College is about experiencing new and fun things, and that is not contained to campus, especially not a small and boring one like my own. I was so nervous about leaving campus in fear of missing the true "college experience" and not meeting the peers I should be. But, I still want to have a life. Being in college does not suddenly mean you can no longer leave campus to see a concert, a live show, your city's sports teams compete, or even just leave to go do fall activities.
I had this perception of college that has been shattered very quickly. Today in class, my teacher asked us if we thought something in our lives would change once we become true "adults." To which I answered, "adults are just glorified children. Being an adult has this connotation of wisdom and confidence, but, in reality, those attributes come from experience, not age." So, the same goes for being in college. Being of college age does not suddenly mean you are going to drink, have sex, or do other typical college things. It also doesn't mean you will suddenly know what you are doing with your life and have a set path for yourself. "College" does not entail anything on its own, you have to put your own spin and meaning on it. It's about your experiences, not about your new label.
You get the point. I do not know what else you would do if you don't say yes. There isn't a lot to do. At least, not on my campus. Do not sit in your dorm complaining of nothing to do. Just walk around your floor, or through campus, and you never know what will happen. I have had some really interesting conversations and experiences just by being out and about at the right place at the right time.
Once I stopped actively seeking happiness in my new environment that I was forcibly thrown into, I suddenly realized that I was happy.
Lastly, and most importantly, learn how to play euchre. It is eternally entertaining and very social. Who you play euchre with determines everything.
I realize I have only been in college for two months. My advice is likely deemed useless. I never mean to speak decisively or with firm superiority, I simply mean to voice how I feel, and hope that my light in the dark becomes a beacon for someone else still stumbling for the light switch.
I stumbled across this concept in my latest reading for my philosophy class and quite enjoyed the sentiment. As my last blog post indicates, I was struggling to find happiness amongst my peers and the overall scene of college. My last post was simply an expression of my emotions in that moment, as all of my blog posts are, it was not a statement of a concrete belief that I expected to stay with me eternally. In fact, I hoped that it would not. I never wanted to be a part of the statistic of students who transfer, not because there is anything wrong with transferring, but because I already went through the application process once, and I have no desire to do it again. I did not want to worry about my credits transferring, or worrying if my scholarships would be honored, or worrying about getting campus housing. I simply was upset, and, as writing has always been my outlet in life, I wanted to write about it.
I deeply appreciate those who took their time to reach out to me. I wanted advice and feedback, and I received a plethora of it. To my family, my sister who sent her entire CHAARG club my blog and sent me their advice, my brother who took the time to write me a novel's worth of ideas, and my other brother, who told me I was being "a bit whiny." Between all of the comments and advice, I think I have gathered myself enough to say that I likely will not transfer.
Anyway, I am not LeBron, and my decision is unimportant and no one likely cares.
My real point is this: I am rather happy here at college, and it came upon me quite suddenly. I was dreading college. I despise change. I was depressed entering high school because I did not want to leave the safe confines of my friends and the easiness of middle school. I felt weird getting my drivers license, and did not understand how I managed to age 16 years. I freaked myself out as I walked into Krieger's for the first time reporting for duty. I never thought I would be as old as my siblings. I saw them go through the motions of growing up. I watched as they slowly grew up and left the house. I watched them learn how to drive, gain the responsibility for working, I watched them meet new people, fall in love, get their hearts broken by friends and lovers, and I missed them dearly every time they left for college. Everyone talks about "empty nesters" and they assume this just means the parents. But, we youngest children feel the same way. I watched my siblings with gleaming innocent through my youthful eyes. I was exposed to life's harsh beauty through their actions. I learned what I wanted to become and what I would never try by watching my siblings blaze the trail for me. I may have been younger than them, more naive and simply unlearned, but I still feel like a parent. They grew up too fast. And I never thought I would reach the same benchmarks they did.
My sister in particular, as she is closest to me in age. I remember when she went to college. I told my friends "my God, how do I have two siblings in college and one that is already graduated? They're so old." I viewed college as this foreign terrain that stands as a stepping stone in between the sheltered environment of education and the "real world." I saw it as a time to experiment; to take those odd classes that appeal to you, go to parties, meet people you were never before exposed to, and push yourself beyond the boundaries you were not even aware you set in your youth. College was this strange world to me that was only for super old people.
Now I am in college, and I still have acne and a baby tooth.
I feel too young to be 18. It is a very odd sensation. I am registered to vote. I wear jeans to class, if I even go to class, and I do my own laundry. College students are not as old as I always viewed them. And college is easy! I know that is unlike anything they ever teach you, but it really is. You have so much time to do everything you need to do. Most days, you have a complete 20 hours to yourself to get everything you need to do done. Not to mention the grading scale is a joke. It's not even an F until its a 59%, or 60, I do not know for sure. Anything above a 90 is an A. It is insane. And teachers are nice, and so many things are online. And, contrary to common belief, extra credit is still offered.
If I could speak to underclassmen, like, for instance, if I were a tour guide, I think I would just have one piece of advice:
Say yes.
Someone asked you to join the frisbee team? say yes. Your parents want you to try club basketball? say yes. There's a faith community group that meets every week? go. People want to go to the Indian's game last minute? say yes. Do not be afraid to go off campus on the weekends. College is about experiencing new and fun things, and that is not contained to campus, especially not a small and boring one like my own. I was so nervous about leaving campus in fear of missing the true "college experience" and not meeting the peers I should be. But, I still want to have a life. Being in college does not suddenly mean you can no longer leave campus to see a concert, a live show, your city's sports teams compete, or even just leave to go do fall activities.
I had this perception of college that has been shattered very quickly. Today in class, my teacher asked us if we thought something in our lives would change once we become true "adults." To which I answered, "adults are just glorified children. Being an adult has this connotation of wisdom and confidence, but, in reality, those attributes come from experience, not age." So, the same goes for being in college. Being of college age does not suddenly mean you are going to drink, have sex, or do other typical college things. It also doesn't mean you will suddenly know what you are doing with your life and have a set path for yourself. "College" does not entail anything on its own, you have to put your own spin and meaning on it. It's about your experiences, not about your new label.
You get the point. I do not know what else you would do if you don't say yes. There isn't a lot to do. At least, not on my campus. Do not sit in your dorm complaining of nothing to do. Just walk around your floor, or through campus, and you never know what will happen. I have had some really interesting conversations and experiences just by being out and about at the right place at the right time.
Once I stopped actively seeking happiness in my new environment that I was forcibly thrown into, I suddenly realized that I was happy.
Lastly, and most importantly, learn how to play euchre. It is eternally entertaining and very social. Who you play euchre with determines everything.
I realize I have only been in college for two months. My advice is likely deemed useless. I never mean to speak decisively or with firm superiority, I simply mean to voice how I feel, and hope that my light in the dark becomes a beacon for someone else still stumbling for the light switch.
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