I could sit down to write a blog post about my back to school outfits, what’s in my college backpack for the upcoming semester, or advice on getting involved, making friends, and doing well in classes. I’m sure those will all come in time, but right now, all of these ideas are floating around in the back of my mind. Right now, I’m more concerned about how my own college experience will look, and it doesn’t feel quite right to write as if the world were the same. I know I’m not alone. The college experience will be new for everyone, and with less than a month until we all return in one form or another, the best advice I can offer is perspective.
I cannot guarantee much, but I can assure you that this upcoming semester will be unlike anything anyone has experienced before. It’s scary, and I know most college students have a lot of anxiety about what might happen and what everything will look like. I know I’ve been stressing over how I’ll be able to arrange my schedule to have limited breaks (since I’m a commuter and public spaces will be limited on campus), and how much I’ll be on campus, and how I’ll be able to see my residential friends with so many restrictions. However, every cloud has a silver lining.
Over the past few months, I’ve been able to spend a lot of time thinking and refocus my perspective on life. With the sharp changes coming to campus, we all have the unprecedented ability to redevelop ourselves and start fresh, no matter how far into our degree we are. Most times, students tend to simply pick up where they left off at the end of the last semester, and campus culture as a whole tends to expect the status quo out of individuals. For many, it can be hard, but not impossible, to break the reputation and routine that they had developed in previous semesters.
Now, with the entire foundations of life being turned upside down and shaken around, we all have the unparalleled opportunity to reinvent the world we create around us. We all have to put a greater deal of thought and time into our activities and friends. When we’re more conscious of what we’re putting our energy into, it is easier to find where a negative return is coming from, and identifying a problem is the first step to solving it. By being forced to be fully aware in our efforts and how we spend our time, we have the ability to carefully pick and choose exactly what we want to put our efforts and energy into.
Everything is changing, and it could very well be for the better. However, the only way we can take advantage of such an opportunity is to have an open mind. Things will be different, and some aspects will be worse, but life is about finding the positive in the midst of the negatives. We can only make a judgement once we see something in person and experience it for ourselves. It is easy to make assumptions about how this semester will go, but by closing your mind, you’re also denying yourself the opportunity for better possibilities you never could have imagined. It’s far easier said than done, but often times, a little shift in perspective makes a world of difference.
See ya real soon,
