College, I think, is a period of transition for freshmen.
All the personal problems you had to deal with as a high school senior seem to go away instantaneously the first time you lie down on your new not-too-comfortable Twin XL bed, even if you did buy $70 Egyptian cotton mattress pads with a thread count of 500 at Bed Bath & Beyond.
But then again, a few of these past problems seem as if they seamlessly transfer from the category of personal, stupid, teenage and high school problems to personal Life Problems. Note the capitalization. The one thing that differentiates the former with your newfound Life Problems is that, with Life Problems, you’re expected to deal with them as a rational adult. Whereas in the past, people might offer you a shrug and say something like, “It’s just a part of growing up. You’ll get over it.” Oh no, not anymore, because you’re in college now, and all the decisions you make you’re responsible for. There is no safety net to fall back on.
Before, you had a curfew in high school. You couldn’t (at least I hope you weren’t able to) consume liters of hard liquor without your parents pointing out the fact that, well, you’re consuming liters of hard liquor. Gone are those days where you had just a semblance of “real freedom.”
Now, it’s 1 a.m. You’re really hungry after studying for the better part of two hours for that chemistry test tomorrow/later on today.
Your choices:
1) keep studying, and ignore the dull, throbbing pain in your stomach
2) go to Frontier before it closes and from there to a party
3) go to a party down the hall
4) go to a party off campus by cab
5) go to a party down the hall, and then go to a party off campus by cab
The point I’m trying to make is that college is all about moderation, because life is about moderation. The student choosing to go out every single night is in a bad position, not unlike the student choosing to stay home every single night and study.
Time management is the key, and learning it is more important than the grade you’re going to receive in organic chemistry, or whether that girl in psychology has been eying you or just has a lazy eye.
Many of these Life Problems discussed above go against the grain of the time management concept. Life Problems are often centered on things you cannot change.
Now think. Is there a point in stressing over anything that you cannot go out and do something about? In the end, the only person you can improve is yourself. You cannot change other people or their perception of you. Parents, friends and relationships are all one and the same. Everybody has issues. The difference between you and me is how well I hide it.
Inherently, people care about what others think of them. Ironically, the best thing one could do to make others notice them more is to simply not care. We look up to those who are individuals. Only when you are living for yourself and doing nothing to hurt yourself are you truly experiencing “real freedom.”
This is a many-times-over impossible goal, but something everyone should strive for. There is a sense of release when nothing bothers or fazes you. Now, I need to study, and maybe after, I’ll go to Frontier. And after that, well …
