By Declan Harper
As my junior year starts to wrap up and I get closer and closer to truly starting adulthood, I have been looking back on my college career and thinking of what I would say to my past self…
- Grades are not the end all be all:
Yes, grades are obviously important. At the end of the day, we are all here to get an education, but don’t let your classes or grades determine your mood, day, or weekend. Coming into college as a 4.0 student in high school, I was mortified when I got my first C in an economics class my freshman year. College is meant to give you an academic challenge. You can’t ace every assignment you are given and that is okay! There is always something you can do to make up for lost points. There will be other assignments that will bring your grade up or even possible extra credit assignments designed to help you out. If you don’t get the best grade on your exam, you can get those points back on other assignments, but you can’t get back the limited time you have here. Find the balance you need between school and social life to succeed. Don’t let one bad grade affect you. Remember that you are a human first and a student second. Enjoy your time at college before you run out of it!
- Get involved sooner:
Everyone always says to get involved as soon as you get to college as a way to meet others, However, they fail to mention that it is intimidating to be placed in a new environment and try new things, especially as a freshman at a massive school like Penn State. I, myself, only joined a Thon committee during my freshman year. I loved my committee, we all got close with each other and even gave me the confidence to be myself and put myself out there more. I got so close with people in different years than me and built relationships that I still have today. I am so glad I did that, but honestly regret not joining other clubs as well. I wish I started to join other clubs, such as Happy Valley Comm, and built even more friendships straight off the bat like I did with my committee. However, what they don’t tell you about Penn State clubs is that you need to be accepted into a good amount of them. Which leads me to my next point…
- Don’t be afraid of failure:
If you are anything like me, you don’t want to put yourself in a situation where you think the odds are stacked against you. Don’t think about how others will perceive you or about all the details or outcomes and if it includes an application, a review of your resume, or an interview, GO FOR IT! I held myself back because of my fear of failure. I wanted to join Happy Valley Comm for so long before I even applied, but I felt I was not qualified in the slightest. Now, here I am in my third semester in the club, writing my second blog for the club. Even if you do fail, who cares? We are at a school with so many people that your failure won’t be announced in a school-wide email. It didn’t work out, move on to the next thing. If it makes you feel better, I have rushed a business frat, applied to be a Thon captain, and so many on-campus internships and activities. All of which I didn’t get. Yes, it hurt in the moment, but in hindsight, I am glad I didn’t get those. This school is full of so many opportunities, if you don’t get one, I promise you there is another you haven’t found yet. You will find the one that sticks and with people that are meant to be there for you. I didn’t get those, but I am still sitting here with a stacked resume, four different clubs with people I genuinely enjoy, a job that gives me more experience (and pays better) than any internship I applied for, and an internship lined up for the summer. It all works out, I promise. So go ahead, be the one who fails, be the one who drops because you don’t feel a connection, be the one who looks like an idiot, now is your time to fail and to bounce back better than ever.
Happy Valley Comm 