College is the time of your life. It helps to mend the broken hearts and melodramas that were high school. Not to say college doesn’t have its own drama, but it’s just a little more laid back. Meeting people from different cities, states, countries, and backgrounds opens your eyes to ways of life that will change who you are. And as much as you’ll complain about the dorms and the food at Montgoris, you’ll miss it when all is said and done.
College is an education but, it’s not always an academic one. You figure out who you want to be, who you don’t want to be and who you are. Your limits are tested on a constant basis.
In order to survive college (and I do mean survive), you need one thing: good friends.
People who you can stay out all night with; who know when you say I’ve really got to do this paper that you mean it; and most importantly, when life isn’t so easy. You will undoubtedly have the kind of moments where all you want to do is buy ColdStone ice cream and watch cheesy chick flicks all night.
The most important thing to do in college is find your place. It might be in Greek Life or with V.I.T.A.L. or even right here in the Torch office. Whatever your place is at St. John’s, find it, live it and embrace it. Reinvent yourself if you want; who really knows you here?
Unfortunately though, SJU may not be for all of you reading this, and if that is the case find your place somewhere else. I transferred to St. John’s after a year somewhere else because I couldn’t find my place and I found it here. Yet, one of my really good friends here at SJU has decided to transfer closer to her home because she knew something was missing here. The decision to stay or go is no one else’s but yours.
Don’t be afraid of what people will say. What matters is your happiness and how you feel about yourself. And don’t believe everything you see on TV (yes, this is an entertainment blog); college is not like that. Greek life is not like that, either. Change is inevitable and easy in a school this size. If you are a “Dawson’s Creek” freak, don’t be shy to be one. Sure your friends may laugh, but they are your friends and they care about you. Plus, don’t forget the time you caught your best friend watching all 12 hours of the Full House marathon on ABC Family. We all have our intricacies– it’s what we thrive on. If we were all the same, life would be like TV and we would be miserable.
People can’t do things that fictional characters do and still succeed in their relationships and friendships.
So when you get here, start your journey right and come out to the activities fair and if you are so inclined, the Greek fair. Decide who you want to be and be that person no matter what.
