There’s a poster here, in the Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) Marketing, Design and Public Relations office (home to us, ASI writers). It hangs right by the door and says in white block letters, “We believe progress is trusting what you do not know.”
Having just finished my first year of college myself, I can attest to the importance of being a little confused about the direction you’re going. Though we are obviously here for an education, the best things I learned during my first year of college aren’t really what I took from the classrooms, but rather from the experience of simply stumbling around a bit. Here are some things I learned from my confusion during my first year at a university.
Leave the past in the past. I’m a little embarrassed to say that my long-term boyfriend dumped me my second day of college. Needless to say, I spent a majority of my first quarter with three D’s under my belt: depression, desperation and unfortunately, the D I got in physics. I let my past dictate exactly how I felt about my present and future, and had I done it differently, I probably wouldn’t have spent so much time hating college. This really is a new beginning, so be excited about that and leave the past where it belongs.
School isn’t a joke. But you know what is? The fact that I spent my whole life being a coffee-hater right up until I became a college student. After all those nights of studying and cramming, I’m practically immune to coffee these days. Whether it’s a good or bad thing, I haven’t decided, but college is nothing like high school. You can’t glide by effortlessly and still earn an A. Effort actually matters here, just like it does in the real world. Be prepared for the shock from the workload (and caffeine) college comes with because even if high school was a breeze for you, college is on a whole other level.
That being said, school also isn’t your entire life. One bad grade doesn’t mean you’ll spend the rest of your life on the streets, wondering how your life would’ve been had you just gotten an A on that one quiz. If you’re trying your best, then you’re trying your best; don’t be too hard on yourself. The letters your professors give you are a direct reflection of your coursework ethic, not your character or intelligence.
Do what makes you happy. As ridiculous as it sounds, I came to Cal Poly Pomona (CPP) as a mechanical engineering major. Today, I am writing this article as a communication major with an option in public relations. I only had one reason for applying to CPP as a mechanical engineering major, and that was because my mother wanted me to. Somewhere along the way, I decided that if I was going to be spending the rest of my life doing one thing, it might as well be something I enjoy. And yes, I am completely aware how plain it is to see that this is how things should work, but unfortunately, that isn’t always how it plays out. Don’t do something your parents want you to because they’ll be gone someday. Don’t do something solely for the money because although it can buy you temporary happiness (and as an avid participant in retail therapy, I am a firm believer in that), it won’t buy you a satisfactory life. You can pretend that making others happy will make you happy and you can fool yourself into thinking money will make you happy, but at the end of the day, your happiness lies in your passions.
Give everything a try, even if you don’t fully believe you have a chance. Back in March, I came across an ASI Human Resources posting for an open position as a writer/editor. I looked at the requirements and thought there was no way I was qualified for the job—I didn’t even have a portfolio to show off! After thinking it over, I realized the worst that could happen was they tell me “no,” and after all the rejections I’d already gone through, what harm could “no” do? I’d just be exactly where I was had I not applied. Thankfully, I did and a month later, I became an official ASI student employee. Applying for this job might have been the best decision of my freshman year, and thinking about how close I came to skipping out on the application makes me laugh.
“We believe progress is trusting what you do not know.” As you can see, I didn’t know much about myself coming to Cal Poly Pomona, and trusting that was the best thing I could’ve done for myself. This is the best time to have utterly no clue what you’re doing and have no one judge you for it. There’s a reason why people say you find yourself in college—you come in lost, and that’s okay.
To all you new Broncos, whether you’re on your way to becoming the amazing person you strive to be or are still trying to figure out who that is, make your college experience at Cal Poly Pomona your chance to make mistakes and happily discover yourself.
If there’s anything you learned from your first year in college, whether you’re a freshman or transfer, share with us by using the hashtag, #CampusCropChat on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!
