OPINION: Dear freshman, don't be afraid to get lost
I’m going to be honest with you, during my freshman year here at Central Michigan University, I was completely lost. I was an undecided major far away from home who knew absolutely no one.
Now, two years later, I have friends, a career path, and memories that will last forever.
In high school, you’re on a four-year path that is already planned out for you. The teachers tell you exactly which six classes to take every year. If you follow their plan you walk out with a diploma, the quadratic equation and you are supposedly ready to take on the world.
In college, everything changes.
You choose everything. You choose your classes, dorms, schedule, meal plan and your own path. When you’re a small, scared and lost freshman, those decisions can be overwhelming.
During my orientation, we were divided into groups based on our planned major. The only problem was, I had no clue what I wanted to major in. I was plopped in the “Undecided” group. The first thing that the speaker for our group told us was that we were the honest group, and that everyone else who said they "knew" their major was kidding themselves.
I laughed and immediately felt at ease.
When it was time to schedule my first semester of classes, I was lost, again, in all the choices. But I asked for help from a wiser, older student who knew which teachers to recommend and which buildings I could sprint to in under 15 minutes. After orientation, my first semester started to look a lot less scary.
I remembered what made me commit to Central: my campus tour. When we were walking through the dorms, I noticed that every door was propped open by a painted rock or brick. The tour guide told me students leave their doors open so they can make new friends. They paint the rocks at a rock painting party the first week of classes, and they use their pieces of art to prop open their doors the rest of the year.
Then I realized something: If you open your door at CMU, you’ll fit right in.
So throughout the year, I did exactly that. I got involved. I joined the Chippewa Marching Band as a piccolo where I met some of the best people I have ever known. I got involved in the Deaf culture events around campus and I met new people in the ASL minor. I entered math competitions and hung out with friends from my calculus class. I started working at the school newspaper, Central Michigan Life, and met some of the biggest personalities and funniest people ever. I went to basketball games with my roommates and cheered on our team until our voices were gone.
Suddenly, I found myself starting to feel like I belonged here at Central. Everything fit into place.
Now don’t get me wrong, I was still lost. I went to my Tuesday class on a Monday. I circled the North block three times before finding the right building. I slept through my 8 a.m. And one night I even forgot about my night class and didn’t realize I missed it until three days later.
I’m going into my third year here at CMU and I already don’t want college to be over.
These are the best years of our lives. Nowhere else on Earth are you both a functioning adult and a lost little kid at the same time. Where else can you wear pajamas everyday but still have to pay taxes every Spring. It’s awesome.
So live it up while you can.
My advice to incoming freshmen is this: don’t be afraid to get lost, because you never know what great experiences you might stumble upon along the way.
