“This isn’t the time to make hard and fast decision. It’s time to make mistakes. Take the wrong train and get stuck somewhere chill. Fall in love – a lot. Major in philosophy because there’s no way to make a career out of that. Change your mind, then change it again, because nothing is permanent. So make many mistakes as you can. That way, someday, when they ask again what we want to be, we won’t have to guess. We’ll know.” –Jessica Stanley’s Valedictorian Speech (Twilight, 2005)
It is only a brief description about what we are going to face in college. As a freshman, we are still groping what we want to do and what we want to be. A college life is totally different to high school. In high school, our teachers as our second parents patiently nurtured us. We were taught how to do this, how to do that, why it comes that way, where it comes from, and answer many other questions that students are quite curious. But, college life ain’t like that. After a long hiatus, some of us need to adapt to new environment, new friends, and new system.
In college life, we are taught how to be independent. This is a representation of how real life will be. In another words, college life is a framework of working life. We arrange our own study plans, we manage our daily schedule, and even we decide where to eat. Being a college student aslo forced us to think carefully how our leisure time should be spent appropriately. Slowly but sure, we will think twice if we want to spend leisure to do nothing. As we grow older, we realize the important of every second in our life and how we have to spend it wisely. Thus, spending time for doing nothing and having fun is no longer our top priority. Yet, sometimes every humankind needs to have fun, right?
Spend your time and have fun with doing some positive activities, such as joining social communities, becoming one of those organization members, dedicating yourself as an activist, or organizing prestigious events. But, never forget your first priority which is studying. Arrange a good time management so your days won’t be mess.
Collefe life may not be easy, yet never ever complain about the huge amount of works you have to do. It is an aftermath. Everytime we grumble, just remember that your parents’ effort to afford your college is bigger than your complaints. Trials still exist here and God shows His grace through trials. So just enjoy learning and pray.
As a youth, this is the most appropriate time to learn by making mistakes. Making mistakes doesn’t mean intentionally wasting time to make mistakes. Making mistakes means never be afraid of giving a try to opportunities that come to you. Don’t worry about the results. If it’s not going the way you want, at least you can learn from it. Therefore you know do it in the right way next time.
Most importantly, always be kind. Kindness is a languange the deaf can hear and the blind can see.
(Mahsa Edgina/ EQ)
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