As senior columnists have published their pieces looking back nostalgically at their past four years and urging us freshmen to make the most of our college experience, I have spent much of the past few weeks reflecting on their advice and envisioning the path that lies ahead.
Like a kid walking into a candy shop in search of a swirly lollipop, I came into college thinking I knew exactly what I wanted to take away from it. But the moment I saw the shelves of the university stocked with row after row of opportunities, my eyes grew wide, and my mouth watered as the sweet aroma of a college career full of overwhelming possibilities enveloped me. The aisles are lined with sticky rolls of friendships to make and parties to attend. There are jars full of knowledge to learn. Buckets overflow with clubs to join and events to attend.
While freshmen are often criticized for complacency and indifference to the offerings of the community, I’ve found myself scooping spoonful after spoonful into my goodie bag of experiences – trying out new areas of study, getting heavily involved with a student group, writing this column – and testing my limits to the point at which there is so much more I want to try. I have found there are simply too many candies at this university for one person to chew.
How do we savor the sweetness of the coming years without ending up with a cavity?
Balance. It is a state of being I am struggling to reach and seems to be one of the greatest challenges that will confront all of us as we stroll through the college experience. The seniors warn not to get too caught up in our studies, and to remember to have fun. But there are those who may sacrifice their studies for social lives – staying out at the bars on Wednesday night with an exam the next morning or hanging out with friends until the wee hours with a paper to write.
And then there are those, like me, who find themselves working too hard and missing out on the fun – staying in on a Friday and Saturday surrounded by a pile of books, bumping into friends in the back corners of McKeldin Library. The seniors say to get involved, but the reality is that there are those who may never get involved as leaders in the community. And then there are those who will take on too much responsibility. There are those who will paint their faces red and cheer on the Terps at every home game, but who may never hear a concert in the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. There are those who will attend countless cultural events, but who may never experience the atmosphere of a tailgate.
At the end of this long first year, the candy shop is closing for the summer. Some still stand empty-handed at the counter, pondering which sweets to pick, when or how to get involved in college life. And then there are those of us with our hands overflowing and who, upon the crushing realization we’ll never be able taste everything, must decide what we are willing to leave behind.
But it seems impossible that in a few years we will walk away having chosen one perfect treat. The trick seems to be to find a mixed bag that will leave our sweet teeth satisfied without rotting them. And though graduating seniors’ advice can help us, it seems the process of finding that combination – the balance between sweet play and sour work, between richness of critical thought and creativity and a savory social life – before weighing our choices and leaving the colorful and safe candy shop might indeed be one of the most valuable skills we take with us as we carry our goodie bags with us into the world.
Ali Adler is a freshman sociology major. She can be reached at aliadler@umd.edu.
