When you begin college, you never really know what to expect. You’ve seen the movie cliches about the dorm life, about the crazed sororities and fraternities, about the never ending clubs, and about the everlasting friendships. You’ve heard about the treacherous finals and the sneaky midterms, about the long hours at the library and the wasted hours on the internet. You’re educated about what to expect in this regard – but do our expectations ever meet the reality of college?
When I began college, I knew dorm life would not be a choice. I would be commuting from Hercules to Berkeley because of its affordable advantage. Therefore, I could rule out the possibility of being a sorority girl as well.
I wasn’t saddened. In fact, I am not disappointed to this day. When I received my acceptance letter to Berkeley, I had one expectation in mind: get a bachelor’s degree. I didn’t know what I would major in or what I would want to become. In fact, I don’t exactly know who or what I will be after college ends. I don’t think any 18 year old can say for certain what the answer to, “What will you do after college?” will be. Instead, we all try to shoot an arrow in the dark – hoping it’ll hit a target.
I can’t say this tactic is the most efficient. It’s not – It’s much more advantageous to have a specific goal in mind. However, for those of us who don’t, a shot in the dark is better than no shot at all. I won’t say my choice of a major is a shot in the dark. I’d like to think I lit a candle before I let the arrow face the forces of gravity. I have an internship in mind for the summer to further hone my skills, and my resume, for the target past the shadows.
I’m not afraid of the next four years, nor am I afraid of the years to come after that. I’m ready to start lighting the candles to my target until I can hit the bull’s eye. And I plan to hit the bull’s eye.
Until next time,
Olivia
