Sometimes the best part of an experience also can be the most overwhelming. Ball State truly is a great school. I know it sounds like one of the pamphlets the administration puts out to get parents excited about sending us here, but it is true. Ball State will let you experience so many different things. It will let you meet people from all over the state, the country and even the world. It will let you accomplish more in these four years than you likely have in all the years before arriving on campus.
College is a pretty great chance. And if taken properly, the payoffs can be tremendous. It is disappointing when you see people who have an attitude of just getting through school as fast and painlessly as they can. There are people, and we all probably know at least one of them, who hold themselves in a shell and are scared that if they spread themselves out, they could fall behind in school. The problem with that is college is not that difficult. Trying different clubs and meeting people is, in fact, a great way to ensure the success of your time here. Making new friends sounds incredibly lame and cliché, but it works.
Don't let yourself get overwhelmed at the idea of college. Essentially it is high school, only upgraded. You just do your work, stay in touch with your professors and stay out of trouble. Hundreds of thousands graduate every year, so it must not be that difficult.
It also will be over before you know it. The "woulda, shoulda, coulda" factor will pile up rapidly, Do your best not to let it happen. Once your undergraduate studies are over, there really is no going back. Make sure that when you get your diploma, there are no questions left on the table.
Leaving yourself open for anything involves more than just your extracurricular activities, too. It also involves majors. Declaring a major my freshman year was the biggest academic mistake I have made here. I know many freshmen come in knowing they have wanted to be a teacher, or a nurse or an architect for as long as they can remember. I was wrong. I declared myself too early. When I got frustrated in the major, I figured I had already dedicated one year to it; I ought to just stick it out at this point. By the time I actually allowed myself to realize I was in the wrong major, I had already wasted three semesters in classes I couldn't use. If I had let myself get a feel for college before declaring, I might have waited and might have even graduated in four years, which was last May. But my own regrets aside, all I can tell you is that these are big decisions.
That's what college boils down to in a sense. Decisions. What should my major be? Do I need a minor? Do I really need to go to class EVERY day? What clubs could make my life here better?
There are many questions to be asked, even if you aren't a freshman. The answers are all waiting for you. They are from older students who've been in your shoes. They're from your professors. They're mostly from you.
College is quite an adventure. Be sure to give yourself time to open up and see where it takes you.
Write to Alex atapcarroll@bsu.edu
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