College is supposed to be the best four years of your life. In between dancing all night long with our friends and catching up on The Bachelor, we’ve all experienced an identity crisis, asking ourselves, “Who am I?” For those of you going through this right now, here are some things that I’ve learned through my own mid-college crises.
Your major does not define you.
Last semester, my art history teacher gave me some pretty awesome advice: “Take classes that interest you. Over a period of time, you’ll come to find a department that your classes fall into. By that time, you’ll be so in love with your studies not only because you’re good at it but also because you are passionate about it. You will have picked your major naturally and subconsciously – the way it should be. Don’t let the title of a major define you and your interests, you should pick your major as a guideline for your future, not a destination.”
It’s what you do with it that that matters.
Allie, a recent college graduate, studied Art History. She took her love for artifacts – specifically jewelry – and is now a private seller who works to appraise the price of an artifact and make sure that it finds a home either in a museum or personal collection. She told me that with hard work and a passion, anything is possible.
Your resume is only the tip of the iceberg.
We work for hours upon hours to compile a page that captures all of our accomplishments and interests. While it may seem that we know exactly who we are on paper, that is only the beginning of a very long story of aspirations of who we want to be.
Identity changes and that’s okay.
Sometimes it’s hard to let go of someone or something that was our entire world. I used to always introduce myself as an athlete with a giant smile on my face. Today, I can no longer say that. No longer do I commit myself to spending five hours a day (or more) in a pool. It’s been a long journey, but today I am a writer, a traveler and an improving cook. Don’t forget your past, but don’t let it hold you back from living in the present and creating a future.
Never let someone else’s expectations define you.
I know how frustrating it is to want to be able to define exactly who you are, what you want and what your future will look like, but sometimes you can’t. As much as you say you want someone to tell you exactly what to do, you also want to choose and come to the conclusion on your own. Feeling lost like this is scary and nervewrecking, but don’t let that fear mean letting someone else choose who you are or what you do with your life.
As cliché as it sounds, follow your heart and you’ll end up finding the right path for you. I know that isn’t the instant comfort that you might be looking for, but take a risk and trust me on this one!