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It’s About the Journey

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Chapman chapter.

“In college, I will have everything together, and that’s when I’ll be perfect.”

Now that I’m finally in college, I can confidently say that I am not perfectly put-together, and college isn’t a destination. Since I was in junior high, I’ve always had the thought that college is that place where I will become a perfect adult, and everything will just magically fall into place. But now that I am here, I feel just as lost as I did when I was a freshman in high school. Between making new friends, adjusting to life outside of my hometown, and planning for the future, college is definitely not as whimsical as I thought it’d be.

This season of life is the biggest change a lot of people go through. Leaving home for the first time is a scary thing. The transition of being a fearless senior in high school to a vulnerable, lost freshman in college is quite a jump. Not the most fun transition, but definitely necessary to grow. I remember everyone being so excited on College Decision Day; I was among those who were ecstatic, and I felt like I was on Cloud 9. The thought of leaving home was exhilarating. Now that I’m in the place where I wanted to be during the fall of senior year, I now know that this is just the beginning. Somehow, the thought of college turned into this idea of a destination; that once you’re there, you won’t have a care in the world and that is how life will be starting in college.

My time so far in college has taught me that it’s okay to not have everything put-together. Instead, I feel that college is a place to explore your interests and take what you are passionate about to a new level. But I keep wondering, what is my destination? When will I be satisfied? I think the correct answer is that there is no destination. It’s about the journey, and there’s always a new chapter coming. Throughout life, do what makes you happy, have fun, work hard, and love others. Oh, and remember to stop along the way to smell the flowers.