It’s crazy to think that I’ve just begun the second half of my Senior year, and in two months I’ll be graduating and beginning the next phase of my life. Naturally I’ve begun to reflect on my past four years here at Montclair State, and although I have a lot to be proud of there is still one regret that I do have: I wish I would’ve been more involved on campus. Upon my reflection I’ve realized that I spent most of my college career being too timid to get involved and branch out.
When I first came here as a freshman, I had no one. Most of my friends from high school were all a year younger than me, so I came into this school feeling utterly alone. Being a commuter student didn’t help either. I fell into a habit of coming to school for my classes, and leaving immediately after to go home. My first year and a half of college was extremely lonely and boring. I even went to organization and club fairs a couple of times to try and become more involved, but the thought of going to a club meeting alone terrified me.
I eventually grew tired of sitting around at home alone, and decided to go out for formal sorority recruitment. The thought of going out alone terrified me, and it was terrifying, but I knew that I had to do this in order to help me branch out and grow. And I’m glad that I did do this. Joining greek life was one of the best decisions I ever made, and changed my life for the better. Through greek life I met some of my best friends, learned to not be afraid to do things alone, and gained the confidence and courage I needed to take on leadership roles.
However, I wish that I wouldn’t have stopped with just greek life. As busy as my sorority kept me, I still wish I would’ve continued to branch out and join different organizations. This past fall semester I decided to join Her Campus, and I’ve had the best time meeting women who share many of the same passions as me. The best part about being a member here is that not only am I meeting and building friendships with women who share similar interests, but they’re also helping me grow as a writer and bringing me steps closer to my career goals.
I wish I would’ve found this group of women early on in my college career, but I’ve come to learn that there’s no point in dwelling on the what ifs in life. Instead I’ve spent the past couple of months trying to make the most of the limited time I have here.
And so with that I will take my regrets as a Senior and in turn provide you all with some wisdom instead. As cheesy and cliche as it sounds, college really is what you make of it. Don’t make the mistake that I did by sitting around and waiting for things to get better. Change will only come when you make it happen yourself. Don’t be afraid to branch out, meet new people, and join different organizations. These organizations are meant to help you meet new people and learn more about yourself. Going to things alone can seem scary at first, because it is, but it slowly gets easier over time. And even when you do decide to branch out and get involved, make the best of your experience. Take on as many leadership roles as you can, because yes they are A LOT of work at times, but they make the experience a lot more fun as well. When I joined my sorority I had never had a leadership role before, and then the next thing I knew I was recruitment chair and sitting on the executive board for my chapter.
And in case you need some more reasons and motivations:
- You’ll meet some of the best people, and make some of the most important friendships of your college career.
- The networking opportunities are endless.
- You’ll develop so many important skills such as time-management, teamwork, communication, and more.
- The leadership opportunities and experiences are endless.
- Your self-confidence will sky rocket.
- You’ll discover so many new interests and will learn so much about yourself and your capabilities.
- It’s never too early to start building your resume.