If you attend Northeastern, you know that we attend a weird school. We get out of school a month before everyone else and barely have a winter break. We randomly press pause on being students during our sophomore or junior years to work real 9-5 big girl jobs. Fenway is our backyard. We’ll probably live in Europe or South America for a month over the summer. Half of the kids in any lecture hall have probably founded startups, are starting new research on AI and what it means for tech companies or are studying the hardest and arguably most important field of all — communications (my major). Just kidding.
Jokes aside, being surrounded by 16,000 driven and motivated students can be intimidating. I felt that way as a naive freshman, and sometimes I still do. As I start my second semester in Boston, I’m reframing my thoughts about our school. Yes, our school is quirky, niche and stressful at times, but I’m learning to be grateful for these attributes.
Refreshing my LinkedIn feed like it’s TikTok and seeing the posting of classmates’ acceptances to amazing co-ops can feel like a throat punch. It can make you feel stagnant, especially if you aren’t yet sure of your major or academic path. But how cool is it to be a part of a community committed to personal and professional growth? Very.
Even though I have been here for just a few months, I have noticed my own growth, too. Living in the city after growing up in a small town with just 700 people is an adjustment. Sometimes, it feels overwhelming, but looking out my window at the Prudential Center towering over the skyline reminds me that I came here to do bigger things. To become knowledgeable instead of just educated. To push myself to experience new things so I can live, not just exist. To experience life outside my comfort zone, to be adaptable and resilient. Just like everyone around me is doing.
If I had to make a general statement, most Northeastern students are perfectionists. I urge us all to let go a little. While having lofty goals is always good, you don’t need to accomplish them immediately. The journey of figuring things out — meeting some of your lifelong friends, learning how to navigate the city and the T, and bumping into people in the mile-long Pavement line — is sometimes better than the end game anyway.
If you’ve never heard of the English slang word “coddiwomple,” here’s the definition: “To travel purposefully toward an as-yet-unknown destination.” This sums up life at Northeastern for some of us, especially first-years. And coddiwompling is okay. After all, it’s not all about the GPA or the resume. Northeastern is about learning who you truly want to become as a young adult in the real world. Be grateful for where you are right now, and worry less about where you’re going.
This is a letter to the Northeastern student, but even more so to myself.