“Friendship… is not something you learn in school. But if you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything.”
– Muhammad Ali
Before transferring to UMass Amherst my second semester freshman year, people gave me a lot of advice. My parents constantly reminded me that I would have to step up my studying a bit, because this large state university was vastly different than community college. On the other hand, my friends wanted to make sure that although no one could ever replace them, I would be able to find a group of companions to go on reckless adventures with. Between the pressures of having to maintain good grades and becoming adjusted to an entirely new social sphere, the transition to UMass Amherst was something to stress over.
Obviously there is one single most important reason to go to college: to learn. I’m not paying tuition to go out on Friday nights, I’m paying to go to class. I came to UMass because I want to achieve good grades and have a bright future. Working hard was necessary for me this year. Studying was essential. Getting good grades mattered a great deal. However, there is only so much studying I could do before the brightness of my future depended not upon what I did by myself, but what I did with others.
There is a certain happiness in having a “family dinner” with your closest friends every night that getting an “A” on an exam cannot compete with. Through the good days and the bad, I could consistently count on amazing new people that I met at school to support me through anything that was going on in my life. It was important for me to spend time with these people – eating with them, studying with them, and getting to know them. This is all because on those few bad days where nothing seemed to be going right, I could count on them to comfort me, which is something that not even the most perfect GPA could do. It’s a cliché, but there is a lot of truth in the saying, “the little things are the big things.” It was a big thing when my printer was broken and I had a reliable friend to print my essay for me just before the deadline. It is little life-saving moments like these that have defined my freshman year.
I don’t have to tell my fellow Collegiettes that college life is busy. With the heavy weight of classes and having to tackle every day’s long to-do list, it’s easy to become exhausted and ultimately forget those who are not right near us. An unfortunate truth that I learned is that sometimes Mom and Dad will only get a call from me if something either tremendously fabulous has happened, or something has gone so terribly wrong that I have no idea what to do. Let me assure you that in both situations, Mom and Dad will always be the best people to call. It took some time but I am glad that I have realized I should not wait until something wonderful or something awful has happened for me to call my parents. It’s comforting to have those few special people who are there for you on the day to day, to listen about anything and everything that is new in your life. Whether they’re your parents, best friends, or roommate, I have learned that accomplishing something magnificent is ten times better when you can share it with someone who will be just excited as you are.
My first semester at UMass has been incredible to say the least. Now I know why many people say, “College is the best time of your life.” Classes are far more interesting than anything I have ever sat through in high school, and weekend nights are filled with more excitement. However, those are not the reasons why I have grown to love college, and more importantly, why college has made me grow. 10 years down the road at my future job, I am probably not going to remember a majority of the things I learned in lecture. What I will remember, is that in order to be proud of what you do, you have to work hard. It is 100% true that if you work hard, you will reap the rewards. This applies to any endeavor, whether it be an impossible class, or making new friends. Anyhow, grades should not make you as proud as your friendships do. The most important lesson that I have learned this year that if you want to make the most of your college experience, find a balance where you not only master your academics, but find happiness in fostering lasting relationships with friends who will build you up every single day.