A lot of doors have opened for me since starting school. I’ve been offered a lot of opportunities that I didn’t know existed. I’ve also met incredible people who have shaped me into who I am today. But I didn’t always feel like this.Â
When I first started university, I absolutely hated it. I felt so stagnant. I didn’t talk to anyone in class because it seemed like everyone had already made friends and why would they need more? I didn’t even attempt to join any clubs after first quarter because I had decided it was too late for me.Â
Why wasn’t I getting the college experience I was promised? The truth is I just wasn’t putting myself out there. It sounds cliche, but how could I realistically expect to have these idealized experiences when I was doing absolutely nothing to create them.Â
At some point, I started studying in the library instead of my room, and I was lucky enough to have a girl come up to me. This felt like a miracle as I rarely spoke with strangers. It turned out that we were in one of the same classes and she had spotted me because of the obscenely clunky calculator that was required for the course. What a coincidence.Â
As I started getting out more, I realized that a lot of these coincidences were taking place. I started meeting people here and there with interests similar to mine, and all of a sudden they were everywhere. Suddenly, I was being connected to opportunities I didn’t even know existed. I was joining organizations at my school that I had never even heard of or would have never originally considered, but they’ve become some of the best parts of my time here.Â
What I didn’t realize I was doing at the time was increasing my surface area for luck. Essentially, the more I interacted with the world beyond my dorm room, the more likely I became to meet new friends, encounter new experiences, and have more fun. A quote I love from Cate Hall says, “You can’t force plants to grow, you can only engineer the conditions in which they’re likely to flourish, and trust that the results will come.”
The biggest advice I can give to you if you’re looking for a starting point would be to talk to people. Whether you’re at the laundromat or lecture, there is something that you can learn from everyone. Maybe it’ll be helpful and maybe it won’t, but there is so much to gain from these encounters. Eventually, you’ll find people that share similar interests or you’ll meet someone that helps you discover new passions. Ultimately, do everything in your power to open yourself up to these new experiences. The more seeds you plant, the fuller your garden will grow.Â