I’m officially halfway through my undergraduate college experience. Time really has flown by. I can still remember the summer before my freshman year and all the excitement, anticipation, and anxiety that comes with entering college for the first time. So much has happened since then, and so much has changed.
Because I am graduating a whole year early, my halfway point for college has come sooner than the rest of my class. Even though it may seem like an insignificant point in time, kind of like celebrating a half-birthday, it is so much more than that. It’s time to reflect back on my first one and a half years of college, and look forward to what I have coming in the future. I will view this halfway point as a chance to appreciate all that I have done and everyone I have met that has led me to this moment, but also a chance to continue to grow, change, and develop into the person who I want to become.
I look back at freshman year, and think to myself, “Wow I was so young” even though it was just a year ago. But I really think that I have grown so much since entering UCSD. When I came home after the first few quarters here, it was such a noticeable difference to those who knew me in high school. My mom said to me one day as we were driving, “You seem happier than you were in high school.” And although this wasn’t saying a whole lot because high school was definitely not the best four years of my life (as the saying goes), it meant so much to me that those closest to me could physically see the change that I was feeling. One of my best friends told me, “You’re finally becoming the person who you’ve always wanted to be.” I almost started crying because we both had been through so much together, and to have her affirmation and encouragement meant so much to me. I came into college as timid, unsure of myself, and limited. But after just a few months, I became more confident with myself, steady, and independent.
Though freshman year was such a period of growth for me, I still felt like I could do more. I felt like I was in a rut because I needed something bigger than myself. I had my sorority, which was wonderful and am so thankful for the opportunities I have got and continue to get from Greek life, but I needed to push myself even more. Though the fearful side of me tried to come back, I held my ground as the confident Rebecca I had become, and sent out a bunch of emails to labs and possible employers my first quarter of sophomore year. I now am interning at two labs and have an on-campus job as well. Without the foundation that my growth freshman year gave me, I would definitely not have had this confidence two years ago. I love my classes (for the most part), and even work seems fun. And though I still have no idea where I’ll be or what I’ll be doing in a year and a half (or even how I’ll get there), there’s no doubt in my mind that I can continue to grow, push myself to do my best, and make the most out of my second half of college. I am so excited for what the future has in store, and am determined to make the best memories possible, because college only happens once.