Student Blog: How College Has Shifted My Perspective

I am nearly at the end of my fall semester of senior year, and I am freshly 22. The past three and a half years have absolutely flown by, but I believe that is because I have had the opportunity to take full advantage of my time at USC. I have gathered so many new thoughts along the way, all of which have crafted me to become a better, more mature version of myself!

One thing college showed me is that stress can be turned into gratitude, and it makes life so much more fun. It is crazy to say, but there will be days when I am running from financial accounting to philosophy to rehearsal, and I am overwhelmed with stress from the chaos. However, it takes two minutes for me to stop and shift my perspective, focusing on how grateful I am that I have an opportunity to exercise so many parts of my brain while doing what I love. At the beginning of the year, I could only dream of being in another show, and sometimes I have to remind myself of that, too. College can throw a lot at you, but I have found that in the moments of anxiety (though they are absolutely valid), I can choose to be grateful instead, which brightens my whole day.

Another huge perspective shift I have gained in college is being able to differentiate between what dreams would be "nice" to achieve versus dreams that I actually want to set goals for and put into action. This may seem like a simple concept, but hang with me. Going into college, I thought I wanted to pursue a career in medicine. I had always loved theatre, but kind of thought it was just a hobby, and attending shows was as close to it as I was going to get. I quickly realized theatre is way more important to me than just a hobby. Suddenly, something I had thought was kind of a nice dream of mine turned into something I crafted a concrete plan for. My classes became focused on political science and theatre, as did my extracurricular activities and free time. My STEM courses then, because my "soft goals" were that I still loved the idea of medicine, but my heart was not in it enough to create goals for pursuing it.

When it comes to the social aspect of college, I believe it is crucial to give yourself grace. In my senior year, my closest friends are people who entered my life in my later college years. I found I valued having a few core people in my life, and I let the rest of it go. As college goes on, people become increasingly busy, and it can be hard to maintain relationships. New people will come into your life as old friends kind of fade out, but none of this is bad at all. This cycle is actually a beautiful part of college. So, focus on being intentional with who you surround yourself with. Invite new people into your life with open arms, but also recognize that not everyone is meant to be a permanent member of your journey.

College will absolutely shift your perspective, and quickly too, for I am convinced college time moves at a different pace than regular time. There are so many beautiful moments that happen every day, so keep your eyes open for each of them along the way!