It’s nowhere near revolutionary to say that moving to college is a major adjustment. We are thrown into an entirely new world. For the first time in most of our lives, it is completely up to us to decide how we spend our time, who we surround ourselves with and what we make of ourselves. To put it simply: It’s a lot, especially in tandem with difficult classes and our uncertain futures ahead.
Last year, I found myself having a difficult time adjusting to college, for reasons that I wrote about last semester. Since then, I have fortunately had a better go at living “the best four years of my life.”
At the risk of grabbing at low-hanging fruit, my first piece of advice is to join clubs. Like many Tufts students, I spent my high school career filling my resume with activities like debate, Model UN and mock trial. To be clear: I participated in my extracurriculars out of passion, but they demanded a heavy commitment nonetheless.
Coming to college and feeling the release from the shackles of college applications, I refrained from joining any club that would take up too much time, seeking leisure and repose. What I found instead, however, was boredom and stagnancy. This break from extracurricular activities made me realize that clubs give you a place to be, people to see and nonacademic tasks to complete.
Clubs offer an enriching experience by providing a so-called third place: a place outside one’s home and workplace (or classes, in the case of college students) to build connections and gain meaningful experiences. Third places allow people to develop and affirm their identities, fighting off the omnipresent shadow of imposter syndrome — the persistent doubting of one’s identity and abilities — that occurs frequently on college campuses. Spending time at club meetings and events achieves just that, creating opportunities to both foster and bolster your sense of self. This ultimately benefits not just your resume but your mental health as well.
Tufts boasts over 350 organizations, offering various unique third places to discover. While many of them are similar to those offered in high school, I have found the most enjoyment in trying completely new activities. Joining the Tufts Dance Collective, for example, was an experience that truly defined this past semester. As Tufts’ no-experience-required, all-inclusive dance group, TDC provided me with a fun and new third place to explore a creative aspect of my identity that no other organization has matched. While dancing may not be for everyone, trying new activities is something that I have found vital to making the most of my college years.
Experimenting with new activities extends beyond joining clubs. Even within my class schedule, finding time to take new and interesting classes — even a two-credit Experimental College course — has made me feel like I am truly getting my dollar’s worth out of college, especially at a school known for its liberal arts education.
As an English major, which only requires ten classes, I recognize my privilege of having more space to take non-major classes — a liberty not possible for every major. Still, another way I’ve enriched my experience is by simply cultivating my interest in the major that I’m studying. I’ve spent more time talking after classes with my professors, joined the Tufts English Society and made an active effort to — for a lack of better terms — romanticize my studies. Shifting my perspective on my academics, which are typically a source of stress, has definitely improved my overall academic experience.
Apart from these specific avenues, getting more out of my college experience comes down to simply leaving my dorm more often. Taking that first step of reaching out to friends to meet for meals, get coffee at The Sink or study together can very well be the difference between spending hours spiraling and spending hours being content. Being a part of a 10-person suite in Wren Hall has also been a major source of positivity for me (hence my devastation after learning that it will be converted into first-year housing). Having study partners, friends to talk to and people to get meals with at almost any time of the day has given me the emotional support system that I truly need. Still, even with this wonderful living situation, it is the intentionality and effort that I put into my friendships that truly made my year.
College is not a passive experience: If you want something to happen, chances are that you are responsible for making it happen. This might sound scary, but it’s also what makes college such a unique and enjoyable place — a place that allows you to constantly make mistakes and keep exploring until you find what you truly enjoy. At the end of the day, college is what you make of it.
