WT student op-ed: It's just like the movies
Editor's note: This is the first in a series of three op-ed pieces penned by students at West Texas A&M University. From WT President Walter Wendler: "To engage their written communication skills, these students have written personal op-ed pieces. Each student is at a different point in their college career and these pieces reflect where they are and the journey they are on."
College is what you make of it. This is an exciting, overwhelming, amazing, terrifying, ever-changing period of your life. I can see why it's generally considered like this; after all, you can further your career, meet many different people and be freer than ever before. College gives you an unbelievable amount of opportunities, and you meet many new people as you leave behind the ones from home. This is a time to take your career to further heights or figure out where your puzzle piece fits. It is the first time we are truly on our own, and it's nothing like the movies. Over the past four years, I've kept waiting for the picture-perfect idea of college I had imagined for so long. But the truth is that it does not exist.
The large workload and constant stress are something that every college student has to deal with, which means that I am not alone in feeling this way. My experience was filled with struggling with money, dealing with loneliness, and not knowing where I fit in. Over time I have come to accept that things happen for a reason greater than I can comprehend. However, college has also blessed me with the best of friends, a lifetime of memories and made me into a young woman ready to take on the world.
These past four years at West Texas A&M University can be summed up as one word, real. My journey to WT has been nothing short of unique. Like many high school students, I didn't particularly enjoy my time in high school, and when I had a chance to get away, I took it. While my first college options were within the Missouri state lines, I knew deep down I had to go further. This opened the idea of looking for universities out of state. After searching many sites, WT became a viable option. This idea of moving over seven hundred miles away from home took quite a convincing defense to my family, friends and even myself. Once I made clear my decision, I took this full on to make it happen. Although I had never stepped foot on the WT campus until move-in day, I knew I had made the right decision. However, I also realized that I would be on my own and 12 hours away from what I had called home for the last 18 years.
From that moment on, I worked to ensure my idea of college was perfectly protected. I knew turning back and going home would post me as a failure, so I decided to work my way through school as a tie to stay. At times I worked two or three jobs to eat up my time. Work was my excuse, my outlet to avoid going home and my way of growing my independence. I was able to add so many unique and fun experiences to my resume, which I hope will help me in my career. But this came at a price. I missed every college basketball game, friends' birthday parties, dinners, trips, study groups and hangouts. The challenging comes with the good. While my employers appreciated my dedication to my jobs, I missed out on memories I will never even know.
While my work consumed my time, I could not cultivate relationships with my peers. I missed out on the inside jokes and comfort found in friends. My free time was empty with the loneliness I created. I had no one to enjoy the picture-perfect idea of college with. I understood what it meant to be alone and let it eat at me for a while. As time passed, I learned something more valuable: to be comfortable being on my own. This tough lesson helped me become self-reliant. Sometimes, we learn the most in the lessons we never knew we needed. I established myself with self-confidence, knowing I do not need to rely on others for what I can find in myself.
College is what you make it, and I know that now—my personal choices to sacrifice things to be where I am today. In my time at WT, I was able to start my own business, hold two state rodeo queen titles, be selected for a national judging panel and be nominated for national-level awards. While the tough things in life inevitably come with the good, I know I would not be who I am without them. The college experience is not like it is seen in the movies, on social media or said to you by your friends; it is only what you make it.
Looking back on the last four years of my life, I am thankful for my choices. Here are a few lessons I have learned along the way:
Money comes and goes
Image is not everything
It's ok to not be ok
Take lots of pictures
It will all work out in the end
As I review my college experience, I feel I have missed out on the college experience. However, we all struggle with the idea of missing out. From these lessons, we can learn to be confident in our decisions and understand the principles of making choices. Challenges we face make us stronger in the process and may change how we approach life. The good comes with the bad, but the bad also comes with the good. Understand how to handle each situation with this idea in mind and college will be as easy as it is in the movies.
Danielle Williams is a WT senior agriculture communications major from Moscow Mills, Missouri.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: WT student op-ed: It's Just Like the Movies
