A note beforehand: I hoped to be able to do a video for my year-in-review, but I ran out of time. Anyways, below is the "script" for the video I wrote. Hopefully, I will be able to to turn it into a real film very soon. Please read with a healthy sprinkle of sarcasm, humor, and mindfulness.
COLLEGE: FRESHMAN YEAR
CUE PARTYING SHOTS
Pause.
So, my freshman year has a bit of a different story.
Very early on, I realized that I wasn't much of a partier. I am extrovert, but I didn't enjoy the stress of it. Therefore, all of my energy went towards very important things, as you can imagine: School, and...Netflix.
to visualize the kerfuffle I was in, I present to you: The College Triangle of Needs. On one end we have a high GPA, on the other we have a healthy social life. Lastly, sleep. You can only pick two.
For the most part, this has held up. I have not met a single person who has been able to balance all three. Most students sacrifice sleep or GPA, with the majority of their focus going towards social events and friends. I think we can all guess what I sacrificed...
But it hasn't been all bad! I ended the year by making the Dean's List both semesters, I scored the 4.0, and I entered into executive positions in three different clubs. My friends from high school caught up with me throughout the year, asking how I did it, or why they were doing so poorly academically. They believed that they were failing "college". My answer was always the same: what else would I be doing? Perhaps both of us were failing in different ways.
It was discouraging, around February or March, to see so many friends having fun on social media. Comparison is the thief of joy, and social media is a catalyst for comparison. I began spiraling: Am I wasting my college years? If I'm not making any new memories, will I even remember the next three and a half years? Will I think they're significant?
Hm.
Ryan Baron of "americanbaron" on Tik Tok is a huge inspiration of mine. One of my favorite videos of his is when he believes he has "missed" the point of life. After a lengthy discussion with "God", he comes to the conclusion that maybe the point of life is to miss the point and be okay with it. I think the same can be applied to how I chose to live this year: maybe the best way forward is to live the way I feel is best, and be okay with it; even if that means I am not doing what others are doing.
I hope one day I will find my people. I understand that it will probably take more time than I had anticipated, but the friends I will have made will be friends for life. I have a few close friends from the past year, and I can count on them no matter what. When we are together, we have so much fun, and I wouldn't trade them for the world.
Regardless, I will hold myself accountable to this thought by continuing to check in with myself and my actions over the next 3 years, and beyond. Hopefully, in an artistic format like this one.
Here's to a very memorable college experience.
