College is a great place. It’s a place you can learn what you want. A place where you can meet people your age and spend time with them constantly. College is also the first time you get to be an adult and as scary as that can be, it’s great when you decide to take control.
Hey everyone, my name is Sean Owens and as you’ve probably figured out from the recent blog posts: I’m a senior who will also be graduating soon.
Everyone comes to college for different reasons and from different backgrounds, but the best advice I can give you is to figure out who you want to be and make it happen. College is the first place you can really choose on your own what’s best for you.
When I first came to college, I knew that I wanted to be a Theatre and a COM major, that I wanted to be academically successful, and that I wanted to do a lot of film work. I also knew that no one was going to make that happen for me, but I wasn’t afraid to start from the ground up. Here’s a step to step guide that might help you if you’re feeling a little lost.
1. Set your goals. I’m not going to tell you that you need to have a 5 or 10 year plan right now, but you do need to have some idea of what you’re doing here and what you hope to accomplish before you leave. For me, I wanted to do at least a play a year and then do some films, I thought an even dozen would provide a good resume; instead, I ended up performing in 9 plays and over 3 dozen film projects. Why? Because I set my goals and then had other people push me towards them.
2. Get friends to push you towards your goals.. This is probably the best part of college. You’re in a place surrounded by amazing people who are the same age as you are. Find a club, meet up once a week, take some classes, but do it with people that are going to help you to grow and push you to be better. It’s hard to want to sit on your couch when all your friends are doing cool stuff!
3. Don’t be afraid to admit you don’t know something. Everyone is lost when they’re first starting out. Talk to your parents or family when you want some advice. Ask some friends weird questions. Seek out your professors! The professors here at UNCW are great and they’re willing to help you figure life out, but you have to ask. Show you’re actually interested and most of them will help you in any way they can (including writing recommendation letters for you which is a HUGE– make sure you write a Thank You note if they do).
4. Go the extra mile. This doesn’t have to be on every assignment, but you will help yourself by doing the extra bit when you have time and it’s something you’re passionate about. Your resume will be stronger and your portfolios after college will look much better with quality work to fill in the spaces!
5. Lastly, DO WHAT’S BEST FOR YOU! It’s okay to say ‘no’ sometimes when you need a weekend, but don’t make that a habit because it wouldn’t be best for you. If something is a little less traditional then that is okay, as long as it is best for you. After college, you don’t have to always do what everyone else expects either, just make sure you can justify why you made the decision you made. Either way, remember: you’re an adult now. At the end of the day, you have to make your own decisions.
In short, you guys got this. Make sure that you’re willing to put in the work and your college experience will be a blast. It’s better to get stuff done and have some pizza than to be freaking out when you’ve procrastinated till the night before on your 20 page paper.
Oh, and a freebie: DON’T PROCRASTINATE. Seriously. This is coming from a professional. It’ll help. I promise.
Well, we’re leaving you all in goods hands: your own. (And of course, all the staff and faculty of UNCW).
Good luck,
Sean Owens
IMC Hawks Blog 