Everyone has their own path and that’s okay–it’s the point. It’s what makes your college experience special and molds who you into become at the end of it. I was fortunate enough to attend UNCW for five years and I’ve never been more grateful to have this opportunity.
As with everything in life, there will always be ebbs and flows. Over the past five years there have definitely been some ups and downs, but my time here exceeded all my expectations. I didn’t know what to expect, especially coming from such a small island over 1300 miles away, but if I had to go back I wouldn’t have changed a thing. The first time I heard about UNCW I was a sophomore in high school and for some reason I had a gut feeling it was going to be the place for me. It’s crazy for me to think I had no clue at the time that this place and school would become a second home. The Greek meaning of the word sophomore translates to “wise fool,” which I think is pretty fitting. I still view myself as a bit of a wise fool, just with a liiittle more experience. With every year that passes you begin to recognize how you’ve changed and how much knowledge you’ve gained, both in school and life in general.
College is this pivotal stage in our lives where we really get to know ourselves for the first time. Don’t get me wrong, no one has it all figured out and if they think they do they’re in denial. We are all constantly learning and growing. That’s why it’s impossible to determine what we’re going to do if we don’t even fully know who we are. That being said, one of the biggest misconceptions about graduating is having to know what you want to do. Some people are fortunate enough to find their passions early on, but for some of us it’s simply just going to take more time. I never fully accepted that concept until this past year. I spent a lot of my time being discouraged by the fact that I didn’t know what direction I was going in. Let’s just say there many a phone call to my mom saying, “what am I doing with my life??” meanwhile I’m crying in a study room in the library at 2am. Cut to 3 years later and I MADE IT!!! And so will you!!! I still don’t know what I’m doing with my life, but I’m loving every moment. Cherish the time you have here because you’ll never be at this age or at this point in your life again.
I’ll keep my words of advice short and in no particular order:
First, go to class. Just do it. I know it’s so tempting sometimes, especially with the beach right there, but it makes all the difference in the long run. Be smart about your absences, it will bite you in the *ss.
Second, figure out your priorities. This applies to the courses you take, the people you surround yourself with, and how you decide to spend your free time. Life is all about the opportunity cost of doing one thing over another.
Third, don’t forget to be a wise fool sometimes. Work hard, but remember to give yourself a break. Right now we’re all at that age where we know better, yet still make decisions that aren’t the best, but that’s what we’re supposed to do!! You live and you learn and it’s never a loss if you learn from your mistakes.
THNAK YOU UNCW FOR GIVING ME SOME OF THE BEST YEARS OF MY LIFE!!! NO matter where I go or what I do, I will always be a Seahawk at heart.
It’s been real!
Magdalena
IMC Hawks Blog 
I love this post for many reasons, she listed her advice out to easily read and find, which brought the post together in a great way. She gave definitions to Greek words she used, which was a great way to incorporate different language and how it related to what she had to say. Another reason was because she told us why not everyone should know what they want to do when they graduate because most of us don’t even know who we are, which is so true because how should we know. This post is an amazing way of showing communication to the following generations after her to be able to relate and also realize what they will need to know for the future. I really am impressed with the structure of this blog post, definitely well written.