College
experiences are truly the days of glory
Elizabeth
Holmes In
my first three weeks at Cal Sate Long
Beach, I’ve learned college experience
doesn’t have any prerequisites.
All the time dedicated to Advanced Placement
courses, clubs and community service
was to get into this place. Now, everyone
has clean academic slate and our experiences
separate us.
There is no specific path taken by every student. Some of us may have gown
up in other states or countries; others may have lived their entire life just
off of Bellflower Boulevard. Some of us have traveled the world, earned a 4.6
GPA in high school or found our passion in a sport. Some of us came in as a
specific major, some as a double major and some freshmen came undeclared.
No matter which of these characteristics fit you, whether it is seven of them
or only one, you did something that got you into a California State University.
And this, students, is your time to shine.
College is truly a place of opportunity. As students, we can travel around
the world, live on our own and meet people with completely opposite world views.
I have lost track of the number of times I have been told about the “glory
days of college.” But this time of bountiful opportunity is truly glorious.
While in classes with diverse people, I came to doubt my own experiences and
sometimes wondered what valuable contribution I could possibly make. My own
history seemed dull in comparison to the stories I heard from classmates.
My
jokes did not seem quite as funny or my grades as good. I had convinced myself
I did not belong in this great place of diversity and learning — I was
terrified of having other people find out the imposter I perceived myself to
be.
Fortunately, I met some impressive people and found I am not as lowly as I
thought. I am now positive I do belong here. Other people, I am convinced,
feel that same sense of belonging.
When placing myself alongside everyone else, I feel behind. But so must every
other person here. No one takes the same path, no one has had the same life
or learned the exact same lessons, but that is what makes this institution
a complete university.
Our professors teach us but at the same time we teach each other. We are responsible
for sharing our experiences, so when we graduate from here in two, four or
maybe even seven years, we are prepared for the world with a vast wealth of
knowledge and wisdom that we could never have predicted.
Elizabeth Holmes is a freshman linguistics major. |
