My time at USI ends in two weeks, and I can’t say I’m excited. I mean, I won’t have to worry about being swamped with homework, but at least after four years, I know what to expect from college. I have no idea what to expect for myself even two months from now.

But if there’s anything I’ve learned in the last four years, it’s that there’s no one way to success and no fool-proof way to avoid failure.

Heck, in the weeks before I began my freshman year, I was convinced I had everything figured out: my major, the activities I would join and even how to guarantee myself friends.

Suffice to say not a single one of those things worked out as planned.

But, if I hadn’t started out as a marketing major, I never would’ve changed my major to something I love. If any of those initial activities had worked out, I never would have had the opportunity to be The Shield’s Chief Copy Editor for almost two years. And, perhaps most importantly, without that first semester of terrible loneliness, I would never have met some of my best friends.

So I guess I’m echoing what everyone always tells incoming freshman- get involved with something and don’t be afraid of change.

You have to be willing to work through some difficulty but be willing to try new things and take advantage of any opportunity that arises.

I know that’s easier said than done. I can’t even count how many times I’ve intended to do something and immediately been overcome with anxiety that keeps me from doing it.

Whenever I would call my mom, frustrated and upset with myself, she would tell me that the only solution was to make myself do things even if they flared up my anxiety.

At the time, I wished she could see me through the phone to know how hard I was rolling my eyes. But, at the end of the day, she was right.

It starts with only one conversation, or if that’s too daunting like it was for me, most times even an email to an activity sponsor or president will do.

Take advantage of your college years, where you have license to explore different interests without being too worried about one mistake affecting your entire life.

Life changes, and trying something new is always going to be scary, but why not have those new experiences while you’re in college, where everyone expects interests to change?