Fake It Till You Make It 

Not every student is the same. Everyone is in different life stages and seasons they go through in college. Many students such as student-athletes, are in a constant routine where they don’t have a lot of extra time to spend on other activities besides sports.

These four years are filled with a lot of internal growth. Students tend to get caught up in social media and the comparison they forget that everyone progresses at their own time and it is okay to be different than their peers. College is always portrayed as this place where you have to know exactly who you are and what you are supposed to be doing, but in reality, it’s the opposite. It is the place to grow and change and then do it some more. It can become overwhelming thinking you don’t have a passion. It can also be hard being stuck in the same routine and not knowing how to get out of it. Burnout is also common in college students who get stuck in the same rut.

Student Sydney Knowles knows this feeling all too well. “Once in my life I did feel like I was lost, but now I’m becoming the person that I want to be. Plus with going back to school, having a great life, getting married, and having my fur babies. I’m a little indecisive about life decisions and other things but some people are and that’s okay.”

Knowles is a new student at The University of Saint Mary. She is a transfer from a community college in Fort Leavenworth. Knowles is considered an untraditional student because she is married and lives off-campus. She is unsure of finding out what her passion really is. Her daily activities besides school and work include walking her dog, working out (she prefers cycling), she makes a to-do list for the day’s activities, she goes to class, then work, and she journals every morning and every night. She has a packed schedule with school, work and all her activities. It is hard for students to find their way and their purpose when they have to focus on a lot of other things. 

Many college students feel just how Knowles feels and that’s okay. What a lot of people don’t realize is it’s okay to not have a passion or not know where life is taking you at the moment. College is the time for you to figure this out it is the time to spread your wings and find your true potential. More often than not, fear can paralyze your growth and ruin the full potential inside and the best thing you can do is simply let go.

Knowles says “Sometimes I do think about what it would be like to not be in school right now, but then I realize USM is an opportunity to shape a better future for myself and my future family with my Accounting degree. I’m glad I chose to go back to school because my previous job I knew was not going to take me where I want to go in life.”

 Sometimes finding your true purpose and one’s self is by having a good regime and routine to follow. Knowles likes to go cycling on Saturday morning to push the limits and to help her grow both physically and mentally. She, unfortunately, hasn’t had much time since classes started back up so it’s causing her to feel more lost than she normally would. 

It needs to be normalized not having it all together in college is okay. The community in college shows the diversity and the change that happens not only in someone’s personal life but in the world as a whole. Knowles feels strange not knowing her passion and feels like she is supposed to have the answers. You don’t need to know all the answers right now. This is the time of your life to fail and to try new things and fail again. It is all okay, if you are feeling lost or need guidance, reach out to the University of Saint Mary counseling services and they are always happy to help. 

Ramie Churchill is a senior Digital Communications major who is an officer for JCOM and an editor for Spire Times