Column: How to win your own Hoosier banner

It seems impossible that this marks the last column I will write for the IDS as a graduating senior.

After four years as a Hoosier, three of which were full of IDS deadlines writing for various sections of our newspaper, I can’t imagine not having another article to look forward to, another homecoming week to partake in, another long night at the Herman B Wells Library, another stroll through the arboretum or another semester that sped by and swallowed me whole.

Realizing that my days of flashing my IU student ID card to get a discount or taking care of a bill by saying “just put it on my bursar” is like waking up on a Sunday morning wondering what the heck happened over the weekend and where the time went.

I believe that the best option we have as seniors and Hoosiers who can’t major in time control is to look forward with positivity, reflecting on our past experiences with pride. It is impossible to go through college and not have some regrets. Regretting decisions is inevitable when learning and growing, but choosing to make better choices and improve in the future instead of dwelling on the past is the key to earning our own personal banner as we prepare to graduate.

Although no one can be sure of what the future holds, I am confident that my time at IU has made me stronger, wiser and more grateful and has prepared me to take on the next chapter of my life with grace.

So here goes, my last words of advice through the IDS for students who have more time to appreciate being a student in our wonderful, beautiful and unique community. It’s advice I wish someone had shared with me.

1. Expect challenges: College is regarded as the best four years of your life because you are put into an environment unlike any other. You get to test drive independence and responsibility while being surrounded by a whole new group of people without having to worry about making a little bit of a mess. Sometimes, it seems like we expect college to be perfect, but that is certainly not the case. You will spend a portion of each year worried. Worried about making friends, getting along with roommates, getting an internship or job, competing with other students, budgeting money, staying out of drama and overthinking silly text messages sent while under the influence. The list goes on. You can’t sense the difficulties ahead by stalking your older friends’ Facebook photo albums. The best part of college is overcoming the challenges that have the capacity to bring us down until we walk away as the winners. Take five minutes to be scared, but then put your worries away and continue to conquer challenges with a smile. 

2. Use your resources: There is a reason that clubs, free activities and even two free sessions at CAPS per semester are awarded to us as IU students. Leaving home and dealing with the difficulties a college student faces is not easy. The worst thing you can do is choose to bottle up your anxiety when you are surrounded by people who feel the same way. Get out and attend a club meeting, meet people you wouldn’t regularly meet, sit in on a guest speaker and make yourself a well-rounded, experienced student. Although getting out of the house was often the hardest part for me, it always turned out being worthwhile. When you feel bogged down, stressed and overwhelmed, chances are you just need a breath of fresh air, so go try something new and take advantage of the unique opportunities that are constantly taking place around you.

3. Emphasize the “U” in IU: As a freshman, I was constantly worried about what other people thought of me, always concerned about making more friends. One of the hardest lessons I learned is that people love you most when you are being yourself, not trying to be who you think they want you to be. Use your years at IU to learn who you are — find what you like, try new activities, build the confidence to truly be and appreciate what makes you quirky and unique and embrace the challenge to gain that confidence. It isn’t easy eating a meal by yourself, introducing yourself at a party or speaking up in a crowd, but gaining confidence in yourself gives you the opportunity to get comfortable in your own skin and be ready to take on life’s challenges with your head held up high. Don’t worry about the what ifs that can accompany embarrassment. Instead, don’t be afraid to make a mistake. Make your four years about finding your own spark.

­— espitzer@indiana.edu