March 30, 2015
Scribe Staff
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This issue of The Scribe comes out the Monday after spring break.
So there may not be a whole lot of students on campus to read this editorial. At least on Monday. In the early morning.
And that’s OK.
College is a strange black hole in the world. In college, the outside world rushes past while students have the opportunity to try, and fail, at things we’ve always wanted to do. Here is the time and place to experiment with who you are, what you do and how you see the world.
Experimentation can lead to bad decisions. And there are a lot of bad decisions that are made while we are in college.
That list could include, but is of course not limited to: drinking, smoking, both of those at the same time, staying up way too late, skipping class, one night stands and having way too much interaction with law enforcement.
All of these can be mistakes that college students make.
Some of those are obviously larger mistakes than others. Those large mistakes? Screw that. Nope. Don’t do it. Not a good idea.
But the smaller ones? Fine, do them (within reason).
DISCLAIMER: The definition of a large mistake is different to everyone. Please don’t intentionally go out and try to get in trouble or “do somethin’ crazy.” We can learn from small mistakes, large ones aren’t required.
Those types of mistakes, the smaller ones, might as well be done now, when we can learn and adjust from them. Later in life, it won’t be so easy.
The achievements and the mistakes that we accomplish in college will help shape and define us for the rest of our lives. They can determine the trajectory of the rest of our lives.
No pressure.
But college, with all its pressure to find ourselves, is a unique place where we can try, and fail, and come out OK in the end.
Start the whatever-the-hell you’ve always wanted to do in your spare time club. You’re probably not going to have the same amount of time to do it ever again.
The real world can be harsh and no one said it would be easy. The opportunity to make mistakes and the time to learn from them is way more limited outside of school. If we make mistakes out there, we get, you know, fired.
Make your small mistakes now, because the real world won’t be so forgiving.