My College Journey
My college experience hasn’t exactly been average. For starters, my freshman year began during a global pandemic, causing my first semester to consist of me sitting in front of my computer screen listening to lectures from my childhood bedroom in Texas. It wasn't until the second semester that I finally moved on campus, a thousand miles away from home, without knowing a single person.
When asked why I chose to attend this university in Florida, especially as an out-of-state student, I would often find myself at a loss for words. At the time, I didn’t understand why I would go blank or why I struggled to find the reasoning behind my decision to spend four years of my life at this specific institution. Of course, many factors influenced my choice, including cost, school ranking, a major that I was interested in, and having beaches nearby definitely didn’t hurt. However, now I realize that the reason that I didn’t have an answer was because I lacked passion. I felt that there wasn’t any aspect that made me exceptionally enthusiastic about attending.
Unfortunately, this realization didn’t hit me until my third year at the university when I felt stuck. I wasn't forming new connections through the school, wasn’t engaged in my studies, felt disconnected from the campus environment, and found myself feeling unfulfilled. Every day seemed repetitive, I was just going through the motions so that I could graduate and get a degree. There were so many times that I remember asking myself “What am I doing? Why am I here?” At the same time, I was doubting myself because I didn’t want to be perceived as lazy or ungrateful.
So many people go to college. There must be some that have gone through similar experiences to mine. Feeling unmotivated, disconnected, and out of place. When I use the term “unmotivated” I don’t mean to say that I didn’t have goals, or was lacking the desire to go to college and finish. I felt “unmotivated” when I started to lose enthusiasm and excitement about things that I used to be passionate about. It reached a point when I had to decide: will I stay at this school and find another major, will I go back to Texas and go to a school there, or will I find something else?
After two and a half years of studying in Florida, I decided to leave my university. I took a semester off of school, working at a daycare, and researching my options, trying to find an educational opportunity that would challenge and motivate me. I wanted to find something that incorporated my passions, something that made me excited to learn and gifted me with the chance to have experiences that I always dreamed of.
I gained so much from my experience living in Florida. I learned more about myself and how to be more independent. I met many incredible people and made a lot of memories along the way. One thing that I struggle with is that I have very high expectations. I tend to get very excited and want everything to go the way that I planned it in my head. At the end of the day, that’s not realistic. Nothing will ever go exactly as planned and part of growing is recognizing how valuable it is to be able to adapt and gain the skills to overcome the obstacles that you will inevitably come across.
I understand that not every class is going to be interesting, just like in life not every day is going to be the best day of your life. However, with that being said, I think that we have a lot more control over our lives than we acknowledge. Life is too short to stay in a place where you don’t feel fulfilled. If you feel like you’re meant for more, know that you are capable of doing more. You are capable of creating a life for yourself that makes you genuinely happy.
During my time away from school I decided to look for options outside of the United States. I focused on Europe because I speak Spanish and French and from past visits, I grew a love for Spain and France. I knew I wanted to study business so I researched prominent schools for business in Europe.
I was so unbelievably fortunate to have such supportive parents, who were happy to see me researching options and finding opportunities that would put me on a path of success and happiness. After I spent about a couple of months searching for schools, I found a site that listed the best schools for business in France. I filled out a survey showing that I was interested in learning more, and by the next day, I had received a personal email from an admissions director asking to call to talk about the Bachelor program. It seemed like fate because not only did the school seem like a perfect fit, but the admissions director and I had the same last name! What a coincidence I thought, it must be a sign. So I continued with the process, and by the end of the month, I had been admitted.
At the beginning of 2023, I never could have imagined I would have the opportunity to travel across the world to study business and finish my degree in another continent. My journey here was definitely unique, and for that, I couldn’t feel more grateful. Along the way I have built beautiful connections, made wonderful memories, and listened to my gut. I’ve learned so much up to this point and I know my time here will bring so many more lessons, and I can’t wait!
