Madison Fessler / The Jambar
As the fall semester wraps up and I prepare for graduation in May, I’ve found myself reminiscing on my time here at Youngstown State University. It’s bittersweet. Yes, I’m excited to leave the stress behind, but that means diving headfirst into the unknown.
Before I go, I wanted to share some of the things I’ve learned. I’ve been in college since I was 16-years-old and I’ve accumulated a lot of knowledge, not just with school, but life as well.
My biggest piece of advice I want everyone to internalize is stop serving things that do not serve you. By things, I mean people, jobs, activities, anything you do or have in life. If it doesn’t bring you joy, support, a future, then leave it behind.
It’s better to feel alone by yourself then feel alone surrounded by things you love that don’t love you back.
Don’t take that advice as me telling you to drop out. College provides the opportunity for the future and while it’s hard, especially with finals coming up, look to the future and give yourself the opportunity to dream big. The answer is always no until you ask.
That leads me to my next point, give yourself grace. College is hard, friendships are hard, life is hard, so why make it worse by being hard on yourself.
At the end of the day, we’re all human. We all experience highs and lows and beating yourself up when you’re low doesn’t help — only harms. Give yourself the space to feel and rest, after all, this is your first time being alive.
My mom always tells me “Your body knows what it needs, take the nap before the nap takes you. Exhaustion only leads to you feeling worse,” and I should’ve taken that advice more often.
Take the advice given to you, learn from my mistakes. While you’re at it, learn from your mistakes too. It ties back to giving yourself grace. You’re human, you’re going to mess up. What counts is your reaction to it.
Swallow your pride, admit you messed up and take the necessary steps to fix it, like asking for help.
Speaking of asking for help, ask for it. The people who love and care about you will never see you as a burden. I reiterate, swallow your pride and learn from my mistakes. There’s been too many moments in my life where if I had just asked for help, a bad situation could’ve been avoided.
Again, we’re all human. There’s only so much we can take before it crushes us, recognize your crushing point and ask for help before you get there. You’re not weak for asking for help, in fact it makes you stronger.
Yes, I did cry while writing this. I love my YSU family and I’ll be sad to say goodbye to the school that has given me so much.
