You might have read this title and thought, "This chick's an idiot!" or "Oh, she's in for her MRS. Haha," but hear me out.

Yeah, I'm aiming for my degree and I'd be disappointed if I didn't make it to that point, but honestly, if a piece of paper is the only fruit of four years worth of lost sleep, stress, and a ton of tuition money, I think there's something wrong. And yes, I get that the piece of paper opens "a world of opportunities" and society says I need it in order to have a better quality of life, but personally, I am not just here for the diploma. It doesn't even take first priority.

I actually try to consciously put other stuff above my studies because change is my first priority. Upward change, obviously. For those blessed with the ability to be in college, we know that this institution can serve as a transition from pre-adulting into full blown independence. Transitions are ridden with change.

In this transition, I want to get a bigger perspective of this world, God's work, and my life and purpose. I want to know the ins and outs of the fields I'm majoring in, but also the issues that are perpetrating this world. I'd like to have all the knowledge that brings me to earning the degree, but also the understanding of how to hear someone out and be empathetic to their needs.

Change will come through learning and experiencing this way, being wide-eyed to all that the college experience has to offer. And being wide-eyed is a joke because you know, college... so maybe wide-minded or wide-hearted.

I'd like to change myself, but others too. I want the people that I'm blessed with to be motivated towards change; I hope my friends feel more loved and more purposeful and more driven to be all that they're made to be. The way I'm impacted by others will bring change-- I'm loved and mothered by some but have been challenged and let down by some as well. Profs aren't the only instructors, that's for sure. But in all, the ups and downs have brought positive change.

My priorities don't work with everyone's life. I know, and I respect that. So here's an ending statement that should work for all of you--

There's that quote, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." But so much is broke here, so let's not wait until we earn our degrees or find happiness or get to our next ideal to bring change and fix it; let's start now.