Ever since I came to college two years ago, I’ve been searching for different perspectives to view the world. Now that I’m entering my third year, I finally have the view that I wanted to have going into school two years ago.
Some people fall in love with Mizzou as soon as they step foot on it. Some people fall in love even earlier, perhaps through family legacy. Then there are the ones who take some time to warm up to their situation. I fall into this category. I heard about how people were unsure of their decision even after spending a semester at school, but they found their groove quickly after that. It took me almost two full years to get to this point. Admittedly, Mizzou was not my first choice of school, and I kept trying to see it for what I wanted it to be and not what it actually was. This was probably why it took me two years to come around, and even now, I wouldn’t say I love where I go to school like some others. I can say that I’m comfortable, which is more than I could say before.
In two years, I was fortunate enough to see other schools since my brother was searching for colleges and allowed me to tag along for some of the visits. I saw schools I really liked and I would constantly compare them to the one I knew purely out of instinct. It was only when my family moved him into his school of choice a few days ago that everything started to line up. Seeing these other campuses opened my eyes to their differences. Each campus has a feeling, some more familiar than others, and that’s what I think makes them all unique. The various factors that make a school all go into creating this feeling of individualism -- from the campus layout, to the Greek system, to the sports teams etc.
Looking at Mizzou and trying to make it feel how I wanted it to feel was taxing, and part of me wasted time doing that instead of moving on to other things. There’s nothing like 20/20 hindsight to finally see that. With my junior year coming up and the realization that I’ve only got two more years before I’ve got to enter the real world, I’ve decided to make this year amazing. I won’t be wasting time trying to point out the flaws I see or attempting to change the campus into my version of perfect; I’ll be appreciating my school for its current state. Everything is familiar now but that doesn’t make it exactly the same. When I walk to class, I’ll be looking at the buildings, the people and the layout differently. That’s going to give me a new feeling ‑‑ an updated, more positive feeling of the campus. Going to football games will be different. Walking through downtown will be different. Even sitting in class studying will be different all because I’ve gained what I didn’t have coming to school in the first place.
Perspective: It’s a hell of a thing.
