The Idyllic College Experience

Don’t be the young, close-minded, easily persuaded student l once was

i·dyl·lic

adjective

(especially of a time or place) like an idyll; extremely happy, peaceful, or picturesque.

Synonyms: perfect, wonderful, blissful

Disclaimer: Everyone’s idyllic — or perfect — college experience is and will almost inevitably be different. People come from different backgrounds, different cultures, and different circumstances. People have different motivations, different reasons, and different purposes for attending college, and I understand that. Therefore, it is not necessary to agree or to disagree with the content or story of this post. Rather, it is important to think about your current college experience and ask yourself if you’re really happy with what you’re doing.

As a high school senior, I had not a single clue regarding what I would want to pursue in college and beyond. That seemed okay at the time, but I think it limited my experiences in college early on. I strongly believe that high school students should not have to know exactly what they hope to pursue in college, but I think college encourages and rewards that type of mindset — committing to your “passions” at such a young age. I had several friends applying to seven-year med programs; I had friends applying to nursing school.

I was just not one of those students.

I was young, close-minded, and easily persuaded, so I decided to pursue the path that made most sense for my college application. I was president for my school’s DECA chapter. DECA is a nationwide organization that hosts a business / entrepreneurship case competition for various schools and universities. I was involved in MREACH, an organization sponsored by Michigan’s Ross School of Business that brings together high school students and exposes them to business concepts, environments, and opportunities. I was also participating and succeeding in a high school pitch competition hosted by MPowered Entrepreneurship, a University of Michigan student organization. I was involved in these initiatives because they would help me stand out from the thousands of other applicants who could easily fit my prototype: a 4.0 student, a varsity athlete, a (mediocre) violinist, and an avid volunteer.

When I was accepted as a pre-admit to the Ross School of Business Class of 2019, which ironically happened during my DECA conference in March 2014, I was ecstatic. I was filled with joy; I immediately tweeted, called my parents, and let my friends and teachers know. But, now that I think about it, I had no reason to be that happy. I was accepted to a program that I had forced myself to be a strong candidate for. In fact, I still really had no idea what I would want to do. It was only in my junior year of college that I began to understand what it really means to know what you want to do. As a second-generation college student, my parents understand what it means to go to school in America — they both completed their Master’s programs here after completing their undergraduate education in India.

Going to school means succeeding academically, so that you can get into a prestigious graduate school or so you can earn promising career opportunities.

If that’s what college is really all about, why then does college create an application system that rewards students who know that they are so interested in computer science or actuarial maths? When then does college create an application system that reward students who fabricate a whole story to illustrate that? Why then do colleges create an application system that reward students that think they know what they want to pursue, but punish those that genuinely have no idea what they want to do. I guess the real question then is:

Why not do colleges reward students who wish to use college as a medium to discover their true selves through diverse experiences and opportunities?

College is a funny place because students enter knowing exactly what they think they need to do in order to exit successfully. As a business student, I need to join the right clubs and organizations, I need to meet and network with the right professionals, I need to make sure my GPA is above the cutoff, I need to make sure my resume is perfectly written. I need to do all this in order to land my dream job in consulting or investment banking. The problem with this mindset is so obvious that it often goes overlooked.

What if I do not want to do this?

I was young, close-minded, and easily persuaded, so I decided to pursue the path that made most sense for my post-college reality. I signed up for Ross, so then it became my problem. I had no idea why I was pursuing a business degree in Ross, but I was doing it. Was I doing all these things because it made most sense for my post-college application?

Yes — that is exactly what I was doing. Thankfully for me, my college experiences helped me discover what I was truly passionate about, and it wasn’t too late before I could immerse myself into the right experiences and opportunities. I was consistently frustrated with my academic experiences. I constantly complained about the shortcomings and voids in my undergraduate experience. I started writing and reflecting about this. I started interviewing for positions at companies, where I talked more about my interest in education than the company itself. I discovered myself through a process of going through someone else’s narrative. College should be about exploring and failing, and that is exactly what it was for me. However, it does not always work this way for everyone.

The “Average” College Student Story:

While I was driving back to campus with a friend today, we had a conversation about the differences between knowing what you actually want to do versus doing what you think you want to do. The underlying difference lies in the order of thinking. When you consider the outcome of your work first, you create a picture of what you think needs to be done in order to get there. When you consider your interests first, you create a picture of what you hope to do in order to get where you want to be.

Think about the first scenario and the example my friend narrated. John is an ambitious student with the goal to become a doctor, and to achieve that, he needs to go to a top-ranked medical school. He, then creates the picture of what he thinks he needs to do in order to achieve this. He needs to do research with a faculty member; he needs to volunteer; he needs to do well in his science classes. He needs to do all these things, so he dedicates most of his energy doing this, instead of exploring. Instead of discovering what he truly enjoys, he remains focused on all these activities.

Now, think about the second scenario. John is interested in becoming a doctor, but he’s also interested in public health. As such, John creates a picture of what he wants to do that will help him get where he wants to. He still does research, this time more focused and specific to what he actually wants to do, instead of accepting the first offer he gets. This time, John takes different and unique classes that expose him to those topics. John joins an organization that has no premed members, but is rather an economic club that discusses health issues from an economic perspective. John is so focused on his interests that he discovers that maybe being a “doctor” isn’t exactly what he wants to do. He realizes that shadowing a doctor and health-related research are mundane and boring for him. Instead, he really enjoys the ideas of educating and informing others on relevant topics and issues within the health care and public health domains. He changes his focus and decides to pursue graduate education in health education, so he can continue to explore his passions. This John truly lived the college experience. He lived the idyllic college experience because he participated in the system, willing to take risks, willing to fail, and most importantly, willing to discover himself.

Now, let me tell you my story. I want to tell you my story because it is very atypical and nontraditional, especially to the population I am constantly surrounded by. Additionally, I have been struggling to truly share my interests and passions with people because I view it is a much less common field, and notably, a riskier one.

Here is my story:

I entered college as a business student. As we all know, I would come to learn that I actually hated that. Nevertheless, in the beginning of my college career, I had created a picture of my outcome: life as a consultant. I had created this picture, so I thought I knew exactly what I had to do in order to get there. I needed to join a consulting club — I joined 180 Degrees Consulting. I needed to get grades above 3.7/3.8 in order to be considered for interviews — I achieved a 4.0. I needed to network with professionals from every firm, so my name would be floating around — I spent hours each week on the phone, conversing with professionals of every firm. I did everything I thought I would have to do in order to be successful upon exit of college. In the middle of the busy recruiting season of Fall 2017, it hit me.

I was conveying an artificial story, overhyping my experiences, and fabricating my interests in consulting. I realized this as I was interviewing. I had already begun writing about my education experiences, or rather education frustrations. I enjoyed reading books and articles about education psychology and education technology. I started bringing up these interests in interviews for companies like McKinsey, Procter & Gamble, and Ernst & Young. The more I interviewed, the more I realized what I wanted to do. After recruiting season, I quickly changed gears and opened myself up to new experiences, to new classes, and to new opportunities. I spoke with professors, enrolled in interesting classes, and replaced activities with new ones. I began to explore. As I explore (I am still exploring), I am beginning to identify and discover my true interests. I became passionate about changing education. I became passionate about learning design and learning technologies. I am currently doing research about Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and am taking a class entitled “Videogames & learning.” I am learning, but more importantly I am now creating a picture of my outcomes based on my interests.

A note to all those with whom I was too shy to speak up and explain what I am genuinely interested in: I am extremely interested in studying learning design and how certain environments and technologies might promote better learning outcomes. Based on my academic experiences, I have developed a fond interest in hoping to influence change in education systems, and this is exactly what I hope to do. I am planning to supplement my current initiatives with relevant career opportunities or further education in programs that focus on learning sciences, learning design, and learning technologies. It was an incredible exploration, but now that I have truly discovered myself, I have never been happier, and I am working to make this picture a reality.

To end, I will leave you with some wise words from famous blogger turned author Mandy Hale:

“You’ll learn, as you get older, that rules are made to be broken. Be bold enough to live life on your terms, and never, ever apologize for it. Go against the grain, refuse to conform, take the road less traveled instead of the well-beaten path. Laugh in the face of adversity, and leap before you look. Dance as though everybody is watching. March to the beat of your own drummer. And stubbornly refuse to fit in.”

So ask yourselves: How are you going to live your idyllic college experience?

- AA :)