Branching Out

A week or two ago, a friend and I were discussing an on campus event from my first semester. It was a presentation on sushi making, complete with free sushi and lots of neat tips. That sort of thing was right up my alley, but I recall making a point of not attending for one reason in particular: I was nervous. I was nervous about meeting people, afraid that they'd all have large friend groups already or that I, with my inability to make idle small talk, wouldn't be interesting enough. I lived my entire life in the same town of 801 people to the Auburn campus; the thought of conversing with people with far more life experiences than me was daunting.

With my junior year now approaching, I’ve started thinking about that first semester at Auburn. I recalled how kind everyone had been, and what relief I'd felt when I started to realize I was bonding with new friends. I remember discussing hometowns and childhoods and favourite games and movies with people from all over the world. We shared beloved stories and snacks and songs and made all sorts of new memories. Now, two years later, I don't know of a single time I've regreted getting to know someone new. Even if we didn't become the best of buddies or see everything eye to eye, having the opportunity to see and understand the world through someone else's point of view was always an exciting experience.

Though I intentionally skipped out on on-campus events that first semester, by branching out and talking to people I thought I'd have nothing in common with, I learned a lot about myself and the world around me. More importantly, I befriended some of the most interesting, hilarious, and intelligent people I've ever met. Being open minded and branching out, however slowly, were the best decisions I made in college, and my advice to all students as this new semester approaches is to do the same.

SueAnne