I am graduating. College is over. How weird.
In high school, UCLA was a big part of my future. In college,
UCLA is a big part of my present. Two weeks from now, UCLA will
simply be a part of my past. I will no longer stop at tables on
Bruin Walk, meet friends at Kerckhoff for lunch, or have late night
“studying” sessions in Powell. UCLA will be just a
memory. But in the end, it isn’t the memories we take out of
college that affect us the most.
The majority of us enter college with a goal in mind: to get out
with a thick, nicely embossed piece of paper. On the way we figure
we’ll pick up a few parties, some love affairs, a fresh new
set of friends, and spring break road trips. It all comes with the
turf.
However, what we end up getting out of college is much more
profound. Whether we realize it or not, we get philosophies,
beliefs, questions and answers. We set new goals and reach new
conclusions. We change our ways of thinking, and we assign new
levels of importance to societal issues.
In a nutshell, we become who we will be.
So, who do you want to be? I mean, since you’re becoming
the person you will be, don’t you think it’s worthwhile
to determine who it is you want yourself to be ““ rather than
allowing your university or society to determine it for you?
I’m not asking what kind of job you want or which
pop-culture icon you idolize. Those are silly, irrelevant questions
at best. I’m asking what you will stand for and whether or
not you will have the means to defend it. I’m asking whether
or not you will have given the important questions, which you will
have answered by the time you leave college, the amount of
dedication they deserve. I am asking what you will find important.
I am asking who you want to be.
You see, the “side effects” of college end up being
some of the most influential components of our lives.
We’re all so preoccupied balancing our hectic social lives
with the busy work given to us by professors that the important
questions never receive proper attention.
I am here to tell you to not let that happen to you. Use your
time in college wisely. Intelligently ask questions, thirstily seek
answers. Give this world some thought. Give your life some thought.
Become the person you want to be, not the person society will make
you. Because trust me, in the blink of an eye, college will be
over, and life will begin. And life is what we live for. We all
know that the future is of utmost importance, but the only time we
have control over is the present. Use the present to determine what
you want out of life.
You can consider this to be the advice of an elder, or the
ranting of a mad man ““ it’s your choice.
Who are you? I suggest you use your time in college to find
out.
Levy was a Daily Bruin Viewpoint columnist.