In high school you were probably told not to procrastinate. You most likely did it anyways, but somehow it always ended up working out fine in the end. In college things are not really that different: the same advice still applies. Let me clarify that the difference with my blog is that I am not talking about school work (even though that is the whole reason you are here…). I am talking about your college bucket list. Four years may seem like forever, but I am sure every upperclassman would agree with me that these years fly by much faster than we want them to.
A typical Penn State bucket list includes climbing Mount Nittany, getting a picture with the Lion Shrine, etc. Why am I telling you not to procrastinate if these things seem so simple? Because every person’s bucket list is unique and has other items that might require more than 20 minutes of planning:
Studying abroad. Two words: DO IT. I was able to take a class in France at the beginning of the summer, and I even got to travel around London for a few days before. I was only in Europe for about three weeks, and it definitely was not enough time. Studying abroad is life changing and one of my greatest college experiences, so if you have had a dream of going anywhere in the world start looking into it! A lot of planning goes into studying abroad, especially if you are going for a whole semester. I recommend talking to an advisor and the study abroad office about where you want to go and the best time to do it. You might even be able to incorporate a language minor! Penn State not only has partnerships with dozens of other countries and their schools, but you can also find ways for credits from schools outside that list to transfer. With the endless location choices and opportunities for student aid, there is no reason you can’t check this one off your bucket list.
That thing you always wanted to try. So you have always wanted to try sailing but the closest body of water was 4 hours away? Penn State has it. You have been just dying to find others who appreciate pizza as much as you do? There is a club for that too. Penn State has 945 recognized clubs at University Park alone, ranging from sports to Greek life to student government; you name it (http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/hub/studentorgs/orgdirectory/). Literally the amounts of activities you can become involved in are endless. From the random clubs to the largest student-run philanthropy in the world, THON (thon.org), the opportunities to be involved in what you love are endless. Read some of the blogs earlier this month for even more details on Penn State's awesome clubs.
Internships, co-ops, research…oh my! You will hear PLENTY about these things at WEPO, but I am mentioning them now so you can start putting them on your bucket list. Have you always wanted to try working for the government? Itching to do research in the medical field, or go out to California to work with companies like Johnson&Johnson? Then go for it! Look into opportunities in the fields you might be interested in and find out as much as you can about working there—classes you might need, government clearance (which can take months…), and other things that may surprise you.
When I say do not procrastinate, I am not trying to scare you into having your entire college career planned out by the time you get here. By no means do I even have this year completely planned… What I am saying is to think about what you want to accomplish these next four years. On this “college bucket list” things will get deleted and added along the way; that is inevitable. But if you put some time into it, you can graduate having done everything you have ever wanted: a semester in Australia, two internships, a minor and double major, captain of your sports team, or even better—all of the above.
Sarah Krishner is a Junior in BioEngineering. This summer Sarah travelled abroad to France. Sarah is a mentor for WEPO '12
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