Four years ago, I had to choose between going away to college and staying home.
I thought of how close I was to my father and the friends I had since elementary school, most of whom were planning to commute to college. I knew that I was shy and not too likely to fit in with the party atmosphere of college dorms.
What I didn’t know was that I would genuinely like every roommate or suitemate that I would ever have or that I would be in a relationship for the first time in my life. If I hadn’t left home, I never would have found that out.
Not that there’s anything wrong with commuting to college, as many of my friends do. I’m sure that I would have had a good college experience if I did that. In my case though, I don’t think it would have been as good.
I might have worked on a campus newspaper, but I wouldn’t have enjoyed as unique of an experience as The Quad News. Where else could I have helped to start a one of a kind organization, working for principles I believe in, with people I like?
If I stayed home, I still would have regularly attended church at my home parish. I probably wouldn’t have participated in a campus ministry as cool as the one at Quinnipiac, nor would I have met a campus chaplain as energetic and amicable as Father Jonathan Kalisch. I don’t know if I would have been able to participate on a strong Knights of Columbus College Council, something that I take vast pride in.
There would have been good professors at any school, but maybe none that take as much interest in their students as professor of economics Donn Johnson, assistant professor of journalism Margarita Diaz or the many other excellent teachers here.
Even after coming to Quinnipiac, I still had some deciding to do.
At the start of my sophomore year, my next decision was whether or not to change majors.
Switching to economics was a bit of a risk, considering my weak math skills.
I liked my introductory economics classes though, so I decided to give it a try. I’m glad I did. I liked every professor within my major and was challenged by every class. Eventually, I’d like to pursue economics in graduate school.
Switching to economics also allowed me to have a great experience interning at American Express in Manhattan last summer, where I worked with a team composed of people from all corners of the globe.
In the spring of my sophomore year, I made the most difficult decision of college. I decided to spend the beginning of my junior year studying abroad in Cork, Ireland.
I knew that studying abroad would change every single aspect of the rest of my college experience. I also dealt with homesickness. Four months on a continent where I didn’t know a single person might have been pushing it. However, I enjoyed it.
The ability to successfully leave my comfort zones of Fair Lawn, NJ and Hamden, Conn. was a crucial part of my college experience.
I can safely say that taking slight risks led to great experiences. The risks were immediate, while the rewards lingered uncertainly in the future. It took at least a year from finally deciding to go to Ireland until I could call it a great experience. For a few months at least, I definitely doubted that switching majors was the right choice. I didn’t get to work at American Express until two years later. That changed my opinion.
The Knights of Columbus didn’t exist at Quinnipiac until spring of 2007, two full years after I chose the school. Similarly, The Quad News didn’t exist until this academic year.
I can’t guarantee that risks will always work out, but I can guarantee that the best times won’t just fall on your lap.
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