Spring Break
Don't let other people define you; be yourself
Alex Sanders
Issue date: 2/20/09 Section: Commentary
People change their minds frequently. It's a fact. Whether deciding on an outfit to wear or who you are going to spend the rest of your life with, people are uncertain about things.
People's lives are often heavily influenced by advice from others. From the time we are young, our parents, guidance counselors, advisors, bosses and even friends try to tell us what is best. We follow paths that are supposedly the "best thing" for us according to the people around us, but they aren't always right.
Your parents may encourage you to be a lawyer from the time you are young, but your heart may lie in painting. Most people experience conflicts about their future, but our generation can be the one to change this; the one that makes it acceptable, and perhaps even beneficial, to be unsure about life.
Throughout my years at UConn, I have noticed a peculiar stigma surrounding changing one's mind. Corporations, colleges, businesses, government and the entertainment industry all try to change peoples' minds. When they are successful, it is socially acceptable to change your viewpoint. However, when it comes to changing majors, breaking off engagements, quitting a job or moving somewhere else, there seems to be a negative connotation associated with change.
With all of the acceptable impermanence in society, why is there so much pressure for permanence in college? There are 81 days until graduation and not everyone has their future mapped out. Life throws curveballs, both good and bad. There is no way that students can plan for next year, let alone five years from now. But students are supposed to know what they want to do for the rest of their lives or at least have a general idea. That just isn't fair.
If students didn't feel so much pressure about changing their major or transferring schools, maybe they would be more likely to do it and there would be more job satisfaction after college. Advisors and parents will probably not change the way they think about things like this, and some already do think of change in a positive light. But for those that don't now, they probably never will. It is sort of like when one of your parents attempts to use a BlackBerry when he or she is used to a 1980s car phone. Change is hard for people, but it should be more socially accepted, especially for college students.
People's lives are often heavily influenced by advice from others. From the time we are young, our parents, guidance counselors, advisors, bosses and even friends try to tell us what is best. We follow paths that are supposedly the "best thing" for us according to the people around us, but they aren't always right.
Your parents may encourage you to be a lawyer from the time you are young, but your heart may lie in painting. Most people experience conflicts about their future, but our generation can be the one to change this; the one that makes it acceptable, and perhaps even beneficial, to be unsure about life.
Throughout my years at UConn, I have noticed a peculiar stigma surrounding changing one's mind. Corporations, colleges, businesses, government and the entertainment industry all try to change peoples' minds. When they are successful, it is socially acceptable to change your viewpoint. However, when it comes to changing majors, breaking off engagements, quitting a job or moving somewhere else, there seems to be a negative connotation associated with change.
With all of the acceptable impermanence in society, why is there so much pressure for permanence in college? There are 81 days until graduation and not everyone has their future mapped out. Life throws curveballs, both good and bad. There is no way that students can plan for next year, let alone five years from now. But students are supposed to know what they want to do for the rest of their lives or at least have a general idea. That just isn't fair.
If students didn't feel so much pressure about changing their major or transferring schools, maybe they would be more likely to do it and there would be more job satisfaction after college. Advisors and parents will probably not change the way they think about things like this, and some already do think of change in a positive light. But for those that don't now, they probably never will. It is sort of like when one of your parents attempts to use a BlackBerry when he or she is used to a 1980s car phone. Change is hard for people, but it should be more socially accepted, especially for college students.
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