Hello, my readers đ By the time youâre reading this, Iâve already completed my first semester at Babson College, and am now back in Toronto. Pardon me for being inactive, and thanks for sticking around :) Your presence makes this newsletter a better communityđ.
This piece is a summary of my first semester of college. In case you didnât know, I took a gap semester in the fall before the spring semester. My POV is subjective and personal, therefore narrow and limited. But, I encourage you to join me and think about some themes that apply to any stage of life: our choices with time, short-term comfort vs. long-term satisfaction, staying present & having fun vs. taking time off to reflectâŚÂ
Hello, my newsletter. I missed you dearlyâŁď¸Although I havenât published any pieces this year, I think about Be authentic, be vulnerable every week.
Four months of college felt more like four days of school. The first time I checked the date was then I said goodbye to my mom on the first day of school in January. The next time I looked at my calendar, I was magically transported to May, moving my personal belongings out of my dorm room as I wished my college friends a wonderful summer.Â
College courses felt more manageable than high school. After four years of repeated cycles of procrastination, I finally fulfilled the promise to myself of breaking this bad habit chainâď¸đŤ. College was less structured and more spontaneous than high school. I liked to plan my schedule, but I learned to make space for last-minute events to fit into my day. I saw opportunities to fill the gaps in my weaknesses by taking risks and embracing failures, rather than avoiding them to maintain my grades like I did in the past. I no longer have to play it safe as I am in a low steaks, high-reward environment. While I can embrace my natural characteristics, I will also be able to encompass a well-rounded, versatile personality in the workforce.Â
Although I only had twelve hours of lecture per week with every Friday off (plus the weekend), every hour of the day was constantly âgo time.â Applying to clubs, getting food with new friends, attending speaker events, and volunteering for school initiatives. It was the start of a new chapter for me. I let myself indulge in every new experience! However, unlike my gap semester, I had little time to reflect on the multifaceted aspects of my life in college. Iâm spending this summer with a slower routine again. If I continue to fully occupy myself with fun and highly stimulating events, I wonât be in the proper state of mind to look back on the past few months and consider how I want to approach the next school year.
Socially, the first few weeks were lonely and isolating; I decided not to stick to one âfriend groupâ while some January admits stayed with each other. No choice is better than another! I wonât dive into the specifics, but I aligned my actions with my personal values.Â
Decision-making is not about doing what feels comfortable in the short term, but about acting on what would benefit you as time progresses, even when itâs unpleasant at present.
Roaming alone on campus for the first bit only made me value and appreciate the friendships I made later on even more. College acts as a bridge between childhood and adulthood. Iâm glad that other people my age and I can support and rely on each other to make this transition together.Â
At the beginning of this year, a Twitter thread I wrote about âWhy Iâm going to collegeâ gained 5800+ views. Some of you have reached out to me, saying that youâre interested in staying updated as I start school. Before I sort my thoughts out into coherent sentences, I canât give an honest review of college or business school yet. What I do know is that college is not for everyone, but enrolling in Babson College was the right decision for me.Â
In the meantime, you should check out my college road trip vlog, where *everything* went differently than planned. It wonât disappoint, I promise đ
More newsletter publications are coming your way in the next few months! Get excited!
Be authentic, be vulnerableÂ
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