It’s only been a month since my sophomore year at Naz started, but I can already sense that this semester is going to be much different than my freshman year. The living situation is incredibly different because I’m living in a Build Your Own Community in O’Connor 2, which is exclusively for resident sophomores who want to live in a hall of suites with their friends. I love the people I live with and although it’s only been a month in school, it feels like years because we’re all so close. Also, my major, which is music therapy, is becoming more involved. I’m currently helping lead a preschool class in a sing-along at the Trinity Montessori School, which is right off campus.
Keeping all of this in mind, it’s clear that the responsibilities and opportunities I have on campus have increased. As I’ve started a new school year, I’ve been doing a fair amount of reflecting on who I was and who I want to be, and these are two of the things I’ve learned about myself since freshman year.
1. I can’t do everything.
In highschool, and even during my first semester, I had convinced myself that I had enough energy and dedication for a million different jobs, activities, friends, and whatever else life gave me the opportunity to engage in. At first it was easy, and I liked being busy. I liked that exhausted feeling at the end of the day of being overly productive. But that didn’t last long. Eventually, I was burnt out. My sleep schedule was suffering, my grades began to slip, and I found myself getting annoyed with the people I had claimed to love just weeks prior. And that exhausted feeling at the end of the day? Not as satisfying as it used to be.
The fall of my freshman year, I had a meeting with my advisor, Dr. Betsey King, and when she asked me how I was doing, I remember just crying. I don’t think anyone had genuinely asked me that question, and worst of all, I don’t think I had ever asked myself that question. I just assumed that because I was busy, I was doing okay, which obviously wasn’t true. She reminded me that I have eight semesters to be a person at Nazareth College, and that just because I want to do everything, doesn’t mean I should do everything. College, and life, is about balance and about dedicating your energies to people, places, and things that matter to you.
2. I need keep myself grounded.
Once I realized how impossible it was to juggle everything, I began to prioritize what did matter to me, and it was a pretty simple list:
- My loved ones
- Music therapy
- Extracurriculars and my social life
By the end of my freshman year, I realized how many people weren’t in my life anymore, which was tough, but, as cheesy as it sounds, some people are really in your life for a reason and others are for a season. I’m so grateful for the friends I made within the first semester, because even if we’re not close anymore, they still helped with my transition into college. Once I found my tribe, however, the bond between all of us grew even stronger through all the craziness of freshman year.
Having a major like music therapy is a really special experience, and I’m so glad that I’ve found it as my calling. I always knew I wanted to work with children as a music therapist, but I didn’t know exactly which population would speak to me until I took my Intro to Music Therapy class first semester. That class opened my eyes to the entire world of music therapy, and solidified my choice in a major and a future population that I wanted to work with. The music therapy faculty at Nazareth are so open to helping you decide if music therapy right is for you, and they showed me that I do have a place within their department.
Like I said, life is about balance, and this balance wouldn’t be complete without a social life. I found several places at Naz outside of academics that I could be myself in: the Social Media team, within ensembles in the music department, AMTAS (American Music Therapy Association for Students), and my own group of friends. These groups helped me take my mind off the hectic nature of college, all while still being on campus, and they are groups I truly care about. Being a part of AMTAS as a freshman, and caring so deeply about it, led me to becoming the club’s historian at the end of my freshman year.
Navigating the first year of college isn’t the easiest at times, but it isn’t impossible. College isn’t one size fits all and Nazareth is great about helping you choose your own path. For me, the support system I had from professors, my advisor, and my friends really helped motivate me to explore what I care about. This support system at Naz never made me feel stifled as I discovered myself, but provided a great foundation for growth.
It is difficult to juggle a million classes, friends, and extracurriculars, but it isn’t hard to care deeply about the few that really matter to you.