Students at Oberlin are pretty known for (amongst many other things) having strong work ethics. Our signature phrase, “Think one person can change the world?” implies that there’s a lot of work behind the answer. A lot of us really are trying to do just that – change the world. It’s all happening in different ways – from those invested in the future of our climate through environmental science projects to the artists who work to bring people together through our shared, core values. Everyone on this campus possesses a clearly visible sense of dedication and drive. We’re all on a constant quest to do something meaningful with our lives, and it’s one of the best aspects of our student body.
But it can be intimidating to hear all that. Sometimes, even being around it is a little overwhelming. In your first year in college especially, imposter syndrome runs wild. It was one of the main things I discussed with my friends from home this past summer break. No matter where we had all ended up, everyone had in some way felt like they weren’t “enough” for the school they were attending. We all had our own reasons – we didn’t feel like we were smart enough, everyone else seemed to be working harder, everyone was accomplishing more. It was tough to go through the first year of this incredible experience with the “Am I really good enough?” thought constantly in the back of my brain.
One of the biggest things weighing me down, as it sort of always has, is my incredible ability to procrastinate. Whether it be studying for a test, working on a project, or even starting a book I’ve been meaning to read forever, I can’t seem to get around to doing any of it. This worked okay in high school. Mostly because we were all at some point dealing with work we just didn’t ever want to do, and leaving assignments until the last minute was something everybody did out of sheer disinterest in the topics. The thing about college, though, and especially classes at Oberlin, is that you’ll end up learning some of the most interesting and important things you’ll ever get access to in your life. Even in classes I didn’t think I was ready for, I’m constantly becoming really interested in new ideas or making connections between the real world and the course material I didn’t think were possible. Take, for instance, the chemistry class I’m taking right now. I am not a STEM person. Never have been, never will be. But the Chemistry and the Environment class I’m in would never be offered at my high school, and learning about pesticides and climate policies is a lot more exciting than the state testing curriculum we were forced to learn in tenth grade.
I didn’t feel like I was really missing out on anything in the high school classes I procrastinated in. Once I got here, though, I felt like my work habits were causing me to waste all of the cool courses Oberlin has to offer. I was always comparing my level of procrastination to that of others in my first year. And I’ll be honest – I still feel it sometimes. What I’ve learned, though, through getting used to the workload and talking with other people about our shared feelings on this, is that it’s okay to not be completely productive all the time. We’ve seen this message everywhere for years – everything now is all about self-care and taking breaks, but it’s important that these sentiments also apply to times when you are continuously working. What works for you, works for you. And that may not be getting up at the crack of dawn to get ahead on Japanese history readings (like my roommate frequently does – love you, Pookie <3). I know I would not be able to function if I got up any earlier than my already way too hopeful 8:45 alarm; I still scramble to my 9:30 class as it is. And that’s ok! We’re all different, and the best part of going to this school is that we’re all on entirely different learning paths. Why should someone double majoring in Physics and Trombone have the same work schedule as a Creative Writing major involved in three separate theater productions? That just wouldn’t work!
You may be at the point when it’s finally starting to set in that you’ll be soon onto a form of higher education and you’re starting to really worry about fitting into the busy atmosphere. Whether you end up here or somewhere else, just remember that you’ve gotten this far in a way that’s different from how anyone else did. Whatever questionable work habits or insecurities you bring with you to college, all of it and all of you will continue to be rewarded by the success that you’ve already earned through every perceived “flaw.”
