For some of us, college was the chance to start over. To start fresh. To begin again.
We all came to our freshman-year dorms in August relieved that we were no longer high schoolers, ready to make new connections and anticipating what exactly we would do with a clean slate. But as we look back as seniors now, it’s easy to tell we’ve all changed a lot since freshman year, which begs the question: Did I reinvent myself?
While it’s true, yes, it may just be as simple as growing up and maturing, you can’t help but think of that same person you were four years ago and the new identity that you wanted to create for yourself, and you wanted to have fun with it too.
Who am I going to become? That’s the question everyone asks themselves at the start of college. Do I want to become the independent person I’ve always wanted to be? Do I want to take a chance and try out Greek life? Do I pursue an old passion and find people to share it with? Do I take the necessary steps to make a better version of myself? In college, it’s possible to do all of these things and more.
And yeah sure, you dyed your hair a couple of times and decided to change your style or take on a new aesthetic, but it’s deeper than those surface-level changes. It was almost as if you were testing out different personalities because let’s face it— there’s obviously going to be experimentation involved. It’s not like you can one day decide to be someone you’re not because it’s a process, just like anything else. And when it comes to reinventing yourself, college is the time to do it. Especially at a place like Penn State.
So, to answer the question of whether or not you can reinvent yourself in college, we’ll let the seniors speak for themselves.
“I’ve taught myself to enjoy the little parts of life more and to just be grateful for where I naturally end up. I’ve learned to enjoy the small parts of daily life that I used to just take for granted.”
“My college experience started out super rough. I was a lonely girl from Minnesota and didn’t have a lot of friends. I thought about transferring. But once I found my place which funny enough was VALLEY and my sorority, I made friendships and made Penn State a little smaller. I realized that if I wanted to make Penn State amazing I needed to take control.”
“I’ve learned I can really choose my own friends and my own path. Yes, I grew up with friends and stuff, but in college, I’ve realized I have more of an opinion on where I end up. More of my choices have been up to me.”
“I feel as if college had shaped me into becoming my own person and having an understanding as to what I would want for older me and leaving my younger self ideals behind. But I also learned through my mistakes and if it weren’t for being on my own I wouldn’t have been able to prepare myself mentally for the real world.”
“I would say college is a great place to try new things and have fun and it’s a way into the adult world that isn’t as scary. Also, everyone is in the same space whether it’s reinventing yourself or just being your authentic self!”
“I learned to stop being so hard on myself, in so many different aspects of my life. I had a few moments of serious burnout where I was like ‘What am I doing to myself?’ or times when I found myself putting energy into people and things where I wasn’t benefitting at all. I think what I’m trying to say is that I’m definitely the most in tune with myself that I’ve ever been in my life.”
“I would say I changed my mindset and my habits, which has largely changed the way I see the world.”
“I grew up going to small schools, so I absolutely had to learn how to put myself out there more. I’ve also dealt with anxiety and depression all my life and finally was medicated beginning of sophomore year which made a big change in my personality. I also learned a lot about myself over COVID which led me to gain new hobbies.”
“I’ve learned how to prioritize the things in life that make the happiest through experiencing what it’s like to not prioritize myself.”
While these are just a few anonymous testimonies to the many ways in which we can evolve as a result of our college experience, it’s hard not to relate to at least one of these quotes to your own reinvention. So ask yourself: Did you pick up a new hobby? Did you find a new passion? Did you start being honest with yourself? Did you make new friends that will one day be a part of your wedding party? Did you lose someone you loved? Did you burn yourself out? Did you stop putting yourself first? Did you fail?
So with all of this in mind, it’s time for the most important question of all: What did you do with your clean slate?
Tweet us @VALLEYmag with your thoughts and reminisce on whether or not you’ve changed in college.
