Monday, April 16, 2012

Choosing Between Opposites

One of my biggest struggles in life is deciding between complete opposites. As one of the most indecisive people you will ever meet, I find myself lost in deciding between two potentially life changing choices. The biggest issue on my mind currently is college. I have been accepted to University of Illinois and University of Miami. Basically complete opposites. Warm vs. cold weather. Big vs. smaller. Far vs. close. Friends vs. strangers.

The more I think about deciding, the more I am unsure of what I want. Both options are great, but both have their pros and cons. How does one make such a huge decision? Making a list of reasons why I should go to one or the other helps, but when I don't have a "deciding factor" it is hard to know which one I want to go to. 

I think the hill that I can't seem to get over is the fear of change and whether or not I am ready to break out of my comfort zone. No matter which college I go to, I will have to meet new people and move away from home. But University of Miami is the "riskier" choice. The difficulty of making this choice stems from not knowing exactly what I want, but from the change in general. In The College SpillMeredith Bazirgan discusses the universal stress of going to college and the difficulties that every student feels, 


"Most anyone can and does experience loneliness, and we have found that it is often accompanied by difficulty making friends, homesickness, feeling alone around others, or having too few meaningful acquaintances."


No matter where I go, I will experience the emotional struggles described above. So how can I get past this fear and commit to a school? Part of getting over a problem is recognizing that there is an issue in the first place. Now that I have realized that change and struggle is inevitable, my decision should be easier to make. College is about a change of scenery, a challenge, having fun, and growing as a person. So where can I do that best? 


I appear to be at a fork in the road. The Black Umbrella, a blog of one of my classmates, discussed regrets and how to deal with them. We can reflect on our regrets and live in the past if we want, but accepting and realizing there is nothing we can do about the past the only way to move forward. Based on the advice of my fellow classmate, it seems that the University of Miami is the best choice. It offers adventure and challenge at the same time, and no matter what I know that I will have a real, successful college experience.

1 comment:

  1. I'm glad that you took my advice! I think you're absolutely right; every school is going to have its pros and cons. We have to decide which school will benefit us in the long run and why it will, decide which pros are more important, and realize that no matter which choice we make, we risk a lot. College is a time to explore and a change in scenery can only be beneficial in the long run, I think. Regret is going to be inevitable and things constantly change, so the way we deal with change will determine how much of life we regret. You're going to have a blast in Miami :)

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