Written by Lauren Smyth
“Why are you here?”
My first instinct was to justify myself. To come up with a college-counselor-approved, resume-stamped, yes-I-want-this-job reason. Because I need the credit hours. Because I think everyone should know these skills. Because I’m taking a health economics course in the fall, so I should know something about health, right…?
The truth was, I’d signed up for the EMT class just because I wanted to. Which is a seriously underrated reason to sign up for anything, but also doesn’t sound like much of an answer.
“It’s a useful skill,” I told my instructor. She just looked more puzzled, so I added: “And it sounded fun.”
In other words: Why not?
I came to college to study politics. I’ll leave with economics and journalism degrees. I argued with the family members who told me to try out radio as an extracurricular, and I’m now running news coverage at WRFH Radio Free Hillsdale. (Thanks, Mom + Dad). Working at the State Department had been a lifelong pre-college dream, and now I’m hoping to fly medical rescue helicopters and become a news anchor.
The point is, things change. Being in college is like being a loaf of bread. Your margins expand and you rise to the challenge.
One of the most important lessons you’ll learn in college—especially a liberal arts school like Hillsdale, where opportunities and career choices abound—is that you don’t always know what’s best for you. As long as you remain willing to listen and course-correct accordingly, you’ll end up not only where you need to be, but where you’re meant to be.
“If you know what God has gifted you with and desired you to pursue, awesome—stick with it and don’t be ashamed that you can see His vision already,” said Caitlin Filep, ’25. “If you have no clue about your future, or He begins to change what you thought you wanted, then let Him lead you to things you might not have considered!”
Caitlin, now in her final year of college, found herself somewhere between those two extremes. She recognized from the start that she wanted to be a teacher, but it wasn’t until she’d completed part of her college experience that she began considering grad school.
“I’m definitely open to whatever else God might have for me if He wants to keep changing my plans,” she added.
It’s exactly the right mindset to have. But if you’re one of those people who requires a five-year plan for peace of mind, it can be difficult to exist in what feels like limbo. It can be even harder when every scholarship questionnaire and job application demands to know where you think you’ll be in ten years.
Once you write down an answer (I see myself as the CEO of a Fortune 500 company right out of college, which I know isn’t realistic but sounds like a great resume-builder), it can feel like failure if you don’t end up meeting your self-imposed goal.
All that pressure stilts discovery. And it makes you less receptive to adventures you might never have imagined without a little more advice and experience.
Like Caitlin, Lydia Chenoweth, ’25, also knew she wanted to be a teacher. Instead of working with elementary students like she’d always imagined, however, she now dreams of becoming a professor.
“It’s all subject to change,” Lydia said. “At the end of the day, I want to learn as much as I can surrounded by peers and students who share my interests.”
One way to leave room for new interests and discoveries, Lydia suggests, is to take as many of the required core courses as possible during freshman and sophomore year. With Hillsdale’s broad and varied core curriculum, you’ll sample a buffet of classes from across departments.
“That way, [freshmen] will find something they like eventually, without committing to anything too soon and limiting their options,” Lydia said.
Senior Lindsey Larkin agrees, adding: “Whatever career aspirations you have, learn as much as you can about that field before you’re on the job hunt. Have discussions with professionals, seek internships, and research your desired career to learn whether it’s a good fit for you. You don’t know what you don’t know!”
Lindsey’s own goals changed dramatically during her college career, leading her away from her original dream of attending law school to a new mission in conservative media.
“In my own experience, my interests shifted as I grew academically, personally, and professionally,” Lindsey said. “I entered college dead set on a politics degree and law school, then completely changed my mind. You might too!”
Didn’t like the bread analogy? Sorry, but here’s another: College is like a mystery novel. You don’t get all the answers upfront, and that’s okay. The process of discovery is rewarding for its own sake, just like unraveling a fictional mystery is a rainy afternoon’s delight.
Don’t let your plan be an anchor tethering you to something you’ve realized isn’t for you. Be open, be flexible. Let yourself be surprised.
Here’s the good news: The mystery will be solved. You will do great things. Perhaps most importantly, you will have the opportunity to change the lives of everyone you interact with—at work, at play, in college, in the “real world,” and beyond.
Lauren Smyth, ’25, is an economics major and journalism minor. Outside of starting arguments in philosophy class, she enjoys curling up on a bench outdoors (sun, rain, or snow) to write novels or articles for her blog, www.laurensmythbooks.com.
Published in August 2024
