Discussion: How college changed my blog and me

As I write this post I’m in the last leg of my college career. I’m graduating a quarter early so at the end of this week I will be celebrating my last spring break and my dreading my last spring quarter. Ever. A scary thought, to be honest. But as I reflect back on college and blogging, I realize a LOT has changed.

People may tell you that college will change your life. It will give you new perspectives, you’ll have all these great experiences, and you’ll make lifelong friends. Did this happen to me? Sure, easily. The person I was in high school is not the person I am now, and to be honest, I wouldn’t be friends with the me that I was in high school.

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Coming out of high school and going into college, I was convinced that I was going to be an English major and that’s what I had declared on all my college applications…and then I got to college. I would say there are three classes in particular (thus far) that have changed my life.

The first being my Feminism and the Romance class. As first years we all had to take a writing class but could choose which topic we wanted, so I picked the previously stated. My professor was this kick ass feminist who, to date, is still my favorite professor and is someone I still keep in contact with about the events in my life. In that class we talked about, obviously, feminism and romance. Our required textbook was a Nora Roberts book (my guilty pleasure) and we analyzed that thing backwards and forwards. It was there that I learned I am a feminist, but a question arose for me; what do I do with this new identity?

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That same quarter I took a class entitled “Shakespeare and Film.” I absolutely hated it. I dreaded going to class. It was in this stuffy classroom and was so packed with students that arriving late ensured you might secure a seat on the floor near the door. The final was a 15 page paper about all the films and Shakespeare novels we read (which I did neither. Still got an A though!). It became clear to me in this class that I didn’t care about analyzing literature that closely.

During this time my blog became the least important thing in my life. I was more concerned about my horrid roommate, how I was going to make the most friends, and basically worrying what the hell I was doing with my life. Until I changed my major.

Freeing myself from my English major gave me the reading freedom I needed again. I had NEVER felt suffocated by reading before until college. It was getting to be too much and was causing me to hate the one thing that I lived for; reading. By changing my major to Gender and Women’s Studies I felt freed. I had a new outlet! I was a feminist and could take all the classes that I wanted on feminism to absorb as much knowledge as possible! It was, by far, the most defining point in my college career (also shout out to mom and dad for being along for the ride and supporting me through all of this).

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So, after that first quarter, I wasn’t miserable anymore. I changed my major, my horrid roommate transferred schools, my best friend moved in, I had a bunch of cool friends, and I was reading and blogging again. Basically, I was doing everything that I loved and studying a subject that so enthralled me that I would refuse to shut up about feminism in almost every single conversation with my friends (much to their digress. Sorry ladies).

Yes, I may have been blogging for five years, and I have definitely seen some ups and downs through the process, but at the end of the day, I’m doing what I love and sharing that love with others all around the world. Where would we be without blogging and basic interaction on social media? As of late, Twitter has switched from being a burden to being a great place to meet people and I can’t imagine living without it (a statement which would have made my freshman year self cringe).

My point is, college will change you. Blogging will change you. Hell, reading will change you. It’s okay to go through these adjustment periods as long as you’re still doing what you love and not doing something for anyone else. It’s your life, why not live it to the best, and happiest, potential? And don’t worry if everyone else is getting drunk and making stupid mistakes. You can sit there with your book and be content with watching other people make mistakes around you (fictional and otherwise).

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(In case you’re keeping count, that last class that changed my life was History of Rock and Roll. It’s been a full quarter since that class has passed and I continue to think about it every day because it changed my life. It saved me. Honestly. I used to say music wasn’t important to me but now I feel like my life revolves around it. Where would we be without music?)

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Thoughts? How has your blogging experience changed? How do you anticipate it changing over time?

8 Replies to “Discussion: How college changed my blog and me”

  1. College has both helped and ruined my life. I had all these expectations going in about making life long friends, having fun, the best time of my life. And I’ve gotten none of that. No new friends, I’m not having the time of my life. I spend every weekend in my room alone because my nightmare of a roommate is only here 3 days a week. I’m stressed beyond belief and I never have free time. I haven’t read a single book for pleasure this year and I just feel like I don’t have time for myself at all. But at the same time, college has let me become completely independent and I could finally get the help I need. My parents don’t agree at all with me getting help and medication for my mental health. But now I know I’m not crazy, that I have anxiety, depression, and OCD. They don’t define me. And I haven’t had a panic attack in months. It’s so refreshing.

    1. Honestly I went through a lot of that my freshman year, but trust me it gets SO much better! I had a complete turn around and am now happier than I thought I would ever be that first year 🙂 You’re doing great!

  2. kaistrandauthor says: Reply

    Ironically, Feminism is our #InkRipples topic of the day. You should stop by my blog to read an interview I’ve shared with my daughter (in which you recommend the book I’m giving away.) I suspect the two of you would get along very well. Lol. http://bit.ly/1M2GoRG

    1. LOVED your post Kai! And thank you so much for having me be apart of it 🙂

  3. I love you and this post and you are beautiful. So thankful Twitter brought us togetheeerrrr ❤️❤️❤️

  4. I don’t think my blogging experience has changed me…yet. I think I’ll have to wait for a while, before it does haha! Maybe, if anything, it’s made me a bit more organised? 🙂

    1. Blogging DEFINITELY made me more organized. Especially after going to college because it was a huge wakeup call overall about time management (PS LOVE your blog header by the way!)

      1. Ahahah I KNOWW, with college, it’s so easy to do nothing, because no one is chasing you up on it, and before you know it, it’s the day before semester exams xD
        And thanks so much!! <3

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