Experience as a student in the College of Arts and Sciences: Different angle

As a child, my dream was to have a career as an flailing inflatable tube man that stood in front of car dealerships. My dream is something quite different now, but it has taken me years to even begin finding my path. I, like many other college students, fell victim to the idea that my dreams did not hold enough potential. This mindset has changed drastically in the years that I have been a student at the Florida State University. Thankfully, being a student in the College of Arts and Sciences has made the process of discovering these paths much less painful.

I discovered Florida State when I was 15 years old. As a junior enrolled in a small high school in northeastern Ohio, I had compiled a short list of colleges in the state that looked promising. An older friend of mine gave me a priceless piece of advice during my college search: “Don’t limit yourself or sell your dreams short. There are sometimes many ways to get to the same endpoint.”

This same friend suggested that I look at Florida State’s website because she felt that it would be a good fit for me. A year later, I found myself staring at an email notifying me that my admissions status had changed at Florida State. To my surprise, I was greeted by a celebratory jingle and a page titled “Congratulations!” when I opened my eyes. Not only had I been admitted to my dream school, I was awarded several scholarships to help decrease tuition cost as well. I cannot overstate the excitement I felt knowing I was about to begin a new chapter of my life 1,000 miles away from what I had known for the past decade.

I entered college at age 17 as a retired student-athlete. Having gone through two major hip surgeries already due to years of dance training, I was unable to pursue my dream of becoming a professional dancer. I had almost the perfect formula to make that dream come to life but sadly watched as it fell wayside to make room for a more realistic plan. After hours of research determining what was the best major for a burnt-out athlete, I had planned to study Exercise Physiology. I applied to the College of Human Sciences at Florida State under the impression that the exemplary grades I had received in these classes would translate into interest about the subjects.

My time in this college was short-lived. Any exercise physiology student that feels more confident and comfortable in an English class than they do in a chemistry lecture would experience the same, closely examining what I thought were my interests and life goals. During the second semester of my freshman year, I took a common pre-requisite English course. My professor, Dr. Ogunya, helped reignite my love for words, grammar, and story-telling in a way I did not think was possible. In spite of all the jeers from my science teachers I heard in high school (English majors don’t make any money! They’ll never have a real job!), I decided to change my major to English.

I expected the process of switching majors to be one of the most tedious I had undergone. However, the experience was anything but—the team helping my transition from the College of Human Sciences to the College of Arts and Sciences was more than helpful. Not once did they make me feel bothersome for reaching out and asking questions, and each time I stepped into the Longmire Building to visit the Dean’s Office or into the Williams Building for advising, I felt more and more in place. There was no question that this was where I belonged.

My admission into this college has set off a series of events that is still unfolding before me— I have secured a job as a writer for a local magazine, and I will be graduating an entire semester early. The motivation that reentered my life as a result of becoming an English major has opened my eyes to all of the opportunities I have. Through this college, I have realized that I am able to curate a career out of my passions and interests, which is something I never thought possible.

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