I did not make new year resolutions for 2017. This is surprising because I’ve been writing down official new year resolutions for as long as I can remember.
What prompted a change in behavior this year? It could have been because I rang in 2017 in Costa Rica, surrounded by new faces and a totally new environment. I was tied up living in the moment rather than reflecting on myself and how 2016 went for me.
It wasn’t until late last week when I returned from Costa Rica that it hit me: here we are again. Back in State College, for the start of a new semester, for a third time. I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed and bored at the same time. To uncover why I feel this way, and to think about what I can do to spice up my life here, I’ve done some reflecting on my relationship to Penn State.
In outdoor leadership, there’s a common group development theory proposed by psychologist Bruce Tuckman. First, the group forms, then it storms, then it norms, then it performs. The more I think about it, the more this theory relates to each of my years at Penn State.
Freshman year, my relationship with PSU was just forming. It was a whirlwind and I loved every minute of it. The newness was so exciting and responsibility level relatively low. This made for a great time of self discovery and establishing a new home for myself in State College.
Sophomore year involved a lot of storming. This was when I really started to question if Penn State was right for me. Mental health was at a low, I felt short-sighted, and I was constantly bogged down with the drag of my daily work.
Junior year has been all about norming. While elements of my third year of college are new, I feel very much in a routine and that I spend a lot of time “going through the motions”. This begs the question: how do I shake things up? On a small scale, I’m looking forward to using my car for weekend trips and weekly escapes from campus (I’m writing this blog from Rothrock Coffee- if you haven’t been here, come check it out!) International travel is on the horizon as well: eight weeks in Tanzania this summer to further my interests in global health.
That leaves senior year to embody performing. That’s exciting! My thesis is already shaping up, I’m going to be living in the co.Space, and I’ll really get to dedicate some time to figuring out my next steps after Penn State. I think it has the potential to be stellar, as long as I can keep my head up for the duration of junior year and always keep my eyes on the prize: lifelong happiness and the type of accomplishment that makes me proud of myself.
Follow Us!