Running through my neighborhood, my mouth watered as I smelled delicious food grilling. A little boy yelled for the pass while playing street basketball. The setting sun painted the sky in hues of orange, red, blue and purple. The wind seeped through my hair.

I breathed in the fresh air and felt contentment-beautiful. Summer was here.

My contentment was soon interrupted. I turned; now I was running directly into the wind. As it blew in my face, my eyes became dry and my contacts fell out. Uh oh.

I could see the red octagonal shape of the stop sign but not the actual letters. I could see the road, but I could not see the end. I could not tell if it was turning or if other people were on the road. I could not see what the end was-was it a dead end, or was it where I wanted to be, my house?

Everything was fuzzy, a blur.

I squinted my eyes and looked down at the sidewalk. Someone waved at me, but I couldn’t see the face-still I do not know who it was (though I did wave back).

While I was almost blindly jogging, I could not help but parallel this experience with my undergraduate experience thus far.

Right now, I am the student without the contacts. I have a very vague understanding of where I am and what direction I am heading; more specifically, I do not know where I want to be at the end of my four years at Saint Louis University. I don’t know how I am going to reach the end, whatever the end is, and I don’t know what kind of twists and turns the next three years will take.

Initially, when I lost my contacts, I was frantic to put on my glasses. Pragmatically, I was scared I would get lost.

I used to be frantic to find the direction I was headed in life. But now, I realize that the most important part of the undergraduate experience is the actual path-not just the end, not just accomplishing your goals.

Before, I wanted to choose the safest major with no risks. But now, I realize that it is interesting to explore different fields, different classes and to take a risk. I don’t just want to answer what career my major can lead me to. Instead, I want to choose my major based on what challenges me to think about the world, what challenges me intellectually.

I am not alone in this discovery. In a recent New York Times article titled “In a New Generation of College students, many opt for the Life Examined,” the author says that there are more colleges offering philosophy as a major compared to ten years ago, due to an increase in interested students.

More students are willing to take risks. So what is stopping you?

Don’t be in a rush. Take some time in deciding what you want to do and who you want to be. Explore a little. The future is not always going to be clear, especially for the incoming freshman and the soon-to-be seniors.

Now, I am not scared of the route. All I need to do is put my running shoes on and go out for a jog in the beautiful summer weather. It’s OK – I don’t need to wear glasses all the time.

Samiksha Tarun is a
sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences.