College Changes People

College changes people. It's a fact. I've seen my friends from back home change in both good and bad ways. I've seen those that were on top fall to the bottom and those who were overlooked in high school rise to the top of their respective situations. I feel as though college has a place for everyone and that the choices you made before you arrived on campus as a wide-eyed freshman largely determine your fate. One particular case would be a friend of mine who was a genius in high school. The kid simply dominated anything school could throw at him, and he had to put forth no effort to do this. His self-image was shaped by his intelligence, he was the smartest and that was that. He got to Clemson and realized that kids like him were a dime a dozen, and since he never really worked to expand his horizons in many other fields, he has fallen into an odd sort of obscurity; one that he seems to realize more than anyone else. Another one of my really good friends from high school showed up to campus and seemed to draw confidence from the largeness of his new surroundings. I, however, remain seemingly unchanged. I've always tried to roll with the punches, and I guess I've spent my whole life attempting to adapt to changes situations, and I'd like to think that I've done that here. I suppose my change has been more strongly recognizable in my intrinsic responsibility and work ethic than in my personality. It'll happen to me eventually, I just hope I choose the terms.

Much Love,

Nate