By Jeremiah Rojas, Co-Managing Editor
I’m sure that most students have heard that the four years we spend in college go by fast. I never paid any mind to such sentiments until I recently realized that by this time next year, I’ll have graduated.
As I enter my fourth year of college, I realize that my time here did go by all too quickly. Over the past few years, I just coasted on academic autopilot mode – I went from home to class and back again. As a result, I missed out on so much of what makes the college experience.
So, while my time here will soon end, I want to encourage newer students – or any student, really – to make the most of their time as a Toro.
I arrived at CSUDH in the Fall of 2021, and since then, only one semester has really stuck out to me. For three years, I would commute to school, go straight to my classes, and then go back home. I didn’t make any friends or attempt to participate in anything that was happening on campus. I never saw this as a problem until last semester, when I actually made solid friends and stayed on campus long enough to engage with it more.
However you find your group of people at our school, it’s extremely important to make your time together here worth it. I convinced myself for the longest time that I was fine on my own because I wasn’t making any lasting friendships. I can see now that it’s just difficult to feel connected to others when you isolate yourself from the school.
Junior English literature student Julia Perez had a similar experience.
“Even though I’m in my third year, it wasn’t until recently where I started to become more social,” Perez said. She recalled a memorable experience making a new friend on campus over a shared appreciation for reading.
“There was this girl who was reading this book and I told her, ‘Oh, I know a lot about that book,’ and we actually exchanged socials and we talk about books a lot now,” Perez said.
I still enjoy a good moment of solitude, but finding people I connect to and have things in common with has allowed me to come into a newer, more sociable version of myself.
If making friends isn’t a concern for you, then I’d still strongly encourage you to participate in a club or organization on campus. Students at CSUDH are always moving and cooperating with one another to create and host different events at our school.
Senior business administration student Jasmine Perry said she feels more connected to campus now since founding TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) in 2022. The SSS Program provides academic support to eligible student participants.
Perry said it’s important for students to participate in activities they’re interested in early on so they don’t feel like they “missed opportunities” in connecting with the school.
“Join programs, clubs, events, [and] connect with people,” Perry said. “We come here so that you can not only create memories, but also create an experience.”
I understand that the transition from high school to college varies by person. But I promise you that if you just dive into the campus and begin to cultivate your own college experience, you’ll really enjoy every moment of it.
To any Toro out there who’s feeling a bit hesitant about mingling with other students, or is unsure about when would be the right time to attend an event or join a club, my advice to you is do it now.
Go dance at an event and grab your free food. Sign up for an artistic or professional organization. Join a sorority or fraternity. Watch a University Theatre performance. Swing by a club space to relax or study with friends or by yourself.
Do all of that now, because I promise you, the remaining years you may have here will go by before you know it. But if you make the most of that time, you’ll hopefully be graduating with no regrets and no missed opportunities.
