Things I learned in my junior year of college

This is the real deal, your time to shine, and to show the world what you are made of. Junior year is full of surprises and endless opportunities that were not available to you your first two years at college.

But always remember with privileges comes responsibilities, so choose wisely because some choices you make will follow you for a lifetime.

There is no type of brotherhood and loyalty like at The Ohio State University

I attended the University of Cincinnati for two years before making my way to The Ohio State University. Being a buckeye had always been my dream but the major I thought I wanted to pursue took me to the University of Cincinnati instead.

However, when my dream changed I had to follow my heart to Buckeye Nation. The sporting events, student unity and loyalty were no comparison. UC had their die hard fans and student sections at the games but it never compared to the atmosphere at the OSU games. Here’s the difference: at UC if you were cheering at the games you were the minority, whereas if you weren’t cheering at a Buckeye game you were one of very few.

Spring Game 2015: BIG10 record of 99,391

There’s going to be at least one freak-out about your future

It’s normal. Don’t think to much into it. Its almost like you are about to jump off the platform and hope your harness will hold you as you coast across miles of land endless feet below. Before you jump and let the zip-line take you away everything was carefree, no worries, exciting and thrilling up until this point, and then it just hits you.

Junior year is that pause in the ride where you’re like “oh crap, why on earth did I ever decide to let a small harness and some wires decide my fate the next couple of minutes?” And then the questions start setting in… have a done enough? Have I met enough people? Explored enough? Are my grades where I want them to be? Is this major what I want to do with the rest of my life? Am I ever going to meet someone to spend the rest of my life with? Have I gone out enough or do I stay in and keep to myself? How on earth am I ever going to get out of all this debt? Have I done college right?

Then after you freak yourself out, you look around while you’re in the middle of the zip line, take a deep break and take it all in. This is when you realize you have more time, you can fix the things you don’t like and excel in the things you do. When you reach the other platform, you look back and are glad you got on to begin with, you’re ready for the next jump into the unknown because you know how beautiful the ride is along the way.

Zip lining on Santa Catalina Island

You start to find your true life long friends and mentors

Sure you still go out and meet new people but you find yourself hanging out with the majority of the same people. You seem to have formed bonds with some you never expected and you are inseparable now. Some of those people you met your first two years at college have come in your life and gone unexpectedly.

Some of those people you lost contact with before tend to come back into your life and you remember why you guys were inseparable in the first place. Not only will you find life long friends but people who will help guide you through life, because well, they have been there.

Academics are important but they don’t make or break your future

Go out and explore. Explore new hobbies, something you’ve always wanted to try, go and travel: it’s time to see the world and everything it has to offer. Grades are important but experience and seeing things first hand is the best teacher of all. Challenge yourself to take on more than you think you are capable of because you will never know your limits until you test them.

Volunteer for a variety of things because you never know who you will meet in the process. I’ve met some professional coaches and football players during some of the catering events I was involved with, not only that but hard work in those volunteer experiences can lead to paying jobs. I was told by one of my mentors at the University of Cincinnati that meeting one person leads you to meeting at least five other new people, so go out and network, experience all you can because that is what is going to take you places!

AJ Hawks House: Catering for Hawks Locks for Kids

You’ll never have your life planned, year planned or even month planned

There’s always going to be bumps in the road, some weeks more than others. There’s going to be weeks where all you want to do is curl up in your bed and watch Netflix until you cannot see straight and there are going to be weeks where nothing seems to go right. But, let me tell you something, those days and weeks are so worth it in the end because those are the times where you are going to learn things about yourself.

Realize how strong you really are and how much you have grown up since moving away on your own. You’ll also realize the plan you had when you first started college is nothing like the one you have now. Instead of planning, just let go and go with the flow.

Instead of planning for the future, plan your goals, and plan how you’re going to achieve them. Because when you do that everything else falls into place. As for me, this took me awhile to learn, but that’s okay because I’ve already achieved some goals without even realizing it: I’ve started accomplishing my dream of traveling the world.

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico