Trying New Things

Trying New Things Many people have been surprised to learn that up until about three weeks ago, I had never had a Dorito (or as I call it, a flavored tortilla chip). It’s pretty shocking, but up until the past month, I had also never tried sushi or ground beef. Yup. I never had Doritos or hamburgers until my senior year of college. I cant believe Ive been missing out on this juicy goodness. I’ve always been a picky eater, and I grew up vegetarian. Meat has never, and will never, been the main part of my diet, but its nice to enjoy once in a while. I remember all the first times I had different meats â€" a chicken tender after school in 3rd grade, a hot dog at a school picnic in 6th grade, and Thanksgiving turkey in 8th grade. Doritos were just one of the things I never got around to trying. Luckily for me, college is (and always has been) about trying new things. When you arrive freshman year, there are thousands of people you don’t know and hundreds of things you’ve never done. You’re given the opportunity to play sports you’ve never seen or join clubs you’ve never heard of. Wanna play Quidditch? We have it. Interested in advancing hyperloop technology? That’s a student organization you can join. Want to train service dogs for people in need? You can do that too. In college, you have the opportunity to branch out like never before. For introverts like me, taking risks can be terrifying. It took all my courage to go to RSO (student organization) meetings, or to strike up a conversation with someone in my class. Even though I’m in my fourth year, I still can struggle doing those things. However, through four years of trial and error Ive learned that the worst that can happen in most situations is hardly a bad thing at all. Didn’t like the RSO you wanted to join? You learned something new about yourself, and there’s 1,800 other ones on our campus. A conversation with a classmate didn’t go as planned? Maybe they were having a rough day! You can always try again tomorrow. Or try a new classmate. Odds are, it’s more than just the two of you in the class. Didn’t get the job you were interviewing for? It happens to everyone.   Going through college without experiencing failure means you didn’t try something new. It can be scary petrifying to do the unexpected and try something new, but in my experience, 9 times out of 10 it turns out for the best. Although I’m not quite sure whether my new addiction to Doritos is a good or bad thing. That’s up to you to decide.   My first ever Dorito! Alex Class of 2020 After switching majors four times, I've finally fallen in love with what I'm studying: communication in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. I hope hearing about my experiences can put all your worries at ease, because college really isn't as scary as you might think!