A Midwest Kid Lost on the Coast
Jakub Voboril
Wichita, Kansas
I imagine that the first time I arrived on campus at Princeton as an official, enrolled student was probably a little more unusual than that of other freshmen because it was actually my first time on campus at all. Some people make a college visit during their high school years and fall in love with a school; I fell in love with my school without even a first sight. Now, I do not intend to recommend this method as the best one for selecting a school, but strange things do happen. Nor do I wish to imply that there have not been any surprises, for better and for worse. My parents and I drove from my home in Kansas to New Jersey over the course of three days and arrived in Princeton the evening before I was supposed to move in. I was not planning on catching a glimpse of the campus until the following day, but I forgot that neither I nor my parents had any idea where exactly our hotel was. In the end, we found ourselves lost in some university parking lot wondering where we had missed our turn.
Despite the occasional surprises that I am still discovering after having been here for a whole month, attending college has been an incredible experience for me. There is a certain kind of feeling that college communities possess that does not exist anywhere else. Maybe it is being taught by such highly intelligent persons, the type of people who write textbooks and commentaries rather than just reading them. Maybe it is the incredible talent among athletes, artists, musicians, and academicians of whom I cannot help but stand in awe. Maybe it is as simple as the belief that I can do anything I want, that my future is a blank slate waiting for me to write upon. Whatever it is, it only comes once in a lifetime, and I definitely do not want to waste it.
Perhaps my most profound realization upon entering college has been that I do not have to be the same person I was in high school. People change over time, and I am no different from everyone else. It is important to realize that change is not only acceptable but even positive because otherwise it is easy to stay trapped in a life that is not my own. For example, I loved participating in scholar’s bowl in high school. In retrospect, it was probably the one extra-curricular activity that I enjoyed more than any other. However, after going to one practice for my school’s college bowl team, I knew that something was different. Even though I still am very glad that I participated in scholar’s bowl competitions in high school and look back on my memories with relish, I know that I made the right decision to stop participating in college. I am sure that this change is far from the most significant that I will face, but that is okay. Whatever happens, I know that I will be fine as long as I keep being me.
Note: Jakub made headlines in high school for having earned perfect scores on both the SAT and ACT exams!