SARA TRUEDSON
Staff Writer
Sometimes it’s too easy to fall prey to daily routines. I do it all the time. It’s not hard really. A morning stop at Coffee Bean, a bagel at the Country Mart, hunting for a parking spot five minutes before class, the list goes on. This week, I sat back and actually thought about the mundane traps I encounter.
All of this contemplation led me to wonder if Pepperdine unwittingly fosters this routine – oriented student life. Yes, we do have on campus activities and events, but sometimes it’s good to not only get off campus, but even out of this local vicinity. Explore a new corner of L.A. Find a new beach other than Zuma, explore hills beyond the stairs leading up to the CCB, travel to see a great concert, or work of art, and enjoy sports that Pepperdine may not offer.
These seemingly unconnected ideas, the prospect of trying different activities, is really just to jog my own mind into considering the normally unfathomable — the idea of altering my schedule. Even the slightest change seems to knock me out of balance. My life feels like its contained in a “MTWRF” schedule.
Consider the area in which we live. Los Angeles is one of the world’s largest centers of culture, entertainment and education. To be given the advantage of such diversity should be something we strive to embrace. Most of the time people tout the knowledge they’ve learned in the classrooms, but it’s the experiential learning that often leaves the most mark on students after their three, four, and even five years of college curriculum.
It’s easy to think “in the box.” What I have come to realize these past two years at Pepperdine is that some of my most motivating and memorable times have been when I challenge myself to try something new, and it changed my surroundings. It may or may not have been rewarding, but either way, I gained experience.
To truly figure out what career you want to spend the rest of your life pursuing, you need to just think about the simple things in college. What do you like to do for fun? What interests you?
Although Pepperdine offers a tremendous amount of General Education courses that aim to broaden our horizons and give us breadth of knowledge, there is so much outside of this system that can be positive and valuable.
Relish time spent out in the sun, the hum streets of Santa Monica at night, or the energy in the library before finals. It’s all so short. Just remember how fast high school sped by. With this fleeting time, it’s too easy to get lost in petty complaints and a grinding schedule. A little bit of inspiration, curiosity, and a few adventurous friends can do much to benefit and satisfy the yearning for a new experience.
So get outside, or just go inside and do something different from your daily routine. College life so too short to constantly be consumed by a set-in-stone schedule, and our own agenda. Challenge yourself to find stimulation in areas outside of your comfort zone. A small step outside of your own little world can lead to a passion that you didn’t know you had.
09-13-2007