Through the Clamor and Cliche by Mackenzie

Through the Clamor and Cliche by Mackenzie - January 2018 Scholarship Essay

The question, “What am I doing here? What is the meaning of life?” floats around incessantly. Although it is cliché, perhaps it is because it is thought of and questioned so often, losing all meaning until its true burden lands in our own minds. Heavy as it may seem, I would argue its answer is actually rather simple; the meaning of life is to find your purpose and act on it. While this may be simple, it is far from easy. It takes trial and error, new experiences, expanded comfort zones, and open minds to access that part of ourselves. At the young adult phase in life where discovering one’s purpose is particularly prevalent, few experiences provide most, if not all, of the factors described above. College is one of these experiences, and therefore the word “purpose” effectively encompasses the motivation for attending college.
In first applying to colleges as a junior in high school, the full significance of the action did not hit me. I applied because it was the next natural step to take. I wanted an education, but I was not sure of the subject matter, and I wanted to be able to someday get a job, but I was not sure of the field. It felt like a shot in the dark. What would I truly get out of this experience? I did not know. All I knew was that it was necessary.
Now, looking back on my two and a half years here at Indiana University, I realize that there is so much more to college than the education. It seems counter-intuitive, and perhaps it is. But in order to discover the major and career field about which I was truly passionate, I could not focus on academics alone. Because it took time to learn this, I switched majors three times, never feeling a strong pull toward any of them. I finally settled on a major (nonprofit management) only after experiencing the outside factors of the college experience. As an athlete on the varsity swim team at IU, I was pushed to learn and grow quickly; to communicate and lead effectively; to find a unique purpose in the midst of seventy other people extremely similar to me on the pool deck. In getting involved with the Christian Student Fellowship on campus, I grew to discover true friendship, support, and faith. With respect for the classroom and an understanding for its place in the college experience, it can never truly teach without the supplemental assistance of outside experiences. I could only decide what it was I wanted to learn in the classroom after I was stretched and grown to comprehend my purpose in the world, a lesson which occurred over time in the community, not in one sitting in a lecture hall.
To myself at seventeen applying for colleges, then, I would say: college is not about academia. It is about discovering who you are, what you are good at, and how those skills can contribute to the world. It is okay to not know what education or job lies in the future; what is more important is opening your mind and heart to the experiences which await you in that future. As this is the motivation for attending college, may it also be the motivation beyond it in the real world. I am not so naïve to think that I have learned the entirety of my purpose in these two-almost-three years of college; it was a goal to discover it, but that goal is never-ending. If the mindset of openness learned here can transfer out into the rest of our lives, then the current purpose of life, and all the changing purposes of the future, may be easier to grab hold of. College, therefore, extends its significance beyond the four years on campus, and if it is effective, carries into an understanding of true purpose for years to come.