Typically, people imagine that the time to reinvent oneself is between high school and college. I am sure this registers for many as it relates to changing majors and trying out new extracurriculars, as has been mentioned in previous Pipe Dream articles. Having decided to major in philosophy instead of history before I even arrived at Binghamton University, and having become seriously involved with a political organization my freshman year — on a level beyond being registered to vote — for the first time in my life, this is advice that I can espouse confidently.

However, I feel that my advice goes beyond changes that occur between high school and college. In my experience, it is also important to allow oneself to go through changes even when solidly within the next phase of one’s life. My advice is that, upon having started college, you should continue to seek out new experiences. Even as you make friends and find yourself firmly within a group of people that you like, do not shy away from meeting new people and expanding your social circles. Having multiple groups of people you enjoy hanging out with is a good thing.

This applies to extracurriculars as well. In your first few weeks, show up to as many clubs’ general information meetings (GIMs) as possible. You will almost certainly not remain involved with every club that you research, but it is possible that you will become involved with one that might not have previously occurred to you to join.

This is a pretty common piece of advice. I would take it one step further — attend as many GIMs as possible at the start of every semester. It is easy to settle into a rhythm in relation to clubs, but by branching out in this way, there is a chance that you will click with clubs or with people that you would not have met otherwise. And if this doesn’t happen, you won’t have lost anything.

In a similar vein, changing or being late in choosing one’s major is not something to shy away from, to the point where I would denote it a rite of passage for some. Even after finding the major that you feel connected to the most, continue to take unrelated courses when given the opportunity. I am a philosophy major and an art history minor. This past semester, I took a course on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in literature. I had no particular desire to major or minor in Israeli studies, and after this course I still don’t. However, I adored this class and would recommend it to anyone interested in either the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or literature.

If a course you take at random does inspire a change in major or minor, I say that’s terrific. I found my art history minor through a course I took to satisfy my Aesthetics (A) General Education credit.

To be blunt in a way that many will disagree with, thus far I love college. While it is definitely not without its stresses, academic and otherwise, it has proven to be a time of self-discovery for me. I am enjoying my courses in a way I did not in high school, and I like to think that I’m a completely different person than I was then. This is something that I wish for anyone inclined to read this article. If college has not proved similarly enlightening, I would recommend making a change, which can be pursued by researching new clubs and making an effort to meet new people. Take a class outside of your major, get a tattoo, I don’t know. The time to reinvent yourself is at any point that you feel things aren’t working for you as they are.

Desmond Keuper is a junior majoring in philosophy and is Assistant Opinions Editor.