Recently at OU we hosted our annual High School Leadership Conference, and lucky for me, I had the chance to listen to the incredible speakers brought in.  Dean and Rochelle reminded us of the importance of living life.  The importance of not thinking of things as a “have to” but as a “get to.” Bearing that in mind, I thought back to how drastically my life has been altered since my junior year of high school.  I thought about how drastically my life has been altered since senior year.  I thought about drastically my life has been altered since LAST MONTH! I also thought about how the juniors sitting in the room would experience such great changes in their remaining two years of high school. How the seniors graduating in a few short months are in for such amazing growth over the coming year.  That’s when it hit me that there are things they deserve to know.  Things that I wish I would have known before leaving the safety net we all know as high school.

Over the last six months everything about my life has changed.  Where I live… What I study… My future goals… My friends… My family… My purpose… And to some extent my outlook on life.  I have cried more than I ever have in my life and been more stressed out than I knew was possible.  I have also laughed more and built lifelong friendships with people who are so similar to me yet so different. I have learned new things about myself and been tested in ways I had never imagined before coming to OU.  But having just said all of that I have come to one simple conclusion: That college can be one of the most magical times in our life… if we let it!

 If I could give high school seniors three pieces of advice that I wish I had known before beginning this journey it would be this:

 1. STUDY WHAT YOU LOVE! I spent all of last semester in a major I didn’t love because I thought I was scared of change.  I didn’t enjoy my coursework, and I wasn’t looking forward to the next three years.  It finally hit me, though, if you can’t look forward to studying that material for four years, how are you supposed to look forward to being in that career for the REST of your life? And if you don’t like what you are learning, why would you enjoy going to class?  Studying something I am interested in and that I want to learn more about has made such an amazing difference in my life this semester.  I promise you I am not the only one who feels this way either.  One of my best friends was a Pre-Med major and HATED General Chemistry I.  Now, as a Pre-Law major, I am almost convinced she would take every history and/or constitutional studies class we offer here at OU.  She is going to all of these speakers and getting involved and she is so much happier because she is studying what she loves.

 2. HAVE A PURPOSE!  If I had to guess, most high school students can find time to be involved in nearly EVERY club their school offers and find time to maintain their academic studies and for some you might even find time to have a part-time job.  That is NOT the case in college.  Being apart of organizations is so much more fulfilling but so much more time consuming.  It can be hard to find time for everything.  So have a purpose!  What type of legacy do you want to leave on this campus? Who do you want to affect?  Who do you want to be known as?  As hard as this is for you to read and for me to write… IT IS OKAY TO SAY NO!  Instead of being apart of a bajillion things and not caring about some of them, do things that you are truly passionate about.

 3. Finally, SURROUND YOURSELF WITH A STRONG SUPPORT SYSTEM.  The people I have met since coming to OU have truly changed my life.  I come from a small town.  I’m not saying that is a bad thing, but my worldview was a tad narrow.  Of my two best friends in college, both have different political and religious beliefs than I do.  They are two of the greatest girls I have ever met though, and that fact that we are so different only brings us closer.  They support me and they listen to me when I rant.  They have been through everything with me these past six months and they are the two girls that I know will always be a part of my life.  Having just said all of that though, keep your family close.  I’m not saying that you need to go home every weekend or call mom and dad very night.  But let them know they are still close to your heart and that you know you have their support. Tell them you love them because they’re going through a hard time and it brightens their day.  Let mom cook you dinner one night because she wants to know that you’re eating enough and because she worries about you.

I know that the three things I just wrote about seem simple, but I promise that college is hectic and sometimes even the simplest things can become complicated.  I guarantee this though… college will bring opportunities that you have never thought of.  College will change your life.  And you will find that one perfect college that is just the perfect fit in your life.  And for this Sooner… There truly is only ONE Oklahoma!

I hope that you all have a wonderful week!

BOOMER SOONER!
Sara Overturff
Newcastle, OK
Class of 2016
Finance/Risk Management