“Athena, come on, we’re at the front of the line,” my friends complained while I was scrambling to find the nearest exit. We were at Disney World in Orlando for a church retreat, and had all just waited for an hour to ride the famous Space Mountain — but I was trying to bail last minute. Something about a tiny car flying around in the sky at rapid speed did not sit right with me. As our turn for the ride was approaching, I stopped.
I’ve never liked roller coasters. Everything about them seems unsafe, scary and overall unpleasant. In the same way, it takes me weeks to fully recover and not be startled by every noise in my kitchen at night after watching a scary movie. I once went through a haunted house and almost cut off circulation in my friend’s wrist every time a clown approached me. When it comes to face the facts, I am the definition of a scaredy-cat.
That said, you may love rollercoasters, and you may always choose to watch scary movies with friends, but I think we still have more in common than you would expect. Everyone is, to some extent, afraid of taking risks. My fears may be roller coasters and scary movies, but I bet you have a few of your own too,
Here at U.Va., everything can feel a little risky. We may or may not be good enough singers for this acapella group, or we may or may not get a good grade in this hard class. We have all, at some point, fallen into the trap of letting uncertainty, or these fears, stop us from trying something new.
Chances are, a fair percentage of students at the University have taken COMM 1800. If not, I’ll summarize a key point: the greater the risk, the greater the reward. Though this line had been drilled into my brain during my first semester here, I didn’t realize how true it was until recently. During my first year, I tried to play it safe. I stuck to what I was comfortable with in high school, and so when the activities fair rolled around I mainly looked for a few things: student government, journalism, volunteer work and tennis.
This year, I’m realizing the value in trying out for a club that may seem way out of my league and comfort zone. It’s more valuable to take an interesting class I may not do well in than to take an “easy A” class about something I don’t care about at all. I should definitely ask that question in discussion, even if I sound dumb. The truth is that club might want you, that hard class may help you choose your major, and understanding that question in discussion will probably help you do better on the exam.
I stood at the front of the line at Space Mountain, and I seriously weighed my options. Finally, after major deliberation and a lot of peer pressure, I stepped into the seat. I buckled up tightly, gave myself a pep talk, and three minutes later I had to admit the ride was a lot more fun than it was scary. I, of all people, understand how terrifying it can be to take risks. No one wants to potentially fail — it’s embarrassing, discouraging and frustrating. While it is true many clubs are missing out on incredible people, not everyone in the class can get an A, and sometimes people can be less-than-friendly, I still believe that it’s worth it to try.
We all know someone who has tried out for a club or organization multiple times before getting it, and now these clubs are easily the best parts of their college experiences. Chemistry, my hardest class this semester, is also my favorite. Those students who always asked questions in my Econ discussion ended up with the best grades. From what I’ve seen, the possible reward will always outweigh the inevitable risk.
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