I Am at Gettysburg Because I Am Supposed to Be

I can only describe my experience at Gettysburg College so far as an astonishingly pleasant surprise. Gettysburg College was not my first choice. I wanted to attend a huge school where I would meet new people every day and go to football or basketball games where I could scream and cheer as boisterously as I wanted to, and not care because everyone else was doing the same thing. So, although Gettysburg was one of the first colleges that I received an acceptance letter from, I was utterly underwhelmed. What could this school offer me? Not only does Gettysburg boast a modest 2700 students, but it has also become a tradition for at least one Prep for Prep/Taft alumnus to attend Gettysburg every year. Even when I decided on Gettysburg as my final decision, my hesitance followed me into the middle of my first semester. But anyone who truly knows me is aware of my intense belief in fate. So I believe that I am at Gettysburg because I am supposed to be.

 

The first time that I realized how crazy I was to imagine myself at any other college was when I did an exercise called StrengthsFinder in my First Year Seminar. I thought, I already know my strengths: english and making and occasional joke that was actually funny. But when I finished answering the one hundred-and-something questions, I realized that I had a set of innate talents that I barely paid attention to because they were second nature to me. My “Signature Themes” are “achiever”, “relator”, “restorative”, “futuristic” and “belief”. Not only did I recognize these themes as unique parts of my personality, but as I read the description for each theme, I also realized that these characteristics were all inherently a part of how I could maximize my talents in my academics and various activities and ultimately lead to my success at Gettysburg College.

 

As an achiever, I take pride in setting multiple goals everyday and choose to rest when they are completed. As a relator, I have become involved in a bunch of groups because I am able to easily build interpersonal relationships that contribute the productivity of these groups. I relish utilizing the restorative aspect of my personality to solve problems. I can paint a picture of my day, week, or even month before 9:00am with my futuristic view. And most importantly, when the trials of college life start to seem like a burden, I stand firmly in my beliefs in order to maintain a level head. By focusing on these themes- both separately and in combination- I can identify my talents, build them into strengths and demonstrate a consistent and fluent performance in the classroom as well as in my extracurricular activities.

 

Gettysburg places me in a position for growth that is challenging but never uncomfortable. While it might be difficult for the average first year college student to navigate his or her way through daunting academic or social pressures, I feel that once you find your true talents, and you are in an environment that is conducive to making these talents into your strengths, it is almost always certain that you will excel.