Take every opportunity that comes along in college

Sunday, October 25, 2009 - 11:22 PM

Hayley Rasmussen

As college students, we often crash into new opportunities in life, work and pleasure. These opportunities can be scary or exciting, look like a mountain or just a short path and open many doors or close a few. When you hear people say, “College should be the best time of your life,” you should listen and do your best to make this come true. Taking on new challenges, opportunities and hobbies is what college is all about and the best thing you can do right now is find yourself.

When I received a very scary, yet exciting, opportunity to do a weeklong externship at one of the most renowned equine medical centers in the United States, I didn’t know what to think. I thrive off of the ambulatory practice of vet med, so the huge hospital surgery aspect isn’t quite my forte.

My boss told me it would do wonders for my vet school application. I could get to know more doctors and widen my veterinary medicine experience. But I was comfortable with field surgery and jeans. I didn’t need scrubs and a huge, expensive surgery room. As much as I wanted to jump on the opportunity, I was intimidated. I would not know anyone, the other externs would most likely be in vet school already and I was just a pre-vet student from Reno.

Then, the two words that should run your life popped into my head: “carpe diem.” Seize the day. Each and every exciting new opportunity that comes your way should be taken. We’re not getting any younger and today is the prime time to try something new. In a few years or even this year, you are going to graduate, find a job and not have as much time to explore new opportunities. Today is the time to broaden your horizons and try something new, make sure you are in the right major and ask yourself, “Is this really what I want?”

I manned up. I took on the scary opportunity and drove eight and a half hours to Solvang, Calif., to the Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center.

Despite my uncertainties, surgery turned out to be fun. Sterile prep was a lot different for major surgery than in the fields of Reno and arthroscopic surgeries completely sparked my curiosity. I spent at least 10 hours a day soaking in everything I could. I was at APEMC two more times that summer and now have the opportunity to do a two-week externship with them this winter. Had I not taken myself outside my comfort zone, I would never have figured out if I actually liked surgery and big veterinary hospitals until my third year of vet school.

Don’t wait to experience life. Take life on as it comes to you. Face up, stand strong and really open up your mind to learn more about yourself. Tomorrow is never guaranteed, and the scariest opportunity may turn out to be the best thing that has ever happened to you. Seize the day, seize the opportunity and live your college dreams. Carpe diem.

Hayley Rasmussen is a pre-veterinary major and rides big, pretty horses in her spare time. Reach her at perspectives@nevadasagebrush.com.