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| Claire Gothard Class of 2019 |
Type A, perfectionist, obsessive, bossy. Each of these words has been used to describe me at some point. Considering just yesterday I re-planned my 4-year schedule for the second time this week and did an entire group project by myself, I can definitely see where they’re coming from. I’m the person who schedules meals and activities months in advance. My agenda knows my life better than I do and it freaks me out that my family still hasn’t finalized vacation plans. This is my life – obsessively planning my next steps and revising them to be more realistic or fit unforeseen changes.
College is a nightmare for my planning side – all of a sudden, I’m still up at 6 AM because I saw a couple friends in the (community style) bathroom, started talking, and only stopped once that we all realized it was probably bedtime. Spontaneity is not something that comes natural to me. I want to know at least four hours in advance if we are planning any sort of excursion or activity. This is also in part due to my introverted nature; I need that time the emotionally prep myself for social interaction. Living in a community style hall leads to so many of these random, unintended days and nights spent together. Honestly, one of the biggest lessons college has taught me is to be prepared to enter a conversation and maybe get roped into an activity as soon as I leave my room.
But I’ve found that some of the best experiences are spur of the moment decisions – like impulsively leaving campus to try a new restaurant or spend a night adventuring in Louisville and exploring art galleries, instead of the plan for Netflix and napping. This time that I spend building relationships and learning about my city are worth being a little stressed about the lack of plans. My first year at the university has taught me to accept loose plans and go with the flow a little – even if I do have to block out time on my calendar to “be spontaneous.”
Claire Gothard is a freshman McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville. She studies Arabic and political science.