It’s an understatement to say that UT is a busy campus. From my first day, I was bombarded with countless opportunities. Student organizations, research opportunities and University programs — all ways to explore my passions. However, because UT is so large, many of these opportunities were highly competitive, requiring extensive applications and interviews. I became fixated on specific opportunities, believing they were the only way to accomplish my goals. However, I learned that approaching your goals at UT is not about finding the perfect program, but about taking the risk to try something new.
Coming to college, I had a deep interest in the startup atmosphere surrounding UT. I planned to immediately engage in research and student entrepreneurship. Following my plan, I contacted one of my current professors about joining their research lab and applied to entrepreneurial student organizations.
But like many freshmen at UT, I underestimated the selectivity of these opportunities. My professor, who taught a core STEM class, had dozens of students asking for research opportunities. As a result, he told me he could not place me in his lab, but I could reapply next semester. Similarly, the student entrepreneurship fellowship I applied to informed me that I was not accepted to the program, but should reapply in the future.
Of course, it was disheartening to be rejected from these opportunities, especially when I imagined that they were the key to accomplishing my goals. Furthermore, the common suggestion to reapply felt like a message of false hope.
These rejections are often damaging to our motivation. As students, we choose to participate in extracurriculars in addition to our academic responsibilities because we believe they help us explore our passions and develop our careers. So, when we are turned down, we can’t help but question our own adequacy and place in college. However, it’s important to remember that the rejections stem from UT’s massive student population, not your own worth. On the other hand, this massive population could actually be key to finding success at UT.
After coming to terms with the failure of my original plan, I took a step back to reassess my goals. I realized what I wanted to achieve wasn’t about any specific organization, but instead the ability to experience my interests. This meant I didn’t have to confine myself to any specific opportunity. Rather, I could use the size of UT to my advantage. For any interests I have, there are many ways to explore them on campus.
Putting this new perspective to work, I revised my approach. For research, I looked at professors who specifically aligned with my interests, even if I did not know them. Meanwhile, I explored entrepreneurship by looking at more unconventional options, such as open conferences and reaching out to experts on campus. By changing my outlook, I was able to cast a wider net and succeed in participating in new opportunities.
Ultimately, I was able to secure a role in a lab, working on a subject I am deeply interested in, and actively engage in the entrepreneurial world. Obviously, I was fortunate with the opportunities I was provided, but fundamentally, all of this was due to my changed mindset. The crowded nature of UT is a source of difficulty and competitiveness, but it’s also a source of constant opportunity.
There is nothing wrong with students being passionate about specific organizations, nor is rejection an easy experience to recover from. However, what is fundamental to understand is that there will always be ways to explore your passion, it just might not be what you expected.
Stark is a chemical engineering sophomore from Orange County, California.
