On Wednesday night, Dan Schwartz offered students advice about how to successfully navigate college. Being a junior, his advice wasn’t anything new or life-changing for me because I’ve heard it from various people multiple times. I’m not bashing his advice; it’s just that there are only so many ways of telling people to get involved, make connections, and have fun while they’re here.

However, near the conclusion of his talk, Schwartz mentioned his “three R’s:” resilience, resourcefulness, and resolve. Although I’ve heard and understood the importance of these traits to being successful before, these words started to take on a new role for me upon further reflection. I am currently at the point in my college career where I am thinking about grad school and my future career goals. Personally, I would prefer to go straight into grad school without taking a gap year. However, I understand that it is becoming more and more common for grad schools to desire prospective students to have work experience prior to enrolling. That being the case, I recognize that next year I may not be accepted to the grad programs that I am interested in. Although that would be disappointing, that wouldn’t prevent me from achieving my goals. It would admittedly be a set back, but nothing insurmountable. In the event that I don’t get into grad school next year, I will have to be mindful of Schwartz’s three R’s in order to continue striving for my goals rather than simply settling.