"Where are you going? Where do you go? Are you looking for answers to questions underneath the stars?" These are the lyrics to Dave Matthews' hit song, "Where Are You Going?" In this song, Dave Matthews asks a question that I strongly believe each college student should ask themselves; where are you going? As an eighteen-year-old entering the college atmosphere, I am realizing that my attitude toward this time has changed dramatically.

Throughout high school I was always hearing people talk about how they couldn’t wait to go to college. "A 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week party," I heard one of the kids in my graduating class say; however, as I make it through my first couple weeks here at RU, I have realized that college is my ticket to the future and it is a lot more than just fun and games; where am I going?

Three years ago my brother headed down to Winston-Salem, N.C., as he was beginning his freshmen year at Wake Forest University. Before leaving for college, my brother was very worried about the academics, but like every freshman, he was also very worried about his new social life. As his year started and the work began to pile up, my brother became overwhelmed and began to realize that college wasn’t all parties; there was actually work to be done!

In December, my brother returned home from his first semester at WFU and proceeded to tell me that he had never worked so hard and he had it to show by receiving "Dean’s list" honors at a top-notch university. During his break, my brother informed me that college wasn’t what he had expected. It certainly was everything but a 24/7 party and that the work load was immeasurable. He told me that different people had different approaches about the whole "college life" atmosphere and there were many different ways of coping with the work load.

He went on to tell me that he witnessed a group of people who focused their main concentration on parties being told that they were not able to come back to school for the spring semester. To me, those people didn’t realize that college was a lot more than just fun and games; where were they going?

Before I left for college this year my brother didn’t give me a whole lot of advice because he wanted me to experience the college life for myself. But he did tell me that college is something that I want to put everything into. I do not want to be home during the second semester! The last words that I heard out of my brother’s mouth were, "Give it your all" and these words have stayed in my head, and will for these next four years.

As I headed off to RU earlier in the semester and began to experience college for myself, I also began to encounter some of the exact same situations that my brother experienced. On my first Tuesday night that I was here I was hearing people talk about how they were planning on going out all night long and then at 10 a.m. in my University 100 class, I saw that they were not present. To me, those kids believe that this time is strictly fun and obviously the only place that they have to go is home!

Throughout these first weeks, I have realized something very important: my time here is more then just a year-round party, this time is going to take me to the places that I want to go. I want to grow up working for a top-notch business department, rather then being one of those individuals who would be content with working at a fast food restaurant. Some students will go all semester before realizing that this period in their lives is filled with a lot more than just pleasure. When second semester comes around and they find themselves on academic probation, I doubt that they will be having much fun anymore!

I understand that RU is going to give me my "best four years of my life." However, this should also be taken like a full time job. Being a student here at RU takes responsibility and to make it to the place I want to go, I have to give these next four years my all. I have to make sure that I do not sit around and not take care of my work. I have a job to do and I have to get it done! As I look back on all of my current experiences and all of my brother’s past experiences, I can realize that it is my self-discipline that is going to take me the places that I want to go.

Unlike others, I have acknowledged that yes, these are the best four years of my life; however, with these four years, I can have many more great years to come! Now, I’m not going to sit here and tell you that I have not had any fun while I have been at RU because that would be lying; I have had a great time. I have just been able to balance my schedule well enough to where I have be able to finish all of my work before going out. I have made sure that I do not get behind in my work, and if there has been a choice on rather to go out or get my work done, so far I have always chosen to do my work.

After four years I want to be able to look back at this time and have no regrets. I want there to be no times that I wasted and no papers that I didn’t put my all into. This is my time to shine. I can’t let this period slip away with regrets and "what-ifs;" I have work to get done.

Four years from now I will be walking off of that stage headed toward the real world and I will be ready! It will be because of my self-discipline that I find myself with a good job and a place to go. I want to be known as one of those kids who had places to go, and gave it everything from the beginning of my journey. This is my time; where am I going?