Senior year of high school marks the first wave of adult responsibility and immense pressure to make future decisions for most students. Of course the time leading up to picking a university and graduating is filled with its own vicissitudes of stress, but ultimately deciding which university is the best option and fit for you is the first decision you make that holds a great weight for your future self. Here in Chile, they approach this time with great caution; with great awareness of priorities and maturity at that age.
Over dinner my host brother raved about the sense of independence and responsibilities that many American students have, in contrast to Chile where you can live with your parents until you’re married. That means your laundry, your cooking, your bills, your transportation- are all provided for by your mom until you just can’t live at home anymore. My host bother found the whole process too coddling and nurturing and created students that were incapable of holding great responsibilities or taking the initiative. In contrast, an atmosphere of great maturity is felt especially at GWU, where most students are involved with politics, internships and student orgs beyond just the typically university life.
I’ve always felt like GW students are constantly aware of their lives post-graduation and have a good sense of their path and options leaving school. For the most part, GW is filled with ambitious and driven students that enter GW with an idea of what they want to do with their lives. While my host mother agreed with my host brother that American students were especially responsible, she also pointed out that students are really fragile at this age and can make the wrong decisions really easily. She pushed that family relations and a supportive network were important for young people so that they can really focus on these early years that would mark and change everything else they would do.
Why bother with laundry when you should be studying or finding your passion or finding your love? Why would you cook for yourself when your mom can cook and you can explore what you want to do with your life? Spend time with your friends. Enjoy these small moments of youth before you’re forced to sacrifice for others. I was always told in the US that your 20s is a selfish time and a time to be selfish, but that never resonated with me very well because I would have never labeled my actions as actively and cognitively selfish. It always felt subtlety condescending when someone would say that.
In the States we have this contradicting relationship where you’re meant to be selfish but you’re also given a lot of responsibility. Relatively much more than other countries. Being in Chile has not only provided me with a greater sense of self-confidence in all that I’ve achieved, but it’s also reminded me how young I am and how fragile this age is. How careful you have to be in making the right decisions at this point, but that you can find true strength in family and friends. Yes: grades, GPAs and jobs are important but ultimately your environment surrounding those things creates opportunities for you.