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Halfway Through: Lessons From a Rising Junior

August 3, 2024
Nicole Tacconi

It’s the summer of 2024, and I’m in that weird purgatory phase between years—feeling too old to claim the title of sophomore, but too young to drop the rising which precedes junior. Through these mixture of titles, I came to the realization that I’m exactly halfway through. Halfway through my Princeton experience.  

 

Princeton moves fast. Just the other day I remember dreaming of what college would feel like. The independence, the late night talks, the college romances and life-long friends waiting to be met. As a rising Junior, I admit these distant dreams now feel like grounded reality, but more importantly, I feel more grounded in myself. I know that I’ve significantly changed from the 18 year-old who walked through Fitzrandolph gate with eyes wide open but with a mind quite closed and ignorant of the challenges which awaited her. 

 

With time, I’ve become more aware of my freshman year ignorance. I believe I came into college with an over romanticized vision of adulthood, in addition to a blaring confidence that everything will go my way if I work hard enough. Not to discourage anyone, but college will never be a bed of roses. I think facing this reality, and the many challenges at Princeton, knocked down my 18 year old confidence to a certain degree. While my confidence has been lowered at certain points during my time here—I’m happy to report that it’s been on a steady trajectory uphill. 

 

A recent conversation with a friend enlightened me on a psychology term which I think accurately describes my growth during my two years here: the Dunning-Kruger Effect. If you’re not a psychology major (like me), you may not have heard about it. The Dunning-Kruger Effect is a cognitive bias where someone’s limited knowledge in a certain area causes them to become overconfident in their abilities. Essentially, when people have a gap in their knowledge, they tend to assume they know it all instead of realizing the gap. Funnily enough, I heard about this effect and thought “Wow! That exactly describes my college experience!”

 

However, I’m now aware of that gap, and I can therefore place more trust in myself and my judgment. From my two years here, I’ve learned a few things.  For example, I still believe things can go your way if you work hard enough, but now I understand it only comes with the addition of patience and flexibility. Further, I still love to romanticize college, but I no longer have the expectation that every second of it will be filled with those iconic moments. 

 

If I’ve truly learned anything, it’s that mistakes are meant to be made. They’ve helped me learn about myself, gain a sense of independence, and most importantly, given me a stronger sense of self. I’ve realized, I’m growing up a bit. I’m still proud of where I started, and I’m even prouder of where I’m going. Who knows, with my confidence rising, maybe soon I can drop that part of the title. Maybe being a junior isn’t so bad after all.