This is my first column, ever. Well, at least it is the first one to be published. I want to make it good. You only get one first impression.
Today, I want to focus on new students. You all are new to college life. It is very different from high school.
Most of you will be fine. You will find it easy to assimilate into the Student Body.
In all likelihood, you are either the go-to person who knows where all the good parties are and who advises your friends on the dos and don'ts, or you are the overachiever who has had things together for years, and you're on to conquer the next frontier.
I am speaking to the young adults who may not have it all figured out. This is important, so please pay attention.
The next few years are all about you. You are your own boss. You make the rules within the confines of the university.
Now is the time to dream big. This moment in your life is the best opportunity to be a daydreamer. Be someone who makes their childhood hopes a breathing reality. Do not let the grandiosity of your future overwhelm you into becoming a living nightmare.
For all of you outliers on the fringe, daunted by your new environment, the best way to overcome it is simple: You need to get involved.
This is the one shot to make someone of yourself and to do better for you, your loved ones and the world around you.
You must go out and get away from that small circle in which you felt comfortable. Find new people. Who knows, you could meet your life-long friend, or you could marry that cute girl in your general anthropology class.
Do not let fear or lethargy call the shots for you. Be the captain of the ship, and take charge of your fate.
I can assure you, no one else is going to do it for you.
The Swamp is a community full of zeal. A Student Body composed of contentious understandings is what makes the earth go round.
You need to find the one thing without which you would die if it shot up into space and imploded.
Passion is the food of the living dream. Everybody needs it. Do not let anybody - a professor, a friend or a parent - tell you that you cannot do what you love because it is a lie.
Grab on to that love and never let it slip through your fingers.
Then, find others who care about it too. If there is a club, join it. If there isn't, make one up. It is a great resource and provides a chance to make a difference in your own life.
Because last year was my freshman year, I did not do any of this.
This advice comes from personal experience. It is an experience that I hope you can avoid.
I lived alone and off-campus. I did not join any clubs. I took classes that I hated. I did not follow where my heart was leading me. Misery plagued me, and I never went out to have fun.
Now, gameday changed everything. Until last year, I was never much of a sports fan, let alone a UF football fan.
Sitting in the crowd with all the other students was a rush. The games were exciting. Gators chants created a sense of unity with my fellow students that I had not felt before.
I am a Gator.
Everybody needs to be a part of an organization, whether it's a church youth group, an indie band trying to land that sweet gig or joining a comedy club where you can crack jokes.
UF is full of opportunities. There are literally people here who are opening the door just for you. It is your choice to walk through or stay put.
Nicholas Butler is a journalism sophomore at UF. His column appears on Wednesdays.
