This may be the most cliched lesson in the book, but reflecting on my college experience gives me a very tangible way to think about cause and effect, and to realize how day-to-day life, with its mixture of both uncertainty and joy, can ultimately lead to positive lessons.
I can directly attribute my time at Wake Forest to my love of college football and basketball, both of which I now follow intensely; and to my passion for writing, which has shaped my career. It's easy for me to point to specific situations — the plans I have to run in Central Park with a former teammate, for example — and to realize that I wouldn't have that small but fun experience to look forward to were it not for college.