I’m afraid of aging. I fear wrinkles, failing health and losing my hair later in life, but I’m more worried about reaching my mid-twenties. College represents a time of risk-taking and experimentation that don’t fit into the life of a poor journalism graduate.

This is why, at the midpoint of my Northwestern education, I’ve decided to experiment as much as possible, committing myself to activities, classes and jobs that often intimidate or downright frighten me.

The most obvious example is my decision to do my Teaching Media internship in Delhi, India, next quarter. I had heard of the four-person program through professors and other students, but I didn’t consider it until the week applications were due. I knew nothing about India – what preparations I’d need, what the journalism climate is like – but I didn’t care. I impulsively applied. Only after I had been accepted did I begin researching India, and now I’m genuinely excited.

It’s too early to say whether I’ll enjoy this international experience, but I know that once I graduate, opportunities like this will be rare. If I’m fortunate enough to find a position as an editorial assistant at a magazine after graduating, I won’t have time for three-month getaways.

But risk-taking doesn’t have to be this radical. When registering for Spring Quarter classes last year, I had trouble finding a fourth class that wouldn’t bore me to tears. A cosmopolitan friend of mine enrolled in a German film class, and, wanting merely to share a class with her, I followed suit. I’m not a film student, I’ve never been to Germany and I don’t speak any German, but I enjoyed exploring a completely new discipline. The course didn’t fulfill any distribution requirements, but it was a welcome departure from my boring routine of Spanish, English and journalism classes.

I’d like to become a film writer, but if I don’t, it’s unlikely that I’ll ever have a chance to learn about film the way I can here.

All students, regardless of what school they attend, should take full advantage of such opportunities, but this is especially true of NU students. Journalism students from other schools stare at me in disbelief when I tell them that Medill offers internships in South Africa and India. A cinephile friend of mine at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee envied me for being able to take a class exclusively on German film.

And NU’s proximity to Chicago only increases the possibilities for personal exploration. Those of us entering competitive fields – theater, music, journalism – will have to take work where it’s available. It could be in New York City, but it could also be in Wyoming.

Take risks. Travel. Poke around the city. Just don’t waste your time. Age may be a state of mind, but our college years are limited.

Medill junior Ryan Wenzel is the PLAY editor. He can be reached at [email protected].