B

I have always felt most comfortable in the classroom, and I enjoy the recognition from family and teachers for accomplishing a job well. Although I was a high achiever, I was not a student who joined every club. Throughout my life, I wanted to learn more than I wanted to be in a bunch of extracurriculars (课外活动).

My academic journey continued at a community college, where I joined the student newspaper. In the newsroom, I discovered an engaging, fast-paced world that allowed me to never stop learning. It was just what I had expected. Now my transfer (转学) to Drake University for a journalism degree was a no-brainer. It was exciting to see my future become clear, but I never pictured the shock waves headed my way.

The campus phenomenon known as “Drake Busy” was completely unexpected. The term describes the idea that constant busyness is the main indicator of college success. Within the first week, I felt heavy pressure to be active in all the ways my peers (同伴) were. I saw students trying to balance multiple jobs and organizations alongside schoolwork. As a student used to having confidence in the classroom, I felt this new standard threatened my identity and worsened my anxiety. I spent my first term struggling with doubts about my worthiness. My anxious thoughts tricked my mind into believing lies like “You’re not good enough.” A part of my mind realized those thoughts were not true, but that sensible voice was a whisper compared to the shouts of doubt. As a witness to this battle every day, I have learned that sometimes it just takes time to chip away at my mind’s inventions.

In time, I recognized that my experience as a transfer student was different but valuable. The outsider perspective helped me tackle “Drake Busy”. I watched people trying to do too much at the expense of their well-being. I wanted to shake them and say, “Why do this to yourself?”

Instead of fighting the current, I eventually learned to swim in my own lane. The pressure didn’t disappear, but my need to give in to it did. I realized that my worth wasn’t calculated by the number of meetings on my calendar, but by the real satisfaction I felt in my work. On the days I managed to balance my ambition with my peace of mind, I felt most motivated. I discovered that: true success is defined internally, not by the noise around you.