The Pages Project-Small Admissions Concluded

I have a little update for you all... the book club (at least for now) is no more. I still want to continue "The Pages Project" series, though, just a little differently. Instead of committing to an entire book, planning a schedule, and posting my thoughts at the end, I'm going to post about once a month about a "page" that inspired/struck me. For instance, if I'm reading through Darling Magazine and find an article that I find inspiring, I'll share it. Or, if I'm reading a short story in my World Literature class and find a quote I like, I'll write on that. I still want to continue my "read one book/month goal", but I felt like planning a schedule was a little unnatural. So, I still want to share words/thoughts I've read that inspire me, but I want it to be a little more spontaneous/less forced.

On that note, I wanted to share my overall thoughts about the book Small Admissions. Through the first half of the book, I was not a fan. At all. I remember texting Cate about a third of the way in and saying something along the lines of "should we switch books"? But, I kept pushing through, and it got better. I found it difficult to follow because of the way the story is told through so many different perspectives, but I really got a lot out of the main character. (insert cliche English class lesson here). 

The plot starts out with a girl, Kate, whose life is basically in shambles because she had just moved to Paris for her boyfriend, only to find her boyfriend (whom she thought would be fiance) at the airport ready to break up with her. Talk about #yikes. The beginning of the book is about Kate's sister's attempts to get Kate's life back on track. She finds her a job as an admissions counselor at a prestigious private school, and Kate is very hesitant, but ends up working there anyway. Fast forward a ton....at the end, Kate basically ends up saying she never would've imagined herself working as an admissions counselor, but she loved it. She was so glad she never continued on her planned career path--the one that seemed prestigious and grand and noteworthy.

This girl's life lessons resonated with me as far as "planning" my career. I could write a whole separate post about how we never really know our plans for the future, etc., but I just have a few thoughts for now. I am a 100% believer in pursuing a career that you enjoy rather than what makes the most money, makes other people happy, etc. Right now, that's medical school for me. But, who knows, I could wind up my senior year deciding to open a bakery (currently contemplating that thought right now in the middle of midterms). My dad went to med school for one semester when he was THIRTY and then decided it wasn't for me. Basically, there might be a point when your career just isn't working. (lol pun)And yes, it might make you go back to school to pursue something, and everyone might tell you you're an idiot for leaving your well-paid, prestigious job, but IT IS OK.

*Also, I'm planning on writing soon about my college choice, major choice, etc., so look out for that!

(If you're still following by this point, I applaud you)

All this to say, I firmly believe that if your work (in my case, as a student) or your career is not enjoyable, you will not enjoy life to its fullest capacity.  2 additions on this point--1, that is not to say that your entire academic experience or career will be fun. There will 100% be some bumps along the way (and required 8 a.m. labs). And 2, I'm not trying to say that your career is what completely controls your life enjoyment. Instead, I argue that a lot of our life is spent working, and we should strive to find work that we enjoy.

Those are my thoughts from this book!! It definitely is a good option for a beach read. I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject, so leave them below!

xo