It’s taken me three years to admit that I might be crazy — but you won’t get me to admit that it hasn’t been worth it.

I came to Ithaca College as a freshman journalism major, and a slightly unsatisfied one at that. I had auditioned on piano for music education programs at eight colleges and universities along the East Coast, and was accepted into all but one: Ithaca.

For a reason still unclear to me, I followed the advice of music education professor Mark Fonder and began taking lessons on tuba. After a year of lessons from a grad student, I auditioned again, and I (finally) began as a freshman in the music education program in the Fall 2006 semester, while I continued as a sophomore in the journalism program.

It doesn’t seem reasonable. I’ve heard that at least 50 times more than the number of times I’ve traveled to buildings other than Park or Whalen. But paying $140,000 or more to be excellent at one thing — but not particularly good at anything else — isn’t reasonable either.

As much as college is about preparing for a career-driven society, it’s also about being able to adapt to different environments, respond intelligently to ideas and interact with people and ideologies different than our own. More often than not, we mistake a specialization in a narrow course of study as the solution. But it’s not.

Being successful is more than having a skill set — it’s having the intelligence to use it effectively. A September New York Times article supported this way of thinking, reporting that adults in the workforce found more value in a wide range of experiences and a liberal arts skill set than in any other college experience.

But for me, and most of us, stepping out of that comfort zone is nothing less than daunting. There are students across campus who like to challenge themselves. But really, who actually likes to make themselves uncomfortable?

It can become addicting – both the constant consumption of caffeine and the rush that comes with immersing myself in two completely different environments at least four times a day. The former has made me ask myself why I’m not direct depositing my meager Ithacan paychecks to my two favorite Dunkin’ Donuts employees each week (yes, they know my order by heart).

But the latter has fueled my hunger to learn about more than just inverted pyramids, news judgment, augmented sixth chords and tempo modulation — which Dr. Rebecca Jemian will be happy to know I’ll have down without a metronome by the final exam. It’s made me admit that there are things I don’t know, and pursue the answer until I do. It’s made me look at a group dynamic and change my role accordingly. It’s certainly made my planner look like something out of a toddler’s coloring book, with every color drawn horribly outside of the lines.

The good news is there are people who are catching on.  Our generation, “The Millenials,” has been reported as the busiest generation the U.S. has ever seen, with extreme time pressures and very little unstructured free time.

So it appears we’re doing something with our time. The better question is, are we doing it in a way that makes the most of our experience here? I asked myself that on my first day on campus and haven’t looked back since. Of course, training your body to function without sleep is never the best idea. Instead, to engage in as many diverse experiences as possible during such a formative time in our lives is not only wise, it’s necessary. They aren’t lying when they say your four years is what you make them. Sacrificing a lot of time and a little bit of sanity to achieve that, at least from what I’ve seen, is worth it.

Erica R. Hendry is a junior journalism and music education double major, and editor in chief of The Ithacan. E-mail her at ehendry1@ithaca.edu.