When my parents drove me five hours from Albany to drop me off for my first year of college, they literally had to put me in our Chrysler Town and Country kicking and screaming. I will be the first to admit that when I came to the University at Buffalo, I was not happy about it—and I will also be the first to admit that I was wrong.

My decision to attend this university was based largely on cost and financial aid, and little on academic departments or offered majors. In fact, when I came in as a freshman, UB didn’t even offer the major I wanted, which was journalism.

The closest option to a degree in journalism at UB is either a “certificate” offered through the English department, or suffering through the communications curriculum and hoping for the best. At least that’s what I thought until about two weeks ago when Lauren Ministero started writing this week’s cover story about the special majors option at UB. Special majors offers students an opportunity to major in what they really love. I wish I had known that as a freshman. You’d think that after making me take UB 101 someone could have mentioned this.

I ended up finding my way despite my lack of knowledge about what UB offers. My freshman year English 102 teacher made me realize that I needed to major in English, because it’s something I have always loved and my World Civilizations professor rekindled my love of history.

After a (no joke) two-hour meeting with my academic advisor, I realized that, in order to pursue journalism, I didn’t necessarily need a journalism degree. I could major in what I liked while simultaneously building up my portfolio and taking the necessary journalism classes. That’s when I decided to double major in English and history, and work for Generation. I have never been happier with a decision in my life. I’m having a love affair with both departments and enjoying exploring journalism with real field experience, and on my own terms.

I also became happy about my decision to come to UB. When I compare my academic situation to those of my friends who went off to their 40,000 dollar a year institutions I feel insanely lucky, and not just because I won’t be paying off college loans until I’m 50. They all complain about their lack of flexibility with their majors. They can’t pursue what’s interesting to them because they have too many requirements to fulfill.

Those brick buildings overflowing with ivy vines that I once dreamed of end up oppressing and stifling academics—at least that’s the consensus I get from speaking with friends who go to schools like Cornell, Boston College, and Princeton. A friend who attends Boston University once told me that, “For a liberal arts school, they aren’t very liberal in what I can learn.”

That thought has always stuck with me, because while I know that a degree from one of these renowned universities probably looks more impressive than one from UB, I also understand that a college degree should be more than a piece of paper. It should represent something—like an experience and a wide base of knowledge. UB offers that.

There are so many options here. Between special majors and the variety of academic departments, you can do pretty much whatever you want. You can combine any two or three majors and graduate with multiple degrees, or you can blend your interests into a brand new, unique major. UB lets you custom tailor your education, and in my opinion, showing that you took the time to design a degree that really represents what you want to do is 100 times more impressive than some cookie cutter, pre-made degree from Harvard.

As I begin my third year at UB, I am so excited about my academic track. I can’t wait to graduate with my English degree and my US foreign policy history concentration. I have so many options. I can use my portfolio to get a writing job, or I can get a teaching certificate.

I urge you to read the cover story this week and to take advantage of what UB has to offer. If you think college is boring, you can fix that—you can do anything you want. You can combine physics and gender studies if you want—just as long as you can get it approved by the special majors department. Change your mind, change your major, and change your life. This is America after all; we have options. UB is the perfect example of that. Take advantage of them.