Recipes
Dec 5, 2025
Author: Peyton Marcy
Editor: Maisie Page
I stood on a step stool in my grandmother’s kitchen, peering over the edge of the bowl. At each step of the process, Grandma knew exactly how much of each ingredient was necessary. She loved to tell me the function of each ingredient - the eggs help to add structure, while the baking soda makes the cake rise. They had to be measured out just so, which was why she watched closely as I poured sugar into the measuring cup. Finally, it was time to mix. I stared incredulously as the electronic mixer whipped all of the ingredients into one chocolatey concoction. I didn’t understand how it all worked, but I knew that the recipe had to be followed exactly, otherwise the cake would not come out the way I wanted it to.
Without realizing it, I had begun to view many aspects of my life in this way. Follow the specified outline - the one that has worked many times before - and achieve the desired outcome. When I wanted to make the high school dance team, I dedicated countless hours to practicing and private lessons. Calculus test next week? Flashcards and going over my notes from class. When it was time to take the SAT, my weekends were filled with studying and practice exams. I followed the steps and I got the results. This worked for me for much of my life, so it’s no surprise that when I arrived at college, I attempted to adapt to my new surroundings using the same heuristics.
However, I soon learned that this was not going to be helpful to me as I navigated this new chapter of my life. As I researched possible future careers, I was disappointed to learn that they didn’t come with directions - recipes - telling me exactly what major to select and which clubs to join. I couldn’t fathom how I was supposed to figure out what to do with no set of guidelines to adhere to. The advice I received to “do things that interested me”, didn’t help to ease my doubts. Mixing together a handful of ingredients simply because they taste good doesn’t make a cake.
But the truth is, there are no set recipes for most of life’s decisions. There are no “correct” paths for you to follow and, in fact, there are likely many that can lead you where you want to go. I learned this through trial and error, and it didn’t always go exactly the way I had expected. However, through trying out many clubs and taking classes in a variety of disciplines, I slowly began to figure things out. There was no set of directions telling me what to do, so I was forced to make decisions on my own, to forge my own path. And while my path may look different from the next person’s, and the next’s, neither is more “correct” than the others. Truthfully, at times I still wish I had a recipe to guide me, but I have learned to have greater trust in myself to experiment with ingredients and adjust as necessary along the way.
