Some say that college is the best time of your life. To “some” I say, “Where did you go and how can I apply?” For me, college has been anything but easy. It has been a journey of hardship, failure, realization and growth. For a long time, I have wondered if I was the only one who looked at college as just “the next step," something you just have to get through before the actual "best time of your life.” So, I asked my fellow college seniors what they will miss the least about their undergraduate experience. Here are their responses.
1.“I won’t miss never feeling truly prepared for exams."
No matter how many practice problems you do, fact sheets you write out or flashcards you make, you never truly feel like you’ve mastered the material. The fine print you didn’t read at the bottom of the page or the topic covered in the one class you skipped all semester will inevitably be 15 of 35 points on the exam.
2. “My to-do list outside of class is endless. I don’t have time for anything.”
You wake up when it's dark outside, haul your young ass to class all day, go to work to pay off your mounting student loans and go home to…do homework until you fall asleep on top of your textbook. You become panicked to get 100 things done in an hour, such that forming full sentences begins to feel like a waste of time.
3. “I hate not knowing how I’m doing in a class because of arbitrary curves applied at the end of the semester.”
Is that 50% a B or is it truly an F? Only time will tell as you pour over histograms of exam results throughout the semester, trying to calculate and guess the curve. By the time you actually receive your final grades, it’s time to start another semester and your anxieties about your Cell Biology mark are replaced by new worries. You decide to never check your grades. After all, ignorance is bliss, right?
4. “Advisers should get some advice on how to advise students.”
If you’ve been in the public school system or attended any higher education institution, you’ve probably encountered a whole host of counselors and advisor who is supposed to “help.” By the time I leave advising appointments, I’ve changed my major three times, second-guessed my purpose on this earth and written down 17 more things to do in my planner. Thanks for your input, Michelle.
5. “I don’t understand why you’re requiring me to attend this class.”
Cue the class-wide eye roll on the first day when the professor announces that participation is 10% of your final grade. Excuse me, Dr. Funkiller, but I can guarantee you won’t know my name by the end of your 16-week lecture series on soil microbes. Why should I come when all the materials are online? Please kindly shove your attendance lists where the sun don’t shine.
6. “I will not miss taking required classes that aren’t relevant, interesting or fun.”
Is it just me or is “required elective” a bit of an oxymoron? Think college is “all about exploring your interests?” Someone please help me slot “interests” into my 20-credit schedule.
7. “I’ve had too many sleepless nights.”
It’s only at the very end of the semester, when you finally get to sleep in for the first time in months, that you realize how truly tired you are. You stay up to finish assignments, study for exams and drink away your sorrows on the weekends. Whatever. Life is short. Sleep when you’re dead.
8. “I hated having to prioritize studying over otherwise beneficial activities.”
Having trouble remembering the last time you ate a fresh vegetable or made it to the gym? You’re not alone. At least when you show up to your exam haggard and over-caffeinated, you’ll have memorized that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.
We're almost there seniors. Just a few more months of this hell (or weeks, you lucky kids done a semester early). Graduation and freedom are afoot. Then again, there's always grad school.
