There comes a time in every college student's life that they have to face, for better or worse. Senior year.
I'm in a weird position where I've been a senior for the past few semesters, but after this year, it will finally be time for me to graduate! I'm feeling more excitement each day because I genuinely can't wait to enter the working world.
Over the summer, I've done a lot of reflecting on my college journey, from transferring to Rowan to finally feeling like I'm on the right path.
Here are some differences that I've found between being a new transfer student and heading into your last year of college.
1. As a transfer student, you may not know many people at your new school.
Maybe you're coming from a community college and the social aspect wasn't the best there, so you have no one familiar to experience those awkward first few days with. The first few days or weeks can suck, but if you're feeling alone or you're worried that you won't make friends, be patient. It took me a few weeks to finally get used to hanging out with my roommates and to get up the nerve to talk to people in classes.
2. As a senior, you most likely know a TON of people.
You've met them in clubs, classes, from your roommates, from other friends, at parties, or in the bookstore. There are so many places to meet people in college; it's all about putting yourself out there. Hopefully by your last year of school, you've figured that out. If not, hey, you still have time!
3. You don’t really understand how to work your school’s online system.
Most schools have Blackboard, but logging onto it can be a problem for a lot of people on their first day of classes. The same goes for logging into our registration portal. At first, it may not seem very user-friendly, but you get used to everything after using it daily for a few semesters.
4. In your last year, you know how to use all of the ins and outs of the Rowan system...
...and you'll go out of your way to help someone in a class who's struggling! You're also used to dealing with system crashes when it's time to register for classes.
5. You don’t understand why there are never any parking spaces.
Really, why is this such a big problem?
6. Seniors don’t know why, either.
No one knows why.
7. The academics may be more challenging.
Depending on which school you transferred from, the professors at Rowan may demand more of you than you're used to. This depends on your major, but everyone that I've met at Rowan agrees that our classes are definitely challenging.
8. Classes are still hard as a senior.
It's your last year, so you'd think it would be the most challenging, right?
But your workload may be lighter than it was in the past three years. If you take the same professor a few times or notice patterns in how classes from your major are taught, you can actually work smarter, not harder. This is also known as "working the system".
9. You may notice that you’ve changed a lot from your first year as a student at Rowan to your last year.
Personally, I can tell that I'm more serious about my academics, I've gotten better at being self-reflective, and I have a better sense of what I want to do with my life. During your time in college, you'll be exposed to a ton of different ways of thinking. Take advantage of that, and let it mold you into the person you want to become.
Good luck, and happy back to school!
