Dear Fellow Juniors,
This upcoming school year will be the last one for my undergraduate degree. I can't believe I'm almost graduating, yet I feel like it's about time! College has been hectic for me, and I'm not even talking about the homework (although that has been crazy). There's so much I've learned and so much I've struggled with through college, but there's also so much that I've loved about it.
I'm a rather sentimental person when it comes to these things, so allow me to indulge in some nostalgia for this article. You may be feeling this way as well, so I decided I'd share my thoughts on being an upcoming senior and on my time at college quickly coming to a close.
1. What I regret.
My number one regret about pretty much anything (including college) is that I wish I'd learned what I did sooner. I've dealt a lot with anxiety and with struggling to open up to people and improve my social life. I know that things happen at the time that they should, but it still would have been nice to have dealt with these issues sooner so that I could have made the absolute most of my college experience. However, I am really glad I learned the lessons that I did, even if I feel like they could have happened a little sooner.
I'll name a few more specific things. I wish I'd learned sooner that school shouldn't be the entirety of my life. I can have a social life and do fun activities outside of school, and that's okay. I always got so stressed about my grades that I didn't have as much of a life as I should have.
In the transition to college, I had a lot of stress and anxiety. No one needs to be THAT stressed and anxious about school or relationships or whatever. Unfortunately, I feel like I've only started being better about this now that graduation is approaching.
Part of me wishes I'd gotten more involved in clubs and extracurricular activities. Of course, you go to college to study, not to join various clubs and neglect your work, but I kind of wish I'd found something that I loved and was interested in.
2. What I'm glad I did.
Like I said, I'm glad that I learned so much outside of my courses, but I learned quite a lot from my courses as well. I learned so much about my major and what I'm passionate about and what I love. I'm so glad that I was able to even come to college at all and learn about a field that I am interested in. It's a huge blessing and privilege, and I will always be grateful for that.
I learned about Odyssey through my college, and I got a poem published through my university.
I've made so many friends and met my wonderful boyfriend here.
I've found a love for subjects that I'd never really considered before, and I've learned so much from them.
I have been able to grow more than I have ever grown in my life!
I'm talking like I'm a senior who's about to leave it all behind tomorrow. But I still have some time left!
3. What I hope to do.
Now is the time to look over my regrets list and think about what I'll be doing differently with the time that I have left.
I want to hang out with my friends more and not just sit around doing homework. A social life is important too, and sometimes it's okay to prioritize bonding and destressing with your friends.
I want to do more activities outside of school. I want to pick up hobbies and do what I love and not just work all the time.
I guess, in general, I want to make the most of and treasure each moment that I have left at college. I don't want time to fly by, and I don't want to one day look back at all the things I missed because I was too stressed or busy. That's probably going to be hard for me to deal with, but I'll be so glad if I can improve in this area.
Maybe you feel some of these things too. Well, at least we still have some time left to make some changes or to continue in the right direction. Senior year will probably be both tough and amazing. I'll just go along for the ride and see what happens!
Good luck!
