I am about to earn my Bachelor's of Science and finally be a college graduate. But as I gear up and see people posting senior pictures so many people have tons of different colored cords and I don't. Student ambassadors, tutors, honors societies, leadership awards and all other kinds of stuff that people have cords for. As I sat in bed looking at yet another senior picture post on Facebook I started doubting my whole college career. Had I not done enough? Was I not involved enough? Did I mess up?
A few days later it hit me. What was I doing? Why was I comparing my college career to anyone else's? I was graduating and that itself is more than enough. I made it through four years of hard work and it didn't matter if I didn't receive any awards or honors. Anyone who graduates from college should be extremely proud of their accomplishments.
Furthermore, I did receive some awards. I am graduating as an honors fellow of my university after completing the intensive honors program. The honors program required (allowed is probably a better term) me to do independent studies, take classes that had a 6-to-1 student-teacher ratio and were inquiry based, study abroad at Oxford University, and complete my own honors thesis where I conducted my own study. I also graduated Magna Cum Laude, meaning I had a GPA higher than a 3.6.
So yeah I didn't do certain leadership positions on campus but I did so much while I was at school and made the experience totally my own. I worked off campus, was a student athlete, traveled, went to concerts, made best friends, lost some friends and above all, I have begun to form the woman that I want to be. Because college is not just about the academic education. College is so much more than that if you let it be and no matter what you choose to do while you are in college I hope it helps you learn not only what you want to do with your career but also who you want to be as a person. Congrats to all the grads, cords or none, because you've accomplished something that not everyone has and that is a big deal.
