When I walked out of my last final for the fall semester, I came to realize that at that time next year, I would be walking out of my last final in my undergraduate career. Walking out of the exam was the first time it really hit me that my graduation date wasn't far away. This semester, I start my senior year and it's finally starting to feel like it.
A part of why I feel like it hasn't set in yet is because I'm so used to people assuming that I'm going to graduate in the spring. So for the past three years of my college career, I've been defining my time in how much I have left, not how much I've been through. Now my viewpoint has shifted to the fact that starting with the beginning of the new semester, I'm experiencing some of my "lasts" in college.
The hardest part with graduating in the fall is the fact that you miss out on certain events. Since most people graduate in the spring, it seems that those who graduate in December have a shorter senior year. Even though the year may seem shorter to everyone else, I'm going to take advantage of the year I have. That's why, starting this semester, I've said that I'm a senior to anyone who asks me what year I am.
I know that there are many things that I'm going to do this semester that I won't have the opportunity to do again. Graduating means that everything changes. In a years time, I won't be living in the same apartment, I won't be writing for Odyssey anymore, and I won't be a part of any of the groups on campus that I'm currently a part of.
These groups have made my college experience as great as it has been, and I'm sad to say goodbye to things that have been so important to me. I want to spend my last year spending time on the things that have made me happy, and finish them in a way that makes me proud. I know I'm going to be sad when I graduate and am done with these things, but I want to write articles that I'm proud of, and have a great last show with OTL. In doing these things, I'll be able to get to next fall and know that I made the most of my time with these organizations.
Knowing that I won't be doing these things in a years time, it motivates me to make the most of the time I have. Not only do I want to do everything that I've been doing because it's what I love, but I also want to spend time with the friends that I've made during this time. I want to be able to make the most of the time that I have, and I want to spend time doing things that I enjoy.
The fact that I'm graduating soon is becoming more real because the people I know are graduating. Knowing that I have more and more friends "entering the real world" makes me realize that I need to start becoming more responsible, and more prepared for a life where I'm not taking classes five days a week.
I have no regrets about graduating a semester early, I know that I'm making the choice that's best for me. While other people may not understand why I would want to graduate early, I want to be able to spend the time off school to grow professionally that can't happen if I'm still taking classes.
After getting through the first week of my senior year, I feel like the senioritis has set in. While I'm interested in all of my classes, I feel that it takes more energy to go and do the readings ahead of time. I know that these classes are useful for my future and I am genuinely interested in the content, but my brain has realized that I'm almost done with school, and it's ready for a break.
I'm excited to see what all my senior year brings me. I hope that I get to make the most out of all of the "last" experiences that I have. I want to take classes that help me become more prepared to enter the real world, and spend time with the people who have made my time at Ohio State even better. I hope that the senioritis holds off enough so that I can make it through the year, especially because I know that it's all going to be worth it.
