We all finish things in life and end up regretting actions and their outcomes in hindsight. The college experience is one that people commonly look back on and lament over. I particularly have 5 things I regret about my time at Franciscan University of Steubenville, and I think I am not alone with some of these.
Friends
The shared plight of most college graduates is having to say goodbye to the many friends they have made over the years. I particularly pride myself on my ability to socialize and I ended up befriending a large number of people at Franciscan. In 2016, I ended up graduating with my Associates and then a year later with my Bachelors. Not only did I have to say goodbye to close friends once, but I had to do it all again a second time this last semester. What made it worse was I inadvertently formed some of my closest college friendships my very last semester and saying goodbye this time was one of the hardest things I have had to do. It's not that I regret meeting them, but I regret finding myself in a situation that in the end hurt my heart a great deal.
Money
I left Franciscan University in more debt than I initially intended. Many people know that the University essentially scammed me into another semester by holding a transferred history core against me and then changing their minds after I made arrangements to return. Because of that, I added a large sum of debt to my grand total. I also entered into repayment on my loans much earlier than I should have because the class I needed was only available in the spring and taking the fall semester off sent me into my post-graduation grace period. I look back on my time at Franciscan, and although I staunchly believe that it was worth it, I am left with a hefty price to pay. When you’re trying to pay for college, students will put the repayment in the furthest place of their mind. That first day you are home after graduation though, the harsh reality sets in. Ignoring the inevitable is no longer an option, and finding a good job haunts your dreams.
Holy Shaming
I felt like an outsider for a long time at Franciscan University, mostly because I was not as educated in my Catholic faith as the numerous theology majors. I originally intended to finish with a minor in theology but ended up not having enough time to complete it. I ended up finishing my last semester still feeling inferior to some, and not part of a solution to this clear problem. I regret not seeing this issue at the school sooner and making more of an effort to correct it while I had the chance. It wasn’t until my last semester that I had the courage to address holy-shaming in an article for the Odyssey, and even still feel like it fell on deaf ears. My deepest hope is that over time, Franciscan will make an effort to extinguish this elitist mentality plaguing the student population. I leave the school knowing I will not be the last to feel like a bad Catholic because of holy shaming at my alma mater.
Relationships
It goes without saying that people hope to find their future spouse in college. I searched, for a long while at that, and I ended up feeling more alone in the end. Several failed relationships and broken hearts left me discouraged and wondering: “What if?” I had really hoped to find a good Catholic girl at Franciscan because the struggle to do that in California is real. I look back at my time and see many missed opportunities with incredible young women who I only wish I could have pursued while at Franciscan. Alas, I am graduated and home, wondering if my chance to meet someone slipped through my fingers without me even realizing it.
Faith
I think many people can say unfortunately that their faith was a priority when they first attended Franciscan University. It was by far one of my greatest concerns when I first chose to travel nearly 3000 miles for college. It was a priority and my first few semesters I was absolutely on fire. Somewhere along the line though, I ended up stalling out in my faith life and I left Franciscan wondering why. I can say that my feelings toward the University didn’t help, and that staying longer made being there more tedious than a blessing. I just wanted to leave, and I shut myself out from much of the faith community because of it. I understand why this happened, but I deeply regret it. My faith is so important to me and I wish I could have left Franciscan on a better note in regards to my faith. I know that my faith journey is never over and that I will definitely improve over time, I just regret not utilizing all that Franciscan had to offer while I had the resources available to me.
If you're a grad from Franciscan, what did you regret most? If you're still attending, what is it that you don't want to regret? My advice to those who are still there: Regret is bound to happen, just let the positives outnumber the regrets.
