Just a week ago, I attended the 100 days ‘til graduation event, where all graduating seniors were invited to come together to celebrate the real beginning of the end. Courses are now getting into full swing, and it’s time to lock in and (hopefully) finish strong and do just well enough to get that diploma. Now that the add-drop is over, everything is set in stone, and it is time to suck it up and get it over with. There is nothing more disappointing than wanting to drop a class after the add-drop period ends, and you can no longer decide to have a withdrawal on your transcript and wait until next semester to try again. Luckily I am not too upset with my course load for this final semester, and I think I will be capable of getting through it.
With the clock ticking down and the day of reckoning drawing closer, it is hard to wrap my head around my impending doom. After college, there is no real safety net to protect you. One day, you’re just a little guy who has not a care in the world, and the next you have to worry about government entities like the IRS or the CIA in some cases. Even though I am lucky enough to have a path planned out after college, there is a massive level of uncertainty in the real world that I am still trying to grasp. I remember at the start of my senior year, friends and family were asking about what my plans were after college, and I decided that it was best that I procrastinated thinking about it and now I am dealing with the repercussions of my laziness. New things are definitely scary, but it is reassuring knowing that I have a good group around me that is hoping to see me succeed. Unless they’re secretly working for one of the formerly mentioned government agencies, and they are all just ploys to get me to admit guilt to a crime I didn’t commit.
I think back to when I was preparing to graduate high school and college was completely uncertain, and I had no idea what to expect, but now I am 89 days away from graduation, and I am still standing tall, so I am optimistic and hopeful that I will look back on this in 4 years with a similar attitude towards the large decisions I have to make during my time. One of the big decisions I have just recently started considering is what hobby I will pursue in my free time after graduation. It seems like there will be so much more time with no homework taking precedence at 2 a.m. anymore, so I need to find something to fill that void. I thought it might be cool to start brewing, but that seems like a slippery slope. I have also considered getting back into soccer after college, but my 65-year-old knees may not be able to support that endeavor. This is a decision that I do not want to take lightly because this will likely be the one thing I do until I retire.
The rest of my time here at Stevens is set in stone, but beyond that, everything is unknown. I want to make good decisions that will leave me as happy as I can reasonably be for the foreseeable future. I feel like we all spend a lot of time stressing over school, but overall it is worth it to set yourself up for a life you will be happy with. Power through college — if “I did it,” you can too!
