As I write this, I’m neither happy nor sad to be graduating from Boston University. It’s been a long four years, and I have learned a lot about myself and others on the way. I wrote a column like this in the summer of last year, but this time, it’s different.
I’m in the middle of the last month of school for the rest of my life. I’ve thought about this day since I’ve been young. Not having to go to school anymore. It’s a weird feeling and definitely not what I expected.
When I got to BU, I wasn’t sure if it was the right fit for me. I didn’t make a ton of friends here freshman year, and I hated my classes. The College of General Studies really did not help me with much of anything, with the exception of the writing classes. In fact, it was a pretty big waste of my life, and I wish I had started in the communications school to begin with. My GPA was suffering, and I was unhappy. That is, until I found the journalism program. There are so many great professors in that department who actually care about you as a person, not just as a grade on a paper.
I’ve had teachers like this before, albeit in high school, but they were few and far between. It was really comforting to know there would always be someone in your corner if you needed them.
After I found a group of friends, I felt right at home. They made it possible for me to enjoy being in the city, and I can’t thank them enough for it. We were idiots together a lot of the time, but we grew and enjoyed our time together at BU. I would not have wanted to do it with any other friend group.
I got diagnosed with depression in January, and it was pretty weird to tell people. I had been feeling off since I got to college and finally got the courage to speak up about it. I’m doing so much better now.
It really pays off to let the people you love know what’s on your mind, especially when you’re in college. It’s a super stressful time of your life, and no one is 100 percent sure how to handle it.
As classes start to come to an end, I find myself having an appreciation for being in a classroom setting. I wish I found that appreciation eight years ago. It’s pretty hilarious that now I’m finally starting to enjoy going to classes after hating it for the majority of my life. Oh well.
It’ll be weird to take my last finals. It will be weird to go through senior week knowing this is the last time all of my college friends will be together in one place for a prolonged amount of time. It will be even weirder to say goodbye to them after commencement.
I’m not at any of those stages just yet, but I can’t imagine they’re going to be easy. The real world is fast approaching, and I’m pretty ambivalent about it. It’ll be nice to have a steady stream of income every week, but I will miss being able to wake up at 12 p.m. I guess the good comes with the bad.
Looking back, I don’t think I would have wanted to go anywhere besides BU.
I will truly miss reading your column. Godspeed.