I feel like there are two approaches to graduation. Some people I know are happy to be leaving soon. Others, like myself, only thought they would be. A friend of mine said it best: “I thought I was done with school when graduation came around, but now I’m scrambling to take all the classes I wanna take, and I’m thinking about graduate school.” Another friend has told me she isn’t ready to leave MCLA, having only spent two years here as a transfer student.
That’s the way I feel, too. It’s difficult to leave the academic structure we’ve known for all our lives, and to be honest, the only way I feel I can learn anything skill related is through taking classes. The academic setting, while stressful at times, makes me feel at home. When I first started college, I was excited at the prospect of graduating after three and a half years; I wanted to save myself the money and time, and while deep down that’s still partly true, I’m realizing, now that the hour has come, that I’m scared to graduate.
I had a good run at MCLA. I learned a lot about myself, had some great experiences, and met a lot of amazing people. They, I think, are what I’ll miss the most. These people give me joy and life in the deepest kind of way, and I can’t bear to think what’ll happen once I’m away from them. The friends I’ve met here have become my family, and I as excited as I am to finally find my way in the world, I don’t want to leave them behind.
Deep down, I think I’m ready. I’m looking forward to moving forward — to paying off the debt that I owe, and to having more time to myself. And yet, I still feel like a kid inside. The real
world is a scary place, and I feel as though I could have done more with my time here.
Worked harder, learned more, experimented with my dreams. I don’t want to look back and regret not putting my all into things, even if it killed me. But that’s something I’ll have to live with, and that’s the thing about life: most decisions we make are permanent.
College is a privilege, and that’s something no student can forget. This has truly been one of the best experiences of my life; I only wish it could last longer.