When Your Senior Comp Seems Like A Relationship

I never realized how intensive the work was for my senior comp until I was at dinner with my friends a few weeks ago. We were discussing how our parents would react if we dated non-Catholic Christian guys. I had no idea, so I texted my mom this:

My friends warned me that my mom would think I met a guy, but she also has a great sense of humor. I was making a joke originally, when it came to us all that senior comps can be as intensive at a long term relationship. Here are ways to tell if you are in a relationship with your senior comprehensive:

1. It takes a lot of time commitment. If you want a good comprehensive (relationship), you need to put in the time and neglect things you would do for yourself for it to work. By giving up time, you make progress for the good (or better grades). 

2. You won’t stop talking about it with your friends. “Sorry, guys, but I have to work on my discussion section now” and “I have to go transcribe for my comp” become common things your friends hear on a regular basis. It is not a bad thing, but they want to know when they can see your presentation (significant other).

3. Your occasional stress and anxiety. Sometimes relationships hit hard patches and you get stressed over your significant other much like you do when your anxious about your comp. All things get better the more you work on them, but there will be moments of tension, but like all things, can be amended.

4. You go to others with the same situation asking for advice. Last spring, other seniors in the Communication Studies major would tell me that I will get through my comp. When I had questions about it this semester, my classmates would give me advice on how to go about it. Just like asking your friends for relationship advice, your classmates are quasi-comp (love) gurus.

5. You are passionate and proud about it. At the beginning of my comp, my professor told us to write what our passions were. I wrote about Ireland and my comp ended up being about how Notre Dame represent the Irish on game days. I never got bored with my comprehensive, and like my classmates, I was excited to present it. Like you would introduce your significant other to people who are interested, you passionately talk about your comp whenever someone brings it up.

Comping is not easy, but it is achievable, like a great relationship. For the girls who are starting theirs next semester or are still working on theirs, good luck and enjoy it.

Also a bonus: