I entered college in 2020 for an entire year of online classes and the following year of hybrid classes. Although I lived in the dorms one quarter my freshman year and in a house near campus my sophomore year, the class of 2024’s college experience will never feel ordinary. When people ask me what year I am, I sometimes say “second”, only to catch myself seconds later that I am a third year. I still feel like a first or second year because I constantly get lost walking around campus and finally found my friend group this year. The pandemic took a toll on my mental health and going into all in-person classes was overwhelming. In addition, people say I look like I am 16 or 17 years old, which does not help prepare me for being a senior. These things being said, how do I prepare myself for a year of applying to graduate schools while still being diligent in my studies? Is there any time to have fun and enjoy my youth before joining the workforce?
This summer, I am spending most of my time in Riverside, where I go to college at UC Riverside. Given that I only have one more year in Riverside, I want to enjoy my time here while I can. I am not taking summer classes, but instead plan on using this summer to be more involved in a campus psychology lab I volunteer at, table on campus to promote the student organization I lead, and hang out with friends. I think these are all important things to do while I am still young and have freedom to explore and make mistakes. For instance, if I find out I do not like to do psychology research, there is still all of senior year to explore other careers. Not taking any classes will ease my stress and give me time to plan my future and finally put an end to my parents pressuring me into having future plans. By balancing things I need to do with things I want to do, I hope to not feel burnt out before the school year starts.
Being a fourth year is a good time to truly know who you are and reflect on the person you have become. Throughout college, I feel like I have learned more about my values, passions, etc. than I had learned in middle school or high school. Summer is when I have the most freedom, so I think this would be the time to start thinking about who I am. Reflecting on myself will give me an idea of my strengths and weaknesses, and how I can put my strengths to good use in my future career and relationships. I think staying true to myself will help me feel more confident for life after college in being able to overcome adversity and not succumb to pressure.
Staying in Riverside will also ease my transition into senior year. I think it is important to enjoy the present circumstances being in Riverside because I most likely will not stay here after college. Whenever I go back home to the Bay Area, I have a difficult time feeling very nostalgic about being back in my old room, yet knowing that life will never be the same again as it was during my childhood. I feel like I live in two different worlds, being surrounded by all older adults at home and surrounded by all people my age in Riverside. Every time I go home, I do not feel mentally and emotionally prepared to go back to Riverside. The seven hour drive is rough, knowing that I cannot go home every weekend like some of my housemates do. This transition would likely be worse senior year, knowing that it will be my last year, caught between homesickness and wanting to cherish my time in Riverside.
While I do not think I will enter senior year feeling 100% ready to graduate soon, I am hoping to balance my time well over the summer, come out of college with a strong sense of self, and enjoy being a college student one last year.
