I realized a few days ago that my last semester was less than two months from being over, TWO MONTHS! That’s 54 days 9 hours 32 minutes and 9 seconds from now; but who’s counting? I immediately went into a panic, feeling like the many Sorority girls I saw during the last week of classes in the Spring – crying into each other’s shoulders and reminiscing on the “absolutely perfect times we had together that I’ll never forget”. Go ahead and cry, laugh, or jump for joy. I personally will be crying out of happiness because, despite my many nights of debauchery, I made it out with a GPA that I could display on my resume rather than hiding it away like that family of criminals did with Sloth in The Goonies. But before I let a tear of lost hope leave my eye, I thought about everything I would never have to do again (hopefully). So without further ado, here’s a list of pros and cons to consider while facing graduation from your esteemed university.
CONS
- The friends you’re used to spending everyday with have probably moved home or worse, to another city
- No more partying on the weekdays just because you’re done with a major assignment (or simply because you have no real responsibilities)
- Every year you’ve gone to school, studied hard, and then had Summer off – that schedule is about to be shaken up
- Leaving your respective university just as soon as you feel you finally have the hang of things
- Your known as an alumni at football games, and expected to act as such
- Realizing that you’re not actually ready for any of this
- Your parents want their return on investment… like right now
- Your body is going even more downhill than it did freshman year – sorry
- The real world doesn’t just hand out free t-shirts for showing up to an event
- Although it was the best four years of your life (or more for over-achievers like me), it’s over. If you’re going into Graduate school immediately after your Undergraduate career is over, Godspeed my friend.
PROS
- No more pointless classes you definitely didn’t need
- You’ll never feel richer than your first real job paycheck
- Your liver can finally take a break from your college lifestyle
- ….and so can your wallet
- You can pursue what you studied 16+ years for
- NO MORE FINAL EXAMS
- No more all-nighters trying to cram 6 weeks of information in the day before a final exam
- You’ll have real freedom to make decisions, without university officials looming over your shoulder
- You’ll make new friends in new circles, while retaining your old college friends (especially if you were in a Fraternity or Sorority – those friends last forever)
- That bad reputation is thrown away, or not depending on how badly (/awesomely) you messed up
There’s no going back or doing everything over again. You’re left with the memories that will last forever, and life will go on. You shouldn’t dwell on what you miss from your years at school; you should look forward to where you’re going in your future.
Congratulations and good luck!
– Demetrius Hunter