Reflections of a graduating OSU senior

It is now the second month of my last semester of college. It’s an odd feeling of relief, fear, and excitement. The fact I’m graduating has snuck in and there’s a slight panic of what my future holds. College is a safety net that gives us a sense of the adult world but not all of the responsibilities. Looking back at my time here at The Ohio State University makes me proud to call myself a Buckeye.

It’s funny to think I didn’t want to go here when I was in high school but it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I got to meet so many different types of people, became friends with people who I’ve either grown closer to or lost touch with throughout the years, and attended some of the numerous campus events where I’ve bonded with strangers who I’ve never seen again.

The Mirror Lake Jump

I know people who have done it but I never wanted to, mostly because it was always freezing cold the night of the event. I may have missed out on one of the traditions at Ohio State, but I don’t regret it.

However, I have gone to the football games, which I think is a definite must for every Buckeye. Going to the games was one of the most enjoyable events I’ve gone to. Sometimes it was terrible due to the weather but the student section is so full of life that you immediately get pumped for the game.

Remember when OneRepublic was here?

Another one of the greatest moments I’ve had at Ohio State were the free concerts held on the South Oval and at the Schott. My favorite was when OneRepublic performed at the Schott my sophomore year, mostly because they’re one of my favorite bands. For some of the free concerts on the South Oval, Ohio Union Activities Board had artists who I wasn’t familiar with but since it was free, I went anyway.

The campus has a lot of free events such as this, and Flicks for Free as well as club events and the Involvement Fair where they hand out free stuff. Taste of OSU is another one of my favorite events except for the fact you have to pay for a certain amount of tickets but it’s affordable. It’s a wonderful place to not only see more clubs but taste different ethnic foods.

The first two years here were the most eventful

Freshmen year you’re so excited to be away from home and meet new people who you befriend almost everyone you meet based off of the few things you have in common. You start off with a huge friend group or different friend groups you try to find a balance between your social life, studying, and sleep. Depending on your major and study habits, one of these tends to suffer. I’ve met different combinations of these people who have had different outcomes:

• social life+ no studying + sleep = good grades/bad grades
• no social life+ studying + sleep= good/ not as good grades
• social life+ studying+ no sleep= good/bad grades and a crabby person

If you work, exercise or have an internship during college, then you have to find time for those too and that can get overwhelming.

Don’t stress too much

For anyone who’s reading this, the #1 thing you should care about is your mental health. College can be very stressful, and if this stress starts to bear down on you, take a day off, and focus on yourself in order to repair your state of mind. When your mental health is good and stable, you’re able to focus more on school and have a brighter mood.

If you’re worried about missing a class because you’re worried about your mental health, email them. Most professors are understanding when it comes to this because they understand the stressful environment. Everyone has different levels of stress and handle it in different ways so don’t feel ashamed if you need to take a day off, and lay in bed because that’s where you feel safe. 

Get at least eight hours of sleep

My biology teacher freshmen year told us to make sure we get sleep because lack of sleep reduces your attention span. The sleeplessness makes it hard for you to concentrate on the material being taught and hard to retain information you studied while pulling an all-nighter. Now I don’t know about any of you, but I personally need my sleep. I love sleep and will sometimes not do some homework assignments or do it with little to no effort in order to get it finished. My roommate sophomore year and I were Pre-Med biology majors (I changed my major to English last year) and we had different study habits. We had different approaches to our major, which in the end doesn’t matter now since I changed and she’s still pursuing it.

However, I realized even though I was doing well in the process, going to medical school didn’t appeal to me anymore. I was in my Italian Renaissance Art class when I had my first epiphany where I figured out I didn’t want to become a doctor anymore.

It’s OK to not know what you’re doing

Although I’m an English major now, I’m still unsure of what career path I should go into. Having an English degree gives me the opportunity to explore different careers.

I’m still trying to figure out what I want in life, and what I’ll be doing right after graduation but oddly enough I’m not at all worried. Not to be cheesy or anything but I know everything will sort itself out. All I can do is embrace this unknown, and focus on the present, which is currently finding a bridesmaid dress for my best friend’s wedding, and applying for jobs. Even though I’m going to miss being in college with all of my friends, and don’t have a job lined up like some of the graduates here, I’m glad of all the memories, and friends I’ve made here. I may have lost touch with some of these friends along the way but the memories will last forever.

They say college is the best four years of your life but I still think my best years are ahead of me. Everyone’s best years are ahead of them, no one should ever peak in college or high school. The 20s are the years to explore life, and that’s what I’m looking forward to doing.