HAPPY LDOC!!! As of twenty minutes ago, I am officially done with classes for the semester! No more homework assignments and essays and tests, just the sheer insanity that is Finals Week. The end of classes is always tainted bittersweet—you’ve just finished classes, but then you have to turn around and study your butt off.
That being said, as I left my dorm today for class I was reminded of the first day of school, leaving for the same Tuesday/Thursday class, completely unsure of myself and quite frankly down-right scared. Coming in as a transfer student, I wasn’t a stranger to the first day of college classes. I knew the drill: trying to find the classroom, awkwardly scouting out the other students to figure out where to sit, and attempting to gauge exactly what you just got yourself into. I had the routine down pat. But it was different this time. I didn’t know anyone. I had yet to discover the whole new system that is Furman University.
That was 16 weeks ago. I look back on that day and I’m shocked by how far I’ve come. I know people now. I have friends instead of classmates, and mentors instead of professors. I’ve chosen a major, two in fact. I’m planning to study abroad next year. I have summer plans. Through the haze of confusion and uncertainty, I’ve come out miraculously unscathed. I know myself better now, and I credit a great deal of that to this amazing university.
I have probably been through almost every non-academic department plus several academic departments throughout the semester. I’ve annoyed countless people with my quips and random ideas for future life goals, and my email history will prove that. I’ve taken personality quizzes and gone to information sessions, spoken to faculty and fellow students, and googled every profession under the sun. Through all of it, I never received anything less than a, “How can I help you?” from all the incredible people here, and for that I’m truly grateful.
These last few days as my classes have wrapped up and I turned in my remaining assignments, I began to experience something weird: I was sad. I think few students are ever sad to be done with a semester, but in my case it’s true. Looking around at the people in my classes, I realized how much I’ve come to know them. They’re my friends, some of the first ones I made here. There have been awkward moments and laughable experiences that have bonded us together, and it’s a little sad to see that go. In the whirlwind of finals I think we forget about that and we don’t really know how amazing it was until it’s gone.
In these 16 weeks I’ve somehow managed to find clarity in the clutter that is my sophomore year, and I can’t wait to see what lies ahead for the coming term.