“Oh my gosh, I haven’t seen you in forever! Where have you been?”
As a senior, this is the response you get from everybody — literally every single person — whether you were or are super close to him or her. These people may be your old friends from the dorms or acquaintances you’ve met along your college career. The saddest possibility of them all is that these may even be your best friends. The moral of the story is that senior year is not what we, as freshmen, thought it was cracked out to be. If you are a senior, you know the struggle of being trapped in this time-warped black hole that is college, and you’re just trying to make it out alive.
We seniors thought this year would be cake, right? We thought we’d have our internships and only have to go to school half of the week, but that no matter what, it couldn’t be too bad — excuse me while I stop and laugh at that ridiculous thought.
Just getting to the part where we finally get internships is a huge part of the mission. We’re looking for jobs or internships to gain experience for our post-grad lives, but then to get those positions, we need experience that we don’t have as students. We all know its all too real.
It’s hysterical to think our school schedules would be a few late classes that would be planned out accordingly to when we wanted to wake up or go to school. Senior year is no pat on the back; it’s more like a fire under your rear end. I swear it’s all a test, seeing who really wants it the most. Waking up before the sun to make it to your 8 a.m. classes every single day. If that’s not a rude awakening, then I don’t know what is.
Don’t get me started about the commute. Oh, how we thought it would be so cool to move to Pacific Beach, as most seniors do. Friday through Sunday it definitely is, I’ll give it that, but the FOMO [fear of missing out] really sets in every single night when it feels like you’re the only one whose life doesn’t allow time for fun. Not only is there a sense of isolation, but the preparation for each day and needing to leave an hour before class is the absolute worst. Did I mention class is at 8 a.m.?
Freshmen year, you want to get ready and look good for your classes in case there might some cuties. By senior year, everyone in your classes is your family and support system in a boat that just seems to be sinking. Dressing cute is only a thing on the days you have to go to your internships straight from class. Workout clothes are a must for the 12 hour days at school and essential to hit the ARC after class anyway. It’s one less thing to have to bring if they’re already on you, since you have to pack your lunch, bring your chargers and do whatever else you need to survive. Coming to school is like packing for camping, if you leave something, you just have to tough it out because there is no going back.
Keep your heads up, seniors.
Take a deep breath and just remember we’ve come this far, and we’ll make it through. This is preparing us for the real world and it’ll all be worth it because this is what we really want, right?
Oh, no. Is this what we want? Did we choose the right majors? Will we be happy spending the rest of our lives following the path we chose as little college newbies? Should we change our majors now? It’s too late; we graduate in two months! What do I do; do I try to double major or take up another minor and just stay at San Diego State forever? I think I’m hyperventilating and I might pass out.
I know we’ve all been there, and if you haven’t, don’t feel too confident. It’ll hit you. However, SDSU is just our safety blanket now — as our parents’ home once was too. It’ll all be okay. We’ll figure it out. Just remember, you’re not alone.
