OPINION: New year, one last semester
January 11, 2019
The new year came in strong with a big blow to my head: I’m actually graduating after this spring.
I even checked my GPS Audit to make sure I actually applied – which I did (thank goodness). It’s hard to believe four years passed already.
Four years ago, I was a mere, innocent freshman who didn’t know what the heck she was doing or how to be a young adult living on her own. Yet, I survived. A girl who never saw herself as a writer but switched her major from fashion merchandising to journalism anyway. A girl who learned to juggle more than one job at once and stayed involved in multiple student organizations at the same time. A girl who managed to keep a social life with the little sleep and availability she got.
But in all honesty, I don’t think I got to live the traditional college experience most people get to have. Sure, I had some fun now and then, but I spent a lot of my time focusing on my future rather than enjoying the “now.”
Don’t get me wrong! I don’t regret anything from these past couple of years, but I can honestly say I’m a bit of a workaholic.
Since sophomore year, I worked a late shift. Working from the hours of 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. kept me from having a social life with friends. I’d end up having no sleep or sleeping all day long, and by the time night rolled around, I’d be off to work again.
So, I made a bold move and left my job this new year.
With it being my last semester, I decided it’s time to take advantage of the time I have left being a Kent State student. I need to enjoy the quirks of Kent. I need to enjoy the college town’s local shops, restaurants and nightlife before I leave this town that’s been my home for four years.
Most people see the start of the new year as an opportunity to set goals for themselves that make them feel better. I’ve never been one to make up a resolution to follow because I know I’ll forget about it after the second month, but I do see the new year as an opportunity for change.
But this new year, and last semester, I want to take the opportunity to focus on the fun I missed these past couple of years and get my social life back. Who knows when I’ll see my friends again or get to experience the special memories Kent has to offer?
When will I get to go on a coffee date with my best friends at Scribbles again? And after this semester, never again will I get to dance at Water Street Tavern on ladies night and manage to wake up for classes on Wednesday morning. And I can’t pass on another power hour and karaoke night at Euro Gyro with my friends.
As excited as I am to graduate and get out of this place, I’m still going to miss the memories and the little things that make Kent the college town it is to us students. Every Golden Flash should take advantage of an opportunity like this because we’re only students for so long until we become alumni.
Shelbie Goulding is a columnist. Contact her at [email protected].
