This is it: time for senior columns. After reading them for four years, I finally get to write my own. But for once, I don’t know what to say. I have no real advice for the undergrads, so I’ll just share how I feel.

Part of me has never been happier. I’m leaving Kent State, which I’ve had a lot of problems with these last few years. I’ve lost sleep, shed too many tears and experienced extreme stress from some of the issues I’ve dealt with here. Thank God that will soon be over.

The other good part is I’m 23 years old, getting married in June to a wonderful man and I’ll soon have a college degree. I guess that translates to “the world is my sandbox” — whatever that means.

The other part of me has never been more upset. This sounds corny, but I’m getting that “You should have done things differently,” feeling. As I mentioned above, I’ve had a lot of problems with Kent State. I wish I’d handled it all differently. Maybe then I would not have been lost in the shuffle of thousands of other undergrads. Maybe I could’ve been treated as a person, not as another tuition payment.

Maybe I could have handled my social life another way. I could have gotten more involved with extracurricular activities. Some people in the Stater office still don’t know my name, but I’ve been sitting at the computers in there for a year. Maybe the staff would have known me better if I’d gone out for a drink or two after finishing a story.

Maybe I could have developed closer friendships here. There are a handful of people I’ve met who aren’t half-bad. I wish I’d have taken the time to get to know them better. These people make it a little easier for me to crawl out of bed and drive an hour to get here each day.

Thanks, Bethany, for making me feel “loved.” You always say the right thing to brighten my day.

Thanks, Josh, for having a wealth of random knowledge about everything from the Browns to Christian music. Even though I may seem annoyed sometimes, I’m secretly amused.

Thank you, Carl, for teaching me a lot this semester. I know I gave you a hard time, but I enjoyed having you as my professor.

Now that the sappy stuff is out of the way, it’s time for the advice no one’s ever heard. (Yeah right.)

If there is anything I’ve learned from being here, it’s that you should try to do things outside your comfort level. If you’re not a fighter, fight for something. (But don’t blame me if you get arrested.) If you hate sororities, try to join one. If you don’t drink, do a shot or two. If you hate getting up early, take an 8 a.m. class.

You’ve only got four (well, maybe more) years to fit a good time in. Do it all now while you’ve got the chance, because I’ve heard the real world isn’t very fun. I hope I can handle it.

Erin Hopkins is a senior newspaper journalism major and a guest columnist for the Daily Kent Stater. Contact her at [email protected].