The end of the current road. The closing of one door and the opening of the next door. Sometimes I find it hard to believe that I am about to graduate college in less than 24 hours from now. As this current phase of my life comes to its conclusion, I cannot help but to reflect on the journey that led to this point.
After 4 short years, I will be graduating with my Bachelor’s in accounting with minors in Journalism and Political Science. Admittedly, there were times where it felt as if time crawled by—as if time had frozen. If I was honest with myself, though, these last 4 years have gone screaming by.
Ruminating on my own experience as a college student, I have thought about what advice I would give to those just starting college or are still in college. If I were to limit myself to only a couple:
- Take time to explore hobbies and interests. College is a fantastic time to try different things that interest you—regardless of whether or not they even relate to your major(s). Yes, college life is busy with homework, readings, and exams, but it is important to have an extracurricular activity outside of the classroom to help break up the studying and classwork throughout the week.
- As a UNW student, I was actively involved with the school’s newspaper, The UNW Examiner, and truly enjoyed being a part of the workshop. Being part of the newspaper, it gave me an outlet that allowed me to pursue my writing passion and work on my writing and editing skills. The skills I have learned in the workshop are invaluable and will stay with me for years.
- If you are able to work it into your college plans, add a minor to your degree. For me, I wanted to have a minor because I wanted to study something I enjoyed that was unrelated to my major. Pursuing a minor (or minors) also makes for a well-rounded educational foundation, plus having the completed minor(s) listed with your major(s) will look good on your resume and LinkedIn profile!
Going into college, it is very tempting to roll our eyes when family and friends tell us that college will whiz by. Now that I am on the other side of this phase of life, I can comfortably say that they are right. Enjoy these 4 years of your life because they will be over in a flash.
It has been a privilege serving as an editor and writer for the journalism and PR workshops. I am grateful for the opportunities and peers I got to work with. To my professors, thank you for your guidance, instruction, and constructive feedback on this accounting student’s writing. Your insights were valuable to me not only as a student, but they are valuable to me now as I prepare to start on the next chapter of life.
With this article, I am signing off after 2 amazing years with UNW’s student newspaper. Though I will miss doing this, I look forward with excitement to seeing where the road leads me next.
“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future'” (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV Bible).
