Goodbye, College
College seniors said goodbye to their favorite things sooner than expected.
Their favorite professor.
Their favorite study spot.
Their best friends.
So, what is it like to be a senior during this time?
I, for one, can say it has been a whirlwind of emotions.
Many of us are living at home, facing uncertainty with job start dates, and without a sense of closure. The old saying “as a chapter closes, another one begins” has a new story this year. The college experience was not supposed to end online. College seniors are anxiety-filled with job applications, moving stress, and making sure they get their coveted diploma. Even though we will get our diploma, we didn’t get the full college experience and the opportunity to say goodbye.
I am one of those students, and so are my peers.
“Meeting my best friends over the past few years both in my sorority and in my major (has been the most meaningful experience of college),” senior Sydnie LaDuke said. “Also, coming out as bi to my friends and family was super meaningful because I finally felt accepted as a person.”
LaDuke, like many seniors, is “not thrilled” to have finished college online.
“Honestly, it’s heartbreaking mainly because it was so unexpected and I feel really unprepared,” LaDuke said.”
As mentioned, many seniors departed their beloved college campus to be quarantined with family. Students with off-campus apartments throughout the country had the opportunity to stay with roommates instead of transitioning to life back home.
Katie Swift decided to finish out her final semester online with friends in her apartment.
“I decided to quarantine with my friends because I am in an apartment that I pay rent for, and it has become my home. I also knew that this would be the last time for me to spend with most of my friends, so I decided to stay and spend quality time with them,” Swift said. “If I were home, I think I would be a lot more sad, anxious, and scared because so much of my life and routines would have been changed. Being in my own space with people I choose to spend time with has allowed me to have so much more fun.”
Now that the world is adjusting to the new normal of social distancing and self-isolating, universities are addressing seniors' questions of what graduation will look like.
SMU made the decision to postpone graduation until August. This decision was well received by Mustangs as other universities have made no announcement to reschedule graduation.
However, some college seniors do not feel as though graduation is the most important thing on their minds. The job market is causing much anxiety for seniors. Internships have been canceled, and many job start dates have been postponed. Many seniors who had full-internships were laid-off and with no full-time job offer like planned. Although virtual interviews are being held for full-time positions, start dates and confirmed hirings are still to be determined.
“Looking for a job right now feels pretty much impossible. Friends and family try to help out by sending or mentioning companies they heard are still hiring, but more often than not, those jobs available do not fit my skill set or require 8+ years of experience which I don’t have,” SMU Senior Jennifer Boujes said. “It is hard to send out resumes just to get responses back that they aren’t hiring right now. Hearing enough of those responses makes me not want to even keep trying to avoid all the rejection, yet at the same time it stresses me out on a daily basis that I have no set plans after I finish school.”
It is an especially emotional time to be a college senior.
I transferred to SMU. I immediately knew SMU was for me when I moved into Crum Commons and started classes in the August heat. It has been the best decision I have made thus far in my life. I got involved with campus organizations and my major. With small classes, I was able to get close to my professors in Dallas and while studying abroad in Paris. School pride was at an all-time high as we cheered on our Mustangs in Ford Stadium this past fall. I am so grateful for the memories SMU gave me and the lessons I learned along the way. I learned how to become a better friend and student each day.
Being back at home, away from my friends, and my community has made me grateful for my time as an SMU student. Thank you, SMU for the best 2.75 years.
Instead of throwing a graduation cap up in the air this year, we are saying goodbye by logging off of Zoom.
Goodbye, College from the class of 2020.
