Why I Don’t Want to Accept My University Degree
I’m going to be attending my convocation this week, hesitant and terrified.
But at the same time delighted and so proud of what I’ve accomplished. So why am I not eager to accept the degree I’ve definitely earned and worked hard for? That’s simple.
It means the end of an era I’m not willing to accept just yet.
I’ve invested so much into my university experience, especially emotionally. The connections I’ve made have strong ties to the place that I often joke traumatizes me (it does a little, not gonna lie).
The fact of the matter is that once the ceremony begins tomorrow, I close my chapter on my time as an undergraduate student.
Don’t get me wrong, it was stressful at least 75% of the time and I predicted that once the hard work was over I’d be lightning quick to romanticize the whole thing. I feel like I have a right to that, at least.
To give this era a final coat of sheer brilliance before I bid it farewell.
I’m so glad I binged all nine seasons of The Office in my second year, when I was in the thick of things, because the final episode featured a line that if I heard this year I’d definitely burst into tears — especially if I was on campus.
Andy Bernard, the character we all loved to hate, had absolutely no consideration for our feelings when he dropped this gem on us.
“I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good ol’ days, before you’ve actually left them.”
So I’ll continue to look back fondly on the nights spent studying but mostly procrastinating and gossiping in the library, the drives home from said nights with music blasting so loud I couldn’t hear my heart beating, and meeting some of the most amazing people in my life.
Because there will be more moments like those.
Except I’ll be a different person, in a different place, surrounded by some of the same and some unfamiliar faces but that’s okay because I’ll feel inspired and deliriously happy all the same.
Living life to the fullest isn’t about holding on to the past with white-knuckled desperation, it’s about feeling time sift quickly through your fingers like sand and knowing that nothing else matters.
This sand is all you have. Time is all you have. So value it enough to gracefully let it pass and life will reward you in return, this I can assure you.
So hats off to my fellow graduates — indulge in each and every moment of your special day. And, most importantly, let yourself be loved and congratulated.
