School days

By the time my college graduation rolled around I was beyond ready to be done with school.  Instead of setting myself up for a cakewalk of a senior year I continued to take full class loads, participate in extracurriculars, and work two jobs.  I was probably no more or less busy than any of my classmates, but I was definitely stretched to the max and ready to be done with papers, tests, group projects, and mandatory lectures.  

That was in the spring.  By the time fall rolled around I felt a huge disconnect between where I was in my life and where I wanted to be.  I felt like I should be back on campus, going to classes, buying my books, and preparing for another semester of knowledge.  Instead I was working, technically still on campus, but a far cry from being the student I was a mere three months ago.

As time has gone by I've gotten used to the fact that for me, fall no longer initiates the start of another school year with me playing the roll of the student.  I no longer have to worry about credits, GPA, landing an internship, and homework cluttering up my evenings.  I'm not going to lie and say that having those items off my plate isn't a huge relief, because it is.  But those are just a handful of the things that come with being a student, and while they are big things, they don't make up the entire picture. 

I miss going to class.  Yes, there were days when dragging myself through a full day of class was the absolute last thing I wanted to do, but on the whole, I enjoyed being in the classroom everyday.  I liked attending my writing workshops, discussing the writings of Shakespeare and John Milton, and debating topics of media ethics in journalism.  I loved being surrounded by so many opportunities for knowledge, and in so many different areas.  

Another fantastic part of the student life was down time.  Obviously this was schedule dependent, but I was always fortunate enough to have some kind of break either at the beginning or middle of my day, and it was always so nice just to have time to chill out, go and exercise, read a book, whatever might sound appealing.  Of course, the more involved I became the more my down time seemed to dwindle, but on the whole my class schedules were never too difficult to handle.  It was just nice to have little breaks, and sometimes longer ones, instead of being stuck at work all day.....which essentially is what awaits most of us after college. 

College is filled with so many great things.  The sporting events, clubs, intramural sports, parties, (and for some of us just the act of going to school)!  It's not all wonderful.  It's not always easy.  It's often filled with stress, disappointment, and frustration.  It was also a bit scary, especially once senior year rolled around.  Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and not knowing what was on the other side made me break into a panic on more than one occasion.  But the college environment is infectious.  And being immersed in it year after year oftentimes makes me wish I was still a part of it.  Having been a student in one form or another for 18 years of my life was a hard thing for me to let go of, and every year I feel that yearning to be back in the classroom. 

Of course I do realize that education is a lifelong process, in more ways than one.  Book learning is just a small part of the education we all receive throughout our lives, and as we get older it's often up to us to challenge ourselves, to tackle new ideas and problems to find a solution that works for us.  I hope I never lose that desire to learn and explore, to ask questions and work to find the answers.  I want to continue to challenge myself and not let my fear of failure, of breaking routine, stand in my way. 

I learned a lot about myself in college and have learned just as much if not more in the five years since I graduated.  Perhaps that is also part of this lifelong learning adventure.