A commuter student’s perspective on lessons learned
The college experience for students has either been like a breeze, walking through the Sahara Desert with no water or somewhere in the middle.
And though the journeys have been different, there is one day all students look forward to: graduation day. It is a day that symbolizes the end of a chapter in life.
This year for St. Joe’s class of 2019, the commencement ceremony is today, May 18, 2019. It is a day of joy, but also a day to reflect on how far we have all come from our first year until now.
As a biology major, Spanish minor and commuter, sometimes my college experience felt like running a marathon. That marathon can be challenging for some and easy for others depending on if you have the time management skills or not. Time management contributes to your overall experience being more like walk in the park than a walk through the desert.
Through my journey as a commuter, I had an interesting experience with time management. I had to take this skill seriously so that I could stay on top of my classes, develop relationships and figure out things I like to do and things I do not like as well.
Let me explain.
I realized as a commuter an 8 a.m. class is the first thing to avoid during registration. Whether relying on public transportation or driving, there is always traffic around 7 a.m., and if you are not a morning person, you are setting yourself up for failure.
To make matters worse, my classes had demanding and challenging coursework, and I was also involved in extracurricular activities.
Therefore, time management was something I heavily relied on to ensure my work was complete. You had to learn how to use your time wisely to stay on top of things and to catch up on sleep or else you were failing.
There are also a lot of relationships that develop and grow throughout your college experience. As a commuter, meeting new friends was a slow process because I did not live on campus.
However, as I started talking to people in classes, in the commuter lounge and in clubs I joined, I built valuable relationships with people that in some cases led to great opportunities. This helped me through my time at St. Joe’s as a commuter by being able to study with some students and stay with a friend overnight to get more sleep for the next day. I made some great friends, some that I can even consider family.
Through GeoKids, a science outreach program in the biology department, I found a love for teaching younger students about science — something I never knew about myself until college. I built relationships with these students and got to learn some things from them and their teachers as well.
I also learned that college gives you a chance to find what you love and what you hate. Through some General Education Program (GEP) courses, I found certain courses very interesting, while for other courses I realized were not for me, and that’s okay. Being involved with other clubs made me remember things I loved to do. College made me realize a lot about myself in regards to bad and good habits, strengths and weaknesses and things I like and do not like.
There are some things previously mentioned that took longer than others to achieve or master throughout my four years of college. However, it’s okay because college is a resource for individuals to grow and understand themselves before they graduate.
Sometimes it may have felt like college was moving too fast and you could not catch up, but I have come to realize that it is preparing you for the real world post-graduation. Although the times were rough, it is like training for what is to come.
No matter what your journey through college was like, graduation is a time to recognize the achievement in and for your struggles and successes. It is like running a marathon — you have fast runners and slow runners, but they all at some point make it to the finish line.
Graduation is the finish line. It is the end of one chapter and a beginning of many more chapters in the book of your life. I hope your race is worthwhile, that you embrace all the trials and triumphs and that you cherish those lessons for the rest of your life.
