As I prepare to start my final year at IU-Bloomington, I have found myself doing a lot of reflecting on my time that I have spent at IU. A difficult transition during my freshman year lead to meeting some of my closest friends, which was followed by a memorable sophomore year that brought its own challenged and triumphs. What came next was the turning point of junior year, while life snuck up on me as I turned 21, I was making some big decisions about what kind of teacher I wanted to be. Now I am entering my senior year—the year I start student teaching, the year I officially move out, the year that my time at IU ends, and my life as an adult truly begins.
If you find yourself on the same page as me, entering your final year at IU, I want to share with you a conversation I recently had with a cousin who has moved away and done the whole “last year at college” thing.
- Me: Moving out/away from home is a very strange feeling…
- Cousin: …Such a bittersweet feeling, isn’t it?
- Me: …I guess I didn’t fully expect the bitter part of the bittersweet
- Cousin: I think it has to do with the fact that you realize you’re growing up and becom[ing] your own person, which is an odd, but cool feeling! It also means you have an amazing relationship with your family, so the fact that there is the bitter part is a blessing!
- Me: Hit the nail on the head! …it is just very strange growing up
- Cousin: I still have random days it hits me…I still can’t believe I’m an adult, married, living 2000 miles away from family…I think our minds take longer to catch up that our bodies do!
- Cousin: This is your last year right?
- Me: yep. Also bittersweet
- Cousin: Cherish every day and make each one a memory! Maybe blog about it so you can look back on all the memories
Make each day a memory. Though I am still getting used to the idea of leaving home for good, the idea of control over my year is something to keep in mind. We all have some control over the time we will be spending in our last year at school, so why not make each day memorable? Do one thing every day that is memorable. That is easily the best advice about how to spend my last year at school. Of course there are things that we have to do to graduate—I have student teaching, applications, and interviews, but doing something as simple as taking a 30 minute break to watch a stupid comedy with my roommate could make each day more memorable.
My mantra this summer has been “no expectations!” It is all about having a positive experience, and if you go into each day with no expectations you can do so many more things than if you are tied down by what you expect to happen. If there is one thing that IU has taught me it is to create my own path; if I want something badly enough it isn’t just going to happen, I have to work for it.
So, friends, as we enter our final year at IU, let’s work hard, make memories, and have an excellent final year at IU!
Good luck packing!
Until next blog,
Claire
For another post about senior year: