This is it!!
THE day is here. It’s really weird to think that those chairs set up on alumni lawn are for MY class’ graduation.
But that is the reality. Man, these past four years have FLOWN by. There have even been moments during this final semester when I would walk through campus and be oddly reminded of the fact that I attend such an amazing university filled with driven students and top-of-the-line professors. I feel like I’ve grown and matured in several areas as a result of my time here, but let me leave you lovely readers with three big lessons I’ve gleaned throughout my undergraduate career:
1. Be bold, take some risks, and challenge your comfort zone.
It is SO easy to stick with what’s comfortable, but that leads to no adventures. Be smart and think decisions through, but also be willing to take risks! Such risks may seem like a mountain at the time–especially as a first-year student. So sign up for organizations or events where you may not know anyone or be willing to start conversations and see where that leads. Challenge yourself with classes that you are interested in but may not know much about beforehand. Audition for that dance group that caught your eye during Spotlight. You could very well gain life-long friends and some amazing memories in the process. (Note: The dance group statement is a true story for a good friend of mine!)
2. Failure is one of the best learning tools.
Not doing well at something is a reality check–it causes you to check your motives and your stamina. If you really want it, then you’ll be willing to work even harder. It could be a class, it could be a job search, or it could be the graduate school application process. It’s a trying process, but it is also very telling.
3. Be present
Thinking/preparing for the future is responsible and necessary, but don’t do it at the expense of soaking in your current experiences. Otherwise, you risk missing out on opportunities that can make you be a better individual for that next step you’ve been staring at for so long.
And there you have it, folks. The life of a Vanderbilt student, as told by yours truly. By reading through the different bloggers’ posts, you’ll quickly see that Vanderbilt really is filled with a beautifully diverse group of people with varying interests and talents that add to our vibrant and dynamic environment. My oh my, I’ve loved EVERY second of my time here.
It’s been real, VU. I’m definitely sad to see this time end but very excited to see what the next nugget of life holds. It’s also really cool knowing that these memories I’ve shared with you are basically immortalized for the entire world to see… What a way to go, am I right?
Go ‘Dores. Anchor Down. *throws up VU hand sign*