Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
Happy college grad throwing sparkles
Happy college grad throwing sparkles
Photo by Joshua McKnight from Pexels
IUP | Life > Academics

My First Week of Senior Year

Samya Settles Student Contributor, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at IUP chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

The time has come, I am officially in my last year of my college career. August 24th, 2026 was my last first day of school ever. The past 3 years have gone by faster than I expected and with this year being the last I will savor every last bit of it. 

My schedule is pretty packed but not as bad as previous semesters because I dropped a few positions in my clubs to focus on school, and it was the best decision I ever made. I finally feel free to focus on my classes and I can already tell this semester will be easier than my last. Luckily my work schedule also fits perfectly within my class schedule since all my classes are in the afternoon. This week we met all the new staff we hired, they were such a nice group of people and I am excited to work with them. 

I know I had to drop a few things to focus on school but now that I have the free time I decided to give myself one hour during the week to do something for me, so I joined a pilates class on campus. It’s only been one class so far, but I really enjoy it and will definitely be going back. I wish I could do it twice a week but my schedule just doesn’t allow it, but that’s okay. I’ve always wanted to focus on getting my body back in shape but there wasn’t enough time in a day back when my plate was full. 

My classes are… let’s just say all over the place. I’m finishing my liberal studies, which include an awful chem class with a lab on top of that. Believe it or not that class is what is taking up most of my time during the week, as a business major I find it ridiculous, but what can I do? I also have an online English class that I’ve been begging to get into forever since I need it to graduate, but that class isn’t bad (yet). Now here is the real kicker, I have TWO night classes. Both management classes end at 8pm and 9pm, they are only once a week but man do they take me out. Both classes are just about three hours long and I try my best not to run away when the hour mark hits. Overall my professors seem pretty chill and I feel with the right amount of time and resources I can make this semester my best. 

Samya Settles

IUP '27

Samya Settles is the President of Her Campus at IUP, she covers fashion and current pop culture topics. She wants to write about every hot topic going on in the entertainment industry. She loves any and everything to do with modeling and hopes to pursue that career in the future, along with running her own business.

She is attending IUP for her bachelors in Entrepreneurship and Small Business, she also considers earning her masters in the future. She is an active member of NAACP, Management Association, and Sign Club.

In her free time, she like to listen to music, watch YouTube, ride her bike, workout and learn new languages. She is obsessed with the color pink, pandas and food. One thing she is extremely good at is binge watching shows, finishing them in less than two days!