When I was in high school, everyone always said that those would be the fastest four years of
my life, and it turned out to be true. When I came to university, some of the upper-years I met
told me that university would feel like you blinked and suddenly you were in fourth year. I
didn’t fully believe them at the time, but now that I’m here, I finally understand what they
meant.
I have officially been in fourth year for almost two months now, which is crazy to think
about. It has me reflecting on my time as a university student and feeling sad about the
realization that my undergraduate degree will be over in about six months. When I first came
to Laurier, I had just taken a gap year, was shy, didn’t really know what I wanted to do, and
felt intimidated by the idea of coming to Waterloo. It wasn’t just the academics that worried
me. I was also terrified that I wouldn’t enjoy my time here. Little did I know that all those
thoughts spiralling through my head would end up being so far from the truth.
Over the last three years at Laurier, I have been able to meet so many amazing people, some
of whom ended up becoming my best friends. Outside of academics, I became very involved
on campus. I joined a sorority, participated in various clubs and earned positions on some of
their executive teams. I even helped my friend start her own club, started writing for The
Cord, and am now a member of HerCampus as a contributing writer and general member of
the marketing team.
Looking back, I don’t think I realized just how much I would get out of getting involved in
university. Joining a new club or attending an event meant putting myself out there and
stepping outside of my comfort zone. Now, I can look back at those experiences and
recognize how much they helped me grow. I met people I might never have crossed paths
with otherwise, tried things I never thought I would be interested in, and discovered new
interests along the way. University has given me the chance to explore different sides of
myself, both personally and professionally, and I am so grateful that I took those chances.
Of course, not every moment has been perfect.
There have been stressful semesters,
difficult assignments, and moments when I questioned whether I was doing enough or making the most of my university experience. Balancing school, work, extracurriculars, friendships, and trying to figure out my future has not always been easy. However, these experiences have taught me a lot about myself, and I think they are just as much a part of my university story as the exciting ones.
Something I have been thinking about a lot lately is how different I am from the person who
first arrived at Laurier. I came here feeling unsure of myself and intimidated by everything
ahead of me. Now, I am preparing to graduate with experiences, friendships, and memories
that I could never have imagined when I first moved to Waterloo. I still don’t have everything
figured out, especially when it comes to what life will look like after graduation, but I have
become more comfortable with the idea that I don’t need to have all the answers right now. In
a way, I think that is one of the most important things university has taught me.
As much as I am excited to see what comes next, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t sad about
leaving. There is something strange about realizing that the everyday things you have become
so accustomed to will eventually become memories. Walking around campus, meeting up
with friends between classes, attending club events, and even complaining about assignments
are all things that have become part of my routine. It is hard to imagine that, in a few months,
these experiences will no longer be a regular part of my life. The things that feel so ordinary
now might be the very things I find myself missing the most.
For so long, graduation felt like something far away, something I knew would eventually
happen but never really had to think about. Now, it feels like it is approaching faster than I
can keep up with. There are still so many things I want to do, people I want to spend time
with, and memories I want to make before this chapter comes to an end. I know I cannot hold
on to this part of my life forever, but I want to make the most of the time I have left.
If there is one thing I wish I could tell my first-year self, it would be to stop worrying so
much about whether everything would work out. I would tell her that she would find her
people, discover new passions, and create a university experience that was uniquely her own.
I would remind her that it is okay to feel uncertain, that she doesn’t need to have her entire
future planned out, and that some of the best experiences come from saying yes to things that
initially feel intimidating.
It is strange to think that a chapter of my life that once felt so far away is almost over. These
past three years have been about so much more than earning a degree. They have been about
growing up, finding myself, building meaningful relationships, and learning that sometimes
the experiences we worry about the most end up becoming some of the best parts of our lives.
If you are also approaching graduation and feeling a little sad about how quickly everything
is going, I hope you know that you are not alone. It is okay to be excited about the future
while still wishing you could stay in this chapter a little longer. We spend so much of
university looking forward to what comes next that it can be easy to forget to appreciate
where we are right now.
I guess those upper years were right after all. You really do blink, and suddenly you’re in
fourth year. While I wish I could slow things down a little, I am trying to remind myself that being sad to leave means these years have meant something to me. As I get ready to close this chapter, I hope I can look back knowing that I made the most of it. Even though my time at Laurier is coming to an end, the person I have become here will stay with me long after graduation.