As someone who has only been at Bowling Green for 2 years and did the first half of undergrad (pretty much) fully online through community college while in high school; my time in undergrad went by very fast. Due to taking the first half of my undergraduate classes online, college only felt like 2 years to me, which was the entire time I spent her at Bowling Green State University. I have had several ups and downs as an undergrad student but I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Graduating as a 19-year-old has always terrified me since I will more than likely be one of the youngest people in my field graduating this young and this has always intimidated me. Now as I am getting closer to actually graduating, it’s not so intimidating and terrifying anymore. I had a goal and I reached it and I am continuing towards my next goal by starting grad school the month after graduation. Looking back at who I was when I first started at BGSU, I have definitely grown as an individual as well as gained some very valuable friendships and relationships with other students and professors during my time as a student here. While I had some expierences I would not like to relive from my time here, there are numerous times I wish I could go back and relive all over again. I have created a list of what I will miss the most about my undergraduate expierence here at BGSU!
- “The in-between”
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What I mean by the “In-Between,” in my expierence, undergrad felt like a period of being in between an adolescent and a self suffcient adult. Graduating to me means leaving behind this state of feeling “in-between” and feeling more like the “typical” adult. During undergrad, especially during my first year at BGSU, I felt a higher obligation to go home to my family whenever I could since this was the first time I went without seeing them every day. Now, at the end of my second year at BGSU, I go home because I genuinly enjoy it and not necessarily out of an unconscious “obligation) to my family. Going into graduate school for me means living on my own in my apartment, working full time and working towards starting my career. At the end of my time as an undergrad student, I feel sad leaving this period of being “in-between” and therefore transitioning to what a “typical” adult looks in my eyes.
- Comfortability
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As someone who went to the same school from 4th-12th grade and has only started at a new school when I went to college, the thought of changing schools can be a bit intimidating and scary. I have lived on campus at BGSU for the past 2 years while going to school here and it is very midn boggling to me that this time next year I will be living in a completely different city, attending a totally different university, and will have a completely different group of people I see on a daily basis. I have gotten extremely comfortability here at BGSU, I know my way around the entire campus, I can find certain rooms in certain buildings with ease, and I have a group of friends I love and spend most of my time with. Stepping outside of my comfort zone has always been a struggle for me, but now that I feel obligated to myself to do this in order to suceed in my goals and future plans, I am slowly getting more comfortable with the idea of living in an unfamiliar environment.
- Easy access to food/necessities
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Having lived in the dorm for almost 2 years, I will definetly miss the easy access I have to food due to having a meal plan and not having to cook for myself or prepare my own meals after being in class/work all day. Specifically related to BGSU, I am really going to miss the starship robots. On cold days espcially, I have starshipped food or coffee way too many times to count when it was too cold to walk the 5 minutes to the dining hall. I move into my first apartment right before I start graduate school and this will be the first time in my life I will be cooking and meal prepping for myself. While this can be a little intimidating, I am looking forward to the freedom and limitless oppurtunities for different dishes to create and eat!
