As I begin my first week as a second semester senior, I try to gather my thoughts and hopes for the last few months I have left at Clark. Having all my major and minor requirements fulfilled, I had a lot of flexibility in picking my schedule for this semester. I decided to take classes that sounded interesting to me and hadn’t thought to take before. I wanted to explore things outside my usual academic realm.
As I write this, I have just returned from my Wednesday evening creative writing class. It felt fantastic to be sitting in a small room in Anderson house with a group equally excited about writing. It felt even better realizing that I would be working on my writing for the rest of the semester, pouring whatever comes into my head onto paper, and maybe even finally completing a piece. I hope this sets the theme for the rest of my semester. I hope to push myself to work on the things I may have sometimes neglected. I love creating, whether that’s journaling, collaging, or cooking- and sometimes school can narrow your focus. It’s easy to fall into a rigid focus of academics and internships, which can dull your creativity as you burn from both ends.
But this semester I feel as though I can slow down and push myself into new directions. I can reignite my writing mind. I can channel my creativity in ceramics class. I loved spending the past two days in the craft studio working on a six piece shaker set. As I sat in the craft studio, working on my first assignment, I forgot everything else but ceramics for three hours straight.
I want to make sure I spend time with my friends and make lasting memories. While academics have always been at the forefront of my college experience- that’s not all that college is about. This is the last and only time I’ll be living the college experience. I want to fully enjoy and take advantage of living with my friends in an apartment on campus, explore any parts of Worcester that I missed, and squeeze out as much as I can from what’s left of the Clark experience.
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t ready to leave. I’m excited to graduate, and quite honestly, I don’t think I could do a single semester more. I’m ready to leave Clark, but I am very thankful for every single experience I’ve had in the past four years.
And, of course, the dreaded next step. Adulthood. This means that I will be heavily focusing on sending out job applications, attending career fairs, and visiting the career center. The semester can’t be all fun and reminiscing. The next semester will be a whirlwind of emotions and experiences: excitement, anxiety, nostalgia, and hope. And I won’t miss a single moment of it.