After four long (and I mean long) years at Montclair, my college career is finally coming to an end. And with every ending, we all like to look back and think of all the good times we had, but as I look back, I’m realizing that I have some regrets.
1. Not Dorming
I don’t live that far away from campus and I didn’t want to get into even more debt by getting more loans than I had to in order to live on campus but now I really wish I did. I feel like I didn’t get the full ‘college experience’ because I was almost never on campus. I didn’t allow myself to stay on campus for events or meet new people and basically wasted my first two years not doing anything besides work and going to class.
2. Working Too Much
Since I was a commuter I had to pay for my monthly car payment, gas, food, campus parking and practically anything else I needed to buy. Because of this, I needed to find a job that fit into my class schedule and that job was after-school babysitting. Don’t get me wrong I loved babysitting, but that meant I couldn’t do anything on campus besides going to class because I would need to rush home to pick up the kids from school.
3. Not Going Out More
Between having a job and being a full-time student it was nearly impossible for me to find time to go out with my friends. Sure, there was the weekend, but I would have to dedicate that time for homework. It was a lonely two years for me and if I had the opportunity to go back and do it again I would do my first two years completely differently.
4. Over-committing
Junior year I completely changed my schedule so I would have more time to be on campus, but I overcompensated for the last two years way too much. I joined so many clubs in addition to being a full-time commuter student, working and having an internship. I no longer had time for myself and was so exhausted by the end of every day but I definitely learned how to juggle and manage my time.
Even though I have some regrets about how I spent my time in college and would love to have a do-over, I am still happy with how I am leaving Montclair. I learned a lot of great personal lessons during this time and will take them with me for the rest of my life. And with graduation right around the corner, I would like to say thank you to everyone that has come into my life these past four years because every single one of you got me to this point. I am forever changed and I’m excited to see what the future holds.