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Pitt | Life > Experiences

A Bittersweet End To Freshman Year

Julia Kahn Student Contributor, University of Pittsburgh
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Pitt chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

I cannot even believe I am writing this but here are some of my thoughts on my freshman year of college coming to a close!

It is so bittersweet. I am definitely feeling the end-of-year burnout. Socially, however, I am not ready to leave. 

In this home stretch, so many assignments that seemed like months away just a few weeks ago are now urgent items on my to-do list. It is overwhelming, and I must remind myself to work ahead on my final projects next semester (I will probably make the same mistake). This overwhelming struggle fuels my end-of-semester burnout and makes me feel ready for the semester to end. 

To reflect, the transition from high school to college-level classes was a huge adjustment and at this point in the year, I am ready for a break. I took eighteen credits this semester; if nothing else, I learned how to manage my time well. It took a lot of time and energy to balance six classes, a social life, sorority recruitment and extracurriculars, but I am glad I did it all. I took six very different classes this semester because I felt unsure about what path I wanted to go down. After this semester, I now feel like I gave all of my prospective paths a fair chance and am satisfied with the end result of all of my classes. That being said, I learned what types courses captured my attention and which subjects are not in my future. 

I declared a major in Media and Professional Communications with a focus in Writing For The Professions, a minor in Law, Criminal Justice, and Society, with a certificate in Public and Professional Writing (yes I know it is a mouthful). Even if I change any of the above, I genuinely love learning about all these subjects and feel like this is a good starting point. From this academic standpoint, I am ready for the end of the semester and to take a well-deserved break. 

From a social standpoint, I am not ready to leave at all. The friends that I have made here are some of my favorite people to be around. They never failed to brighten my day and make me laugh, and I struggle with the idea that I won’t eat dinner with them every day for four months. Thankfully, several of my friends that I have made at Pitt live under an hour away from me, so I will be able to see them quite frequently. I am definitely excited to live with my two best friends next year, but that does not make four months without them seem any easier.

I also am curious to see the new dynamic at home. I am used to the freedom of being on my schedule at college, so it will be a readjustment to being at home when someone else needs a car or dinner at a specific time. Obviously at school, I have plans and obligations at specific times, but it is a very different dynamic when at home. 

To conclude, I am super excited for summertime and to spend time with my family and dogs. I have a lot to look forward to, like beach vacations, going back to the job that I love, seeing my high school friends and family time. Even though it went way too fast, it feels monumental that I finished my freshman year of college and I could not be more excited to see what sophomore year holds. 

Julia Kahn

Pitt '27

Julia Kahn is a junior at the University of Pittsburgh and chapter president. She enjoys writing about health, wellness, reviews, and personal experiences. Julia is a Media and Professional Communications major with a minor in Law and Criminal Justice and a certificate in Public and Professional Writing. At Pitt, she is also involved in the Frederick Honors College, Women in Law, and her sorority, TriDelta. In her free time, she loves to run, go to the gym, read, go for walks, spend time with friends and family, and travel.