My UC Davis Transfer Student Experience, as a Song

As I hopped on the Unitrans bus today, I shuffled an old playlist I listened to daily during fall quarter. A rush of nostalgia overcame me as the song that I hadn’t listened to in forever played. When the calming melody started playing, I had an epiphany. ‘Life Goes On,’ by The Sundays, is the song that best captures my time as a UC Davis transfer student. 

This 1997 alternative-indie song encompasses the singer’s mentality through life. Every main verse starts with her singing about the duality of life. There are moments where she soars above clouds, but also moments where she sinks below water. 

When singing about her lower points in life, she recalls feeling separated from herself. Within the lyrics, “And in a picture on the wall / No glimmer of yourself at all / You’ve left yourself far away.” the singer addresses how she’s abandoned her true self somewhere, and spectates on her behavior in this mental state.

In this passage, I saw my first year as a transfer student. I entered UC Davis feeling incredibly unconnected with myself, my surroundings and my peers. Compared to the version of myself before college, there was a stark contrast in my personality. I had become lonely, and I couldn’t find many things that brought me happiness. 

With the passing of time, both the singer and I were able to pull ourselves out of a pit. The lyrics, “And I can grow a pair of wings / And I can take up flying / There’ll be no crying / Up in the air, looking back down” signifies the realization that the singer has found her sense of self-control, and is now strong enough to show up for herself.

I had a similar period in my life when I finally decided to make a change for myself and get involved. At the start of this academic year, I broke out of my comfort zone and got involved in many clubs and jobs on campus. I found community, developed my passions and began to feel like myself again. 

Now that I’m about to graduate, I’m astonished by how I developed myself in just two years at UC Davis. I grew more resilient, controlling and confident — this wouldn’t have been possible without the hardships I endured. Losing certain aspects of myself was necessary in order for me to grow, which was an idea the singer also shares. The singer concludes her song with these lyrics: “I don’t get up on feeling down / It strips you of yourself / And splits you from the self that you know.”

Resonating so deeply with one of my favorite songs strengthens my relationship with myself. It’s assuring knowing that there are people out there with similar experiences such as mine, and there’s so many stories that singers give to listeners. I highly recommend giving this song a listen if you haven’t already, and remember — life goes on.

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• life goes on
• mental health
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