We have all done things in our lives that we knew in the back of our minds we would regret. Whether it be ticking off the wrong person, making a horrible fashion decision or applying to UNC-Chapel Hill (shame on all of you!). I have one that can top them all.
When I was a freshman, my main concern in life was liking college. College is kind of like a four-year camp, but instead of riding horses or canoeing, you study. College is an expensive, dorky camp in other words. I was never a camper, hence my concern.
Sure, there were aspects of camp I enjoyed, like college with its freedom and opportunity, but the main point of camp is to rough it, and the main point of college is to study, neither of which I like to call… oh, what’s the word… oh yeah, fun.
The thing is, I really had it made freshman year. It took me two seconds to get to class, I was living large with a bunch of credit already under my belt from high school and I could pretty much take any class I wanted.
That was my mistake. I took every class I wanted. I scanned through my degree audit and picked out the classes that interested me. I think this was all part of my plan to like college. Taking history would have made me think twice.
Dear Mom and Dad, college is no fun. I have to get up early, walk really far, only to get to the most boring activity, I mean class, in the world. Instead of asking “Hey, what’s new?” the professor asks “Hey, what’s old?” every day. I don’t know if he thinks it’s really funny or if he has Alzheimer’s and just doesn’t remember he said that “joke” already. I don’t think I want to come back next year.
P.S. My roommate threw up again… is it too late to get our money back?
This letter was never written, and I am glad for that. However, I’m paying the price now. I am a senior, and I no longer have the freedom to choose the classes I want or the opportunity to go back in time to change what I took as a freshman. I am stuck with the classes I have left, wondering why we are still forced to take all these outdated, pointless classes. I took history in high school, I got it, and I’m over it.
I am sure there is some history major out there as well, wondering why he or she has to take all the classes I love. You shouldn’t have to wonder, and you have my sympathy.
My friends, unlike me, are mostly stress-free. They either thought ahead as freshmen and didn’t put off the courses they loathe, or they slacked all three years, are graduating late and couldn’t care less. Either way, I have no time for them now.
I decided to head home over the past weekend to relax a little, get some groceries and take a break before round four. I still can’t decide whether that decision was a mistake or not. I hit my lowest point on Saturday night. I was sitting in my parents room looking at one of our dogs sleeping on the bed, and not only did the following thought run through my head, I thought it sounded good enough to verbalize. So I said, “Man, I wish I was a dog right now.”
Horrible, I know, but that is something I just have to live with. I dealt with it in high school when I was leaving before the sun came up for school, and I’m dealing with it now: envying a dog.
Therefore, if you are a freshman, don’t make the same mistake I did. If you are a sophomore, it’s not too late. If you are a junior, you better work hard this year. And, if you are a senior, may God be with you.
As I think about it, maybe this will all turn out for the best. Maybe challenging myself senior year will help me succeed in the real world by giving me the drive and energy to overcome hurdles. I should at least give it a shot. I just hope history doesn’t repeat itself, and I don’t have to repeat history.
I need to get back to work.
E-mail Meghan at [email protected].