Fourth Year Blues

So, it seems that in between episodes of the Gilmore Girls and several 12 Hour Tuesdays at the Strathclyde Union I have somehow managed to almost complete 4 years of a degree.  Yep, graduation looms not so far away on the horizon.  That thing that fills us all with dread and terror is beckoning me, that’s right, real life.

Now I know there are still a few hurdles to pass, dissertations, exams, finding the right shoes for the grad ball, and the job market certainly isn’t going to be a picnic, but there is one thing on my mind at a time like this.  I can’t believe that it is nearly over.

I can’t believe that my four years of society-sanctioned irresponsibility is almost at an end.  I haven’t been nearly as outrageous as I should have been.  I haven’t woken up in a field, or lived for a month on one variety of canned foodstuff.  I haven’t went clubbing 8 days in a row since Fresher’s week, or strutted around pretending go be a modernist, bohemian intellectual (despite the fact I study English Lit).  And I haven’t developed the dreaded Uni accent, at least I hope not.

So what can I take away from the last four years of my relatively short life?

Other than the usual academic awards that come with attending university, I have learned exactly which chocolate bars in the library vending machines are the most filling, at the best price, and which bank tellers are the least likely to make fun of me when I go in to withdraw the last £3.50 from my bank account.   I have also amassed a collection of various seasonally themed decorations from The Garage, and I have gained the knack for fitting 20 books into my handbag without breaking the handle… again.  I now know that you don’t need to have read a book to write a successful essay on it, and that it is never a wise idea to leave a drink lying around at any party.

Most importantly though, I have learned that there is no such thing as the typical student experience.  For me university has been about 40% academia, and 60% life lessons.  I have met practically all of my best friends at uni; I also know that I have gained confidence and lost my teenage hangups.

Now that it is all coming to a close, it feels like the end of an era, the conclusion of ‘the best years of your life’, and it feels a little sad.  But I guess all good things must come to an end, and the amazing people, the incredible opportunities, and the 400 drunken photos on my facebook will never let me forget a minute of it.

Jaymi McCann