The Time Has Come…

“The time has come,” the Walrus said,
“To talk of many things.”

And indeed, the time has come. As a fresh graduate of the University of Michigan-Flint, the time has come for me to submit my final entry as a member of Students@UM-Flint. It’s been a fun year being one of the initial passengers of this pilot program, documenting my life as a student in my final year of college and all of the positives and negatives that go along with that.

I started classes at UM-Flint in fall 2008. I initially chose this school because I wanted to stay at home to reduce expenses, the tuition was more affordable and I had heard pretty good things about it. I had originally planned to wrap up my Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication–Media Studies in four years, but I realized that five years would end up costing me about the same in expenses and would keep me saner in my course load, so I opted for that track instead.

I didn’t get as much out of my time at the university as I may want to when I look back in the future, but it’s really my own fault. I didn’t join any fraternities, I had participation in little extracurricular activity, and there are even some classes where I remember very little. But in the end, I have a diploma that says I have done something that a lot of people have not done in their lives. I am proud of it and, being the first college graduate from my family, they are proud of it as well.

I still got a lot out of my experiences. I got to interact with some really cool professors that taught me more than just the material we covered in the textbook. I made some friends that I hope to have lasting bonds with for longer than the time it takes to graduate. And I got the chance to represent the university in a realistic setting, using the tools I love in social media as a member of Students@UM-Flint. In retrospect, I think I will be able to couple the lasting good with some of the fleeting bad and combine it to be an experience I will remember fondly as I continue on in life.

Life’s not a free ride after this now, either. I am looking for a job in the immediate area with not a lot of promise looming currently. I’d like to move into my own place but as of right now, my financial condition does not allow that to happen. But I know it will get better. The last five years of my life have been spent putting lots of effort into obtaining this degree and, while it is not likely to happen immediately, sooner or later it will help improve my life more than not embarking on this journey would have.

I thank everyone who I’ve interacted with in the last five years for shaping my university experience. I thank my fellow Students@UM-Flint for participating with me and making this a fun experience. But most of all, for this experience, I thank our adviser Alaina Wiens for giving me the opportunity to represent my school and add a really cool line to my résumé. If you’re able to, I highly recommend joining in as it’s a good time with fun people.

It’s been a great journey and I hope to continue to make my mark in the rest of the world. Thanks to everyone who has been following my posts and I hope you will be able to follow me in the rest of my life!