For the last semester and a half, I've had this perpetual knot in my stomach. Not because of grades, not because of a guy, and certainly not -- despite the fact that this will be my fourth year here -- because I know that graduation is quickly approaching, and the rest of my life is just around the corner.
No, folks, my constant fretting is from something completely opposite of that: I'm stuck here a fifth year.
I've spent many a night tossing and turning, trying to think of ways to get out of it.
"Eighteen credits a semester! No, wait, maybe I can handle 24 credits this semester, and then another 12 in the first summer session, 15 in the second, 18 in the fall, 37 in the spring, and I'll graduate on time!"
All right, so maybe those numbers are a little exaggerated, but I think I've gone through every scenario possible and finally realized that there is no way I'll be leaving Happy Valley in the next 12 months.
So, I guess I need to come up with a few reasons why it's not so bad to be a college student for an extra year.
First off, probably the most obvious reason: one less year of the "real world." I won't need to be employed full time like most of my friends or provide my own health insurance. I can schedule my classes so I can party all night and then sleep all day if I want. And, oh yeah, I won't have to lose sleep worrying about becoming a full-fledged adult.
I'll also be able to order season football tickets at the student rate for one more year -- provided the good old Nittany Lions decide to bounce back from last year's abysmal 3-9 record.
The 21st birthday is just a few weeks away, and let's face it, I'm looking forward to being able to go to bars and just have fun for a while. Which brings me to reason number three: more time to mess around (just not academically -- five years, I can deal with; six, not so much) and be a college kid.
And most importantly (at least for me), a fifth year of college means I'll have one more year of doing what I love doing (working for the Collegian) and spending more time at this crazy, wonderful place that has really become like a second home to me.
Yeah, I know, enough with the cheesefest.
There is still a downside to all of this, though. Many of my closest friends, the ones I've gone through everything with, will not be staying behind. Sure, I'll make new
friends, and I have some younger friends, and it won't be the first time I'll see friends graduate. But there is something about being
the only one left who remembers making fun of the lion during that God-awful freshman orientation pep rally that makes me sad.
I'll also need to find new roommates. And trust me when I say it's not easy for me to find a compatible roommate. I had four roommates in my first four semesters of college. 'Nuff said. But that, too, shall pass. I'll find someone who'll put up with my quirks, and whose quirks I can actually deal with.
Either way I look at it, I've decided that the good outweighs the bad in this case.
So from now on, no more knots in my stomach. I'm just going to sit back, do what I've gotta do, and enjoy it while it lasts.
I hate the typical beginning-of-the-year "welcome freshmen" column, but if I was going to give those of you starting out any advice at all, it would be just that. Sit back, do what you have to do, and enjoy the ride. Even if it takes a little longer than you thought it would.
