I’m Bigger Than My Body Gives Me Credit For

I am on the eve of the first day of the last day of my undergraduate journey. I’m unsure if this will be my last semester in college forever, nonetheless it’s the beginning of an end, of a momentous goal.

When I was a wee one, college seemed like a distant notion that was talked about, that I hoped to achieve and was something that I both feared and was in awe of. I was unsure if I would ever be able to actually attend because it seemed like such a costly endeavor and while I did really well in school, college seemed like it was bigger than me. It’s a bit how I feel now about being engaged, married and pregnant. I know that it’s likely these things will happen, but it’s really hard to imagine them actually happening to me. I wanted to be those people I saw on IU’s campus, walking with their books and bags in and out of the  limestone buildings for class.  I wanted to be the first in my family to make it to and through college.

In high school, I realized that college was an adventure that was indeed going to happen. After I finally, poorly picked the college I would attend (ISU) I decided I’d go with my strengths and seek a degree in English. I changed this at orientation and went with Criminology (Criminal Justice at IUPUI). After a semesters worth of college-ing at ISU, I transferred to IUPUI and have overall enjoyed my experience since January of 2007. I again changed my major from CJ to English.

Currently, all that stands between me and this achievement is 15 credit hours. Sometimes, I play this down. While I’m not sure what I want to do in the future or if my diploma will serve as a leg up anywhere, I must always remember when I thought I’d never reach this point. When I felt like I wasn’t big enough to walk in the shoes of a student. I may not have always given everything I could at every point along the way, but I put in the time, effort, tears and thought to complete my Bachelor of Arts in English (Creative Writing) with a minor in Religious Studies.  I will accomplish a goal 17 years in the making. On May 15th, 2011 I will walk across the stage and receive my diploma with family and friends looking on and I will know I completed something I promised myself many years ago.

Looking forward at this final semester in this part of my journey, I have these courses to look forward to:

Introduction to the Study of Grammar (required linguistics course)-I probably should have taken this course ages ago, but alas, hopefully it rounds out my English degree a bit.

Advanced Poetry Writing- For my 400 level writing course, I decided on Poetry. I feel most comfortable and interested in this genre of writing. I’m friends with nearly everyone taking this course.

Introduction to Oceanography-For my final science credits I decided on a course that lacked a mathematics aspect. Also, I learned about the heavens in Astronomy, I thought I ought to learn about the deep blue seas as well.

History of Western Civilization-Need I say anything about this?

Introduction to Christianity-I wanted to stray from the Christian religion to complete my religious studies minor, however this course was the only class that fit into my schedule. I do love the professor.

My goals for the semester are fairly simple:

Attend every single class.
Maintain my spot on the Dean’ List (but I’m shooting for As)
Learn. While I do every assignment, I often feel I’m doing it to be done with it, not to gain the knowledge I should.

I know that, whether I seek to further my education or enter the workforce full time, I will continue to expand and share my knowledge. I feel prepared for what life may bring and I look forward to tackling each obstacle as they come.