With the passing of Halloween and the beginning of winter (I realize that winter is still a few weeks away, but as soon as it starts snowing it is winter to me) I’m taking some time to seriously reflect on this semester and really think about where I’m going from here. This is, after all, the season of class registration a time, which always makes me evaluate where I am and where I want to be.
This semester has proven to be a lot different than last year. The fear and the nervousness that surrounded me has long since past away, replaced by comfort and familiarity. I have friends here, I know how to navigate the city, I’m getting better at managing my class work and I know who to ask when I need help. But things are different. A lot of the people I was really close with have either moved on to new adventures in their lives or have drifted away. So I’ve been deepening relationships with a slightly different group of people. Also the rigor and quantity of my work has increased substantially. Amidst the changes, I feel like I’m finding myself in exactly the right place.
In order to maintain that feeling, to keep myself on track, I’ve been thinking a lot about my future. I came to BU with a year’s worth of AP credits and so I’m trying to decide if it makes sense to graduate a year early. It’s a decision I don’t want to make lightly, because it is going to have a huge impact on the rest of my time at BU.
This question has been weighing pretty heavily on me the past week or so. I have been running around, talking to advisors, asking friends for input, and of course talking to my mom. As my mind starts focusing on checking boxes and creating a game plan for the next few years, I’m trying to make myself remember to breathe. As important as these decisions are, college shouldn’t be a series of checked boxes. In this time of reflection, as the nights get long and snow starts falling, I want try and be thankful for the gift of each day. Particularly if I choose to graduate early, I don’t have an infinite amount of college. These years are flying by, and there is so much more to see, and experience, and learn. I’m praying for the clarity to make plans and make good life-affirming decisions, but I’m also praying for the presence and the courage to step back and experience as much as I can. I’m realizing though that this is a universal struggle, and so I extend these prayers out to everyone who is trying to plan for the future while living in the present.