Over the summer, I was almost always the youngest person in the office. According to everyone else, I brought the “young energy” to the team. But once school started again, I suddenly felt a new layer of responsibility on my shoulders: I was a senior.
Now, I am part of the class that new freshmen are supposed to look up to and learn from. Being able to interact with freshmen in my classes and clubs has made me realize just how much has changed since I was in their shoes. My younger brother also started his freshman year of college this year, which has made everything feel even more real. Sometimes I look at him and think, Wow, this is really happening. We are growing up.
So, I decided to outline a few of the things that have been floating around in my brain lately.
1. Making the Most of the Time I Have Left
I opened my eyes, and boom, now I am a senior. It still feels like only a few months ago that I moved into my freshman year dorm, but somehow I am already in my last year. Realizing how quickly time actually goes by made me start putting together a bucket list of things I want to do before I graduate.
After compiling the list, it almost felt silly. Some things are as simple as finally going to the Netflix-featured Chez Panisse, while others include signing up for a half marathons. But my mindset has become: When am I going to live this close to all of my friends again and have the chance to randomly do these things together?
One thing my friends who have already graduated always tell me is how difficult it becomes to coordinate anything afterward, even something as simple as dinner. So, I am making more of an effort to drag my friends out with me and say yes to spontaneous plans. To be honest, I do not think they mind too much.
2. Calling My Parents
Sometimes, I get so caught up in my life at Berkeley that it starts to feel like this is my entire world. Between classes, clubs, friends, work, and everything else going on, I sometimes forget to simply call my parents.
I want to make more of an effort to update them on my life, what is going well and what is not going well, and hear about what is happening in theirs, too. While I may feel like an adult now, and sometimes all of these new responsibilities weigh on me, talking to my parents reminds me that I can still just be their daughter. Sometimes I need that.
3. Managing My Finances
Something that really makes me feel like an adult is managing my finances. Whether it is paying my credit card bill, managing my savings account, or even opening a Roth IRA, being responsible for my own money gives me a little sense of adulthood, but also a lot more responsibility.
Learning how to spend wisely is something I am still working on. I am also realizing very quickly that eating out adds up! Somehow, though, that realization has turned into a new activity with my friends. We go grocery shopping together, decide what we want to make, and cook dinner together. Saving money has unexpectedly become another way for us to spend time together.
4. Traveling While I Can
One piece of advice I heard repeatedly from full-time employees over the summer was that there is no designated “break” once you start working. There is no summer or spring break waiting for you every year, so they encouraged me to travel while I am still a student.
Luckily for me, I only have one Friday class this semester, which gives me a little more flexibility to go on an adventure here and there. My friends and I recently went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and it was so nice to get away for a little bit, be by the ocean, and simply relax.
Not every trip has to be far away, either. At the same time, I am starting to plan my trip to Korea over winter break to visit my family. Knowing that these long school breaks will not always be part of my schedule makes me want to take advantage of the time I have now. Of course, planning the trip also brings me right back to point #3 and gives me another reason to save!
5. Figuring Out What I Actually Want to Do
This one is definitely still a work in progress.
For a long time, I thought there would be a standardized answer for what I was supposed to do after college. As a data science major, I thought it would be as simple as studying data science, becoming a data scientist, and following that career path.
But the more I have learned about my major, the more I have realized how many different directions I can take it. Data science in finance can look completely different from data science in entertainment, healthcare, technology, or another industry entirely. The same skills can be used to understand completely different problems.
Now that I have taken many of the data science courses I need to graduate, I am thinking less about simply finding a job that matches my major and more about how I can combine what I have learned with the things I genuinely care about. A job is one thing, but figuring out what I actually want to do is another. I do not have a perfect answer yet, but maybe figuring that out is part of senior year, too.
These are just a few things that have been on my mind lately. During my freshman year, I remember worrying about how I was going to meet new people and whether I would get lost on my way to class. Now, my concerns feel a little different, and maybe a little deeper.
Maybe that is just part of growing up and finding a stronger sense of self in college. I definitely do not have everything figured out just because I am a senior. But looking back at my freshman year makes me realize how much I have changed without even noticing it.
If the past three years have taught me anything, I am sure these thoughts will keep changing, too.