One more year: My thoughts finishing my junior year at UC Berkeley
As a junior, I have only one more year left here at UC Berkeley, which is terrifying to think about. Due to the pandemic, the last three years I’ve spent here feel like they’ve zipped by in the blink of an eye. Things have moved so fast that I still don’t feel ready to go out into the “real world” and leave Berkeley behind. At the same time, I find it comforting to know that I still have senior year left to figure out what I want to do after graduation.
Going into my senior year, I’m expecting a lot of changes in my personal life. In just these past couple of weeks, I’ve signed the lease for my first apartment, took on a big project in my work-study job and made the tough decision to stay in Berkeley this summer, my first summer away from my family. These decisions remind me that I’m going to be an actual adult really soon, one that lives away from their family and must juggle a lot of different responsibilities. In all honesty, the expectations that accompany this level of independence make me scared for the future.
Since I’ve only ever been in academic settings, I’m a little bit scared to get a job and start working at a company, especially since all the jobs I’ve worked at so far have been smaller, part-time, work-study jobs. I’m also still a little unsure what field I want to go into in the future, making the idea of graduating even more daunting since I now have a looming deadline to decide what I want to go into.
However, I know a lot of other juniors have different thoughts about graduating soon, with most looking forward to graduating and moving away from Berkeley. Sometimes I feel like I’m the only one apprehensive to leave college life and enter the workforce since nobody else around me seems to relate. To anyone who might be feeling the same way, you should know that you’re not alone.
I think most of the fear I have about graduating is tied to the innate fear I have of change. I remember experiencing a lot of anxiety in the transition from high school to college as well, but I was fortunately able to get used to college life really quickly. Similarly, I hope the transition from college to the workforce will be the same.
There are still a lot of things I want to do in the Berkeley area before I graduate. Hopefully, with a course load of only 13 units next semester, I can have a lot more fun compared to this past year on campus. Reflecting on the impact of the pandemic in my personal life, I feel like I was never able to fully experience the freedom that comes with being in a new town, especially since my freshman year on campus, a time where I had relatively fewer responsibilities, was cut short.
During my final year, I’m determined to take more time on the weekends to explore the Berkeley area. Admittedly, this same goal was on the list I made of things I hoped to accomplish in my junior year. I even made a bucket list of all the places I wanted to visit in Berkeley, but after taking on too many responsibilities in the fall and dealing with a major family emergency this semester, I was barely ever free on the weekends. At least I have one more shot to check off all the places!
While there’s no doubt that I’m really nervous to head into my senior year, I’m glad I have one more year to figure everything out. In my junior year, I was able to power through all the trials I faced, allowing me to grow as a person and become even more responsible. At the end of my senior year, I bet I’ll experience even more personal growth and hopefully be a little bit more ready to graduate too.
Contact Samantha Herrera at sherrera@dailycal.org.