Today was it—today was my last day as a student of Century College. For two years, Century monopolized my life with homework, classes, and even work, as I was employed by the English Department's Writing Center for one and a half of those two years. Today, I made the final trek out to the school. I had actually completed my last in-class final on Tuesday morning, and yesterday evening I turned in my only online final I had to do, so my journey into school today was solely for the purpose of helping the Writing Center coordinators continue packing for Friday's move into the new Writing Center and to bid farewell to those professors and co-workers who I had grown close to over my time at the school.
The alarm went unheard this morning because I had stayed up late finishing up the gifts I wanted to give to people today. Of course, my tardiness was rather appropriate. While my challenge with punctuality is not a trait I intend to hold on to, it has become a part of who I am, making it only fitting that I arrive late for my very last day as a student at Century. The drive in had a degree of meaning that I hadn't expected. There's few other reasons why I take the route of streets and freeways that I have been taking to get to school for a year or more now, so as I was driving it, I was as much saying good-bye to the landmarks and roads as I was planning on saying to the college.
When I arrived at the Writing Center, it turned out that there was little packing that could be done since the place was still being made available to students busy with final papers. Instead, my boss opened my parting/Christmas gift to her and promptly made use of the "Stop This" and "Do This" post-it notes that I had included. Then, she hugged me for the first time since I met her, resulting in the beginning of my transformation from employee to just plain friend. That's when it hit me: this was it. I was done. I would never again return to Century as a student.
I may never again be a student at Century College, but I will forever be a student of Century. Before I attended that two year college, I had no idea of what to expect from life outside of high school—not that my high school years were ordinary. I was homeschooled from the moment I dropped out of elementary school half-way through sixth grade, and the only "formal" schooling I had since then was through the homeschool co-op that I graduated with and the two math classes I took from a fellow homeschool mom. It was this lack of formality that resulted in me choosing Century College rather than attempting to jump right into a four year program. In more ways than one, it was the best decision I've ever made. The classes I took at Century allowed me to get a feel for college life without the added trouble of getting used to a new home. Every single professor I took a class from helped to guide me through the alien world of papers, lectures, and finals that I had blindly dumped myself in to, while—at the same time—teaching me something new about who I am. It was by taking English classes and watching the professors teach that I discovered I wanted to become a professor myself. In a similar way, each philosophy course I took sparked in me a new fascination with the subject to the point that I'll never be done exploring the realm of the mind. It's because of that realization that I'm going for a double major in philosophy and writing.
Philosophy and creative writing, I wouldn't be who I am without the two, but it was through being a college student that I made that discovery, and I wouldn't be a student if not for Century. Because of that, no matter what school I move on to from here, I will always be a student of Century College.
As of now, I have been accepted into three of the six schools I applied to: St. Cloud State University, Seattle University, and Albion College in Southern Michigan. My mom and I will be visiting Seattle U the last week in January, and my whole family will be driving out to Albion sometime in late February or early March. Seattle is my third choice, mostly because of where its located. There seems few places more suitable to a growing writer than Seattle, Washington. I have yet to hear from my first and second choice schools. My first choice is Sarah Lawrence College of Bronxville, New York. The school follows the European don system, which can basically be summed up as unrestricted, independent learning. Students meet with a counselor, called a don, once or every other week depending on what year of college you're in. During that meeting, the student and don decide on what should be accomplished by the next meeting and choose a topic for the essay that is turned in at each meeting. When I read about this system, I knew immediately that it would be perfect for me. I really hope that I both get accepted and that I can go.
My second choice is Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island. Like Seattle U, I mostly like this school for the location. Bristol is supposed to be one of the most beautiful and most historic towns on the East Coast. The town is right on the ocean, and, in fact, many of the dorms have a view of the Atlantic.
So, that is where I'm at now. With the end of my life at Century, the beginning of my college education has also come to an end, but the roots of my life as a student will always remain in that White Bear Lake community college, forming the foundation for whatever college comes next.
No comments:
Post a Comment