It’s a different experience being a fully-grown (to some extent, let’s be real here) adult and going to school while working 40 hours a week, versus being a full-time, live-on-campus student.
One of those differences is the separation felt between the masters students and the undergrads. There’s an immersion in the campus when you spend most of your day shambling between classes and get-togethers with friends. For me, one night a week I take a 26-mi (one-way) drive downtown to attend a three-hour lecture and then turn around and motor back.
But in reality, I don’t know if I want that undergraduate life back. I like making my own money, and not having to work on assignments five nights a week. Let me tell you, having one accelerated class a semester is plenty! Trying to study for five exams during exam week? Hell no!
Of course, if I had the chance for immersion-education-social-fishbowl again, I certainly would do things differently. Especially since it was a wonderful time to be an adult-with-training-wheels time. I would have spent more time goofing off with friends (I mean, I was going to get average grades until I switched to business school, anyway, I might as well have had more fun at it…). I would have gotten a BS in Business Administration (instead of a BA), and the minor in Fine Arts. I probably would have tried to snag a lot more internships than I did, too.
I guess that’s the point of being young and dumb, though. You’re young and dumb, and have a weird lens fixed over the vision of your present and future.
Which is why it’s important to take occasional pit stop to look at the area, check the map, and see if you’re still on course or not.
The Blog of JulZ 