Class of 2021 graduation went by so quickly that I can hardly recall how it went. I felt like I prepared for that very moment for the past four years but everything, including my commencement ceremony, flew by way too quickly and I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that I graduated! Maybe it’s because I still have one last summer semester to finish, which kind of relieves me with the feeling that I’m still a student yet to be an adult. Last year and a half of my college life was almost entirely online and although that gave me more time to focus on my academics, I was always saddened by the fact that I couldn’t experience all four years of the college life. Ever since COVID hit, my daily life was mostly at home listening to online classes and finishing assignments. Now having one last online semester ahead of me before I really take off into the real world, I think I’m finally learning how to enjoy class rather than getting overly stressed about grades and my GPA. My mindset while starting my last online semester at Northeastern was to just enjoy being a college student and to focus on learning what I like instead of worrying too much about my GPA. To my surprise, letting go of my stress and genuinely enjoying college while it lasts actually helped my academics and my grades! Now looking back at my past four years at Northeastern, I think I was blinded by getting good grades rather than enjoying college and studying with my peers. It truly was an experience and it indeed helped me to grow as the person I am today and taught me that good performance always goes hand in hand with truly enjoying what I do.
