The October break, huh?

By Yameng Zhang

I said I couldn’t wait for it, I planned for it, I worked hard because I have a break coming as my reward, and I even dreamed about it. There are less people on the street, the city started to rain. Now, I know the break is officially here. I could not be more disappointed because I bought a groupon but didn’t make the reservation in advance, and it is too late to have the perfect resort for my break. I have to say, I cannot be more unexcited especially when I see my roommate is pouring juice and reheating the leftover pizzas. This is when you say “coulda woulda shoulda”, right? That was the plan-- I study hard for the exams, ace them all and go to the little sweet resort in La Porte. Well, I am not complaining, I am just saying, this is what happens when we get too excited and forget about the logistics.

The sad fact that my small vacation is gone reminds me “I am graduating, I am so excited!” talks. Yes, I bet that is exciting, however, what does graduating mean, exactly?

• You have no more reason to ask your family for money.

No, you have no more reasonable excuses to ask for money. That means you either need to have a very wealthy and generous friend or you need to find a way to make money. I am talking about the money that can cover the grocery shopping, the utility bills, the rent and the luxurious expenses such as vacations. I don’t know how much those mean, but I am sure that what I can make as a server won’t be able to fulfill my expectation. You know I am not talking about the part-time job, I am neither just talking about a job, I am talking about the job, the one that will pay back the years in school, because that is what you really need after graduation.

• Everyone will be looking forward to knowing what you will be doing.

Yes, they would want to know what you’ve got from college. Maybe high GPA, great party experiences, lots of friends, but what else you’ve got after the four precious years. The final exam of college is the quality of the rest of your life, and how you start it is the key. Because not only you do want to know if the 4-year effort does worth it, but also your family would like to know if they made the right decision to send you to college because let’s face the fact that it does cost a lot of time and money, moreover, there is a “competition” between you and your peers no matter you want to be in it or not. So, what you are doing right after graduation matters, the first job you get does make a difference, the city you move to does say something about you, the quality of your life has a lot to do with the first step after graduation.

• We will officially be adults.

Well, it will be more common for not having anyone to turn to for bad mood, backup or solutions. We will be on our own, more than ever. How you spend the night will be all up to you, when to wake up, what to eat and where to go during weekends will be your call, because you may not have a roommate, or even a friend nearby. Independence can be scary in the first several months without classes, and it is definitely not as easy and exciting as it is for summer breaks. Because we all know we can’t wait, the earlier we get our life on track, the more chances we have to accomplish the goals.

Not cool, it is not cool to have no backup plan. It is a break, and I should let myself stay home, doing nothing. Even though I will not be on road trip or anything, I have the gift of time, which means everything. If you are in the same situation as me, let’s take our time, get the list and cross things up one by one.