A Graduating Senior's View
Senior communications major Corey Staley gives an inside look at the excitement, trepidation, exhilaration and panic of a soon-to-be college graduate as she begins preparations for ODU's commencement May 9th. Follow her regular blog postings at Commencement Central.
April 1, 2009
Thirty-nine days. Or 936 hours. Or 56,160 minutes. That's approximately how much time there is left until graduation.
It's D-Day, if you will, the light at the end of the tunnel for a lot of graduating seniors. At the end of that tunnel, I'll be faced with the REAL WORLD.
Am I ready for it? Did ODU prepare me? Was all this worth it? Well, I guess I'll find out in 48 days. And in those short days, I, Corey Staley, will be getting ready for the rest of my life. It sounds like a pretty big feat, but I think I can handle it. After four years at ODU it's going to be hard to quit the college life.
I came to ODU bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, or whatever that saying is, and was ready to take on the world. But to be honest, I didn't even want to come to ODU freshman year. I really wanted to go to the University of Maryland. My parents wouldn't let me due to cost, so I was "doomed" to ODU. I cried for days.
Luckily for me, ODU turned out to be amazing, and when my mother tried to get me to transfer two years later, I refused. I'm originally from Chesapeake, a mere 20 minutes from the campus, which was one of the main reasons I didn't want to come. After living here my whole life I had heard about ODU millions of times and thought it was more a commuter school.
I think a lot of kids from the Hampton Roads areas think that as well, until they live on campus. Once I started living on campus, I loved it. During school I rarely go home because there are always things to do.
Seriously, can we talk about that new recreation center? When I first walked in, it brought tears to my eyes! It is comparable to a small heaven, really. And that's just the beginning of the greatness of ODU. It's changed so much in four years.
Even the Webb Center. The café gets an A-plus from me, and I'm picky. It's every hungry college kid's dream to walk into a buffet-style eatery that actually has good stuff. I could seriously go on. I never want to leave ODU, and that is a complete turnaround from when I cried four years ago. Let me stay forever!
At least I wish I could. But as a communication major, I'm hoping I can use this blog to effectively "communicate" what it's like to be a senior facing graduation in a few short weeks. It's a good thing I like to talk.
I can honestly say it's the best major ever with the best professors. You won't find professors as passionate and fun anywhere else. That's the best combo, too. Besides, who doesn't like talking about talking? Pretty much everyone talks all day, every day, so when you get to learn about something like that, it's pure magic, people. But more about all of this later.
For now, I'll just let you know that this blog is going to be Bomb.com. And yes, I just brought that word back from the '90s. You'll get the inside scoop with nothing held back! Between rushing to classes, working at my internship, being an RA, and doing graduation paperwork, there will be plenty to dish about. But now, since I have only 48 days left, I should probably get started on the Senior Assessment Survey. Apparently, there's no graduating without it and I can't have that get in my way .