My First Non-School Day First Day of School

This Wednesday marked yet another first day of college for thousands of students attending Western Washington University in Bellingham. Books were purchased, classes were decided, and Red Square was once again filled with almost-adults skittering about to their proper classrooms.

Along with the 2,500 or so freshmen and transfers who counted Wednesday as their first day at Western, I experienced a completely different kind of first. Wednesday was the first day that I did not have to go back to Western. This year, school started without me because I am now a college graduate.

This day has of course been on the horizon since I graduated from Western on August 21. it has been on my mind quite a bit recently, however, mostly because of my girlfriend who is currently still a student at Western. Through her, I have gotten to experience all the usual stress and enjoyment of starting a new school year at Western: buying books, figuring out classes, getting to know roommates.

But now I've graduated. With no plans to go to graduate school in the near future, I can now enjoy my life without the worry of tests, homework or any arbitrary deadlines, such as the end of a quarter. While I work roughly 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day, my evenings have become surprisingly free. I sometimes find it hard to find something to do with myself.

And that's where the nostalgia of student life has already begun to sink in. The last four years of my life have been dedicated to learning, first and foremost. Despite all the various stresses, both academic and not, college brings, I have genuinely enjoyed the learning opportunities given to me.

But now I'm out of college. My life from now on has an entirely new set of priorities. Learning for learning's sake unfortunately has the tendency to slip down the list in situations like this. I have realized encouraging myself to learn more about subjects that interest me, such as journalism and science, is entirely up to me.

At first, this realization seemed daunting to me. But after a full month of it setting in, I have decided to make it a challenge for myself. Though my college career is behind me, I pledge not to allow my love of knowledge to follow in-step.