What did you really learn in college?

By: Rachele Paquin
Posted In: News

It’s that time of year again. The weather is just starting to become pleasant, the flowers are blooming, and the end of the academic year is swiftly coming to a close. Frantic seniors are hustling around campus in their freshly pressed suits preparing for their final presentations and senior theses.

After four years, one thing’s certain: They aren’t the people they were as freshmen.

“Freshman year I was more concerned with finding my place here at Salve. By senior year it’s like I am trying to find my place in the world,” said Andrea Pellegrino, a graduating senior.

The concerns and worries between freshman and senior year are vastly different.

“When most kids come in freshman year, they have a hard time handling the new found independence,” said Sister Dorothy Maloney, a counselor at Salve Regina University. “They have to learn how to manage their time and money, and take responsibility for their own actions.”

Pellegrino agrees. “Freshman year I had a low GPA, which was a real wake up call. It made me realize that I needed to start doing better and working harder,” the senior said.

“By senior year you realize that life is more than just Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights,” adds Pellegrino.

For many seniors this is a time of some very important decisions. College is not only a time to gain academic knowledge, but a time to gain life and personal knowledge as well.

“I have learned to have more control over myself and my emotions. I’ve learned that I can’t control what other people do, but I can control how I let it affect me,” said Pellegrino. “By doing this, it makes the quality of life better, because you are not constantly worried about what other people are thinking or saying”.

Salve has changed in many ways as well in the past four years. “Salve has lifted the bar,” said Maloney. “We are receiving well over 4,000 applications a year and have been accepting only [a portion] of those applications.” Salve changed physically as well. Wakehurst was added as an academic building, the Rodgers Recreation Center was built, and an innovative addition was built onto Miley Hall. Salve is changing with the times and with its students.

Still, going out into the real world may come as a shock to many. “What I am finding is that students have sent out a fist full of resumes, and they have not been getting any responses in return. This has shocked many students,” said Maloney. Many students are worried about where their lives will go from here and what the will end up doing with themselves.

“It’s very surreal realizing that you are further away from being someone’s child, and that you have to grow up and take responsibility for yourself,” says Pellegrino.

Some students have jobs lined up, others have no clue, and still others choose to further their education by attending graduate school.

“I never thought that I would be furthering my education after these four years,” said Aimee Angus, a senior at Salve. “But now I am going to graduate school through Salve and I am working towards my master’s in medical technology.”

Pellegrino said that she too will be attending graduate school. “I will be attending Columbia in the fall and getting my degree in clinical social work, which is kind of funny because freshman year I started out as a psychology major.”

Salve is a small university, made up of only 2,000 undergraduates. Many of the students and professors form very tight bonds over the years. “I never expected the classrooms to be so small and intimate. Because of the smaller classes I got to be very close with my professors,” said Angus.

As the students get older they form more of a friendship rather than a teacher student relationship. “I know all of the professors in my department very well. I think that is one of the benefits of attending a smaller undergraduate university,” said Pellegrino. “When I needed recommendations all of my professors were more than happy to help me”.

Many seniors have moments of realization when graduation time comes around. They realize that they really did learn things in college, not just in the classroom but out on their own as well.

“When I first came to college, my parents sat me down and lectured me about anything and everything, and I never wanted to hear it. All of the little things that used to annoy me about my parents, I find myself doing some of the very same things,” says Angus. “It’s happened. I have finally turned into my parents!”

Angus also added, “When I came to Salve I just assumed that everyone has led the same kind of life as I have. After talking to people I have finally realized how fortunate I really am”.

For many people college is now nothing but a brief memory. Four years of friends, classes, and partying have passed them by. The bonds and the memories that have been made will never be forgotten. The time has come to grow up, and who ever thought that it would really happen.

“College is the real transition from irresponsibility to responsibility,” Pellegrino concluded. One can only look back and hope that they did their best. No regrets, no apologies, just a time to reflect and to prepare for a new chapter in the unpredictable book called life.