By Hilary McMurray
I’ll be honest, I had a hell of a time deciding on a topic for my final column. Not only is this the last time you’ll read “You Have My Word,” it’s my last month as an undergrad as well. Panic over what the future holds has not set in, but the empty feeling you get when you realize life as you know it is over and everyone is headed in separate directions has gripped me like a vice. I don’t want to sound like a lame high school graduation speech, so instead of being overly sappy, I’ll highlight a few of the things my $40,000 a year education actually taught me.
* Most of what you really need to know isn’t taught by your professors. They say most learning occurs outside the classroom; they’re damn right. At a job interview, I won’t be asked to analyze the social impact of Roe v. Wade, I’ll be asked how I solved a problem between feuding co-workers or why I feel I should be selected for the position, which brings me to my next point.
* Bullshitting is an art form. Five years of college is the equivalent of an apprenticeship; by the time you graduate, you will be a master BS-er. If you know how to BS, you will never need to buy a paper from someone else or plagiarize. I’m leaving Northeastern with not only a Bachelor of Science (ironically, a B.S.), but a third degree black belt in the art of talking out of my ass.
* Your parents are smart. Even if they didn’t go to college, they’re smarter than you. Why? Because they have had more outside of the classroom learning time than you. Being away from home and having to solve problems on your own shines a new light on your relationships with your parents; you’ll realize you don’t actually know everything.
* Northeastern has a hidden agenda promoting weight loss among the student body. Think about it — you get caught up in the NU Shuffle, and you’re told that you have to go to Richards to get your question answered. When you get to Richards, they tell you to go to Meserve. When you get to Meserve, they tell you to go to Hayden. When you get to Hayden, they tell you to go talk to your advisor, and then you have to find a computer so you can log on to myNEU and figure out who the hell your advisor actually is. Then your advisor will tell you to go to Richards, and the cycle will start all over again. Think about how many calories are burned simply by trying to get a question answered at this school. They put all the buildings on the opposite ends of campus on purpose, I just know it.
* When you’re in a bad mood, don’t flaunt it. Smile and the world will smile back. Reach out and be friendly, even if you’re ready to kick the face of the first person who starts with you. If you’re nice, people will be nice back, and sometimes that’s all it takes to turn your frown upside down. Life is too damn short to hold grudges. Forgive, even if you’ll never forget. We’re human, which means we’re prone to say and do stupid things that hurt others. Don’t hesitate to try and repair friendships, even if the other person is clearly wrong.
* What happens in Conor’s won’t stay at Conor’s; the same applies to Punter’s and Our House. If you feel the inclination to get drunk and act like a degenerate, do it at a bar where 99.9 percent of the clientele will not see you the next day on campus, point and burst into laughter. Unless you don’t care, and if that’s the case, I’ll see you at Conor’s tonight.
* You are stronger than you think you are. Once again, living away from your parents forces you to solve problems on your own a lot of the time. You’ll solicit advice from your friends, your parents, your professors, your priests and anyone else who you think will be able to help you deal, but in the end, you’ll realize that the answer lies in you. We’ve all been in situations that feel so bad we don’t think we’ll ever be OK again. You will be. Hold your head high, no matter how many knots are in your stomach and tears are in your eyes. There is nothing you can’t handle.
Three years ago when I transferred to Northeastern, I didn’t know what to expect. I found what had been missing all my life — the feeling I was in the right place at the right time. My time at Northeastern has been the best time of my life, and I’m truly scared I won’t ever be as happy as I am right now. The best relationships I’ve had were formed here. Through conversations with others, I know that I am not alone. But we have to welcome change; it’s a part of life. To my fellow seniors, lets go live the hell outta the rest of our lives, and to everyone else, college is a good time, but it’s not a long time. Live it up.
– Hilary McMurray can be reached at [email protected].
