22 Take Aways from the Class of 2022
Photo by Karolina Grabowska
In honor of my impending graduation that brings the doom of reality within dreary modernity.
1. Don’t be afraid to change your mind.
College is about learning how to be the most pure and unique version of yourself. If change feels right, then go for it. As a senior who changed her career path in the last semester of college, I can firmly say that it’s scary as hell, but the reward has been nothing short of exciting and fulfilling. It’s okay to not follow a route you and others expected you to follow. My 18-year-old self would have never believed where 22-year-old me is now. With the help of my professors and peers, I no longer fear change and the unknown. Take different classes, talk to new people, challenge yourself, and most of all, follow things that lead to happiness.
-Kaylin Swoboda, Class of 2022
2. The scam of eCampus.
You don’t have to read the books. Hell, you don’t even have to buy them.
-Anonymous, Class of 2022
3. Do less at Centenary.
When Dr. Shelburne tells you to do less, listen. Don’t get overly involved, don’t talk to annoying people, and don’t take hard classes that you don't even like, just because you have an ego and can. Be intentional in everything you do, whether that is academic, extracurricular, or social. Do less; it’s better for you.
-Sarah Thompson, Class of 2022
4. It is all about the people.
Make connections. Find people with who you share interests and build friendships. It makes every other aspect of school far easier.
-Mat Stogner, Class of 2022
5. Choose yourself.
Choosing yourself is extremely important to your success.
-Tewana Hawkins, Class of 2022
6. Don’t make excuses; just apologize.
Immature people don’t take responsibility for their actions. Grown people take responsibility for their mistakes, don’t make excuses, and move on.
-Anonymous, Class of 2022
7. Scam your professors into loving you.
Do EXACTLY as JL says in the syllabus. Bring Dr. Chirhart a Diet Dr. Pepper. Make Dr. Murphy laugh. Smile at Dr. Hendricks. It pays off.
-Hannah Mitchell, Class of 2022
8. Do it all while prioritizing yourself.
My biggest takeaways from being at Centenary are to prioritize yourself, find what you want to pour yourself into, and to put yourself out there in terms of trying new things and meeting new people during your college career.
-Colin Dixon, Class of 2022
9. Graduating college is only about perseverance.
It doesn’t matter that you made a 33 on the ACT. It doesn’t matter that you got the top scholarship at Scholar’s Weekend. It doesn’t matter that you are getting paid to go to Centenary because that is just how brilliant you are. You can be the brightest person in the room, and it is not going to matter if you don't put the time in. Exams are about how long and well you study, and a successful paper is determined by how well you craft and edit it. You do not have to be smart to succeed in college; you just have to persevere.
-Anonymous, Class of 2022
10. Don’t compare yourself to others.
We are all on different journeys, so don’t compare yourself to others because everyone is different at Centenary. We are all growing in different ways and at different rates.
-Isabel Frederick, Class of 2022
11. Be controversial.
Having everyone like you isn’t always a good thing.
-Anonymous, Class of 2022
12. Pay your parking tickets.
I know it’s a pain, and you may think to yourself, “I’m going to fight this later.” Awesome. Remember to do that. Just make sure you don’t wait until the end of the year when you’re stuck paying off $400 worth of tickets to be allowed to pay $10 to order your transcript.
-Callie Fedd, Class of 2022
13. I met my family at Centenary.
The people that I’ve met here at Centenary are going to be the people that stay in my life forever--we’re a family.
-Kierston McPherson, Class of 2022
14. Know the worth of relationships.
Is this relationship worth fixing? My mom always asked me when I was younger if the problems I was having were 5-minute, 5-hour, 5-day, 5-month, or 5-year problems to help judge how upset or much mental energy I could put into them. I like to ask myself that with relationships too. How long will this friendship or romantic relationship realistically last? Are they really worth my time and energy? Not if they’re a 5-day friend.
-Anonymous, Class of 2022
15. Focusing in.
It’s not about having a long list of activities that you’re a part of or trying to do it all. It’s about doing one or two things that you’re really passionate about and giving it 100% while also enjoying the experience you get out of it. With Centenary being so small, it’s easy to get caught up in trying to do everything, but I’ve learned that dedicating yourself to the things that matter the most to you are what will get you through undergrad and give you an unforgettable experience.
-Itzel Sigaran, Class of 2022
16. Cheat, steal, borrow, etc.
Chegg, Sparknotes, and reading people’s dissertations will get you a long way.
-Anonymous, Class of 2022
17. Don’t date at Centenary.
While attending a small liberal arts college has its perks, it definitely makes a unique experience for dating. Thanks to a small student body and even tinier hookup culture, the dating realm can suddenly go from relative anonymity to public knowledge. Suddenly, conceived notions of your romantic past, present, and future are being formulated and surrounding you. To avoid drama and heartbreak at all costs, just don’t date here.
-Baylee Barajas, Class of 2022
18. Relationship healing takes time.
When I was younger, I read somewhere that it takes double the amount of time that the relationship occurred to heal from it. But now, I think it is from the first day you laid eyes on them to the time that you have accepted that it is really over (no matter how many months later that is).
-Anonymous, Class of 2022
19. There are no “real adults.”
The biggest difference between the students who feel like fake adults and the faculty that seem like adulty-er adults is two things: 1. Experience and 2. Confidence. And sometimes you just really have to hold onto number two for dear life. You don’t have to have it all together, but all adults, real or not, do need to learn how to better own up to their mistakes, communicate effectively, and just be nice to one another.
-LA Easley, Class of 2022
20. Get in your veggies.
Our neighbor Subway is a great source of vegetables.
-Anonymous, Class of 2022
21. Power through.
Work through your setbacks; there is always another way to persevere in any situation.
-Colbee Duke, Class of 2022
22. No one here actually knows what they’re doing.
We don’t know what we are doing when we grow up. We're all just pretending for that degree.
-Anonymous, Class of 2022