Hey guys, Emily, here!

Well. The end has come. The end of the semester, the end of my student blogging, and the end of my acedemic career, here, at GCC.

As I look back on the summer after I graduated highschool, it makes me laugh knowing that I was nervous about coming here. First of all, there was the people issue. I graduated from Alexander Central High School with about 60, or so, other seniors. All but a few of these kids attended GCC. In highschool, one of the biggest topics of conversation around the lunchtable was the fact that almost our entire graduating class was going to attend this college and we were all annoyed at this prospect. It felt to all of us as if we were going through highscool  again. As with every highshcool across the country, not every member of my senior class got along with each other. To say that there were clicks and groups throughout my class was an understatement and everyone was not looking forward to purpetuate the groups within the halls of GCC.

However.

Surprisingly, to all of us, I believe, was the fact that this did not happen. As we all assimilated to college life, generally speaking, we went our own ways. I still speak with the people whom I was closest to in highschool, and have actually gotten closer to a few people that I was not friends with during those years. I think that when you are facing a major change in your life (like leaving an institution that you have been a part of for years) you start to worry about things that you dont realize are not going to matter very much once you have established a routine in your new surroundings. As far as I know (with a few exceptions that I am also aware of) every one I graduated with has done just fine here and is living their lives to the fullest. I am proud of us.

On a more personal level, I am sad to be leaving school. Its very bittersweet for me. When I first started here I was young, insecure, and honestly very intimidated by the floor plan of the school; (when you’re just starting out, its hard to understand the different sides of the school while factoring in the square-shape of the floors) and was worried that I would not be able to assimilate successfuly.

I was very lucky to be hired at Student Activities. They helped me with EVERYTHING. If I had a problem with a class, I could talk it out with one of them. If I needed to know where a particular room in one of the buildings was, they had the answer. When I was in need of a job, they took me under their wing without even a second thought. I am a different person now, then when I started here a year and a half ago, and SA is the reason for that change.

Because of the responsibilities they have given me, I am a confident woman who knows how to conduct business with people. Because of SA, I had the amazing opportunity to be selected as Student of the Month, and sit down with President Sunser. Because of SA, I can stand up for myself and walk confidently down the path of my life.

Thank you Student Activities Family, for everything. 🙂

And now to those of you who are freshmen 😉

The biggest piece of advice I can give to you is to take your education into your own hands. You are in college now, do not expect other people to do anything for you. Your life has begun, and it is up to you to take responsibility for your actions and your life. Ask questions of your professors; they are there to teach you, not scare you, and contrary to popular belief they do not enjoying failing people. Believe it or not, what you do with these years will have a dramatic effect on the course of your life so be smart. Choose your friends wisely, they have an impact on you as well.

Lastly, wait a week after the semester starts to buy your books. This is the most practical advice I can give you. Often, you wont need a couple things on your required reading list and/or your professor will tell you that you wont really use your text book. By waiting, you will save SO much money and alot of backaches carrying those books around.

Finally, I have had a blast blogging for Genesee Community College. I hope that the people who read this blog (I would love to meet you brave people and shake your hand) enjoyed what I had to say about the life and times of an average GCC student. Thank you for listening to my humble ramblings.

Until next time,

Emily K Patrick, GCC, Class of 2011