For me, my three and half years at UL have felt a lot like riding the Tower of Terror at Disney World; there’s been a lot of very high highs, deep low lows, and overall, I’m just ready to get off this stupid ride. So if I have to ride this stupid ride, I’m going to force you to ride it with me, at least for the length of this blog.
My start at UL started off with a hopeful and excited outlook, much like when you’re waiting in line for an exciting ride you’ve never gone on.
The year started off a little bumpy… The flood of 2016 delayed my move-in day for the dorms.
Finally, I got to move in, and I was so excited. I was ready for a new experience, and I tried to start carving out my own place in Lafayette.
Throughout the year, I experienced a lot of firsts. I also found myself more at home then I thought I would. I had my favorite barista from home in Lafayette with me, and a bagel lady who was basically a surrogate grandma.
Overall, my freshman year was a year of finding out who I was on my own. I was out on my own in a new place, and I was trying to find my groove in this whole “adulting” thing.
At the end of the year, finals came and went, and I ended my year much like how it started off: with a flood.
My sophomore year of college did not start off quite as fun as my freshman year; the weekend I was supposed to move back into the dorms, I was put into the hospital for a double kidney infection (how fun). Here’s a post from me joking about checking into the hospital for the first time by myself from that weekend.
Once the year actually started, I made one of the dumbest decisions I made in my college career; I joined a sorority.
While I definitely had some fun times in my sorority, as seen below, I found out quickly that it was not the place for me.
There was some fun moments, and I made some friends, but I quickly found out that my sorority in particular did not appreciate people with their own opinions. There was a lot of petty drama within the sorority, and I found myself feeling like I was in high school again, which is not what I signed up for.
The metaphorical straw that broke the camel’s back for me was when my sorority tried to fine me ($100) for missing a recruitment event because of the death of my grandfather.
I missed a week of school because of his death, and when I returned to school, I needed to focus on my studies because I missed so much while I was gone. This is when they tried to fine me.
After that mess, I quickly left the sorority. Why would I want to stay in a place like that?
The rest of my sophomore year was mostly about just surviving. After my grandpa’s death, I was just kind of over it all.
Though my sophomore year was particularly stressful, I felt like I learned a lot about myself and the people around me. And while I struggled a little, I actually ended up finishing up the year strong.
During the summer between my sophomore and junior year, a really exciting thing happened: I got engaged to my best friend.
Because I got engaged over the summer, much of my junior year of college was filled with chaos and wedding planning. Needless to say, I was not ready for classes to start at the beginning of the school year.
On top of all the school work that came along with my junior year, I also had a million things to do for my wedding that was coming in the next summer. It was definitely A LOT, and I was a little overwhelmed.
First semester of my junior year was a lot of work, but it was nothing like the second semester because my wedding was getting even closer. I was drowning in invitations and lesson plans.
While the semester was definitely difficult, I finished off with good grades, and I could finally give my wedding full attention. In the June after my junior year, I married my best friend.
My senior year was like the roughest part of the Tower of Terror; it was the year with the highest highs and lowest lows. Starting off, I was very excited because I started student teaching for the Education program at UL.
While I was super excited, this semester proved to be the most stressful and work-heavy semester I’ve ever had. I tended to have a laugh at my past self for thinking she was ever stressed out.
While it was, and still is, a lot of work, this semester has also given me some of the best memories because of the students I get to teach.
In my student teaching residency, I was placed with eighth grades, and it has been a blessing in disguise. While I never thought I would like teaching middle school, I found myself loving these kids. They have been a big savior of my sanity the semester, and they keep me laughing when I feel like everything else is going wrong.
In between the fun parts of student teaching, I still have a lot of class work to do. Being in my senior year, I’m getting to the point where I am tired of college and I’m ready to move on with the next phase in my life.
Overall, much like I was when I rode the Tower of Terror, I’m ready to get off this freaking ride. Maybe it was fun while it lasted, but honestly, I’m ready for it to be done. I’m ready for the 3.5 to finally be 4. So to end this wild ride, I’ll leave you with my current mood for the end of this semester.
Literature & the Internet 