i applied for graduation today. it was a strange feeling, seeing as how this is only my third semester at this college, but it’s also my next-to-last.
the advisor told her employee-in-training “she’s a classic example of a student who graduates in four semesters after transferring from community college. i remember that first day in orientation, she knew what three-by-threes were and which she was doing. you [referring to me] were the first one out of there, weren’t you?”
i honestly couldn’t remember, so i just said “well, maybe not the first. but i’d been thinking about it since 10th grade.”
and she was moderately astonished.
in retrospect, i shouldn’t have said that last sentence to her. not everyone decides a course of collegiate action in 10th grade. either that, or i should have told her that, after i took my first reporting class, i strongly considered changing my major because i discovered that reporting was stressful and you had to talk to people.
but i made it through two semesters of stress and talking to people. now the only people i have to talk to are the reporters who’ve written the articles, and usually the only stress i endure is when i can’t find the sequence-of-tense mistake or have a hard time writing headlines.
but really, i think “smart” is subjective. anyone could do what i did. and i’m sure a lot of people do. i’ve been taught how to learn, that’s all. that’s why i can.
