𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗻𝗮!

The word “finally” carries two significant meanings for many. 

For one, it marks the arrival of something we have long been waiting for—a new beginning. For another, it signifies the culmination of something we've worked hard to achieve—a fulfillment of a long-sought goal.

For many college students, the journey begins long before the first day of class.  It starts with getting accepted into a dream school. Review sessions, entrance exams, months of waiting for that acceptance email, and at last, you’re in PUP.

𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗻𝗮

A fresh chapter begins. You introduce yourself to unfamiliar faces, share your hobbies, and your likes and dislikes. You sit through your first day of classes and begin learning more about the program you chose. The faces you once only saw on the Freshies group chat are now a frequent sight in the hallways of College of Communication (COC). There is quiet nervousness and uncertainty as you navigate the unfamiliar, but you still push through anyway. And slowly, you find your footing in the new environment. 

First and second semesters go by, you gain a little more confidence in finding your way. Little by little, unfamiliar faces become friends and the campus starts to feel less foreign. 

Then comes second year.

𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗻𝗮

By second year, friendships have been built, lunch breaks are filled with laughter and brainrot while group chats are buzzing with discussions about difficult activities. Your plate is constantly full as major and minor subjects compete for your attention. Master Buffalo and Jollibee Pureza become more than places to eat, they become your little reward after a low score in a quiz. You’re juggling meeting deadlines, participating in org works, and fulfilling responsibilities at home. Yet somewhere along the way, the nervousness you once felt gradually fades, and you begin to feel comfortable stepping out of your comfort zone.

Without noticing, you’ve passed your adjustment period. COC has become a place you could  navigate like the back of your hand. As you find your rhythm, you reach the third year.

𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗻𝗮

Then comes third year, and research enters the lineup of subjects. Suddenly, you’re pulling all-nighters for exams and quizzes, going back and forth to print shops in the College of Engineering and Architecture (CEA) for requirements and reviewers, and spending weeks racking your brain for the most feasible research topic to pursue. The COC library, which you used to visit just for the air conditioning, is now a spot to cram and finish your part in Chapter 1. 

As if on cue, professors are dropping deadlines after deadlines. Group chats are filled with rants and phrases like “ayoko na,” “pagod na ako,” and “hingi tayo deadline extension.” Schedules clash, plans are constantly adjusted, and many compromises have to be made.

The work is heavier and the expectations are higher. The load has changed, but so have you.  Despite all, you conquered third year and the pressures that came with it. 

Then the fourth year arrives. 

𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗻𝗮

Just when you think you have already mastered the art of surviving college, fourth year proves you wrong. Thesis and internship fill your days. For breakfast, lunch, and dinner, your mind is occupied—RRLs, OJT applications and interviews, and on top of that, defense. While you practice answering the dreaded panelist question “Why did you choose this study?” you can’t help but also question your own life choices and wonder, “Why did I choose this program?”

Time moves so slowly, and the second semester begins to seem unreachable. Limits are reached, pushed, even. LRT, MRT, and jeepneys become more than just ways to get home. They become makeshift bedrooms, study halls, and quiet spaces where you steal whatever little rest you can get. 

But somehow, as you had done for the past three years, you kept going. What once felt never-ending comes to an end. The thesis is defended, to-do lists are ticked off, and deadlines that once seemed endless are met. And then, almost quietly, there is nothing left to submit.

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗻𝗮

After years of studying, stressing, learning, and growing, you find yourself standing at the finish line. The countless “what ifs” and “sanas,” the sleepless nights, skipped meals, tears shed, and lessons reviewed have all led to this hard-earned moment. And at last, after a long time, you can say it with your head held high: “Finally, graduate na.”

Article:Mikaelah Bianca Panopio

Illustrations: Allaine Arcaya