In our last pitch meeting of the year, the opinions editors pitched an “Unc advice column,” a playful space for a graduating senior to offer some valuable wisdom before our presence at this college is merely a shadow or an archive. Without hesitation, half of the room looked at me. I am unsure how I have become the “Mess Unc,” but I am using this apparent honor as an invitation to write one final opinion article in my college career.
Being tasked with simply giving advice is challenging because advice can be a lot of things. Advice can also be really good or really terrible. I struggle to believe that the advice I’m going to provide is either salient or useful. But I’ve also been on the Hill for four years, done lots of cool things, and made plenty of mistakes along the way. If I’ve learned anything from my time at St. Olaf, it’s this: Things will always get done.
This feels self-explanatory. Almost redundant. But it’s true, yet it can be challenging to accept its veracity.
Oles are known to stretch themselves thin. We take hard classes, do every extracurricular under the sun, and, with intention, try to spend meaningful time with people. Time fills up quickly at St. Olaf, and it feels like a perpetual struggle to find time to breathe amidst classes, rehearsals, essay writing, and the countless other little events and activities that destabilize the stability of our weekly college schedules.
It has so often felt like there is not enough time to do everything that needs to be done. There is, though. If my undergraduate experience has taught me anything, it’s that we have an incredible capacity to achieve. When we put our heads down, no matter how stressful a week we have, or the challenges living a life presents, we do what we need to do. Yes, this often involves compromise. But learning how to compromise is a crucial life skill, one that transcends the college classroom or Moodle submission deadline. Life skills are also half the reason we attend college. Degrees are important — probably a bit more than just “important” if you’re paying to go here — but they are not the sole value of attending college. We attend St. Olaf because it has a lot of things that we like. We have learned to appreciate the world’s beauty, how to be uncomfortable in conversations, how to live with other people, how to balance the extreme rigor of a college schedule, and how to connect with others.
As I sit down to write this article, I am reflecting on what I have done at St. Olaf. I have asked the question, “How did I get that done?” probably five times since I started writing. There is no objective answer. That said, I think it may be because I have found ways to be motivated because of my experiences and the admirable work ethic of my peers that I see every day.
College can be some of the best years of your life. And college can be something so much greater than sitting in a classroom, and working in a lab, and reading articles late into the night. From a senior: take advantage of this whole experience. Hang out with people, go to concerts, explore Northfield and the Twin Cities, and enjoy the opportunity to be young and dumb and free. It all comes to an end, and you don’t want to fill your time of reflection with regrets you had about your college experience. Have fun when you can, and remind yourself that what needs to get done will get done.
Unc out. (I’m only twenty-two years old).
