Goodbye SMU: Takeaways From My Undergrad

Written by Julia Yurchesyn

Thumbnail & Banner Photo by Albert Vincent Wu on Unsplash

After four years, I’ll finally be walking across the stage to receive my undergraduate degree. While there were times when I thought the day could not come soon enough, now I honestly wonder where the time went. When I look at the Student ID I applied for the summer before my first year, imprinted with the old SMU logo, I see a different person—someone who was a lot more unsure of herself and what she wanted out of life. 

Don’t worry, I’m not going to get too poetic or sentimental. But upon finishing my last semester, I want my final article with the SMU Journal to be an opportunity to share some of the takeaways I have from the undergraduate experience. Aside from learning new things, university has been a formative time of my life for myself and for many others. I certainly know more about English literature as a field, but working towards my Bachelor’s degree has also helped me become a more confident and resilient person. 

Be open to different paths.

I always knew I liked English, but in my first year, I tried to stay open to other subject areas that I thought would also interest me. The BA breadth requirements allowed me to take a wide array of different subjects, exposing me to different areas of study I could devote myself to. Even though I ended up deciding that English was the right major for me, studying other disciplines strengthened my critical thinking skills by exposing me to different methodologies of analysis. It also gave me a wide base of knowledge that I frequently drew on as I pursued my English degree.

Having finished my English degree, I’ve learned to take a similar approach to professional pursuits. Before, I was convinced that the only route for me was graduate study in English literature. Now I’m taking a break and allowing myself the opportunity to consider other paths and be open to opportunities that I may not even be able to see yet. Regardless of what I do in the future, I know that the pause I’m taking to consider my next steps and be open to the unexpected will give my future self more room for growth. 

Photo by Jed Dela Cruz on Unsplash

Be intentional about the decisions you make.

Beginning my undergraduate studies was a major adulthood milestone for me. Just deciding to attend university at all is a significant step all on its own, but also deciding what you want to study and choosing how to individualize your own education is kind of a big deal. These decisions will, in some way, impact your life.

Rather than stressing over making ‘good’ or ‘bad’ decisions, I eventually realized that simply being aware of why I was making certain decisions could help me determine if they were truly what I wanted. If I could identify why I wanted to pursue a certain course of action, I could become better at making intentional decisions that were truly in line with how I wanted to live my life. 

That’s how I decided to study English—even though I didn’t have a specific career plan laid out for me, I knew that this was the subject area I really wanted to learn, so it was the only major that was ‘worth-it’ to me in the long-haul. Other options I considered were motivated by the desire to impress people, or having a more financially secure future (even though I didn’t have any desire to pursue that line of work). Financial security is a completely valid concern, and I definitely still want to be financially secure, but I realized that I didn’t necessarily lose that with an English degree. I also realized that it was more empowering to follow the right path for me rather than trying to impress people. 

Moving forward, I’ve realized that being intentional with decisions both big and small, such as how I spend my time and money, the people I choose to be around, what I eat and even what I wear, can help me to live a life that is more aligned with my values and become the person I truly want to be.

Invest in relationships.

I’ve always loved school, and it’s always been one of the things I’ve prioritized in my life. However, I’ve come to learn how much more important it is to spend time and energy investing in various relationships, most especially personal ones with your family and friends. 

Regardless of what hustle culture says, no one is a robot, whose sole purpose is to be productive. The people we surround ourselves with have a huge impact on who we are as individuals and also on our emotional states. Good relationships will help us become better and happier people, and accomplish our dreams. But this takes an investment of both time and energy—we need to be able to step away from our work to nurture our relationships with others. 

I’ve learned that even when I’m tired and burnt-out from school and work, this is often the time when I need to spend time with my friends and family the most. I am able to recharge by being around people I love, and I also have to step away from my own problems and remember that everyone is struggling with something in their life. This allows me to have a more balanced perspective; instead of only focusing on my problems, I gain a broader and more holistic view of life in general. I remember that I am more than the sum of my successes and failures, and so is everyone else.

Also, by investing time in my relationships with professors and mentors, I have received so much advice and taken advantage of more opportunities than I could have otherwise. The professors I have had at SMU have definitely become some of the people who have influenced me the most, helping me to grow intellectually and gain confidence in myself. From reading literature I had never even heard of before, to presenting my own work at a conference, the guidance I received has shown me so clearly how important it is to invest in relationships with your mentors.

Learn to rest.

Finally, my time spent studying at SMU has revealed to me just how important rest is. And not just scroll-mindlessly-on-my-phone rest, but having a variety of different ways to rest and recharge, looking after my mental and physical health. I started my drawing hobby during my third year, which allowed me to think creatively in a different way from all the writing that I had to do! And I started running as a hobby this past semester, which helped me to prioritize my physical wellness even amidst the stresses and demands of school. I realized that even choosing to have a quiet evening of self-care, whatever that may look like for you, can really do wonders for your emotional well-being. Prioritizing rest is a lesson that I will definitely be carrying with me as I enter into my post-grad life.

Whether this is your first year or you’re graduating like me, I hope the insights I’ve gained over these past four years are applicable for you as well. Wherever you are in your educational journey, good luck! Everyone over at the SMU Journal is cheering you on.