Interviewed: Leann Hamilton

When senior year in college approaches you start to think about how you spent your last three years in school. Did you just go to classes or did you take every opportunity to do all the activities that college has to offer?

Some students feel the pressure of it, the twisting wave of nerves and uncertainty that rips around in your stomach like a cyclone, reminding you that you are at the end of your educational career. As a college senior, there are new challenges you might not expect or consider possible.

Finishing all your required courses so you’re able to graduate, securing a job after graduation, networking, finding a mentor, building your resumes, and so much more. College is no easy feat, so I ask California State University, Northridge senior Leann Hamilton questions about her upcoming final academic year.

We sat in her car, tired and hot after a workout and I asked her some questions about being a senior.

Q: “What is something you wish you knew before starting at CSUN?”

A: “I wish I knew how the campus life was before I started at CSUN, I didn’t realize it being a commuter school, it would not have that aesthetic campus life.”

Q: “What do you mean? Could you elaborate?”

A: “Because it is a commuter school, a lot of people don’t stick around on campus and hang out.” Hamilton described a lack of everyday events that would keep students on campus. While events are not held every day, the University Student Union has a calendar of weekly and monthly events.

Q: “What is the most helpful advice you received while at CSUN?”

A: “Utilize all the resources given to you for academics like tutoring [and] study groups.”

Q: “Do you have a unique tip you would give a new student?”

A: “In college, professors have so many students, so if you miss an assignment, you still have a chance to make it up if you just tell them what is going on. Don’t give up when you make a mistake because it’s never over. And go to office hours so then they have a good idea of who you are.”

Q: “What is something you think should be talked about more?”

A: “…global warming should be talked about more…especially in college because students tend to be oblivious of what is going on in the world, it’s going to be a team effort to fix what is happening [and] I think it should be a curriculum course that is necessary for students to take for graduation.”

CSUN has a sustainability center whose main focus is aiding the sustainable culture on campus that can later transcend to student’s everyday lives.

Being a college student is an accomplishment of perseverance. From the hours spent studying in the library to trying new foods on campus to spending late nights with your friends. So take a deep breath, work hard, and enjoy this time in your life.
You deserve it.