I bought my cap and gown today. I bought my cap and gown today! Although I knew that I would eventually have to graduate and move on from the Oxford bubble at Miami University, I never really imagined what it would be like when that day actually came. Well, it’s here! In less than two months I will no longer be able to call myself a college student. There are many “important” things that I will not be able to do anymore. I will not be able to get a student discount at the movies. I will have no use for a leopard print outfit for the jungle themed social--I do not think that they have those in the real world. And, apparently, I will be fired from the “Mojzak Family Payroll,” as my mother likes to put it, so bring on the grocery bills and car insurance payments!

Graduating from Miami and working as a 2011-2012 Chapter Consultant for Phi Mu means that I will not be a collegian anymore and I will no longer participate in all that is entailed in the words “college student.”  However, I get to say that I am something even better.  You ask, what could be better than being a collegian?  Well, it is two words, and the first word still starts with college: college graduate!  Although at this very moment (just weeks before graduation) those words scare me, I know that those words will mean more to me than anything else.  Those words are totally worth giving up student discounts, funny costumes and grocery money. 

Want to know how I know that college graduate is better than college student?  Well, I will tell you.  As collegiate Phi Mus, we have been pushed to the max in the academic, social and sisterly aspects of our lives.  We have stayed up until three in the morning cramming for an organic chemistry exam; we have made ridiculous looking togas for socials that we actually wore in public; and we have cried over boys together while eating tubs of mint chocolate chip ice cream. 

After graduation in May, I will have all of those experiences to look back on and learn from.  I have learned that cramming is not always the best idea and that planning and preparation will save me a big headache.  I have learned that looking funny in a toga means standing out and being confident in myself.  I have learned that my sisters will be there for me with ice cream no matter what boy breaks my heart or what job I do not get.  It is what I have learned in college, and not just inclass, that has prepared me for the future.

So, from my four, wonderful years at the most beautiful college in the world, here is my advice.  Experience everything that you can--going to class, studying abroad, participating in philanthropy events, dancing your heart out at socials, asking your crush to formal, running for an Executive Committee position, applying for that dream job and the list goes on and on.  No matter if you succeed or not, it is the experience that counts.  You will learn so much from just doing, and in years to come, you will be able to look back on your four years and smile (and maybe have a good laugh).
I am grateful for my time in college and I look forward to continuing to learn and making more memories, as a college graduate!