Written by Mary Pauline Vizcarra

Pub by Maia Catindig

We all started our OrCom journey as young and impressionable freshies. We’ve all had goals of either reaching the stars or simply making it every semester. But what happens when the time comes when this is all over and you have to say goodbye? Indeed, goodbyes are always the most difficult.

As of this writing, I am a few months away from graduation a.k.a. freedom. With that, I thought of running down the typical OrCom journey as a guide for our younger readers.

Mandatory disclaimer: This is based on my and my peers’ experiences. Your journey is YOURS to make.

Your first year is all about rebranding. Were you a nobody in high school? Were you…ugly? Just kidding! But this is also the time to take advantage of the freedom of expression that you are given in the university — getting to dress as you like, dying your hair flamboyant colors, or even becoming an overall cooler person. More importantly, this is a critical period of growth. When you enter college, you are treated as an adult. You might find yourself trying to relearn the skills that you have been using — how to cite, how to paraphrase, and how not to clog the hallways with your useless chatter because your overly-caffeinated seniors are shooting you bad looks. Kidding aside, there will be plenty of opportunities to be educated not just academically but also politically and morally. You will start to see yourself as a part of a larger cause.

Expect more familiarity in your second year. By this time, you are more certain and confident. You have also probably already established different networks — block barkada, GE friends, orgmates, and even your seniors. Meanwhile, expect that your block has gotten smaller as some might have shifted or transferred. This is also the time when academic responsibilities get tougher as you enter the realm of your majors. Sometimes, it becomes easy to lose sight of yourself when you are busy trying to pass your classes, but give yourself some credit and go out and socialize and even go to parties…after the pandemic, of course.

In your third year, you would have already matured a lot. At this point, you already know the twists and turns. This is also where the idea of graduating might start to kick in. In my case, my third year was divided between Phase 1 and Phase 2. Phase 1 is the last good time we didn’t realize we had. After that came one of the most destructive crises of our time, the Covid-19 pandemic. As the world went into lockdown, students were also forced to continue their studies in their homes. Suddenly life, as we know it, changed. You then start to appreciate the little interactions with your friends and classmates that you thought were so trivial.

Now you’ve made it to senior year. In your first semester, you feel that you just want to get over this, graduate, and move on with your life. Then by the second semester, the realization hits that you would soon have to say goodbye to what was your life for the past four years. The thought of the future would start to weigh you down as you come nearer the finish line and as you watch your peers live successful lives. It is almost time to say goodbye to everything you knew and be an adult.

All of us, when we started this journey, knew that this would one day end. However, coming into terms with it is a different story. Some may be more excited whilst others are more frightened. One thing I can say, especially once you reach this point, is to let things fall into place. There is no choice better than what you have for yourself. As the cliché goes, once you start living for yourself instead of what others expect of you, only then will you really feel the satisfaction of being alive.

Quite simply, we all need to move on. As you let go of college, you will then carry the baton along with the expectations you have of the future. Just like in college, you might stumble along the way. But, just think of the times that you picked yourself up and came back stronger. It’s easy to be swayed and be pressured but take time to celebrate yourself for all your hard work and sacrifice. Reaching this part already takes a lot of doing. You see, life is long. You will have the rest of your life to do good things so while you’re still young, just live. Your destiny isn’t something that happens all at once, it’s a journey that you take.