The Observer, September 8, 2006
Volume XXXIX, Issue 2
Worst Case Scenario: Your Case Journey
Each student who walks down Bellflower Rd. to class every day has a different Case experience. While each experience is unique, there are some commonalities that I believe pervade each person's journey. Take a look, reflect, and see if you agree with what I have to say.
First, I learned about the world. Just like everyone else their freshman year, I came in not knowing what – or whom – to expect. Think about the nutjobs you met your first year here. They may or may not have been your friends, but they certainly made life interesting for you. Freshman year was about meeting people and learning about them – their goals, dreams, and fears.
From the world, we move to our friends, and sophomore status. After the initial weeding out, you made closer friends and decided to live with some of them sophomore year. Your suitemates provided you with, well, experiences. Living in close quarters, you really get to know someone. You gained Chipotle buddies, engaged in dubious late night philosophizing, and ate their last ice cream sandwich. Some of these people will end up becoming your friends for life.
From the world and to our friends, where does that leave us? That leaves us with you. Junior year. What a tumultuous time for all. Think about it. The academic stress began to mount. And that's not even including the MCAT, LSAT, co-op positions, internships, and leadership positions on campus. You wanted to rip your hair out at times and there were other times you were simply amazed you were able to get by at all. Forget the world and your friends. Junior year was where you learned your own limits. You started to establish your own dreams and learned about your own capabilities.
For the general population, junior year probably provided the most memories in terms of personal turmoil and triumph. You never felt so great about yourself and at times, you never felt so crappy about yourself. This is the year you became the person that you are today. If you haven't passed through junior year, well, get ready, because it's going to be a hell of a ride, but you'll come out a more complete individual and be better off because of it.
Lastly, this is where I am. Senior year. As a senior, I'm here to enjoy it all, to relive all the memories of the past three years but also to blaze a trail towards graduation. I see people walking to class everyday and I feel like a proud older brother, knowing that at some point, every Case student will have had a unique Case experience, but with the same common themes I just wrote about.
I guess the moral of the story is that at Case, you'll learn, not just textbook material or 'life lessons' as you're supposedly bound to learn in college at some point, but you'll learn about people, including yourself, to a greater degree than you ever imagined. So give other people a chance to be a part of your Case experience and at the same time, open yourself to others to allow yourself to be part of theirs as well.
