Junior Year Reflections

My previous post did succeed in getting comments from one person who hadn’t posted a comment before, so I think it’s worth continuing that experiment at some point in the future. Right now, though, I’d like to take this respite from my exams to reflect on this school year.

Academically, I’ve been very successful. Last semester was my first straight-A’s semester (I had a couple of semesters previously where I got only A’s and A-’s), but the verdict is still out on this semester (two finals left). Hopefully, I’ll have a 3.75+ GPA after this semester, in which case I can finally apply for the President’s Scholar program, the key to completing both of my degrees. Originally, I thought that, after applying for the program, the remaining semesters wouldn’t matter, but if I’m reading it correctly now, it appears that I do have to maintain a 3.75+ GPA through graduation. Either way, at the very least, I’ll be a step closer to completing my studies and finding my vocation, whatever that eventually will be.

Socially, I’ve grown enormously. During this year, I regularly went out on the weekends, a huge change from how I behaved freshman year. Also, primarily through the Gaming Club, I’ve made a good deal of new friends, which is important as I’m losing a lot of my Lehigh friends to graduation in a couple of weeks. Heck, I have 3 new roommates next year, although I think I’ve known all of them since freshman year.

The most dramatic change in my personality has been in the amount of time I spend playing computer games. In previous years, computer games took about 3-4 hours of my life every night. Now, unless I’ve just gotten a new game, I can often count the number of hours I play per week on one hand. However, the time I spent playing computer games has largely been replaced by time spent on various gaming and other news websites, video watching, podcast listening, etc. So, in retrospect, it’s not the enormous shift I thought it was. There’s a chance that I could revert to my old ways next year, since many of the people with whom I hang out are leaving, meaning I’ll have to find new social circles to join. Depending on how that goes, anything could happen.

Oh, yeah, there was that whole girlfriend thing: my first serious relationship and my first breakup, all in the course of less than a week. But I’m not bitter; I’ve fully come to terms with what happened (translation – I’ve convinced myself that it wasn’t meant to be), and I’m beginning to move on. The post-breakup period was rough and, at times, infuriating, but it didn’t diminish the euphoric times I spent with her, and we seem to still be friends, so I can live with that. Well, anyway, I don’t have much of a choice, do I? Regardless, I’m morbidly amused to look back at my subprofile post from the start of the semester and to see that, after all that I went through, that last paragraph is still applicable. Is it depressing to be back at square one? Yeah, a little, but I’m trying to be optimistic and to take the proper perspective on it: I’m only 20.

As per usual, I did a lot of soul searching this year. I’m progressively becoming more comfortable with my faith, although its liberalness and relative flexibility (compared to a traditional faith) continues to pose problems for myself. Currently, I’m reading The Left Hand of God by Michael Lerner, and that’s helping. Also, I had several conversations with someone who’s a bit of a theologian and had to “defend” my beliefs to a few inquisitive friends, all of which contributed to a reaffirmation of my faith. All in all, while I’m still appallingly ignorant about Christianity’s history and the Bible in general (I plan to work on both this summer), I’m satisfied in this area of my life.

And the summer approaches. After a couple weeks break, it’s back to Perdue for me. With some luck, they’ll be able to better utilize me this summer than last. I’m not sure what the summer will mean for this blog, but I think it’s become enough of a habit that I’ll continue to update it, albeit with possibly less frequency. So, to those non-Salisburians among you, have a fantastic summer. If you’re a Lehigh senior, congratulations (I assume you’re graduating), and keep in touch. As for the rest of you, see you soon; I come back on Wednesday.