How Does It Feel to Be Graduating?

It’s my last week of school, and it feels so surreal to be graduating after four years at U of T. Today, I wanted to reflect on some of the emotions I’m feeling about graduation in case other students are also feeling similar things.

The first emotion I’m feeling is sadness. Going to school in such an exciting environment really gives you so much potential to build an interesting and enriching life, and I’m sad to leave behind all the good things that I built while I was in Toronto. 

I love living in the Annex and I’ll be sad to no longer walk through my favourite neighbourhood every day. I’ll also be sad to not be studying with the incredible professors who made my time at U of T. 

I’m also feeling like graduation is a bit anti-climactic this year. With the COVID-19 pandemic, graduation is going to feel very different this year than it will in future. It feels weird that finishing my last class of my undergraduate degree will just entail logging off a Zoom meeting, and that I won’t be able to hug my friends or walk home from campus one last time.

I’m trying to focus on all the positives that I can though, like the fact that my entire family will easily watch my graduation over Zoom and that I was able to get through such a challenging year successfully. 

Finally, it feels really exciting to be graduating. Even though I’m sad to leave behind all of the good things that I built during my undergrad, I know I’ll still be taking these things into the next chapter of my life. I gained so much confidence and knowledge because of the experiences I had in Toronto, and I made friends that I know I’ll stay in touch with regardless of where I am. 

Plus, graduating means new adventures. I’m very excited to move to a new city next year and start a graduate program at a new university. I’m sure I’ll come back to Toronto at some point in the future, and maybe even U of T, but I'm looking forward to a change. I’m also interested to see what life in a new place does to change my perspective on my time at U of T. 

If you’re graduating, or making a big change next year, how are you feeling? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below! 

I also wanted to mention that this is my last post ever with Life at U of T! I’ve really enjoyed my two years writing for this blog, as it's given me an outlet to express my emotions, reflect on lessons I've learned over the years, and connect with other students. Thank you so much for reading! 🙂