Make your last days in school memorable
by Niño Mark. M Sablan
Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer (February 28, 2009)or http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/you/2bu/view/20090227-191464/Make-your-last-days-in-school-memorable
FOR the graduating bunch, school days are numbered. No more lessons to memorize, quizzes to prepare for or terror professors to face.
Despite the end of everything you don’t exactly like about school, and the promise of a brand-new, exciting life after college, there is also a downside, like the possibility of losing touch with friends or never anymore experiencing the fun only college could offer.
So make sure that this chapter of your life turns out to be a blast and quite memorable. Here’s how:
Try out every fastfood chain, restaurant, eatery, food stall or food cart near the school.
Apart from introducing your taste buds to all sorts of chow, from the best “kwek-kwek” in the area to an undiscovered halo-halo to rival Razon’s, you’ll also have the knowledge and firsthand experience when it comes to what to eat and where to head if ever you’re in the area again. Great grub information can prove handy too when you meet cute alumni or when it’s time for your little brother or sister to go to the same school.
Go up to your crush.
You don’t have to necessarily confess and open up about how you’ve been stalking him or how you’ve taken stolen pictures of her in the cafeteria. You can just introduce yourself and make small talk as if you’re not interested (you have to plan this well and execute this convincingly though).
If you’re shy, pressure your friends to help you. Who knows, you might even get yourself a significant other before school ends. If you don’t end up together, at least you were able to get to know the person a little bit more and casually say hi the next time, instead of just the usual staring you used to do.
Show your appreciation to at least one professor.
A token of gratitude, such as a book or a scarf or a pen with the teacher’s name engraved on it would deliver the message of how thankful you are for the knowledge the faculty have imparted to you. A simple yet sincere conversation (especially when you don’t normally chat with this teacher) or a heartfelt letter can be as touching. Among the many professors you’re not a big fan of, there is surely at least one that you highly respect for expertise or brilliance (even if you dread them).
Give advice
Be a big brother or a big sister.
All the years you’ve spent in college makes you some sort of an expert—at least to the juniors, sophomores and especially the freshmen. Now is the time to share all the knowledge, lessons, tips and secrets you’ve accumulated. Suggest how to deal with a dreaded professor. Give advice on how to better a yearly senior project. Share with the juniors something that your batch or your club wasn’t able to accomplish, and recommend how they can do things differently next year. Enlighten and excite the freshmen by enumerating all the fun, challenging and memorable activities they should prepare for.
Make your mark and leave a legacy.
So what if you lost in the student council elections? You can still make a difference or an impact, even with the littlest actions. You can pass your old books to the juniors. You can donate your old uniform to a public school. Or you can gather your friends and collect books that you can donate to your library. You don’t really need to be in a high position to do something good for your school, your schoolmates or any student.
Make someone happy.
Forget your friends—you make their day whenever you share your food or crack a joke.
Consider the security guard, the janitor, that person reportedly crushing on you, the outcast or the loner as the object of your kindness. A little gift, a little attention or a little chitchat can give the biggest impact sometimes. You can have projects, such as giving gifts to five school personnel, starting a conversation with 10 freshmen, and writing thank-you notes to 20 batchmates.
Bond with your batchmates.
You can have an out-of-town trip or a sleepover, a trip to the movie house (after classes, of course) or a truth-and-consequence game during break time. Make sure you include those that you don’t normally hang out with, so you can widen your circle. You might even discover how awesome and interesting some people are and regret you never really spent time with them earlier. And while you’re at it, try to fix your broken relationships as well. Forgive the mean girls and the bullies. Reconnect with that friend you drifted away from ever since she confessed how she also liked the hunk you were crushing on. Be civil with your enemies. End this chapter of your life positively, with more friends instead of more enemies.
Surprise others.
Do something people don’t expect from you. Show a side that they haven’t seen yet. If you’re the class clown, reveal your serious and philosophical self. If others see you as the stiff, geeky perfectionist, let loose and show them your inner wild child.
Try to have a little more fun these last few days of school, but don’t do anything too wild that can endanger you or your chances of graduating.
Take pictures—lots of pictures.
Always bring your digital camera with you (and a spare battery too) so that you never miss out on any Kodak moments with your classmates. Make sure you have snapshots of the whole crew at every important part of the school: the classroom, the cafeteria, the laboratory, the gym, even the comfort room. Go click-crazy and make sure that you’re in the pictures too. Having these photos as a souvenir of your fun and challenging college days is something priceless.
