I’ll remember college as the time the tables finally turned.

College was the first time in my life when the amount of responsibility I was given outweighed how responsible I actually had to be. Like many of you, I had chores prior to college that required completion if I was going to be awarded spending money and, more importantly, properly built character.

I had curfews, progress reports and times where mom repeatedly checked in to make sure my schoolwork got done during high school.

That was over once college began. I no longer had to pack my lunch, as I had been doing since midway through fifth grade, or wash dishes and empty the dishwasher after dinner. There was no more mowing, raking or shoveling the lawn. All of that was taken care of by the dorm’s faculty.

The elimination of these tasks, just as much, if not more, than the easy access to booze and opportunities to engage with members of the opposite sex, is what made entering college so fun. I was free to do basically whatever I wanted, as long as I took care of my schoolwork, which in many ways was easier than my AP-ridden schedule in high school.

And then school stopped being a concern. Finding a job in journalism is as reliant on networking as any career path. I scheduled a meeting with Brian Johnson, then-interim dean of the College of Media, so that he’d put a face to my name when I emailed him and maybe eventually help me land a job. We talked about a number of things I was curious about, and the conversation eventually turned to grades.

“There are no honors classes in college, so what types of grades should I be expected to get?” I asked. “What’s a good GPA in college?”

“Honestly,” he said, almost unsure about whether he should continue, “I’ve never been asked what my GPA was.”

So that was pretty awesome.

I began devoting my time to gaining experience — what employers actually care about. More and more of my time was dedicated to The Daily Illini, where I eventually became sports editor. I learned to love journalism, and not just sports journalism, which I originally entered because it would be cool to go to games for free and talk to athletes. My fandom has died in my short time of “being in the biz.” As it turns out, athletes and coaches who commit their livelihoods to playing games and honing their muscles rather than their minds aren’t always the most intellectually stimulating. Go figure.

Some of that responsibility returned upon leaving the dorms: paying bills on time, cleaning up after myself (not because my mom told me to but because I respect that other people have to live in the apartment too), and not leaving the faucet running in a cluttered sink over winter break so that you flood your apartment and lose most of your security deposit (sorry, Dylan).

I’m basically an expert at apologizing for the amount of times I’ve screwed up. I don’t buy into the idea that everything happens for a reason, but I do believe in learning from your mistakes. Following that logic, I’ll be obtaining Mensa status in no time.

I learned the importance of tolerance, patience and believing in myself. I learned that just because a girl talks to you doesn’t mean she necessarily likes you. I learned the necessity of time management, even if I haven’t completely figured out how to implement it into my daily routine (Hey, Prof. Dash!).

I also learned that the journey is often more rewarding than the destination. This concept applies to my personal college experience. The piece of paper I receive upon graduation may serve as a coronation that I’ve completed this checkpoint in my life, but the rewarding aspects of college have already occurred. I’ve made “the friendships that will last a lifetime” and had the “life-altering experiences” advertised upon entering the university four years ago. And while there are many things I’ll miss about attending the University, I’m ready to move on.

Responsibility will soon mean adapting to living on my own in a new place

Jeff is a senior in Media. He can be reached at [email protected].