When I first stepped onto campus four years ago, it was a bit of a disaster. Despite so many warnings to park on campus before 9:30 a.m., I decided it couldn’t possibly be that bad. I promptly found out that everyone was, in fact, telling the truth and showed up late to my very first college class. A somewhat insecure 18-year-old, I assumed that everyone was judging me, and felt even worse when I introduced myself as a freshman to someone sitting next to me and they replied, “Yeah, I can tell.” I remember getting back to my car at the end of that day on the verge of disassociation, completely stunned at what I’d just been through.
Above all else, I couldn’t quite help but feel that maybe I had made a mistake. I was commuting to school and I didn’t have very many friends on campus. When I checked social media and saw old high school friends seemingly having the “traditional” college experience at Utah State or the University of Utah, I felt like I was failing. That I had somehow overlooked one important detail when selecting which university I attended: student life.
In the next two years, I tried many things to chase that certain feeling and aesthetic I felt like I was missing. I thought things would be better in my second semester when I was taking a general science course with some of my friends from high school. Then, I thought things were finally going to meet my expectations when I moved into University Village with those same friends. I had a great time during that era, but at the end of the day, things still didn’t feel the way I wanted them to.
By the spring of my sophomore year, I had basically given up on my idea of college. I just needed to get my degree and accept that I was anticipating a feeling that would never come. Ironically, that’s when things really started picking up. I joined The Signpost as a culture reporter after already working on its Street Team as a social media manager for a semester, and it was one of the greatest decisions I’ve ever made.
During my time at The Signpost, I’ve had so many wonderful experiences that freshman Megan would never believe. I got to travel and experience San Francisco, Chicago, New York City and Philadelphia for the first time. I got to interview Rainn Wilson spring of 2024 when he spoke at commencement. I even got to attend and report on cool events like FanX and the Sundance Film Festival.
Most importantly, I found some of the coolest, smartest, funniest people I’ve ever met in my life. My friends at The Signpost mean so much to me that it’s crazy to think about how I didn’t know any of them just a few short years ago. I began slowly realizing that my time at Weber State University was now beginning to feel like that “college experience” I’d been yearning for.
I feel it when I go on Swig runs with my friends, an activity that freshman me would be stunned to learn I picked up. I feel it when running a joke into the ground with them and laughing until it hurts. I feel it when looking back at all the memories I’ve created–both the crazy ones like surviving a 13-hour drive to California and the day-to-day ones like making TikToks in our office.
It is very bittersweet to close this chapter, but I take comfort in knowing that I’ve gained many lifelong friends these past few years. I thank each and every one of them for letting me finally experience the type of college I’d dreamed of all those years.
All of this to say, I hope that anyone reading this will remember that not everyone experiences college — or anything in life, for that matter — the same way. Staying stubborn in the belief that life has to feel a certain way will only make that feeling you’re trying to achieve harder and harder to reach. Do what’s right for you and focus on what you want to do in the moment, and the rest will come.
Thank you again to everyone — friends, family and professors — who made Weber State feel more like home. I sincerely hope our paths cross again in the future.
