OPINION

Views on high school graduations — and beyond

Posted

Last weekend, thousands of high school seniors from across New York participated in commencement exercises. Seeing pictures on Facebook from various friends’ and friends of friends’ ceremonies brought back fond memories of my own graduation just last year.

I remember sitting — albeit restlessly, due to the humidity and rainfall — with my classmates in those very seats on the East Meadow High School athletic field. I listened to two of my best friends — Valedictorian Nicole Newberger and Salutatorian Allyson Clark — tell the class of 2015 about what they learned in the past four years and what they expected to learn in the future.

I’d like to dedicate this week’s “Views from the Six” to addressing the class of 2016. I want to share with you all what I learned in East Meadow and, more importantly, what I learned after leaving high school.

Class of 2016, you grew up in a very “blue collar” town; East Meadowites are known for their hard work and toughness. Hold onto this intrinsic fortitude dearly — you will need it in the real world. If there is anything the past year has taught me, it is that nothing is given to you on a silver platter.

For those of you headed off to college, you will experience unknown freedoms. Mom and Dad won’t be looking over your shoulder, and no one will be forcing you to go to class or to study. Do not fall into the trap of skipping lectures and partying every night. The illusion of freedom may be tempting, but make no mistake — it is merely an illusion. You are only truly free when you’ve released yourself from the crippling shackles of student loans.

Whether you go to class or not will not have an effect on your professor, but it sure will matter to you when finals come around…and especially when you are applying for jobs or to graduate school.

I don’t say these things to scare you, or to make you feel like you are all on your own by any means. In fact, there are numerous support facilities at every college; however, it is now your responsibility to reach out when you need help.

Every professor has office hours, during which they’re required to have their door open to any student who might be confused or unclear about a topic, lesson or assignment in any way. Attend these extra-help sessions of sorts — even if you feel like you don’t need assistance. At the very least, doing so will allow you to build a personal bond with a particular professor, which could make a big difference in larger lecture classes comprised of hundreds of students when grades come around and/or when you need a recommendation letter for an internship or job.

Most departments at universities around the country also have free student tutoring hours to supplement the professor’s office hours. Former students make great teachers, and they can almost always offer tips on how to perform your best in a certain professor’s course.

Most importantly, I would like to stress the importance of time management in college. You will have a lot of free time between classes. Some days, you may even have no class at all! But you must use your spare time wisely.

Have a 10-page research paper due in two weeks? Get started on it now instead of the night before it’s due. A trick I learned in college is to finish essays early and show them to your professor before formally submitting them for a grade. They will critique your work, ensuring that you will get the best mark possible.

All in all, college will be a radically new experience for you, graduates. You will meet new people, try new things and probably have an existential crisis or two. Take all of these new experiences in stride and remain focused on your goals. Ultimately, be responsible — but don’t forget to have fun!

Ayyan Zubair is a student at Stony Brook University who graduated from East Meadow High School in 2015. His column, “Views from the Six,” regularly appears in the East Meadow Herald.