Life is like a book, composed of multiple chapters and a series of endings and beginnings. We celebrate the closing of each chapter in life as if it has been collectively agreed upon by the members of society. Likewise, graduation is a special commemoration of the end of university life, as well as an opening to a new, larger world. As students wrap up their university life with a curtain call and a standing ovation, they muse upon their successes during the graduation ceremony. This experience could be refreshing, bittersweet, or even depressing for some, but in the end, it is meaningful in that everyone finds their own way in completing their chapter of university life. With the graduation season nearly upon us, The Granite Tower (GT) interviewed five seniors at Korea University (KU) who are ready to end one of the most meaningful times in their life and to begin anew.
GT: What effect has your time at university had on your life? How do you feel about graduation, and how will the closing of this chapter open doors to new opportunities?
Park Seohee (’16, Business Administration)
Upon entering university, I experienced a broader outside world and constantly trained my inner mind to become a good person. I still cannot believe that my university life is about to end. I can still clearly remember one time in my freshmen year when I took a group picture in front of Daeseong-ri Station with my fellow classmates, all wearing the KU jumper. I cannot believe that I will be joining an accounting firm next month. Just like how I recklessly learned my way through the first year of university as a freshman who was thrown into a vast plain, I will continue to explore new opportunities in society without losing my ambition.
Lee Jinkyeong (‘17, Psychology)
University life has helped me grow into a better person. I realized that I took some things for granted when I should have been grateful for them and I learned to truly respect the diversity of this world. With graduation ahead, I feel anxious that I will no longer be a student and will have to make a completely new start. However, as I grew up through diverse experiences during university life, I expect to grow further with vague but fresh challenges awaiting me.
Jeon Taehyeon (‘17, Business Administration)
I was able to experience a new world through the four years at KU. I enjoyed my university experience to the fullest, attending school events such as Ipsilenti—Jiya Hamsung and the annual Ko-Yon Games and pulling multiple all-nighters to study for exams. Among these experiences, the most blissful memory I have is having met friends with whom I can fervently have discussions on a particular field of study or different social issues. With graduation ahead, I am a little afraid but also excited about the world outside of school. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to making new memories with the friends I met at KU.
Jeong Subin (‘17, Public Administration)
"Bet your youth on KU. KU will bet the world on you.” As this slogan goes, KU was the best representation of our 20s. Some say that university is an ivory tower, and others say it is just a means of survival. However, I will say that I have become free during my time at university. Life is a series of choices and our choices altogether form one story. My experiences at KU taught me the true essence of free will in autonomously making choices and taking responsibility for them. I’m looking forward to my graduation, and I hope all graduates can sort out the numerous options of life in front of them and embark on their own narrative of happiness.
Kie Hae Seung (’18, English Language and Literature)
That university graduation is approaching feels strange and intimidating. It makes me sound old but my time at KU has passed by in a blink of an eye, truly. Still, I think I’ve learned a few lessons. The biggest of them all is that I know nothing. I’ve gained academic knowledge through lectures but more than that, throughout my entire university experience, I’ve realized that my comprehension of the world and the people in it is such a tiny fraction of what they actually are. This realization continues to humble me and motivate me to learn. It will hopefully help me in whatever future awaits me post-graduation.
