For those of us who are graduating, it seems like just yesterday mom and dad were helping us move into our Syracuse residences.

Compared to many of this year’s graduates, I really did just get here. I came to Syracuse University in July of last year to begin my one-year master’s degree in magazine, newspaper and online journalism. Before I could fully accept that I’m one of the few people here that (correctly) calls soda ‘pop,’ my parents are returning to town, signaling that it’s time to move again.

To some, this time of year is filled with sadness and bittersweet goodbyes. Others will knock back glasses of champagne as they let out sighs of relief for their long awaited homework-less existence.

I’ve thought about how I will feel when G-Day rolls around. I think I’ll be happy, proud and reminiscent, but you won’t catch me watching photo slideshows with Green Day’s ‘Time of Your Life’ playing in the background. My Kleenex box won’t need replenishing, and if I give you a hug, you won’t have to worry about leaving my embrace with a dampened shoulder.

Don’t get me wrong — my year at SU has exceeded my expectations. My knowledge of journalism has grown tenfold, I’ve made lifelong friends, and I’m much closer to figuring out what I want to do with my life. But for students who have already had the undergraduate experience, graduate school commencement is merely a watered down version of the ‘real thing.’

The nature of an intensive one-year graduate program doesn’t allow for complete immersion into the SU community, which contributes to my subdued attachment to the university.

Sierra Fox, a senior who will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance, has been active in several campus groups during her four years here.

‘Everything came together to provide me with a truly beneficial college experience,’she said. ‘I am very reluctant to leave the opportunities and organizations that I have become attached to.’

The community of graduate students at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications is stronger than I imagined it would be, and I plan on maintaining the invaluable bonds I’ve formed this year with classmates and professors. But beyond the walls of Newhouse, my scope of campus doesn’t extend far beyond workouts at Goldstein Fitness Center and bus stops at College Place. Preoccupation with schoolwork and internship applications eclipsed the quintessential SU events. I didn’t go to MayFest, and as a former college basketball player, I’m ashamed to say Newhouse convocation on Saturday will be my first time stepping foot in the Carrier Dome.

Unlike many seniors, my SU experience was almost purely confined to one building.

‘I have a greater emotional attachment to the institution as a whole,’said Crystal White, a senior illustration major. ‘And I’m sure that I’ll always hold SU in some sort of high regard, for various reasons, whereas I feel a grad student simply sees the school they attend for grad studies as a stepping stone in a greater plan.’

White is right. I didn’t come to SU to repeat the experience I had as an undergraduate. My four years at Oberlin College were the best of my life. But that chapter was only meant to happen once. The excitement of the future entices me more than the craziness of a house party, and I don’t think my liver could handle another round of college.

When I finished the last of my schoolwork this week, my friends and I celebrated with drinks at the Inn Complete. It epitomized my graduate student experience: separated from much of campus and surrounded by unforgettably talented individuals. We were boozed up enough to forget about schoolwork and enough to feel like under grads again.

Alicia Smith is a graduate student in the magazine, newspaper and online journalism program. She can be reached at acsmit05@syr.edu

Published on May 10, 2011 at 12:00 pm