“Winter” Break and Looming Questions

I put “Winter” in quotes because, well, let’s be honest: this barely counts as Winter. Even my hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota was warm the entire break.

I spent most of my time in Minneapolis once the semester ended, and I loved every minute of it. As a Senior coming back from school, the question asked in every conversation with friends and family is inevitably, “Where are you going after graduation?”

That question has never been harder to answer.

If you had asked me Freshman year, I would have told you the game plan: I love Minneapolis, and I know I could spend the rest of my life there happily. But I know I should go out and experience something difference at least once, so I’m going to school in Chicago before moving back here.

Sophomore year: Man, that’s such a far away question. I need to get A’s right now. Ask me later.

Junior year: Honestly, Chicago’s where the jobs are, and more than anything I need to have a job after I graduate. Thanks to Loyola, I have the most connections here, and I can get in on the best professional communication action if I stay here, at least for a little while after graduation. No better way to get my foot in the door.

Senior year: I have no idea. True, I have connections in Chicago, thanks largely to Loyola. But I have also been developing so many skills and so many passionate interests that I think I can apply anywhere that there’s something exciting happening of which I’d like to be a part. Of course I realize that much of this perception is probably undergrad hubris. Nevertheless, I am not going to be limited to just one safe option for jobs: I think I should go for my best and most exciting possibilities and put my best foot forward.

Needless to say, these evolving views led Senior year “Winter Break” to be a cause for a lot of soul searching.

But I did have a lot of fun too. I went out all the time with old friends. I had great reunions with people I hadn’t seen in years, and got to spend quality time with the friends that I get to see during every break. I played guitar and sang a lot of new songs. I love seeing and catching up with my family (because I’m a poor-quality son, I don’t write or call nearly as much as I should) and I love getting reacquainted with the city I loved so much growing up. I didn’t do any traveling, but exploring Minneapolis as a college Senior, with the new perspectives I’ve gained over the last four years, was adventure enough.