The semester is coming to a close and I can firmly say that third year is my favorite year at UBC so far. First year was that exciting new start, that slowly turned into “what did I get myself into?” Personally, university was more lonely than I thought it would be, all those isolated study hours in the dungeon… Second year started off as a “ok, lets not make the same mistakes this year” kind of year.  By the end of second year, my thoughts were more along the lines of “I really hope this ride gets better.”  It does.  It did.

This is why I think third year is a good year:

1. Declared major.  Meaning more classes that truly explore the stuff you like, less of those where you can’t remember why you’re taking it… oh yeah because you had to. (Actually, some of those turned out to be very useful.)

2.  No more surprises.  One year to settle down, one year to get used to it.  Third year is where you know what to expect and have hopefully set up a good system for yourself.  The course loads are heavier, but from what I’ve seen the people grew more than the course load.

3. Eligibility for exchange and co-op.  It’s a change in the routine that is still productive.  Exchange is probably why I look so favorably on this year of my life.  I didn’t choose to take co-op but I know for some, it’s what they were looking forward to when they came into university and third year is where it finally happens.

4. You’re not the smartest kid anymore… and it’s fine.  I’m sure you’ve heard it before: “you might have been the smartest kid in your high school, but when you get into university you certainly don’t feel that way.”  In some case you might still be that smart kid.  If you’re not, you might have had a lot self-questioning moments.  In third year, it kind of passes.  You’ll have more opportunities to shine in ways you couldn’t before.  Ways that work with your strengths.  You could be failing something, but you’re not stupid.

There are some reasons why third year is not so awesome though:

1. You’re old.  Face it, you’re old.  You are now in the older half of the undergrads.  For those who entered UBC at 18 or 19, you are now 20 or 21.  And that is a scary thought sometimes.  On the plus side, you can now have a good time in Vegas.

2. “This time next year… I might be unemployed…” or still hanging on to that part time job.  At the end of an awesome third year, this thought may drift into your head like a rain cloud or come raging through like a hailstorm in April, Vancouver style.  A good number of us hope that our university degrees will land us something nice when we graduate.  That “final exam” is coming into sight.  Or for those who are unsure, “should I graduate in 4 years or 5? …Maybe I could do graduate school”

To those of you who are in third year and are planning on graduating next year: This could be the LAST summer vacation of your LIFE!  What are you doing with it?