When I started at this wonderful university three and a half years ago, I never thought I would be at this point. Not that I didn’t think I would graduate, just that I thought graduation was a lifetime away. Boy, I was so wrong. The last three and a half years have been a blur. It may seem trite to say, but time really does fly.

I started here in the fall of 2009 as a scared, skinny, wide-eyed freshman. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, what to expect of classes or of college life in general. Now I leave Tennessee as a still scared, slightly larger, wide-eyed senior who still doesn’t know what to do with my life. I have a better idea, but I still am not 100 percent clear.

During my time, I have learned a lot inside and outside of the classroom.

In the classroom, I’ve learned about everything from the history of mass communication to the what the future of journalism will hold. I learned both where the business has been and gained insight into where it will go. As much as I have griped about the program, I have to say that I truly feel ready to enter the world of journalism based on the training I have received at Tennessee. I think the College of Communication and Information has put together a fantastic track of courses with an excellent staff of teachers.

Although I learned a lot in the classroom, I think I learned a lot more outside of the classroom. These lessons helped me grow both as a student and as a person. Outside of the classroom I had the opportunity to work with a small mayoral campaign, and then a few months later I moved to Atlanta to work with an NBA team. Both of these opportunities, even though they were incredibly different, helped prepare me for my future career.

Also outside of the classroom, I experienced love, heartbreak and many other different experiences that have helped mold me as a person. I learned little lessons such as cans will float in water but bottles will not. I have made relationships that will last for the rest of my life. I have made friends with people that I will never lose touch with and that have been there with me for some of the best and worst moments of my life. Whatever I learned inside the classroom, I feel like I learned double the amount by just living.

People have asked me what I will miss most about college. I will miss the lifestyle of a college student the most. Where else in the world can you wake up at 9:30 a.m. and still feel like you are waking up early? Where else can your weekend start on a Thursday? Where else is it acceptable to not show up to work, or in this case class, just because you decide not to? The only place I know these things to be true is on a college campus.

Finally, I want to give out some advice. Enjoy your college career. It will be over before you know it, so go out and live life to the fullest. Spend time with your friends, because chances are you will remember the nights you spent out with them more than you will remember the nights you spent in the library. Go to another school. Whether you go for a football game or to visit friends, go out and see what other campuses have to offer. Whenever I did, it made me appreciate how great Knoxville is for a college student. Do something out of your comfort zone. You will feel better for doing it and stronger because you did. Even if you don’t succeed, you will learn more about yourself in the process.

I can’t believe I am finally finished with my undergraduate degree. I want to thank The Daily Beacon for letting me be part of this incredible publication; I absolutely loved every minute of working with this talented staff and I will miss you all.

Good luck with exams and I’ll catch you on the flip side.

— Rob Davis is a graduating senior in journalism and electronic media. He can be reached at [email protected].