This past school year, the first senior class graduated and began a new chapter of their lives. The BOYCP alumni are now spread across 30 colleges and universities across nine states, and The Maroon caught up with eight of them.

 

Regardless of distance, all of our alumni could agree that the best thing about college was finally getting that independence they did not have in high school and being able to create their own schedule. Their newfound freedom has allowed them to:

“…choose my classes based mostly on my interest”  -Sielina Castillo (UIC)

“ …move at your own pace and you develop your own pace” Rudy Calderon (UIC)

“…learning how to balance yourself with time” -Ashley Serrano (ISU)

“…feel like you can do anything that comes your way.” -Rafael Villa (Trinity)

“…having the power to choose the classes I wanna take.” -Jesus Ornelas (Harold)

 

But for some, the distance also affected what the worst thing about college has been for them.

 

For the students who stayed in the city and decided to commute, most said one of the hardest things, other than the coursework, was the social aspect. They also included the difficulty of forming close friendships compared to high school.

 

The majority of students who decided to leave Chicago, but stayed in state, also agreed that one of the worst parts of college was dealing with homesickness from “…being away from family and friends” -Daniela Rojas (WIU)  But they found becoming involved helped make the transition a lot smoother. And for others, they found the “…transition has been difficult, but I expected it to be worse” -Martin Camarena (NIU)

 

As for the two students who decided to pack up their bags and move across the country, they surprisingly had the most trouble dealing with other on campus. They said the worst part of college was:

“…dealing with loud people and drunk people in your residence hall” -Rafael Villa (Trinity)

“…not being able to do everything my friends are doing. After a few months, you understand why your friends can party and you cannot.” -Zorian Flowers (Westpoint)

 

These responses are only a sample of the graduated class, but they do offer some insight as to what college life could look life for future alumni.

 

For anyone worried and frightened by the thought of college, we leave you with these words from a Bobcat alumni;

“I think anyone heading to college and the people who are worried about going to college should remember to stay calm and focus on the day. One thing we always say in the Army is “Be excellent and conquer the day.” -Zorian Flowers (Westpoint)

-Saira Gonzalez