Momentum, velocity accelerates near graduation
Cassie Rodenberg
Issue date: 4/16/09 Section: Health and Science
In the experiment called life, it's all about transitioning - about starting new research.
As a senior, my life has been catalyzed, propelled forward at a seemingly unstoppable velocity.
Graduating disturbs the equilibrium I've so carefully maintained throughout my undergraduate career.
I was accepted into a graduate program at NYU last week, and suddenly I'm moving to a city I've never seen to attend a school I've never toured.
In physics, acceleration equals force divided by mass.
Thus, life change depends upon the length of effort, of trial, of desire, divided by factors that weigh you down.
For years, my acceleration has mounted because I haven't considered the risks and uncertainties of the so-called real world.
Now, on the brink of leaving my Winthrop career behind, I worry about my final outcome; questions spill into my subconscious thought.
New York is a place for dreamers, for artists, for Wall Street bankers. Do I belong there, a university program where accepted applicants hail from Harvard and Columbia?
It's my psyche that's weighing me down - the momentary doubt that clouds the euphoria elixir.
I've never been one to choose the easy route. I like new things and challenges - the thrill of an unsolved puzzle.
But what if this puzzle is too much for me?
Will I be singed at the offset?
In the end, it's my initial velocity that boosts my acceleration.
I know the principles for motion, so why am I afraid?
Mathematical equations allow us the uncanny ability to know the end result of a problem.
So why do we worry over our post-graduation fate?
Words like "unemployment" and "recession" are used to scare us, but for those of us with the calculated drive, there is nothing to fear.
We know our own unique equation for acceleration.
We will succeed because our formula is prewritten - the variables obtained through four years of an undergraduate degree.
We can be confident in ourselves because, for the first time, our years of calculations are complete and our abilities tested.
All we have to do is let the laws of physics take over: Allow our momentum to pick up and carry us away.
You see, physics is certain when we aren't.
As a senior, my life has been catalyzed, propelled forward at a seemingly unstoppable velocity.
Graduating disturbs the equilibrium I've so carefully maintained throughout my undergraduate career.
I was accepted into a graduate program at NYU last week, and suddenly I'm moving to a city I've never seen to attend a school I've never toured.
In physics, acceleration equals force divided by mass.
Thus, life change depends upon the length of effort, of trial, of desire, divided by factors that weigh you down.
For years, my acceleration has mounted because I haven't considered the risks and uncertainties of the so-called real world.
Now, on the brink of leaving my Winthrop career behind, I worry about my final outcome; questions spill into my subconscious thought.
New York is a place for dreamers, for artists, for Wall Street bankers. Do I belong there, a university program where accepted applicants hail from Harvard and Columbia?
It's my psyche that's weighing me down - the momentary doubt that clouds the euphoria elixir.
I've never been one to choose the easy route. I like new things and challenges - the thrill of an unsolved puzzle.
But what if this puzzle is too much for me?
Will I be singed at the offset?
In the end, it's my initial velocity that boosts my acceleration.
I know the principles for motion, so why am I afraid?
Mathematical equations allow us the uncanny ability to know the end result of a problem.
So why do we worry over our post-graduation fate?
Words like "unemployment" and "recession" are used to scare us, but for those of us with the calculated drive, there is nothing to fear.
We know our own unique equation for acceleration.
We will succeed because our formula is prewritten - the variables obtained through four years of an undergraduate degree.
We can be confident in ourselves because, for the first time, our years of calculations are complete and our abilities tested.
All we have to do is let the laws of physics take over: Allow our momentum to pick up and carry us away.
You see, physics is certain when we aren't.
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