After the novelty and euphoria of first year wore off, I found myself caught in a sort of rhythm. Rhythm is an interesting word because (in this case) it’s neither positive nor negative. My expectations for certain systems and activities were certainly diminished (I don’t expect much from a basement party). But my preparation and awareness of how things work here at Bowdoin also became much more accurate. I know which foods to eat, which departments to steer clear of and how to conduct myself in different spaces. As my awareness and routine have become more streamlined over my six semesters here, I began to feel like I was stuck in a loop. For the most part, I do the same things, talk to the same people, answer the same questions and see the same things. Every. Single. Day. At one point in my sophomore year, I started thinking I was in “The Truman Show.” Of course, I could change that by doing ayahuasca, but without taking such drastic measures, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I wasn’t growing as a person. After pondering this conundrum for a few weeks, I came to an optimistic conclusion. Although the lives we live here as college students may seem fake, the skills and habits we are forming will carry us far after our time here at Bowdoin.

The biggest shock to my system was the calendar. First week, everyone and their mother is asking, “Do you want to get a meal?” “Let’s get a meal!” “When are you free for a meal?” This is obviously comforting to hear as a first year trying to make friends; however, I quickly learned that to juggle all of these plans in my mind, I needed to put them in my calendar. Over time, I began using my calendar more collaboratively. I currently send and accept multiple invitations from different people and groups on campus (shoutout to Rachel Morse from the Office of Annual Giving). As many of you may know, working on a group calendar is a very useful skill you learn in an internship. Whether I’m looking ahead to future plans or recounting where and when past events took place, it all lives in my calendar. I would have never honed this skill if I hadn’t first started using my calendar for scheduling meals here at Bowdoin.

Although many of us aspire to run large organizations, we sadly aren’t there yet. That said, we do still have the ability to hone our skills as leaders. While clubs here at Bowdoin may seem insignificant compared to Fortune 500 companies, skills like promotion, communication and delegation are imperative to any group’s success. Any College House member or club leader will tell you about the real effort that goes into seamlessly effortless displays.

I imagine schoolwork as my “job”—not necessarily something that I enjoy doing all the time, but something that is healthy for me to repeat. If that isn’t enough, I think of school as provisional (similar to a job). School is the only reason I have a roof over my head and food in my stomach. Similarly to a job, in school, if I do well, I am rewarded. I’ve received trips, scholarships, event tickets and national recognition just because of my schoolwork. Likewise, in the workforce, you are monetarily and socially rewarded corresponding to your productivity (at least that’s how it’s supposed to work).

Our job (in this case, schoolwork) is also holding a mirror to our tolerance. How much can you go out until it starts affecting your grades? How many times can you climb Katahdin? How much can you extend yourself until your “work” starts to change? As always, this isn’t something we are going to figure out today or tomorrow. But it is nice that we can learn these things about ourselves here in Maine rather than in a “real” job where it “really matters.”

Neiman Mocombe is a member of the Class of 2026.