This is it, Bears! The last edition of the Orient, the last full week of classes, and (for seniors) the last few days we’ll be here on campus. Although I will miss the people and the campus dearly, one thing I will enjoy is the freedom from “The Script.” The Script, as I have imagined it, is a brief overview of your past, present and future. All of us answer questions like, “What did you do over break?” “What are you doing over the summer?” “What are you doing after graduation?” And these are all fair questions (I would hope). These questions will continue to follow us after Bowdoin. We all want what’s best for our friends here at Bowdoin, and we’re excited to see where we go once we leave campus. Since we’re met with such questions regularly, it makes sense that we develop and memorize standardized answers, which is what I call “The Script.”

It’s a concise way of communicating what we will do once we leave. On one hand, the script is helpful since (for one reason or another) it motivates students to keep achieving. Getting into college is step one of a very long journey, and by seeing our peers achieve impressive awards and recognition, we too can be motivated to achieve similar success. I’d like to believe that most of us are intrinsically motivated in the first place, but if that’s not the case, then being reminded (or asked), “What’s next?” can be a good fire under us to push us to the next level.

In addition to encouraging us to achieve success outside of Bowdoin, though, these questions can force us to form a Script which satisfies our own expectations—along with the perceived expectations of others. Something like, “I’ll be doing research on campus in the summer,” is a godsend to anxious students who are constantly questioned by friends, family, faculty and more about “what’s next.”

It’s no one’s fault that it’s the norm to ask sincerely about where their friends are going; that said, students who do not know what is next can understand how anxiety-inducing and demoralizing this question can be. If you don’t have a Script prepared, some students may feel inadequate; obviously, those things aren’t the case if we’ve made it this far, but that doesn’t mean we don’t feel pressure.

I’ve found Scripts to extend from professional aspirations into personal ones, too. “What are you doing over break?” isn’t a neutral question; it could be an opportunity to show off your glamorous upcoming vacation for some, or it could be a costly reminder to others that they aren’t “going anywhere.”

I can’t imagine a world where such questions and Scripts vanish from Bowdoin or any other campus; we’re all curious people. But we should be mindful of how even the most airtight Scripts can change overnight. As hard as it may be, know that your journey is more than a short blurb you tell to an inquisitive parent, alumni or classmate—after all, how many of our high school Scripts were, “I’m going to college in Maine,” before our commitment to coming here?

Neiman Mocombe is a member of the Class of 2026.