by Xochitl Campos
Daily Lobo
Senior Stephen Miera wasn't afraid to take chances with his education.
"College should be about risks," he said. "What other time can you risk it? Get into trouble, stay out - one or the other. That is what it is all about."
Miera said the last thing he was worried about was finishing his degree in
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four years.
"I'd rather graduate in six," he said. "The best part of being this age is being in college. I came in to school today and didn't even have class."
Miera said he was told to pick a major after he had accumulated too many hours in the University College.
"I picked University Studies because it gave me a lot of flexibility, more than most majors," he said. "I was glad to venture out and try new things. I've really enjoyed it."
Miera studied abroad, got internships and has taken a variety of classes.
Incoming students should look at UNM as a way of experiencing all that college has to offer, he said.
Senior Ryan Bobbe, a foreign languages major, said this year is the light at the end of the tunnel.
"It is the first time in probably four or five years that I have been happy about going to school," Bobbe said.
While he looks forward to graduating, Bobbe said it might not be the end of his college career.
"I've come to the realization that I probably will pursue opportunities for post-grad or join the Peace Corps," he said.
Senior Ryan Van Otten has been a Lobo since freshman year, but he said it feels like he started yesterday.
"It has flown by," he said. "I was a wee little freshman, and now, I'm a senior trying to graduate in May."
Van Otten, a political science and Spanish major, said he has no problem continuing his education if plans for the future don't work out.
"If I don't get into law school, I'd have no problems staying here," he said. "In fact, I'm really going to miss these past few years that I've spent meeting such fantastic people and making such good friends."
Van Otten said he'll have his degree after four years as an undergraduate because he stuck with his major and took three years of summer school.
"I do feel a little bit of pressure to graduate and make lots of money out of school," he said. "But I know that is not feasible."
