SENIOR VIEWPOINT Showing Up Can Be Half the Battle By Sean Gormley

Courtesey Sean Gormley Sean Gormley learns how to party with Jack the Bulldog.

I think you’re supposed to have something enlightening to say after four years of education at one of the top universities in the world. Maybe a nice little quote for a Hallmark graduation card, or some words of wisdom for those who follow in your footsteps. Maybe an experience that changed your life or a professor that opened up the world to you. Maybe a can of beer that told you the meaning of life.

For me though, Georgetown just wasn’t so cut and dry that I can sum it up in one cute story. I learned a lot of things, inside and outside the classroom, but most importantly I learned that this was just the beginning.

I started at Georgetown four years ago with plans to get a finance degree, become an investment banker and live wealthily ever after. Four years later, I have a finance degree, but I’ve learned that I don’t particularly want to dedicate my life to making money. I learned a lot about finance (although my International Finance professor this semester might disagree with this assessment), but more importantly I learned that I don’t want to do it for a living.

I learned that working at a bar is a lot of fun, but I also learned that it can be significantly detrimental to much of the rest of your life. Along the same lines, I learned that in a shocking turn of events, beer doesn’t mix well with productivity; although it does mix well with pizza, pretzels and bouts of stupidity.

I learned that it takes more than just reading Men’s Health to get into shape and that you actually have to find your way to the inside of a gym. Once you make your way to the gym it helps when it’s less than 100 degrees (thanks, Yates) and you’re not completely hung over too.

I learned that a taco from Taco Bell doesn’t qualify as healthy even though it has all four food groups covered: tortilla, beef, lettuce and cheese. Same goes for Big Macs.

I learned that television is both a great thing and a horrible, horrible creation. There’s nothing like it to kill a few hours, but when those hours turn to days and months it becomes kind of sad, although it is hard to resist watching Top Gun and Meet the Parents four times a week on HBO.

I learned that if you offer a guy a quarter to pee in the middle of the street, he might actually do it if he’s drunk.

I learned that Department of Public Safety officers don’t like it when you yell at them, even when they’re completely wrong.

I learned that you can hit 60 MPH in a car on the streets of Georgetown if you put your mind to it.

I learned that excessive alcohol consumption for stretches of time is accompanied by the shakes when your streak ends . thank you, spring break, for that lesson.

I learned that your boss generally isn’t impressed when you show up late for work reeking of alcohol. They’re even less impressed when it is on a day you weren’t supposed to come in.

One thing I evidently haven’t learned that much about is the opposite sex. I know I’m certainly not alone in this judging by the dumb things many guys do, so maybe time will teach me a little something when it comes to girls.

I learned what it’s like to lose something important, having had to attend the funeral of my best friend back home less than six months ago. This also taught me how to move on in life, no matter how difficult it might become.

I learned how important friends are, even if communication with them usually consists of stale jokes, sports and the occasional monosyllabic grunt, as is the case with most guys. I also learned when a joke becomes stale, although in my case this point usually arrives long before I tell it for the first time.

The most important thing I learned, though, is that just showing up is as important as anything, as cheesy as that sounds. That cute girl with the radiant smile never becomes your girlfriend unless you introduce yourself. You don’t have a chance at that dream job unless you apply for it. You don’t become an athlete without showing up at the gym, while you don’t become a college graduate without showing up at the library (at least on occasion).

Looking back, I did learn a lot at Georgetown. No earth-shattering revelations or brilliant flashes of knowledge, but some important things nonetheless. $150 grand worth? Time will tell.

For now I’m okay with just moving onward and upward or whatever it is you’re supposed to do when you graduate. Maybe I’ll even learn what I want to do with my life . I mean, other than beer, girls and TV.

Sean Gormley is a senior in the McDonough School of Business and a former managing editor, sports editor, contributing editor and member of The Hoya’s Board of Directors.