It is crazy to think that two semesters have flown by so quickly and now you are back at home for the summer. So many things happened this year -- new friends, new mentors, new love interests, new challenges, all which influenced you and helped you to grow. If you are anything like me, you feel a little sad that the year has come to a close, but you are excited to reunite with your old friends. Meeting up with friends from home can be so exciting, but when it comes to talking about your year, where do you start? How much information is too much? What do they really want to know?
Here are a list of things to be sure to talk about when you reunite with your friends this summer.
1. Friends.
Include the different types of people you hang out with during the year (ie: I go out with these people, I live down the hall from these people, etc.). Only include the most important people -- the ones you like and the ones you don't.... No one wants to hear about the person who you grab lunch with once every other month. Be sure to include pictures!
2. Professors.
Did you like your professors this year or nah? Why or why not?
3. What was your favorite class?
Be sure to explain why it was your favorite class too.
4. Favorite sober memories.
Only pick the highlights.
5. Most memorable nights.
Nothing is worse than hearing about the endless amount of times people got super drunk and went to a party. Make sure to limit your stories to the top two, maybe three, most memorable nights you had this year. Those are the only ones people want to hear about.
6. Your love interests.
It is important that you include all dates, crushes, people who crushed on you, and people you hooked up with more than once. Pictures are also a must.
7. What were your challenges this year?
Why was this challenge so difficult. Was it a period of time or a specific event? What did you learn from it and how did you grow?
8. Fights.
Did you get into any tense situations? Who were they with -- parents, roommates, friends, etc. Give us the Sparknotes version. What happened, how was it resolved, and how is the relationship now?
9. What was the most rebellious thing you did?
No detail is too small.
10. Music.
What new songs or albums are you into right now? Has your taste in music changed since the year started?
11. Movies and TV Series.
What was the best movie or TV series that you saw this year?
P.s. Is JoJo the best Bachelorette or what...
12. How did you change or grow?
What did this year teach you? Do you feel you are different or the same since the beginning of the year? What brought the change?
13. What happened that was completely unexpected?
One of the biggest things I learned this year is that college is all about embracing the unknown future. Things always happen differently than you expect them to.
14. What was your hardest class?
This is self-explanatory and there should be many because college is hard.
15. Did this year live up to your expectations?
Why or why not? How was it different than you anticipated? How was it similar to what you expected?
16. Did you (honestly) like your year?
If you did, great! But sometimes you just have a bad semester or two and it’s okay if it wasn’t your best year. Why do you feel the way you do and what will you do next year to make it better?
17. What will you miss the most about school?
Will it be friends or learning or your job or being involved on campus? What do you have at school that you don’t have at home?
18. What did you learn about yourself?
19. What are you most looking forward to most this summer?
Summer is here and what will you do to make it the best one yet?
This list will hopefully help guide you as you talk about the craziness of this year. Make sure when you talk about everything you leave out unwanted information like inside jokes, word for word conversations with your college friends, and graphic details about your hook-ups or medical history. Be sure to be a good listener as well and enjoy the next three months with your friends, you are about to have the best summer yet!
