I didn’t take people seriously when they told me college would be the fastest four years of my life, but here I am, just two weeks away from finals, already about to finish my first year here at UVA. I really don’t know how all those months could have flown by so quickly. I clearly remember every detail of saying goodbye to my childhood home and packing up my things for my dorm in August, and now my parents are asking what day they should come to help me move out.
So many memories have been made this year—meeting my soon-to-be best friends in my dorm, surviving rush and joining a sorority, waking up way too early for College Game Day, and feeling Charlottesville slowly become a second home to me. I’m lucky enough to have six more semesters to enjoy at UVA, but there are a few irreplaceable things I’ll truly miss about my first year.
1. Dorm squad.
Regardless of where you stand on the old dorms v. new dorms rivalry, and no matter how much you’re looking forward to living in an apartment next semester, we’ll all miss the little dorm communities that grew throughout the year. Never again will you live just down the hall from all the people you’ve stayed up 'til 3 in the morning with watching movies in the lounge, almost been caught by your RA doing exactly what you're not supposed to do in dorms, and inevitably became unforgettable friends with.
2. Going out in huge groups during the first few weeks of school.
Everyone remembers getting ready to go out in a massive pack at the start of the year and walking in swarms from dorms to Rugby Road. Now we know the area (and are on enough lists) to make our own weekend plans, but some of my most memorable and fun nights from the start of the year involved my hallmates and I running around all together, trying not to lose someone and almost always ending up eating Christian’s on the Lawn in the early hours of the morning.
3. Late night Castle and Crossroads.
The Freshman 15 is an all-too-real struggle when you get Castle’s bacon, egg, and cheese three times a week at 1 a.m., or always have the option of Crossroad’s two slices of pizza meal swipe after coming back from going out. They’re too convenient for us first years to not take advantage of, and something I’ll dearly miss when I’m lying in bed hungry in my apartment next year, and too broke to afford any real food.
4. Endless free stuff.
The first few weeks after moving in were just a bombardment of free everything—shirts, stickers, plastic cups, even food, if we were really lucky. The best one ever was getting to go up to T Sully’s house after Convocation for ice cream and a selfie with Dean Groves.
5. Living close to everything on Grounds.
Walks to Clem take under 10 minutes, classes in Gilmer are a blessing, and the AFC is too close to make an excuse for not working out. We really do have prime living arrangements location-wise first year, something I’m sure I won’t appreciate until I’m waking up half an hour earlier next year to have time to get to class and being too far away from the gym to make the effort to go.
6. Being free to change our minds on majors.
Even if we had a pretty solid idea of what we wanted to study before coming to UVA, us first years had the ability to completely switch our area of studies if we found our new passion. Or we could remain undecided and try all sort of subjects. We weren’t committed to a major yet and didn’t have the deadline of being required to pick looming over our heads, a short-lived freedom I know I’ll miss next year.
7. Unlimited meal swipes.
Yes, we all hate on the dining halls and complain about how awful the food is, but next semester, when we’re struggling to conserve our limited amount of meal swipes or scrape together money for groceries, we’ll be reminiscing about the days of being able to walk into Newcomb six times a day just for a cup of coffee, or get three meals a day without having to cook or clean.
8. How new and exciting everything is.
Our first year is exactly like it sounds—a year of firsts. We got to experience our first insane night at Block Party, first football tailgates and the almost-defeat of Notre Dame, first all-nighters in Clem during finals week, first date functions, first time being in a completely new environment with new people and new lifestyles. It was a little overwhelming at first, but in an fun and unique way.
I’m more than ready for classes to end and excited for beach week and summer, but I already know I’m going to miss my first year more than anything. Class of 2020, get ready for one of the best years of your life. It goes by faster than you can ever imagine.
