When making the transition between middle school and high school, you see your graduation day as a day that will not come in a million years. For me, it was 2013. My parents and I laughed and we said "Wow, that'll be in forever!" Getting to my high school graduation was like jumping into a time machine, one which brought me to the finish line.
Coming to college, seeing the graduation date on my school ID was a very similar feeling. 2017? That'll be the year someone invents a flying car. The year that we discover life on another planet, right? But no. Today, in 2015, I realize that I am closer to graduating from college every day. Every day I am constantly running around trying to meet deadlines, make it to meetings on time, or finish homework for the next day. It's easy to forget to take a moment to appreciate where you are and how blessed you are to be there.
This year, having the privilege to be an RA, my door decorations reflect this belief of mine. Sour Patch Kids on every door, decorated with glitter and with my residents' names. Why Sour Patch Kids? It's not that I have a Sour Patch Kids fetish or anything of the sort, I promise! College is very much like Sour Patch Kids when you think about it: sour, sweet, gone.
Adjusting to college is hard. It doesn't matter if you live in the same city, an hour away, halfway across the country, or halfway across the world. We all go through the same experience that is trying to adjust and fitting in with people we want to surround ourselves with. You will most likely encounter times where you'll have an awkward breakfast/lunch/dinner or you'll find that the friends you made during the first two weeks of classes have turned their backs on you and have decided to make a new group of friends. Maybe you're really getting along with your roommate but you don't know them well enough to tell them that it's not okay for their significant other to keep sleeping over. It does happen! It happens all the time, but that's college. It is sour and it is bitter, uncomfortable and scary. But underneath this layer comes the best part.
After the first year, you basically know who you can call your friend or not. You're familiar with the different sports teams who always sit together at dinner, you know where all your classes are, and you know when the dining hall or common areas are most busy so you avoid them at that time. Perhaps you even have some of your school's food menus memorized..? Thus, coming into your second, third or fourth year iw a piece of cake. It's literally sweet. You have better housing options, perhaps even moving up from a hot and sweaty dorm to one in which you can control your room temperature. You most likely picked the person or people you are living with, which definitely makes your entire school year experience a much more positive one. Time management becomes easier because by now you've figured out what your daily routine is and how you work best.
As upperclassmen, however, there are more responsibilities. You are more involved in clubs, possibly in executive board positions. You are doing research for your major, taking on internships on/off campus. You are becoming a tutor or Learning Assistant. You have a 10-hours-per-week work study. You are the manager of a sports team. You are on a sports team. It can all be overwhelming, sometimes pushing us to the point where we are constantly stressed out. We get up, maybe cry a little because we don't want to leave our beds, and we get coffee and go about our day. When we're finished, we go back to our room or the library or wherever we can to do our work. It's easy to be trapped in our own little bubble, (especially at Muhlenberg). We don't realize that we need some time-- whether it's on weekends or during dinner on weekdays-- where we can socialize and have some fun. Because college only lasts four years. There will be no other day where you will have the same opportunities that you have today. Ever. College is here for four years, and then it's gone.
We will all go on to do great things in life. Whether it's find a job, go to grad school, or take on a family business. But it's important to cherish the moments in college. It's not guaranteed that you'll be living in the same building as your best friends anymore. You won't be a 5 or 10 minute walk away again. Let's enjoy those moments now.
