Summer is coming to an end and the Fall 2019 semester is quickly approaching. Hooray! College is about to start again!...except if you graduated in Spring 2019... Regardless of the year, you will experience some sort of postpartum depression after graduation. It's that time of year where your summer fun starts to fade and adulthood begins to form into a sad reality. You probably have a new job that you hate or a serving job that is helping you with your student loans (your many, many, many student loans). There is also that high percentage of you recent graduates still living with your parents and low-key hating every second of it. Of course you love them, but you're back to living with them! You had this 4+ year routine at college where you did things your own way and now you have your mother telling you to do your laundry the "right way," clean the dishes, take out the garbage, drive to the supermarket and get her that special gluten-free, low-fat oatmeal in aisle six. It sucks and knowing that you will not be returning to campus this upcoming semester sucks even more. Here are the Top 10 things you'll miss when you never return to college again as an undergrad (like ever....even if there's a fire).
10. Moving In (and moving out...)
Odds are, your dormitory looked something like this when you first moved in as little freshman. As years when by, your dorms looked nicer, more amenities were added, you got more roommates and possibly your own room! You may have gotten your own apartment off-campus. Who knows? In the end, we all had to move in...and then move out. Don't you remember stuffing your car with bags and bags of clothes and boxes and boxes of stuff? Your parents came in clutch with their minivans or pickup trucks, and then those wagons that made transporting your stuff a whole lot simpler. Moving in was always a b*tch to do (especially if the weather sucked or you drove in at the worst time ever and everyone was fighting for the elevator). You had to reset your ID, get your dorm pass-codes, meet the RA, fill out stupid paperwork, and then finish moving in. Moving in was a hassle but it was a rewarding end-result. You got to decorate your dorm your own cute way (or you can make it mundane like my old dorm that got dirty after the first week). Changing the layout of your dorm mid-semester was always fun, moving your bed from one side to the other. Moving out was always annoying but you were always excited for the summer. The best/worst part about moving in?...hiding your tapestries, lights, and sprays from the RAs during inspections. Graduates, hopefully you'll be moving out of your parents' house soon and getting your own place!
9. Getting Your Routine Goin'
The first couple of days during sylly week, undergrads are getting their lives together. Classes are about to start and students are starting to memorize their routes on campus. You have two classes on Monday, a night class on Tuesday, 8 AM Wednesday (fml), same two classes on Thursday, off Friday (turn up). You also may be coming back to school already in a club, org, athletic team, or on-campus job. You gotta mix your academics with your extracurriculars and get that routine goin'! It's stressful at first, but once that routine is formed its smooth as heck. The best part about having a routine as an undergrad was that you got to change it whenever you wanted to. If a class was canceled or your club meeting was postponed, more free time for you (and when I mean free time I mean nap time). There is a select portion of you ex undergrads that loved scheduling with color coordinated post-its or something similar to the picture above. Whiteboards were your friends and reminders on your phone helped a bunch. I bet many of you made sure you got a Dunkin' or Starbucks trip added to your daily routine.
8. Academics
I know what you're thinking: "Richie, why the hell did you put Academics in this list of things that we missed?" I get it. Even though majority of your stress stemmed from academics, it was also the number one reason why you enrolled into college in the first place. You came to college to learn. You came to college to get that degree and then find a job. During your 4+ years at college, you had to work tirelessly studying, testing, reading, writing, creating, performing, solving for several courses at a time. Professors bombarded you with assignments and exams and it was up to you to get everything done by the deadline. Your classes were either boring and you were on your laptop OR you made the most out it and learned, participated. Many of your longtime friends started out in the same class at you. Maybe you became really close with your professor. Maybe you did a killer job on an assignment and got to keep it in your portfolio. Academics were a bittersweet moment during college and even though you will never have to take math again (sorry to all math majors), I'm sure you will miss college classes. Personally, it was so lit when you woke up to an email from your professor saying class was cancelled and you're like "Word. I can get stuff done now." And then you sleep for two more hours.
7. Clubs, Organizations, and Sports
During the first week of school, the Club Fair brought everyone together. Every single club, sport team, honor society, fraternity, and sorority showed up and it was such an exhilarating time. As a freshman, you got to visit the tables that interested you the most and sign up for the email list! As an upperclassman, you had the pleasure of talking to freshmen and transfers, talking all about your organization. Music blasted, people met people, and it was a great time for Instagram pictures and Snapchat stories. Club Fairs were typically at the beginning of the semester so many students got to see their friends too. Extracurriculars are just as important as your academics in the sense that you were equally as passionate. Many students end up pursuing what they did in their clubs rather than what they studied at school. Clubs, sports, and organizations taught undergrads how to become something remarkable whether that was a leader, performer, athlete, brother, sister, friend, etc. The amount of friends and memories made from clubs, sports, and organizations is incomprehensible. Many times, to debrief from any drama or stress from class, your clubs, sports and orgs were there to help you. They assisted you in the long-run: a great resume booster, countless tips, and remarkable friends and memories. Hopefully you continued with your passions post-graduation (*cue crying because you're not a sister anymore in Apple Beta Grammar*).
6. Exercising!
Did you exercise during college or did you not even know where the gym was located on campus? Hopefully, during your time in college, you did some sort of physical activity or dieted. Going to the gym, especially with your roommates or friends, was a fun time. You lost some calories, saw some progress, and felt good about yourself afterwards (unless you chugged six White Claws that night at a frat party). It was a good time to wear your best workout outfit to the gym and listen to Drake while running on the treadmill. Exercising was an important time during college because you got to stay healthy and were allowed to be lazy during the lazy days. Exercising didn't have to be at the gym where people you knew (and probably disliked) got to watch. Your school most likely had a rec center with yoga or Zumba sessions. Maybe you swam in the pool or ran the track. Maybe you joined an intramural! Who knows, maybe there was a reservation nearby your school that you got to hike every so often and see the NYC skyline (*sobs*). Dieting, especially as an upperclassman with your own kitchen, was a fun time. Protein shakes and meal prepping were a good time too. Leg day sucked as always. And rest days were the best days.
5. Skipping Class
*Types email to professor: "Good morning, Professor Bruno. I won't be able to make it to class this morning because I woke up with a fever. Blah blah blah."* We all have done something like this. Fake emails. Lies and deceit. Undergrads will do anything to skip class even when they don't have to inform the professor. You just don't show up; it's your choice. Skipping was the best feeling ever. During your college career, you had a limited amount of skips. Many professors informed on the syllabus about how many unexcused absences you were allowed for the semester. It was great to use them on days when you had a party or basically anything better to do than learning. Majority of the time, skipping class was used to sleep in (probably because you were hungover or missed a big assignment). Knowing that you were cozy in bed when your friends Ramona and Beezus were struggling to keep their eyes open as they listened to the 35-slide biology PowerPoint. Skipping class was also for strategic purposes if you had to get other assignments or errands completed. The biggest win-win situation?...those professors who never ever took attendance so skipping class was as easy as skipping the gym.
4. Dining
Just like Academics, you're probably asking me why Dining is on the list of what graduates will miss the most--and why it's at number 4! Let me be real with you all. We all loved our dining halls when we were freshmen! We would all always rendezvous to the dining hall at a specific time to get specific meals. As we got older (and were equipped with actual kitchens) there was no need for meal plans. But let me tell you something: there was always something we liked about the dining halls on our campus. Maybe you loved the campus fries. Maybe the one chef made your wraps perfectly and panini pressed them like a MF champ. How about this? Maybe your poor, drunk a** got to get into the dining hall during late night hours with your swipe ID and eat ice cream and chicken patties to your stomachs content! Yeah, I went there. Your campus had something special for your appetite and you know it. Dunkin' may have been there for you or some other helpful franchise. Many fun memories may have started in those dining halls. Flex dollars saved your life if you wanted to get your friend in to eat (or at the end of the semester when you got to raid your campus store like it was the zombie apocalypse). Even though you had a kitchen by the end of your college career, you will miss your dining hall, you will miss those chicken patties, you will miss those F'real milkshakes, and you will miss the dining hall staff (Love you, Charlotte).
3. Partying
It's about time I got to this category of the article. Of course we're missing the college parties! I bet you thought Partying was going to be number one (sad...just sad). But no, partying was obviously a major part of college. Maybe you never partied at college, maybe you only did it once a week, or maybe you were a legit degenerate and partied almost every single day and didn't give a crap about anything academically. Whatever the case may be, you probably went to at least one party during your college career. Parties ranged from a wide variety of different genres in college. You had your typical fraternity parties (mixers were dangerously amazing); athletic parties, club/organization parties, on campus parties, dorm parties, game nights, hangouts, off-campus parties. So many parties that I cannot keep track of how many I attended since my freshman year. They were the bulk of your college career. Zero F's were given and all you knew was to have fun. You were with your best friends and you were drinking and you were having a blast. There's that one party that you and your friends can talk about and always laugh (or cry) about. Graduates, think back to your very first party as a freshman. Seems like a millennia ago, huh? Now remember your last college party? Still seems like a millennia ago. Depressing I know. Well, now that you have friends in the same boat with ya, you can go to Hoboken of Bar A and drink away your depression (just don't chant your sorority song and don't blackout in the first thirty minutes). #Bradys
The Campus
I bet you are missing college. I bet you are also missing the actual campus too. There was a reason why you chose your college or university. Yes, you chose your school because of the major, the amenities, the dorms, the stats, but I bet you also took the campus itself into consideration. Were the buildings new and beautiful? Were the classrooms small and comfortable? Was the nature gorgeous? All of these attributes added to your overall college decision. Walking to your class during the colorful fall or the amazing springtime were great memories! You probably knew your campus inside and out by the time senior year came. I mean, it was your freaking home! You probably knew the best public bathroom to poop in without anyone interrupting. You probably had the best spot in the library or academic wing to study while having your phone charger plugged in. Wearing the college swag: sweatshirts, sweatpants, hoodies, tees, socks! You showed your school spirit at times. You lived on campus for 1-4+ years and it was considered your home. You had a room, mailbox, address, everything. You did laundry, dishes, cleaning, all the things your parents did for you at home (and probably right at this exact moment as you sob while reading this article). Your campus was a huge part of your life. That mascot represented you. You'll be visiting your campus soon. I know you will. But you will be an alumna now and it'll feel so weird. *Goes to the campus main entrance sign, takes a pic, and sobs*
1. Your Friends
Here it is. The moment you've all been waiting for. The number one thing I bet you're missing the most are your friends. You're probably texting some of them right now and that's awesome! The good thing about this topic is that your friends aren't gone, you just don't go to college with them anymore (and literally never, ever again). This is what it is: you miss this whole college experience with your friends. You miss your roommates, your classmates, your fraternity brothers, your sorority sisters, your teammates, your club and org friends. You have made countless friends from freshman year to graduation, whether it was a quick "hello" or your #1 best friend. Roommates are a next-level friendship because you lived with them and were friends. All of you were loyal to one another, had each other's backs, and made the best memories. Many of your friendships during college became so strong that you consider them your sibling (and not in the Greek way). The fact that you had someone with you all the time on campus 24/7 and then to not seeing them for weeks at a time is not a good feeling. But the good thing? If you became that close with them then you bond will never fade. I bet you met your college friend this summer after not seeing them for weeks and it was like you never left each other. College friends, roommates, teammates, etc. are something spectacular. After reading this article, hit up one of your first college friends you met that you may not talk to now. See how they're doing!
Well there's your ten. If you don't agree. Oh well. I graduated. I'm just as depressed as you. It's the real world now. It's time be be an adult and be successful! I hope each and every one of you guys who read this article felt something special. College was an amazing experience and you should all be grateful for getting such a wonderful education. I'll miss college as a residential undergrad, but I'll always have the memories (and the Snapchat flashbacks) to look back on and smile. Share this article with your college friends! Best of luck with your future endeavors! And, hey, there's always grad school ;) wazgoood!
Going to the cinema alone is good for your mental health, says science
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