So it’s the end of the semester and all your friends are leaving campus while you have to stay. Campus has a different vibe during the summer. Being a varsity athlete during the spring means we have to stay for a few weeks after classes end. And, boy, was I not prepared for the change. No classes means no people; no people means your college campus closely resembles a scene from "The Walking Dead:" empty.
Normally, at this time, the maintenance crew uses their time to smooth out the rough spots on campus where students, staff and faculty have been making the world a better place. They do good things, but human beings have this tendency to wear things out, and we are fortunate to have an incredible group of people to fix these things.
Without the constant noise of college students, I started to get scared and notice all the random noises. And fortunately for me, the weather decided to storm the week I stayed at school. So, of course, everything in my rooms creaked and sounded like an intruder, even though no one but me was supposed to be on my floor. I cannot help but wonder if it always sounded like a ghost was trying to open my drawers and I just did not notice it before.
The upside to no one being on campus is I get to complete all the things on my freshman year bucket list, like run through the fountain at 2 a.m., play music while taking a shower or climb the tree outside my room to see if I could get in my window.
As I walk down the hallway of my residence hall and look into the empty rooms that used to house my closest and first friends at college, I remember all the late night study sessions, the dangerous games of cards and all the homemade movies. I am reminded of all the good times we had and can't believe the year is already over. And I'm still here all by myself.
Other than during practice or meals with your teammates, there are few distractions, which creates a lot of times for self reflection, on college, on becoming a sophomore, on the summer, on why cats are not purple and on all sorts of things. Luckily, you can always count on your teammates to be there to answer the really hard questions.
So if you are still on campus during the summer, for whatever reason, make the most of it. It will definitely be different than the buzz of activity during the school year, so take advantage of the alone time and free time. Reflect, write, sleep and explore your campus's history and beauty that you did not have time to do during classes.
