I went over the upperclassmen move-in regulations by a lot this time. Over the last few days, I have been steadily moving my belongings and trappings into Morris Hall 112. I have called this room home at Wabash since my sophomore year, and little has changed. After I scraped scraps of peeling paint from the ceiling above my bed, the room has a new paint job.
It is a minor change, but it is an improvement that has made my room darker, more concentrated, and maybe even a little more somber. It is perhaps a reflection of how I feel about the coming of my last "first day" as a senior at the College. It will be the last time as a student that I experience that kind of excitement.
I will confess that I am a little weary of going back home to Crawfordsville. I feel like I am already ready to move on beyond Wabash. In contrast, though, I also feel indifferent because it is something that I have to do. I must go back to finalize what I established two-and-a-half years ago. I feel reinvigorated to see my peers again after a relatively dull summer, and to get back to work and finish out.
As I write this, it is Freshman Saturday. Those incoming "rhynes" of the Class of 2020 are probably just as nervous as I was when I moved into College Hall three years ago. For everyone from the legacies to those coming from as a far away as Vietnam, today is a flood of emotions and trepidations. Game faces are nothing
As an upperclassmen, you can't wait to meet these guys. As a Wabash student, you are curious to talk to them about their goals and aspirations; you want to see what they are capable of. At least, this is what I would expect from my classmates.
A lot of it brings back nostalgia of your Freshman Saturday; it seems like it was only yesterday. You were naïve, confident, and also knowing that you were, by no means, the smartest guy there. The experience in general is very humbling.
As a senior, I am humbled that I am riding into a sunset. Sure, I still have my obligations with Delta Tau Delta, getting ready for Comps, and mapping up plans for when after I graduate. My college career is quickly coming to an end. A new chapter is beginning to be written up.
And so, as I go around meeting peers the Class of 2020, and as I prepare for the first day of school, I will always keep thinking about just how much time has passed. The Class of 2017 is nine months from graduation. And we all believed it would take longer. But it didn't. And I hope those that come after me will realize it sooner than I did.
