When I was a senior in high school, all I heard from friends, family, and pretty much everyone was, "Penn State is the greatest school. You will have the best four years."
Being at a Big Ten school and not having a football season, formals and date parties, club meetings, the packed library and student center, concerts, just everything, doesn't feel right. I'm sure other fellow big state school students can relate. What should be a care-free college year, my junior year consists of online classes, wearing a mask, barely seeing friends, and praying that I don't get sick.
I miss Penn State. I miss chicken baskets in Beaver Stadium, I miss THON, I miss fun Friday nights, I miss getting presents for birthday parties, I miss everything.
College feels like it's flying by and there's nothing I can do to get a normal experience back. A million thoughts run through my mind. The main question that I keep going back to is, "how could I have better spent my previous two years?"
There are some things I would change. I go through my old college pictures in tears, wishing I could have just one more day of my old college life. I would have enjoyed every Friday night, soaked in every moment with friends, cherished tailgating in the freezing cold weather, and not complained when walking a mile to class.
As much as I rely on the hope that things will get better by my senior year, I need to make the most out of my time left at Penn State. Yes, it will be different. But if I don't try to smile through it, I'll look back on my next two years, regretting that I didn't soak them in. You only get to do college once. While it is strange, and sad, the Coronavirus has taught us college kids one thing: to never take our time for granted.